Living Dangerously

Chapter Four



Back in her room, Julie shifted to find a comfortable spot in her bed. She’d be glad to get out of here and back to the coziness of her own home.

She would have stayed to chat with Troy longer, but Cal’s presence had put a stop to her game of Twenty Questions. Cal had been on location for weeks so it would’ve been rude to blow her off, although if anyone were to understand, it would’ve been Cal. Cal had been telling her for years to snag a guy. “You’re a famous movie star. You can get whoever you want.” But Julie had learned that wasn’t true. Some guys couldn’t put up with the media, or sharing her with the general population when out in public. Besides, she didn’t want just anybody. A little voice inside told her that she’d know when the right man came along, and she’d been listening to that voice.

She liked this guy. A lot. When was the last time she’d liked anyone in that way? When was the last time a man made her pulse leap and her palms sweat? Troy Mills was the kind of guy movie heroes were made from, the quiet, macho type with the dark good looks and hard body that women drooled over. Including her.

She may have been Hollywood’s current “it” girl, but the town changed “it” girls as fast as actors went through rehab. She knew it well. Today’s most beautiful woman was tomorrow’s worst dressed. This year’s Oscar winner was next year’s Razzie winner. She never deluded herself into thinking her star would shine forever, and she hadn’t started acting for that reason anyway. For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted to act, to lose herself in the identity of another. To bring emotion to people’s lives and make them feel. It was a rush when she did her job right.

Thanks to Troy Mills, she’d be able to continue to do her job.

She’d never met a man so low-key. So quiet. Usually, meeting a new guy meant deflecting a come-on or pickup line. Although there was an occasional man who interested her, she’d never been great at letting him know. She tended to let the guy lead the way, and had discovered there weren’t too many regular men capable of handling the pressure of her fame. Especially actors. She’d have thought that men competed with men and women with women, but she’d learned the hard way that vying for work was a relationship killer. The most ridiculous thing of all was the fact that she’d never hunted for fame. It had landed on her doorstep with the emergence of her first sitcom, and her life had hardly been her own since. She’d learned to take control, to swim the murky waters of Hollywood, but the reality of her life was nothing that she’d ever planned or expected. Breaking into movies had been more about gaining respect from her peers than the resulting attention. Dealing with a boyfriend like Lucas, who wanted what she had with alarming desperation, was something she vowed to never live with again.

Cal strolled into the room with a Snickers bar and soda from a vending machine. She split the candy in half and handed it to Julie. “That man is delicious,” she said around her bite. “I’ll f*ck him if you don’t want to.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Julie sighed as she savored the chocolate. “Mmm, this is good. I needed a chocolate fix. Thanks. And, yes, I think I want to, so hands off.”

Cal chuckled, then executed a mock bow. “Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”

Julie bunched her eyebrows together. “Hey, isn’t there some Chinese proverb that says since he saved my life, I’m his for the rest of time?’

“You’re his or he’s yours.” Cal shrugged. “Something like that. I’ll Google it when I get home and get back to you.” She took another bite of chocolate, then sat on the chair next to the bed, her eyes full of remorse.

“What’s the face?” Julie asked. “Don’t tell me you still feel guilty for just now getting here. I told you I understood.”

“Yeah, well maybe you understand, but I don’t. The whole show must go on thing is bullshit. I should’ve been here with you. I should’ve...” She trailed off and closed her eyes.

“Cal, if anyone understands the demands of a movie set, it’s me. There was no way you could leave, and I totally understand. Now if you had missed my funeral...I might have been a little pissed off.”

Cal’s eyes shot wide open. “That isn’t funny. Don’t joke about something like that.”

Julie chuckled. “Relax, would you? I’m fine. I’m going to be fine,” she amended because Cal gave her banged-up arm a very deliberate look.

Acting class had brought them together over thirteen years ago. They were paired up for a scene and had been fast friends ever since. They’d even been in auditions together, trying for the same roles, but that hadn’t stopped their friendship from being stone solid. Julie’s career had blossomed with The Only Way, but Cal hadn’t been as fortunate. Though she’d worked steadily for years and made plenty of money, she hadn’t achieved the stardom she craved. Cal insisted that as long as she continued to work she didn’t care about her Hollywood status. Especially since Tinseltown changed its mind so often. She might not be the “it” girl now, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be a few months from now.

Julie had told her that the notoriety wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. That being photographed anytime she went out in public and having paparazzi follow her everywhere she went ranked right up there with getting a full body wax. It sucked.

“One day you’ll get it,” Julie had told her repeatedly. “Then you’re going to say, ‘Why didn’t you tell me it was like this?’”

