Read My Life With The Movie Star Online
Authors: Meaghan Hoffmann
“I’m sure they do,” Gray said. “b
ut is there any place to get a beer and a burger? My agent never lets me eat them in LA, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“Sure,
” Lisa chimed in. “The Deck has a great burger, and we could sit outside. It’s such a nice evening.”
“Okay then,
” Gray said to Lisa. “Lead the way. I’m starving.”
I shot Lisa a look after Gray had left the room. She jokingly stuck her tongue out at me.
“He is hotter in person,” s
he whispered.
“Do not ruin this for me,
” I said; “You can stay for dinner but take off after that, and drive your own car,” I said.
“O
kay
. You’re no fun. How often do we have a movie star in Port?”
“Never again if you don’t behave!” I teased.
The Deck, our local bar, was mostly empty. I showed Gray the way to the outdoor section and was relieved to see that the patrons were all older men who seemed to have no idea we were with a movie star. The waitress, however, was younger. She recognized Grayson immediately.
“Oh my God, you’re Grayson Edwards!” she exclaimed. “Can I get your autograph? Wait, I have the
Texas High
CD in my car. I’ll be right back!” She ran off with our even taking our order.
I shot Lisa a worried look.
“Let’s go sit at the bar inside. I know the bartender.
I’m really sorry that happened,
” I said apologetically.
“Don’t worry abou
t it; this happens all the time,” Gray said. “b
ut I do think it might be a good idea to sit at the bar.”
We got up and relocated to a corner section of the bar where we were least visible. Brian was the bartender on that night. Lisa and I had known him ever since we started going to the Deck. He was in his late-thirties and honestly had no idea who Grayson was or what had gotten the waitress all worked up. Finally, we were able to place our order and get a few beers.
“You hav
e to try the fried cheese curds,
” I said. “They are a Wisconsin specialty.”
“That sounds terrible,
” Grayson said with a chuckle.
“They are really good. You’re from England; isn’t all the food there bad?” I asked playfully. I caught Lisa’s eye. She was used to me being the third wheel on all her dates and not the other way around.
“Well, British food is an acquired taste, but I do love fish and chips. Th
at is why I came here after all,
” Grayson said.
“So, Grayson, what was it like to film
Texas High
?” Lisa asked.
“Well, it’s wasn’t a big-budget film like
Crystal Cauldron
. I liked that
the cast and crew became close,
” he said and took a gulp of his beer.
“Didn’t your character die in
Crystal Caldron
?
”
Lisa asked.
“Yes my character died in one of the final scenes of the movie. I was a bit disappointed not to be in any of the sequels.”
“I don’t remember that part.” I stated it ha
s
been years since I had seen the movie.
“Abby doesn’t get out much,
” Lisa teased.
My cheeks turned red, but Grayson already knew I wasn’t up on current movies.
We got our food and Grayson graciously signed the waitress’s
Texas High
sound track.
The rest of the meal went off without a hitch. After dinner,
and
after much prodding by me, Lisa finally said her
goodbyes, and Gray and I made our way back to my house. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to be normal and comfortable around him. We sat on my couch and talked.
“This is one of the
best first dates I have been on,
” he said.
“Me t
oo. Too bad Lisa had to join us,
” I replied. I adjusted my weight to lean on him slightly.
“I don’t mind Lisa,” h
e said and put his arm around me. He started to rub my back.
“Thanks. I was worried she would drive you crazy. But she is my best friend in town, and I had to invite her.”
“The charm will wear off soon, and sh
e will see I’m just normal Gray,
” he said.
“I’m impressed by how you handle yourself with your fans. That must be tough to get interrupted all the time.”
“I have to appreciate my fans while I have them. Someday they won’t be chasing me down for autographs. It’s because of them that Grayson Edwards, the actor, exists.”
“Thanks for being so nice about it. My small to
wn doesn’t get many celebrities,
” I said as I snuggled next to him. I could feel that things were taking a more romantic turn. My head started to rush.
