Roadside Service (4 page)

“Don’t!” he snarled.

“Why are you so pissed?”

“You lied to me, Violet. I don’t even know
what
to think right now!”

“I’m sorry,” I sighed deeply.

“You’re a fucking supermodel. Fuck—you are
the
supermodel.”

“It’s just two weeks of fun, Blake. Where’s the harm in that?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“I just don’t…I have no idea what you want from me.”

“Look, I have a crazy few weeks of filming and doing photo shoots with Pure Desire. I was just hoping for a little distraction when I got back to my hotel each night.”

“And
I’m
that distraction?”

“I’d like you to be,” I admitted. “Blake, I’ve never been so satisfied sexually before.”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “I bet you say that to all your fuck buddies. Is this a regular thing you do? Do you have guys all over the world you can just call on anytime you want?”  

“You asshole!” I seethed. “Fine, forget the whole thing!” The air around us was thick with tension, but
not
in a good way. “Pull the car over, Blake.”

“What?”

“Pull the car over! I can walk from here!”

“Violet, the hotel is still several blocks away.”

“I’d rather walk than spend another second listening to your hurtful bullshit!”

“I’m sorry, okay?” He sounded sincere but I was still livid. “Violet, really, I am sorry. It’s just a lot to take in. I mean, you are like the untouchable goddess. We mere mortals need time to adjust to news like this.”

“I’m just a normal girl inside, Blake.”

“You could never be normal, Violet. I thought that before I even knew who you really were.” God, he could say the sweetest things. I was already beginning to forgive him for his nasty words.  

“I know I should have told you, but if I’m being honest, I liked that you didn’t know who I was. It was refreshing! You wanted me—just for me.”

“I still want you just for you,” he muttered, turning to glance at me for a short second.

“We can talk about this later,” I replied as he pulled up outside the hotel.

“I don’t know about all of this, Violet,” he sighed, pulling at his hair.

“Look, we can just talk. I need to explain myself, Blake. Please, say you’ll come later?” He looked lost in thought until finally, he nodded. “Thank you. I promise I will explain everything tonight.”

“I’ll see you at eight, then,” he murmured, his eyes fixated on my lips. I wanted to kiss him goodbye, but I had a feeling it would have been too much at that moment in time.

“See you later,” I smiled shyly, getting out of the car.  Something told me I had some serious explaining to do later if I was going to get what I wanted for the next two weeks.

The rest of the day dragged. I was shown the commercial set for Pure Desire, which took a while. The warehouse it was located in was freezing cold but it was beautiful with its diamond chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. The atmosphere was magical when the lights were working and streaming their beams in unison, but my mind was too occupied—racing with thoughts of Blake—to really take it all in. I had come to one conclusion: no man had ever made me feel that way before, and I wasn’t willing to give him up yet if he decided he didn’t want to continue with this. Whatever ‘this’ was.

“You seem really distracted, Violet,” Allie mused as we headed back to the hotel.

“I’m just tired.”

“We’ve barely started. You still need to go over the script for the commercial a few times before we can take a break.”

“Allie, I’ll be fine, really!” I stressed.

“What happened when you went out for lunch? Did you go and meet him.”

“Who?”

“Oh, come on, Violet. Look, if there is some old flame here in Nebraska, that’s fine. I just need to be prepared for any press attention. All I need is a name so I can do a background check.”

“He isn’t an old flame. I only met him last night.”

She widened her eyes at me in total shock. Yeah, the press might suggest I had as many one night stands as hot dinners, but that just wasn’t true. “You brought him back after only just meeting him?”

“We had a connection. I can’t really explain it.”

“Please be careful, Violet. You know nothing about this guy.”

“He had no idea who I was, Allie. He thought I was just some random rich girl. Last night he made love to
me
, not my status,” I admitted, watching the understanding spread across her face.

“Just be careful, okay? And I still need a name…just to be safe.” I suddenly remembered I had Blake’s business card. I pulled it out, realizing
I
didn’t even know his last name.

“Blake
Matthews
,” I muttered, looking down at the card before handing it to Alice.

“He was the mechanic? Jesus, Violet!” Allie chuckled. “You work fast when you want to.”

“Blake is…well, he was just amazing.” I sighed wistfully as we pulled up outside the hotel, wondering what would happen after he allowed me the chance to explain.

Allie simply nodded before following me into the lobby. There were a few fans waiting for me inside, so I signed some autographs before heading up to my suite.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Allie asked when it was just the two of us.

“Blake and I are having a chat. He found out who I was early today, and I think it freaked him out a little.”

“Well, yeah—not realizing you’d slept with the most desirable woman in the world might do that to you.”

“Really, Allie, the whole
world
?” I sighed.

“Violet, please. You were offered a deal with Pure Desire. That alone speaks volumes. No one would ever believe you are the same girl when you aren’t playing the role of a supermodel. You lose all your confidence when you’re not acting your part.”

“It’s hard to think of myself as beautiful when I’m being scrutinized
every
day of my life.”

“That’s just your job, Violet. They aren’t attacking you. You shouldn’t take things so personally all the time.”

“This is still my face and body,” I pointed out, “and when the media make up such bullshit about me, it’s kind of hard to ignore it.”

“You need to stop looking on the Internet,” Allie mumbled. Oh, if only it was that easy. “Okay, so I’ll see you at seven tomorrow morning. It’s the first day of shooting!” God, she was so excited. Part of me wondered if she wanted to do the shoot for me.

“Yep.” I forced a smile before heading into my room.

I had half an hour until Blake was supposed to get there, and I’d already informed reception of his arrival.