“How did the shoot go anyway?”

Cal had been up north in the Black Hills shooting a period piece that was supposed to be a sleeper hit. But how many indie films had Cal worked on where she’d been assured the thing was going to be a hit? Julie had tried to tell her there was no way to predict a successful film, but Cal insisted this was the one. The movie that would take her out of the Nowhere to Hide shadow and launch her to the A-list where she belonged.

“It was fine.” Cal licked chocolate off her fingers. “I’m supposed to tell you hi from Leo Frost.” Leo was using the film to get his feet wet as a producer. As if the man didn’t already saturate the town with his presence.

“Ha.” Julie huffed. Leo Frost had been her costar in Dangerous Race. The guy had serious woman issues. “Was that before or after he tried to stick his tongue down your throat?”

Cal burst out laughing. “After.”

Shock dropped Julie’s chin to her chest. “You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t let Leo...” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Let Leo f*ck me?” Cal asked. Her smile answered the question, and Julie’s eyes rounded wide. “Oh, c’mon, Jules,” Cal said. “I don’t know what your problem is with him.” She ticked off her fingers. “One, he’s gorgeous. You can’t tell me you don’t think he has the hottest bod in town. Two, he’s loaded with sex appeal.”

“And money,” Julie added wryly.

Cal nodded. “And money. That never hurts. Third, being seen with him could do wonders for my PR.”

Julie hated that Cal was willing to sell herself for PR. “He’s trouble, Cal. He’s all about the convenience. He’s not one to stick around.”

Shrugging a shoulder, Cal waved her off. “He doesn’t need to stick around. I’m not expecting that. I just need the exposure. Now that we’re back in town, when we get together it will be big news.” Her confident grin told a story all its own. Cal expected this plan to work.

* * *

Allen wanted to die.

For three days he’d lain flat because of a killer flu. He’d barely had the energy to stand up and piss, much less feed himself, so it was times like this when he thanked God for his mother...and the fact that he lived in the room over the garage of his parents’ house. Someone knocked at his bedroom door. Speak of the devil.

“Allie, I’ve got some soup for you,” she said, opening the door and sliding her big body through the frame.

He moaned. He detested when she called him Allie. Girls were named Allie, and he had never been a girl. “Set it on the table,” he mumbled into his pillow. “I’ll get it in a minute.”

“Don’t let it get cold,” she warned. “It’s no good cold.”

All right already! She’d been in the room for only ten seconds and he already wanted to kill her. How many times did he have to hear the same cold-food speech? He was twenty-seven years old for God’s sake. He knew food got cold if it sat out too long. He managed another grunt in response. No need to piss off Mom. He still felt like shit and needed her to cook and do his laundry. Not that she didn’t always do those things, but she bitched about it less when he was sick. How the hell did she think he had the time to do any of that crap for himself when he worked almost seventy hours a week?

These marked his first days of sick leave in the six years he’d been the I.T. guy at So. Cal. Electronics and Games. He’d accrued months of vacation time too, so he didn’t give a f*ck if they missed him now.

“Do you want me to turn on the television for you?” she asked after she set the tray down with a clatter.

Anything to drown out her obnoxious nasal voice. “Yes,” he mumbled.

“What channel, honey?”

He didn’t f*cking care! Just turn on the goddamn television and get out of the f*cking room! She was the biggest f*cking cunt on the planet. “Whatever it’s on is fine,” he gritted out.

He heard the static indicating the power and heard her flipping through channels even though he’d told her not to. Stupid f*cking cunt.

“I’ll leave it on the news so you can catch up with the world,” she said. He heard the plop of the remote on the bed behind him. “The remote is right here if you want to change the station,” she said.

Get. Out.

She stood over him for a minute and when he didn’t respond, she left the room as quietly as she could, which considering she weighed about two hundred and fifty pounds, wasn’t as quiet as she might have hoped. The door closed.

Alone. Finally.

He turned over and lifted droopy lids to see what he’d missed the last few days. One thing his mother knew...he liked keeping track of the world. Especially people. Certain people. Certain famous people.

Entertainment Tonight came on. One of his favorite shows. They almost always had a tidbit about his favorite person in the world, and as the teasers flashed across the screen, he saw tonight was no different. Except the newsflash made his heart rate triple.

What? What had they just said?

Julie Fraser had been shot? She was in the hospital?

He forced himself to sit up and his head nearly exploded off his shoulders. The first story talked about Tom Cruise. He didn’t give a f*cking rat’s ass about Tom Cruise. He had to know about Julie. His Julie.

