The Stars Trilogy (65 page)

“No, it’s yours. I’m just a tenant.”

He put his palm on his forehead in exasperation.“Are we going to argue again?”

She smiled. “No, darling. I just...” She sighed. “I don’t want to feel like a very expensive mistress.”

“You’re impossible, you know that? Most women would be happily hiring a decorator by now, not worrying about the damn rent!”

She glared at him. “We are having this argument because you always want to get your way regardless of my feelings.”

“No. Your misplaced pride is getting in the way of my sex life,” he said matter-of-factly.

She pushed him in the chest. “Jerk!”

“Look, I’m very famous, Celine, and very busy. I cannot change that. That’s what I am.  I don’t want to be wasting time shuttling between here and Sommerset to kiss my woman. I’m rich and I can afford to make my personal life as comfortable as I can. Don’t resent me for that.”

“I resent you for that, you arrogant, self-centered, chauvinist pig! I’m not your mistress! I’m your girlfriend! Know the difference!” She punctuated her words with angry jabs of her forefinger on his chest.

“Christ, why do you have to make a big deal out of that temporary legal glitch? You are not my mistress and you know it!”

“Until you are divorced, I’m technically your mistress in the eyes of the world! So, get that damn divorce and I will pay my rent!”

She left him to investigate the kitchen. It was perfect for anyone’s culinary fantasies. It had a magnificent view of the hills.

“Okay, pay the rent, whatever pleases you, Mulan,” he said from the archway in an irritated but resigned tone.

She turned and gave him a big smile. “I love the kitchen!” she gushed.

He rolled his eyes. “Glad you’re no longer argumentative.”

She hoisted herself up the counter top. Smiling like Mona Lisa, she crooked her finger at him. “Come on, Captain Shang, let’s have some R n’ R. Fuck Mulan in the kitchen.”

His jaw dropped.

She opened her legs invitingly.

He quickly recovered from his shock. Laughing, he launched himself on her and ravaged her on top of the kitchen island.

Celine had moved into her new home and planned to stay under the media radar until Dare’s divorce was final. She couldn’t risk being named by the media.

The paparazzi had started stalking Dare. They would wait near his mansion every day and follow his limo all over LA.

Cruz had devised a strategy to fool the paparazzi. Whenever Dare wanted to go to her place, he would leave his mansion in his limo and proceed to his office. He would leave the Phoenix building in another heavily tinted vehicle not identified with him and travel undetected to her place.

Dare would have provided her with a complete stay-in house staff  but she refused and just opted for scheduled house cleaning and landscape maintenance. Only Carlos was allowed to stay at the guest house as her bodyguard and chauffeur. Dare put his foot down on this. She refused the chef, too as she wanted to cook for him, which delighted him.

There was just one problem that she did not anticipate. Every night since she’d moved in, Dare had slept in her ‘house’. She told him that he should sleep in his own house but he wouldn’t leave at night. Her privacy and independence were being railroaded by her lover. But waking him up after their lovemaking was  impossible. He was like a fallen log.

“You know what, you might as well move in since you’re always here anyway!” she told him sarcastically one night.

The crafty rascal asked Ken to transfer some of his clothes into her walk-in closet the next day.

“See? It’s much more convenient. Gives us more time for sex,” he said with a lecherous grin.

She glared at him, belatedly realizing her mistake.

He laughed.

He had clearly outmaneuvered her.

Celine found out that privacy between an intimate couple was an oxymoron. Dare had invaded her personal space so irrevocably that she couldn’t do anything about it anymore, because she also liked it.

Making love with him, sleeping, eating, bathing and hitting their private gym together had become so natural for her. It was as if they’d been living under one roof together for so long.

Dare became very busy, too. He had to finally face the American press and grant interviews left and right about his miraculous survival from a plane crash.

Kelsey was going crazy fending all the calls from talk shows vying for Dare to guest in their shows live. People and Hello were in a bidding war for an exclusive. The tabs had Dare on their covers every issue. They were all waiting for his tell-all about the mystery passenger who was with him during the crash. There were even several book offers from renowned publishing houses and a long article in the New York Times.

Dare was pissed of it all.

All he cared about was mobilizing his dream project which he couldn’t properly do with all the hoopla around him.

He’d call her frequently from work, asking how she was, chatting her up about anything under the sun. He was so sweet, thoughtful and  naughty every time and she would be left anticipating their evenings together. Oh, their wild, hot nights together!

Of course she had stopped working for him as his secretary for the meantime to avoid gossip and he’d teased her about her rent.

“How are you going to pay me now, baby?”

“I’ll ask for my inheritance.”

“Yeah? That’s gonna take some time. Rent’s due tomorrow.”

“It’s only been twenty days since I moved in. Rent is usually paid after a month.”

“Nah. The owner decides when you pay.”

“Shark.”

“You can pay me with your body.”

She made an unladylike sound. “Don’t you get enough in a day?”

“No. Not enough. I need an extra round.”

“Oh my God, I’d be
losyang
in no time.”

“What’s
loh-shang
?”

“It’s a Filipino word. Google it!”

For lack of anything to do, she had taken her cooking skills to a new level. Watching Giada di Laurentiis everyday became a habit. Dare would always come home for dinner and he would anticipate her every recipe. He was very appreciative of her cooking and she just glowed under his loving praises.

