The Playboy, page 2
“Begging to be with us?” I scoffed and then laughed. It wasn’t like his words weren’t true. Every woman wanted to be with Jackson Camden and Oracle Lion, the so-called foxes of Hollywood. I was used to it by now. “Sounds cool. Haven’t hooked up in a while.”
“What’s it been? A week?” Jackson asked with a raised eyebrow and we both laughed. “So, how’s the new movie going? Started shooting yet?”
“No, they just changed directors.” I shook my head. “Who knows what’s going to happen next. I’m looking at some scripts myself, going to try my hand at directing or something like that.”
“Yeah?” He nodded and took another chug. “Finally. You’ve been saying that since college.”
“I know.”
I looked at the original 1941 poster of Citizen Kane hanging on my wall. At the top of the poster, it said, “Everybody’s Talking About It! It’s Terrific,” and next to the words was an image of Orson Welles. Citizen Kane had been the movie that had changed my life as a kid. I could still remember watching it with my mom. She had always loved the old movies and I loved sharing them with her. I’d been mesmerized by the screen, the black-and-white images and Orson Welles. He hadn’t been a particularly handsome man, but he captured your attention and never let it go.
Ever since I’d seen that movie, I’d wanted to make movies. Real, hardcore, deep, thought-provoking movies. Movies that made people talk about issues, movies that made people talk about me. I’d achieved one of the two, but the movies I made now were empty and tasteless. I wanted something different in my life. I looked around the large room at the obscene paintings and sculptures that made people talk. The bright red accent wall that offended my vision every time I sat in here. Everything about my life was fake and for show and in a way shallow.
“So, you’re going to direct Babymaker Four, then?” Jackson laughed so hard at his joke that he tipped forward. His eyes met mine with an expression of mirth and I just smiled at him in response. Jackson knew how much I hated the Babymaker movies, but they were what was responsible for my substantial bank account. America loved me as the babymaker, and while the movies had catapulted my career, he knew I wasn’t happy.
“Sorry, dude. I know it’s not funny.” He sighed and sat back, his eyes suddenly looking sad. “Who would have thought this would be where we’d end up, eh?”
All the life seemed to have been sucked out of him at that moment. We were only thirty-five, but both of us were disillusioned with life and our respective careers. When we’d enrolled as freshmen at the University of Central Florida and formed a student band, we’d never dreamed that we’d make it this big. Never in our wildest dreams had we thought that we’d be A-list stars with the world at our feet.
Only we didn’t really have the world at our feet.
“Funny.” I shook my head and sighed. “No, I’m not going to be making bloody Babymaker Four.”
“I thought I saw on Access Hollywood that you signed a thirty-million-dollar deal and you’re starring with Frenchie?” He tilted his head to the side. “Did they get it wrong?”
“No.” My voice was abrupt as I stood up. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Wanna hit up Chateau Marmont for dinner? My treat.”
“Your treat?” Jackson laughed. “As if. I’m your guest, I got it.”
“Are you really my guest if I never invited you?” I raised an eyebrow at him and we both laughed. Jackson walked over to me and swung an arm around my back.
“I’ve missed you, brother,” he said as he patted my shoulders. “It’s been too long.”
“Well, who told you to go and be an international rock star?”
“You could always join the band again. We could go on tour together.”
“Nah, those days are past me. You know I only did the music for fun.”
“I know, I know. Your heart is with the movies.”
“Yeah, something like that.” I nodded. “Okay, I’m off to shower and get changed. You know where your room is. Feel free to use any of the five other bathrooms on offer.”
“Cool. Also, just want to check that …” His voice trailed off as I held my hand up with a chuckle.
“Yes, Jackson. Feel free to bring back any chicks tonight, but just make sure they’re gone by the morning, please. I don’t need a repeat of what happened last time.”
“Got it, got it.” He grinned. “And hey, I didn’t know that one of the girls stayed. I honestly thought that all of them had gone. I counted five heads leaving after our quickie in the shower.”
“Yeah, you counted five heads, but you had six women over.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “I really don’t know how you do it.”
“I don’t remember you being so sanctimonious that night. Didn’t you have a threesome with those two waitresses?”
“Perhaps.” I laughed. “Just make sure they’re all gone in the morning.”
“Yes, sir.” He saluted me like I was some sort of captain. “Here’s to making sure my harem is all gone in the morning.”
“Yeah, please make sure. I’m going to the beach shack tomorrow night after you leave, so don’t want any unwelcome guests staying over.”
“You ever going to let me see that place?” Jackson asked, and I just laughed without answering.
He knew the answer to that. The beach shack was my private domain. The only people that knew of its location was me and my attorney. No one had ever visited. Not even my mother. It was the only place I had where I could truly relax and switch off. It was my own personal sanctuary. Without it, I would have lost my mind.
I walked out of the room and headed toward my bedroom, barely even glancing at the African masks that adorned the hallway leading to my exclusive wing of the house. They always freaked me out if I looked at them too closely. I felt as if there were African spirits contained in their empty faces, waiting to come out and ask me why I had such a large collection of Yoruba and Maasai masks when I’d never so much as visited the African continent.
As I reached my bedroom, I pulled out my phone and saw two missed calls. One was from my mother and the other one, well, the other one was from someone I had no wish to speak to ever again.
I threw the phone onto my mattress and walked into the bathroom, pulling my clothes off as I walked. I turned on the shower and stood underneath the too-hot water, letting it scald my skin as if that would somehow help to cleanse me of all the things I hated about myself.