There! His breathing nearly stopped as the camera flashed to the front of Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. She’d been shot on the red carpet at the Sporties. After surgery to remove a bullet from her arm and one from her spleen, she was still recovering. Instead of flowers, any donations should go to cancer research and treatment.

Bullshit! The hell he would. She deserved the flowers. She deserved the world and he planned to give it to her one day. He’d been saving money like a f*cking madman, sacrificing, living at home and investing every dime. He’d never approached her, but now was the time. He felt it in his bones. She needed him now more than ever and he had to prove he was the man for her.

His gut clenched when they showed the footage of the shooting. Someone had saved her. Thank God. His stomach churned watching the man carry her to safety. But he thought he might puke when the footage forwarded to the same man running as he carried her to the nearest ambulance. He stumbled and blood sprayed from his arm. Allen could’ve killed the guy himself for making the run to the ambulance. What the hell had he been thinking, giving the shooter another chance at Julie? Stupid bastard. The clip ended and the reporters talked about the man’s heroism. Gave an update on his condition without revealing his name. Allen focused on the fact that Julie was going to be all right. The show hosts moved on to the next story.

Struggling to reach his bedside table, he pulled his laptop across his legs and booted up. He ordered her the biggest bouquet of roses he could find. It cost him a fortune. When it came time to sign the card, he paused. How did he introduce himself to her? He had to do it carefully. After all, he didn’t want her thinking he was some stalker. He simply adored her and wanted to give her the world.

He leaned his head back against the pillow, disgusted with himself for missing this event. They must have been running the footage for days. Julie was always big news and she deserved to be. She was beautiful and funny. Wholesome and sexy at the same time. She was a mix of glamour and girl-next-door, which made her Hollywood legend.

He looked at the blinking icon on his screen, typed his message for the card and hit send.

Happy with his note, he put his laptop on the table, lay back down and agonized about missing the Sporties. He should have been watching her on TV. That was the night he’d gotten so deathly sick. He’d never experienced such raging fever and full body aches. He’d hardly been able to move and any thoughts other than dying hadn’t entered his head.

Sitting up, he took the tray of soup his mother had brought. He needed to get stronger. Needed to finally make his move and show Julie they were meant for each other. Once he sold his video game, he’d be rolling in dough. All he needed was one company to take the chance. One company to distribute his game, and he’d have the money to keep her happy for the rest of her life. He knew very well that Julie wanted a regular guy. He’d seen enough interviews to know she didn’t want to be with another actor. She wanted a guy who knew nothing about show business. A guy with his own interests and his own independence.

Very, very soon, that would be him.

* * *

Abbey hurried through the hospital doors, signed in, got her visitor’s pass and rushed to the bank of elevators. Keeping up with Julie’s schedule was tough enough, but doing it while Julie was stuck in a hospital made life twice as hard. It also made getting to her dance class virtually impossible.

In the two days she’d been visiting Julie at the hospital, she’d learned the elevators were notoriously slow, so when the doors began to close, she leaped forward. “Hold the elevator, please!”

A hand shot through the small space and held the doors back. They yawned open and Abbey looked into the sweetest blue eyes she’d ever seen. The man—if she could call him that, because he really seemed like a big boy—had dark hair with shades of deep red. Wide shoulders accentuated narrow hips, and soft, faded denim covered long, lean legs. A stud in the making.

“Thanks.” Breathing hard, she adjusted the pack over her shoulder. The elevators were so slow, she’d have had to wait fifteen minutes for another one. She was not a fan of empty staircases.

“No problem. What floor?” the guy asked. He scanned her from top to bottom. It wasn’t anything Abbey hadn’t been through before, but his obvious interest as he met her gaze set her stomach into a little somersault. The boy-next-door face contradicted the man-body. As far as man candy went, this guy was the whole Hershey bar inside the s’more.

“Four,” she said.

He glanced at the button panel. “You’re in luck. It’s already been pressed. That’s where I’m going.” He lifted a dark eyebrow and gave her a killer grin. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-one. She ignored him.

The doors slid slowly closed with a groan and imparted less than a miniscule amount of hope that the car would actually get them to the fourth floor.

“Beautiful day today, don’t you think?” he asked.

She resisted the eye roll and gave a quick noncommittal nod. She wasn’t much for small talk with strange men. No matter how cute or sexy.

The car jerked up, then down, then back up again and they both grabbed onto the wall for support. It jolted again and he let fly a “what the f*ck!” Her “shit on a stick,” came right on its heels. Another jolt knocked her off balance and Abbey fell forward. Her elevator buddy reached out an arm and caught her before she slammed into the closed elevator doors.