Oh God, she was so in love she was afraid her happiness would vanish any moment.

She called her mother to inform her about the new development in her address. Marjorie wasn’t happy of the set up. Her mother promised to visit her soon to see her real situation.

It seemed that the Filipino paparazzi hadn’t  recognized her as the woman with Dare at the airport. Who would ever think Dare would take an Asian for his new girlfriend? Certainly not her people. Dare had so many other choices. Why pick an Asian with obscure identity? It was a bit too far-fetched. 

She called Shavonne.

“Get real!” was her BFF’s response when she told her about Dare.

“It’s real.”

“You mean...You and Dare Montgomery are together? Like together together?”

“Yes, together together.”

“Like having sex and all?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Get out of here!  How come you never told me about this?!” Shavonne sounded pissed off now.

“Errr, long story, cuz.”

“I hate you! All along I thought you were still working in that Johnny Depp movie! What happened to our no-secrets pact?” ”

“I’m sorry, Shav. I didn’t want to tell anybody yet because I wasn’t really sure about Dare and I. I’ve dreamed of this all my life and I didn’t want to share it yet because I was afraid it wasn’t real. But after that plane crash...”

“Oh yeah, the crash! I’m so glad he’s well and alive! Oh my God, I’ve been calling you about it! I saw the news on TV and I was so worried about you. I knew you’d take that really hard, cuz. Been calling your phone non-stop but you couldn’t be reached. What happened to you?!”

“Uhm, I couldn’t be reached because I was with him when his plane crashed.”

Silence.

“I’m not really in the mood for your morbid jokes, Cee. It’s not funny!” came Shavonne’s more pissed off voice after several seconds.

She could almost see her BFFs scrunched face. She smiled, wishing they were face to face. How she missed Shavonne. “It’s true.”

“Wha...? Wait a minute! You were in that plane with him when it crashed?! Like crashed crashed?!”

“Yeah. It was so surreal, you know and yet it must have been the hand of fate working. I was with him when the plane was crashing. He was hugging me the whole time. He didn’t leave me, Shav.”

“Wait...I’m getting lost here! Start from the beginning! Slowly!”

She chuckled and recounted to her cousin what happened. As she was doing so, she reaffirmed her love and commitment to Dare. What he did for her left no doubt in her mind that she chose the right man from the beginning to be her future husband. Dare was really THE One.

“My God, Celine Antoinette Lavega, the crazy things you do! I can only imagine what Uncle and Auntie went through!”

“Yeah, that’s the only thing I hated about that whole episode. Mom and Dad and Jordy were really stressed, to say the least. But we all agreed to keep it to ourselves. You know, the paparazzi. They don’t want our name to get dragged into the media frenzy.”

“I still cannot totally absorb everything you just told me, girl. Surviving a plane crash is one thing. But surviving it with Dare Montgomery? It’s too fantastic for mere mortals, Cee. It’s vintage Hollywood drama!”

She laughed and sighed. Indeed, being with Dare was like literally living in a rolling picture. Everything was larger than life. “I’m so happy, Shav.”

“Aww, I’m so happy for you, too! You’re making me cry.”

“Why?”

“I now regret the things I said to you about your Darelusions. I’m so sorry, Cee. I seriously didn’t think you were THAT into him, until now. You’re really, truly in love. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you all these years. But I do now. I do.”

“You really thought I was crazy?”

“I’ve always been vocal about that.”

“Well...I guess I can finally say ‘I told you so’!” She giggled.

Shavonne made an unladylike snort. “Okay, I’ll give you that. I’m so totally proven wrong.”

“You have to meet him, Shav.”

“Of course! The moment I finish my scheduled shoots this month, I’ll fly to LA.”

“I’d like you to meet someone, too.”

“And who might that be?”

“Surprise!”

“Okay I need to go. Work calls. I’ll call you again soon! Take care, okay?”

“Okay, bye, cuz! Love ya!”

“Love ya. Mwah! Bye!”

“What the hell is going on, Boyd?! Why am I still married?!”

“Dare...everything’s been filed. It’s the court that’s taking a bit of time—”

“Why?! I don’t get it!”

“I don’t know...I’ve been following things up almost everyday and they can’t give me a definite answer.”

“Well then, find out! Deal with it!”

“I am....I will...”

“I’m giving you two weeks max, Boyd! You know the consequence.”

Dare cut off the call angrily.

He detested incompetence and Boyd was showing his share big time lately. He had no trouble divorcing his first two wives and now he was having a hard time with Gabby. Just when he needed to be single so bad so he can marry the little—

He abruptly stopped the sudden direction of his thoughts.

No.

No more marriage.

He just needed to be fucking divorced so Celine won’t feel like a fucking mistress.

Women and their penchant for labels!

Chapter Twenty-eight

“Are you really dating Irina Shayk? Okay, you have a type, I know now. Leggy blondes, (she’s blonde right now) and supermodel seems to be a requirement.  Maybe you haven’t noticed but you have dated like 5 Victoria’s Secret Angels in between your marriages. Aren’t you fed up of supermodels? Why not date a chemist for a change? You might get something new from a chemist:)... Okay, I’m sour-graping. But really, Dare, your taste in women has to evolve!”