“Where do you want me to sleep tonight?” he whispered as he kissed my neck.
I had known this question would come up, and a strong feeling of guilt washed over me. I
was
hoping to stall him a bit more, but of course I wanted him to stay with me; he was utterly gorgeous and seemed totally into me. I tried to get lost in the moment, letting him kiss my neck and caress me, trying to persuade me. But I was unable to. The extremely responsible part of me knew that it was wrong to do that on a first date, even with a movie star. The idea of letting him stay in my room on the first night was too unsettling for me. It also scared me to death. I didn’t have
much experience in that department, and I was sure that he had plenty. I was afraid he would be terribly disappointed.
I let him kiss my neck. When he moved his hand onto my breast, my brain stated to scream out
RED ALERT
! This was going to be extremely hard, but I knew I had to stop him without offending him. I managed to roll over on my side and look up at him.
“Don’t think I’m a prude, okay,” I said. “b
ut maybe you should stay in the guestroom for tonight.”
“I understand,” h
e said. He kissed me gently on my head and pulled my body close to his chest. I rested my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating and feel the movement of his breathing. It was all immensely calming, like the ocean’s waves. I closed my eyes and let out a happy sigh. I hadn’t been this content in a long time.
Chapter 8
The next morning, I woke up in Grayson’s arms on the couch.
Did
last night actually happened? Grayson appeared to be asleep still, so I gently got up, started the coffee and took Thor outside. I was glad that I was the first one up. This allowed me some time to shower and put myself together. I honestly didn’t want Grayson to see just how scary I could look in the morning.
I quickly put on the jeans and tank top Lisa had helped me pick out. It was early on Friday, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with him today. I took one last look in the mirror and thought I looked fabulous.
When I walked into the kitchen, I found Gray there, looking for a mug.
“The mugs are up here,
” I said and handed him one.
“Thanks,
” Gray said sleepily. Even though, he was still in his clothes from the day before and looked half-asleep, I was amazed by him.
“I gue
ss last night worked itself out,
” I said, pouring some coffee for myself. I suddenly realized I only had cold cereal for breakfast. With all my planning for this visit, I had totally forgotten to go to the store for groceries. I was so used to having only myself and Thor to feed.
“I guess so,
” he replied.
I handed him cream a sugar for his coffee. “The couch must not have been very
comfortable,
” I apologized. I got out some bowls and milk and cereal. Grayson grabbed a bowl and made himself at home.
“I was comfortable next to you,
” he said.
“Did you fall asleep right away?”
“No, I watc
hed you sleep for a while first,
” he replied.
“You could have woken me up,
” I said. “My guestroom bed is much more comfortable than the couch.”
“I’m enjoying every moment
with
you. I didn’t want to waste any,
” he said.
I could feel myself start to blush. I hadn’t had someone be so nice to me in a long while.
After Gray was ready, I took him to Cedarburg, another cute small town. We had lunch at one of the local restaurants. I tried to think of other places to take him to keep him entertained.
We
walk
ed
out on the breakwater to the lighthouse. I brought my camera and wanted to take as many pictures of us as I could. I only
had
three days to make an album with him. Afterwards, we walked arou
nd the Upper Bluff Park, again
I was starting to run out of ideas.
When we got back to my place, Gray turned to me and started to kiss me hard. This time, I didn’t stop him. I just let it happen. Soon we were stumbling down my long hallway to my bedroom. Gray pulled my top off over my head as I h
elped him unbutton his pants.
I guess this was one way we could spend a Friday afternoon. Gray gently laid me down on the bed and started to kiss me all over my body. I rolled on top of him and started unbuttoning his shirt. I ran my hands over his sculpted chest.
“I guess your abs are
real and not
edited,
” I teased.
“I work hard for my abs,
” he replied.