“You okay?” he asked as she straightened.

She nodded, adrenaline rushing through her veins. The car stood completely still. No sound, no movement. “Wow. That caught me by surprise.”

“Caught us both by surprise,” he admitted. They looked around the small car, silent and waiting for a very long minute. “This does not bode well,” he said, folding his arms across his chest.

She agreed with a nod. “Isn’t there supposed to be a phone in here? Or a button for emergencies?” She scanned the panel for any kind of guide, and dropped her pack on the floor.

“You’d think so.” He looked at the roof and she followed his gaze.

She didn’t see a panel someone might crawl through. Duh. She whipped out her cell phone from her pocket and held it up. “Good thing we’ve got phones.”

His smile leveled her. It didn’t just knock her back, it nearly knocked her out. When he flashed his amazing straight white grin, she felt another shot of flutters in her stomach, but she was used to pretty faces so she remained immune to this one. There were worse things than being stuck in an elevator with a gorgeous guy. He was probably harmless.

Abbey called 911, explained the situation, gave the dispatcher her number and disconnected the call. “We may be here awhile.”

He checked his watch and sighed. “Great. Guess I need to make a phone call too.” He plucked his phone from his back pocket and scrolled for the number he wanted. “Hey. It’s me. I’m here, but I’m stuck in the elevator. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He listened. “Okay.” He ended the call and put the phone back.

They stood there for a minute, but it felt more like ten. It seemed stupid to be stuck and not say anything to each other. What if they spent the next hour here together? Or ten? She looked around the small space and swallowed. No way could she handle that many hours in this little box.

“Uh... I’m Blake.” He stuck his hand out.

Taking a steadying breath, Abbey took his hand. “Abbey. Hi.” It was big and warm and nearly engulfed hers. “Ever been stuck in an elevator before?”

He shook his head. “Can’t say as I have. First time for everything, I guess. You?”

“Nope. First time.” But she had been locked in a dark closet for half a day. Abbey took another breath and concentrated on calm. No need to panic. She’d probably be out of here in no time once they got a repair guy out.

Blake took one last look around and sat down, stretching his long legs in front of him toward the door as he leaned against the back wall. He glanced up at her and gestured to the spot next to him. “Pull up the floor. Like you said, it might be a while.”

Yes, she had said that before the panic had kicked in. But if she continued to stand, she’d end up pacing and that would take the air faster so she needed to sit down and relax. Under Blake’s gaze, Abbey dropped against the other wall and stretched out her legs.

This man—boy—this boy was harmless. Yes, he was over six feet tall with solid muscle, but nothing about him screamed danger. He was just as stuck as she was. She only wished her palms would quit sweating and her seizing lungs would relax.

His forehead crinkled up. “You okay? You look a little...nervous.”

She ran her hands down her thighs, wiped off the sweat. “I’m not great in small spaces,” she confessed. “But I’m fine.”

“Define ‘fine,’ because you’re looking a little green around the edges.”

Her breathing was getting choppier by the second. It was ridiculous to think she might really hyperventilate. She hadn’t had an attack in years. Nevertheless, her lungs screamed for air and she couldn’t seem to pull any in.

“Hey, there,” he said, crawling toward her, his face serious, his blue eyes concerned. “You’re okay. Take it easy. Watch me.” He got right in front of her, closer than she’d been to any man in years, and her breathing got tougher for a different reason. “Breathe with me.” He took her hand and set her palm against his chest. Good Lord Almighty, he had a rock-solid chest under his brown button-up shirt. “In and out. C’mon now. Breathe with me. Slow and easy. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. Big breath.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Exhale slow. Do it again.” He breathed with her for a few minutes until her lungs didn’t feel as if they might explode. Her heart still thundered. He rubbed the back of her hand, still resting on his chest. “Better?” he asked.

Abbey swallowed and nodded.

He grinned and his charm doubled. She let her panic drift away. “Bet you’re wishing you’d taken the stairs right about now? Huh?” he asked.

She didn’t know how to answer that question honestly without being cryptic, and the last thing she wanted to do was sound like a victim. She never realized how getting stuck in an elevator would send her back eight years to that time in the closet. Abbey would’ve sworn she was over it. Hadn’t thought about it in years. It had been the moments in the stairwell, the few minutes before that vile man had carried her kicking and screaming into his apartment that had traumatized her most. Apparently she could add locked boxes of any kind to the list of places that triggered her anxiety.