Deciding to dress down, I chose a pair of jeans and a tight black tank top—I didn’t want to look as if I was trying too hard—and waited…and waited.  

By nine o’clock, I had given up hope that Blake would show. He wasn’t even willing to hear me out and I was furious! I couldn’t go and find him, either, because I had no idea where he lived. Fine! If that was how he wanted to be, I wouldn’t waste any more time thinking about him…or about his lips, fingers, or amazing body…
damn it!

I decided a hot shower would help to calm my nerves, and it did a little. I wanted to order a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream, but Allie would kill me because I had the shoot tomorrow.

I was lying on my bed, watching a silly old movie and eating a grilled chicken salad a few hours later when I heard someone knock on my door. Blake wouldn’t dare turn up this late, would he?

After wrapping my robe tightly around my body, I looked through the peephole to see who it was.
That son of a bitch!
Blake was standing outside, running his hands through his hair nervously. I threw open the door, livid that he had the gall to show up more than three hours after he said he would. “You’re a little late, aren’t you?” I seethed.

“Violet, look, I’m sorry. Something came up.”

“And you didn’t think to call me?”

“I had to go out on an emergency call and my phone died. I came as quick as I could.” Damn, now I felt like a bitch. Blake did look a little flustered.

“Oh,” I squirmed, feeling like a complete idiot.

“It happens from time to time. Drew had already asked for the night off to take Sarah out, and well…I got the request just as I was about to come and see you. I thought I could call you, but then I noticed my phone had died. I really am sorry, Violet.”

“Have you eaten?” I asked, widening my door so he could come in. “I just ordered room service. You’re welcome to help yourself.”

“No. I’m starving, actually,” Blake smirked. He would have drenched my panties with his look alone,
if
I’d been wearing any.

I sat watching him eat my leftover salad. It was lucky I hadn’t eaten all of the bread because he quickly finished that off, too; Damn, Blake really
was
hungry.         

“Wow, you weren’t joking about being starving, were you?” I chuckled. “I can order something else if you’re still hungry.”

“That was fine, Violet,” Blake smiled, reaching out to gently stroke my cheek. “Thank you.”

“I have a fully stocked mini bar, too.”

“The perks of being a famous supermodel, huh?” he teased, raising his perfect eyebrow.

“I guess so,” I giggled, getting up. “What do you want? A beer?”

“Sounds good.”

We made small talk for a little while and Blake told me about his day before I filled him in on mine.

“What?” I asked when he laughed at me.

“Can’t you see how different our lives are? I’m telling you about oil changes and breakdowns, while you’re telling me about diamonds hanging from the ceiling in your latest commercial.”       

“I’ve had my fair share of breakdowns, too,” I quipped, sipping my water.

Blake sniggered into his beer bottle. “I can imagine.”

“Are you still angry with me?” I whispered.

“No,” he sighed. “
Everyone
knows who you are, Violet. I can’t believe I never realized it.”

“I liked that you were just interested in
me
.”

“Violet,” Blake smoldered, “I’m still
very
interested in you.” Why did his words make me smile so much? “Especially in that robe. Please don’t tell me you are naked underneath,” he said, even though his voice sounded hopeful and full of lust.

“I am, actually,” I whimpered, feeling the air between us shift and become damp with desire.

“Mm…I think I need to take a closer look,” Blake muttered huskily as he pulled me into his embrace.

I didn’t even have time to respond before his lips crashed against mine urgently and I felt his hands go for the belt of my robe, undoing it with one hard tug.

“If you want two weeks of this, Violet, I’m yours,” he purred before completely overtaking me with his powerful touch.

“Where are you taking me again?” I giggled as Blake passed me his helmet.

“It’s a surprise,” he grinned, helping me put it on. I’d finally gotten a day off, and we were spending it together.

“You’re not kidnapping me, are you?” I teased.

“Damn, you’ve ruined my plan now,” he snorted. “I was going to tie you to a bed in a cabin up in the woods and have my wicked way with you for months.”

“I’d actually let you do that,” I smirked, fluttering my eyelashes innocently.

“I think the world would miss you somehow, Violet.” Damn, he had a point, but I would gladly let him tie me up for a few days. I was getting wet just thinking about it.

I loved riding with Blake on his Harley. He might have been a little reckless, showing off with how fast he could go, but I felt completely safe with him; I knew he had the bike under control. My hair danced in the wind as I held onto his waist tightly. I loved it when I didn’t have to worry about my makeup or my hair. I was just
me
for the day—the
natural
Violet. Those days happened so rarely that I liked to savor them.

I had no idea how long we’d been riding when Blake pulled into a clearing. A beautiful lake with a small beach came into view and I hugged him closer. How did he know this was just what I needed?

“Where are we?” I asked excitedly as he helped me take my helmet off.

“Lake McConaughy,” he grinned, pecking my lips. “Surprise.”

“Blake, this is perfect,” I gasped, taking it all in. Everything around us was beyond beautiful. The lake was glistening in the sun’s rays creating the perfect atmosphere. The spot was so secluded, too; there wasn’t a soul in sight.

“I know you’re probably used to the finer things in life, but I came here a lot as a child and wanted to share it with you,” he muttered, getting a blanket and a
small picnic basket
from the back of his bike.  

“You’ve really thought of everything, haven’t you?” I sniggered, watching him place the blanket down and begin to unpack the basket.

“Guys like me don’t get chances like this very often. I want to make some memories I can enjoy for years to come,” he winked, pulling out a bottle of champagne.  

“Champagne?”

“Too much?” he winced as I joined him on the blanket.       

“No, it’s all perfect,” I sighed, leaning in to press my lips softly against his. It was only a chaste kiss. “I can’t remember the last time I did anything like this.”