“
Not that this trip will help with all the beer and fried food you keep feeding me. My agent will never let me come back to Port Washington if I put on weight.”
“I’ll help you work it off
,
” I said in a sexy tone. I was shocked that something so dirty came right out of my mouth. Grayson was sure brin
g
out a different side of me. I knew that we were moving fast, but who cared? I thought I
had proved my point that I wasn’t a sure thing, and he had proved that he hadn’t come all the way to Wisconsin for a booty call.
Grayson, perhaps realizing that I wasn’t quite paying attention, suddenly stopped and looked directly into my eyes.
“Are you
okay
with this Abby? You seemed a bit hesitant last night … I don’t want to rush anything if you’re uncomfortable.”
“Gray… shush,
” I said and put my finger on his lip.
He rolled me over, and I lay back and let him kiss and touch me. It had been a long time, but I wasn’t going to let any doubts or uncertainties ruin this moment
60
My Life With The Movie Star
Chapter 9
I woke up from our nap with Grayson wrapped around me. What time was it? I hoped that we hadn’t slept the entire day away. I promised to forgive myself. Besides, how often would I have a hot movie star around? How long could I have actually held out? At least I had known him over a month, albeit on the phone. I got up and glanced at my cell phone. I had a half dozen missed calls and texts from Lisa, wondering what was going on that night. I called her back.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s me,” I replied as I hurried into the bathroom and started the shower. My hair was a complete mess, and I had makeup all over my face.
“Did you have sex with him? What was it like? What does his body look like? Tell me everything,” Lisa demanded.
“I’m not going to answer that question! But I will tell you his abs are not CGI,” I said.
“You saw his abs?” Lisa shrieked. “You better not hold out on me. Was he good?”
“I saw more than abs, but that’s all I’m telling you,” I said with a giggle.
“I’ll get it out of you after he leaves,” she teased.
Just then Gray came up from behind me and tapped me on my shoulder. I jumped and almost dropped the phone. I hope he hadn’t overheard too much of my conversation. I didn’t want to break his trust or have him think I’m gossiping about our relationship.
“Is that your friend Lisa?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Ask her what her plans are for tonight. I would like to take you girls out and show you a bit of my world,” he said.
“Hey Lisa, are you free tonight?” I asked in a sarcastic tone. (As if I needed to ask her; I knew she was free, which was why she had been calling me all day.)
“Let me check …” she teased. “Yes, I am free.”
“Well, Gray wants to take us out tonight. Can you dig up a date?” I also knew the answer to this would be yes. Lisa always had about four guys at her beck
on
call. I was sure one of them would be free to come along tonight.
“I can arrange that,” she said confidently. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure, but be at my house around 7 p.m.”
“Your house – fun,” Lisa said sarcastically.
“Just be here at 7,
okay
?” I replied.
After I hung up the phone, I walked over to Gray and gave him a hug. “Where are we going?”
“Well, that’s up to you girls. I have arranged for a car take us anyplace you would like
to go
tonight. Do you know any good clubs?”
A nightclub? I had no idea where to suggest. I had been to bars in Milwaukee but never a night club. I had always been too intimidated by the long lines that wrapped around them. I was sure a bouncer would never let me in, even if I tried.
“I have heard good things about a club called Rain,” I said. That was a bit of a lie. I had read an article about Rain when it opened. That’s all I honestly knew about it.
“O
kay
, that’s where we will go then,” said Gray.
I ran over to my closet and started to look at my options for the night. I had not planned on going to a club, so I hadn’t asked Lisa to help me buy something suitable in advance. Gray noticed the concerned look on my face and came over to see what was upsetting me.
“Would you like to go shopping before tonight?” he asked.
I started to think about my dwindling bank account and my maxed-out credit card. I had used all my resources on my shopping trips with Lisa.
“I think I can find something, or I can call Lisa; she has plenty of clothes,” I said.