The elevator jolted and Blake fell into her. He caught himself with his hands on either side of her head, their faces inches apart. Her pulse took another leap. He smelled like breath mints and spicy aftershave. Not a bad combination. His gaze roamed from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes.

“This box is better than a ride at Six Flags. And it didn’t cost us anything.” His voice sounded gruff and Abbey forgot to breathe again, but this time it was because of him.

The elevator jolted again. Blake sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder, keeping her close to his side. If he noticed her stiffness, he didn’t let on. “At least we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

Abbey nodded, too afraid she’d burst into stupid tears if she uttered a word. This guy wasn’t going to hurt her. Why couldn’t she just wait out the time like a normal human being?

“What if we fall?” Had she really just asked that?

“We won’t fall. We’re going up,” he pointed out.

The car jolted again, and she gasped and grabbed onto his free arm while his other arm pulled her closer against him. She hated being such a wimp.

“I’m not usually this chicken.” In fact she prided herself on how far she’d come and on her continued participation in self-defense courses. But she had to concede it wasn’t the man so much as the situation that had her freaking out. Her breathing started going funky again.

“Hey, now.” His tone commanded her attention and she looked up at him. “You’re okay. I’m not letting anything happen to either one of us.”

She laughed. “That’s a nice sentiment, but if this thing decides it’s going to drop, there’s not much you can do.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He rubbed her arm. “How ’bout I take your mind off it?” The elevator continued to jolt its way upward, groaning, creaking and grinding the whole time.

“Honestly, I can guarantee there is no way you can take my mind off of this.”

He tipped her chin up to face him, his eyes staring into hers. “I can try,” he murmured. He slanted his head just a fraction and moved in a little more.

She thought her heart might burst out of her chest. “What are you doing?” Abbey whispered since her vocal chords seemed to have left the building.

“Taking your mind off the situation.”

He’d certainly succeeded because all she could think about was the lack of space between his mouth and hers. “What situation?” She grinned because he was actually doing it. His lids had half closed over his clear blue eyes, but the corners of his lips quirked up in a reckless smile.

“See how good I am?” His seductive tone sent a fresh ripple of chills down her back, but the line reeked of “playboy” and Abbey pulled back. “I’m not sure what we’re talking about now.”

“I could show you what I’m talking about.” Blake moved in again. Slowly.

Hold on, Stud Muffin. “You don’t really think I’m going to let you kiss me, do you? I don’t even know you.”

He stopped, but held the ground he’d covered. “Sure you do. I’m Blake, remember? We shook hands a few minutes ago.”

Abbey sputtered a laugh. She couldn’t help it. He was undeniably gorgeous.

“And you’re Abbey. The very beautiful Abbey, who I will be thinking about the rest of the day. Definitely the week. Probably the month.”

Abbey couldn’t help herself. “Why?” she asked. Her stiffness usually turned guys off. They might’ve looked, but her cold shoulder generally had them moving in the other direction.

His thumb stroked along her jaw and sent the hair on her nape standing at attention. “Because the second you walked into this elevator I fell head over ass in love with you.”

The elevator gave a mighty jolt and knocked them sideways. The doors opened a crack. “You folks okay in there?” a gruff voice called. The doors opened more, and the scary sight of seeing that the car hadn’t yet arrived on the floor had Abbey’s heart rate soaring. A fireman, dressed in full gear, stood a good yard over their heads.

Blake jumped to his feet and hauled her up next to him as the doors opened another foot.

“We’re going to pull you both out of there as soon as we get this door opened a little more. Sound good?” The fireman peeked his head in the opening.

“I can boost her up to you,” Blake called.

“We’ll get her. We just need to get these doors opened a little wider. Should be ready in two minutes.”

Blake pulled her forward. “Ever ride a horse before?” he asked.

“What?” Abbey had an instant vision of riding Blake, sans clothes. She felt her cheeks heat. “What does that have to do with anything?” she asked, setting her pack over her shoulders.

He grinned and cupped his hands low in front of him. “I’m going to give you a boost. You grab onto his hand and I’ll give you a little push.” He got into position. “Up you go.”

Abbey didn’t move. She felt silly now that it was all over. “Thank you for taking my mind off the situation.” He’d certainly done what he’d set out to do. All she could think about now was kissing him.

He straightened, took a step toward her and got close. Very close. “It was my pleasure.” He tipped her chin up and bent his head just as the doors opened wider and the elevator jolted. They braced themselves against each other and Abbey felt the muscled ridges of his abs.

“Let’s go you two, while the getting’s good,” the fireman said.

Blake grinned and resumed the position with his hands cupped low for her to step into. “After you.”