Gray reached into his wallet, pulled out a black American Express card and handed it to me. I had never seen one before, only heard about them in tabloids. Now I had one in my hand.
“My treat,” he said with his sexy smile.
“I can’t do that, Gray, but thank you,” I replied, handing the card back.
“Sure you can,” he said. “Look, if I stayed at a hotel it would have cost me over two hundred dollars a night. You are graciously letting me stay in your house and saving me money. Let me do this. My world tonight, remember?” Gray handed the card back to me with a bit more force.
I looked at the black Amex. I was so tempted, but still I hesitated.
“Look, if I had known what size you wear, I would have had my stylist pick something out for you,” he said. “Please, let me do this.”
“OK,” I said, “but just this once. I don’t want you to think I can’t provide for myself.”
“Abby
,
I have no doubt you can provide for yourself.”
We didn’t have time to run to the mall in Bayshore, so I took Gray to the one fashion boutique stores we had in Port Washington. I had never shopped there before because it was so expensive. It was only in Port for all the Chicago people who
docked
their boats in the harbor.
We walked in, and Gray went up to the sales girl and handed her his black Amex.
“This is Abby,” he said. “She needs a dress for a nightclub tonight. I don’t want her to look at prices. Can you help me?”
The sales girl looked at Gray and immediately recognized him. She looked stunned as she nodded her head. “Let me pull a few things for her. Size six, right?”
“That’s right,” I replied.
The sales girl went to work, picking out dresses and putting them in the dressing room. I suddenly felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I could almost hear the Roy Orbison music playing in the background.
I tried on several dresses for Gray, and he picked out a sparkly pink dress that looked spectacular on me.
Gray suddenly turned to the sales girl.
“That’s great for tonight, but I also need her to have a couple outfits for when she comes to visit me in LA,”
I started to protest, but I could tell I was not going to win. Again, the sales girl started pulling things for me: jeans, tank tops, shirts, shoes – the list went on. I could tell she was adding up her commission in her head.
I had several bags of things by the time we were done. We had only an hour before Lisa would be at my place, so we hurried home.
“Thanks for all the nice things,” I said to Gray as he helped me carry them in from the car.
“No problem. You now owe me a trip to LA,” he teased. “I have an event to go to in August. I hope you can come with me?”
“Sure, just let me know when and I’ll see if I can get off work. What’s the event?”
“The MTV Movie awards.”
“The what?” I must have heard him wrong. I thought he had asked me to an award ceremony.
“The MTV Movie awards,” he replied. “Have you never seen them?”
“Of course I have, but there will be a red carpet … and other celebrities at this event. Wouldn’t you rather take someone else?” I asked. “Like your co-star from
Texas High
?”
“I have no interest in dating overexposed drama queens,” he replied. “Holly is too full of herself. I could barely stand to kiss her in the movie. Plus the tabloids are always trying to link me with her. I know the studio would love it, but I have to draw a line somewhere; I won’t let the studio dictate who I date.”
I could tell that I had hit a sore spot with him. Nevertheless, I didn’t know what he was thinking asking me to go. I had never walked a red carpet, and I didn’t think anybody would care to see me on one. All I could think about is how hot he is and how average I am.
“I’ll try and get off work to go with you,” I replied. That should by me some time to think about this. I could always bribe Melanie into saying I had to work that weekend if I decided I couldn’t handle the pressure.
We finished getting ready. I was wearing my new pink dress, and Gray wore jeans, a white button-down shirt and a blazer. Lisa was shocked by my outfit when she showed up with her date Travis, who I quickly introduced to Gray. Travis kept his composure, but I could tell that Lisa had not informed him about Gray.
“The car should be arriving any second,” Gray stated. “I didn’t know what you guys liked to drink, so I had them stock it with Cristal Champagne, Grey Goose, and rum.”
I was excited when the car showed up. It was a stretch limo that seated about ten people. I had never been in a limo before; I felt like a fish out of water. Lisa and I jumped into the
limo
and began to squeal. She headed for the vodka right way and started making drinks. Gray gave the driver directions and then he and Travis got in.
“This is amazing,” Lisa said. “Isn’t this great, Travis?” I could tell she was thinking that maybe she should have invited someone else on her list. Travis was her normal standby date. He was a sweet, likeable guy who loved Lisa, but Lisa always had her eye on someone better looking, with a better job. Travis was just happy to be invited along. I’m sure he would read more into this date than Lisa intended. After all, she had picked him to go in a limo with a movie star.
“Before we get to Rain, are there any other bars you guys would like to pre-game at?” Gray asked.
I looked at Lisa, and we both said “Safe House” in unison. The Safe House was a kooky spy bar that had been in Milwaukee since the ‘60s. You ha
ve
to know the password to get in. If you didn’t know the password, the girl at the door would make you do crazy things to get inside, where everyone would be watching you on the large screen TV. It was a Milwaukee experience.
The limo pulled up outside, and we all went in the back-alley entrance. The hostess came up to me first and wanted me to whisper the password in her ear. I looked at Gray with a smile and whispered the password, without sharing it with him. The secret passage way opened, and I darted inside to watch Gray. Lisa and Travis also knew the password, so all three of us huddled around the TV to see Gray make a fool out of himself.
The hostess
had
him to try the hula-hoop. He failed, and after three attempts she just let him in. The crowd erupted with clapping and laughter. Grays face was bright red. I was glad to know that I could embarrass him as much as he could me.
The four of us got drinks and walked around the bar. Safe House
was
decorated with memorabilia from almost every spy movie ever made. The key attraction was the restaurant’s puzzle wall in the dining room. Guests could push a button and watch the wall move to try and solve the puzzle. If they solved the puzzle, you would win a free drink! I also showed Gray all the secret passageways hidden around the bar. When we decided to leave, I had us all jam together into the phone booth, which opened the secret exit in the wall. This lead to an underground tunnel where lights and sirens would go off. I looked over at Gray, and he was laughing and smiling. I could tell he was having a fabulous time. This was not like any place in LA he had gone to before.
We all piled back into the limo and made our way to Rain.
By the time we got there, the line was wrapped around the building. Our Limo pulled up front, and we all got out. Gray walked up to the bouncer. Before he got there, a girl started screaming, “Grayson Edwards! That’s Grayson Edwards!” The bouncer had no idea who he was, but Gray handed him a nice tip and we were all allowed inside.
Once inside, Gray asked the hostess if he could talk to the manager. In a matter of seconds after speaking with the manager, he had arranged for a VIP section in the upstairs part of the club – only for us four. In order to make this happen, Gray promised the manager that he would come down and take pictures with the club-goers for an hour. I could tell that Gray had a soft spot for his fans and enjoyed
taking pictures with them as much as they did. I also wondered if this was a test for me, to see if I could handle thousands of screaming girls. He also set up a bottle service with our own waiter for us. I could not believe my eyes; this all seemed surreal.
“Welcome to my world,” Gray whispered in my ear.
“I could get used to this,” I said a bit tipsy.
“I was hoping you would say that,” he whispered back, kissing my neck.
Part of me wondered if this was a test that he had set up to see if I could handle his life back in LA. I watched in awe from the VIP section as Gray kept up with his part of the bargain and took candid pictures with most of the girls in the club. Every few moments, he would look up at me and wink, just to remind me that I was with him. I could tell he was doing his job and not really even paying attention to the girls who were throwing themselves at him.
“Can you believe this?” Lisa asked me as she danced around in our private section.
The VIP section was intensely dark. The furniture was covered in black velvety material, and the light danced off the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. This club was extremely upscale. I was glad that Milwaukee Journal had done a story on them.
The bottle service Gray had set up came
,
each bottle was set into a block of ice with a hole cut out in the center. The shot glasses were also made of ice.