Chapter 2
Piper
“On my way.”
“Hurry,” I typed back, slightly annoyed.
“Tonight we’re going to get laid.”
“Are you sure you didn’t already?”
“Nope, date was a bore.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll tell you all over a cocktail.”
“Hurry, I’m falling asleep.”
“Nearly there.”
“Where are you??”
The last text had been sent over an hour ago, and I was debating whether or not to just leave the club. The night was starting out with as much promise as an almost empty fridge with a lone, moldy apple sitting in it. It was ten thirty and my best friend, Alexa, still hadn’t arrived.
I stifled a yawn as I looked around the hot new club, surrounded by pulsing young bodies that were high on life, alcohol, and drugs. The bass of the music felt too loud to my ears, but I knew that was because I was an old fart at the grand age of twenty-eight. My black dress felt too tight and too skimpy, and my heels were already hurting my feet. I was ready to go home, but I knew Alexa would kill me if I went back to the hotel room before the night had even started.
I looked at my phone again to see if she’d responded to my last text message. When she’d told me she would meet me at the club because she was going to meet a guy from Tinder for a drink in Beverly Hills, I’d thought it was a good idea, but now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe she should have just met me back at the hotel room. I walked toward the bar, debating between getting myself shit-faced drunk and just enjoying the night or going home and watching Friends. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and let the music pulse past me. I could almost imagine that I fit in with all the hot young things dancing around, but I knew that was just an illusion.
My eyes popped open as I felt someone brushing past me and it took a while for me to adjust back to the strobe lights and laughing mannequins that surrounded me.
I reached my hand up to touch my hair to see if it still felt silky and smooth or if it had frizzed up in the sweaty heat of the club. I was pleased to feel soft tresses beneath my fingers and smiled to myself. At least one thing was going right tonight.
I wandered around the sides of the club, nodding my head to the beat of the music. The vibe in the club was contagious, and I wanted to go dancing in the crowds, but I didn’t really want to go by myself. It would be much more fun with Alexa. As I walked past two girls drinking lemon drop cocktails, I thought back to the strange man I’d met earlier in the cupcake store. The interaction had been so weird, but he’d stuck with me. I’d barely been able to tell what he’d looked like, but his personality had been witty, and surprisingly I’d found myself quite attracted to him.
Especially when he’d whispered in my ear. In fact, I’d been quite shocked at how turned on I’d been at the feel of his warm breath. I’d been disappointed when he just ran out of the store. Even though I hadn’t seen his face and he’d had the weirdest redneck mustache, he had sported a body that was fitter than fit and, well, I’d had a feeling that he’d quite fancied me as well. I sighed as I felt my body growing warm at my thoughts. I needed to find somebody real to hook up with. That guy was long gone.
I was doing a look over in the crowd to see if Alexa had made it yet when two tall blonde girls brushed past me giggling as they danced to the Pitbull song pumping through the speakers.
“And so I said to Zoila, well, duh, I’m going to take the audition, I mean, it’s for Scorsese,” blonde number one said.
“No way, Martin Scorsese?” Blonde number two gawked at her.
“No.” Tall blonde number one laughed. “Big Boobs Scorsese, you know, the guy that does those Spring Break videos.”
“Oh yeah, yeah, he’s rich.” Blonde number two grinned at her. “I think I saw he was a judge at Martini’s wet T-shirt contest last week. My friend Lisa won. She got like, five hundred dollars and a free T-shirt.”
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing and turned away from them, about to pull out my phone to text Alexa that I was going to leave. This club was far out of my comfort zone, and I just wasn’t having fun at all. I wasn’t even in a dancing mood, if I was honest with myself. And not one of the young hot studs milling around had so much as glanced at me.
“Would you like a drink?”
The words were smooth and sexy. I turned to brush off my suitor with a small smile. I never accepted drinks from strangers. It just wasn’t smart. How were you to know that they hadn’t dropped a roofie in it or something? I didn’t want to end up in the back of a car I didn’t know. But even though I was going to say no to the drink, I was happy to have been asked.
“N … Oh.” My eyes made contact with the man who had offered me the drink and my jaw dropped.
“Is oh a yes or a no?”
His eyes twinkled as he smiled down at me, obviously having had this reaction from multiple women throughout his life. I blinked rapidly as I stared back up at him. I could barely believe my eyes. Jackson Camden was standing in front of me. The Jackson Camden. The rock star Jackson Camden. Jackson Camden of my teenage dreams and, if I’m honest, several late-night fantasies.
“I, uh…” I mumbled and swallowed hard as I shook my head. “I…” I started again, but my voice trailed off as I noticed that I had lost his attention already.
“Jackson Camden, is that you?” A tall, slinky blonde joined us at the bar and ran her fingers down his back as she purred up at him, lips pouted and boobs pressing into him. I had to admit that I was slightly envious of her confidence. There was no way that I would feel comfortable pushing myself on a famous rock star like that.
“Yes, it’s me.” He had completely turned away from me now, and I watched as he smiled at her.
“Can I have your autograph?”
I watched as she giggled and flirted with him. I couldn’t look away even though I was starting to feel like a bit of a voyeur.
“Sure, where do you want it?” He took the pen from her hand and my jaw dropped once again as the lady pulled her top down and asked him to sign her breast.
“Better luck next time,” a voice whispered into my ear from behind me. I jumped, let out a small scream, and dropped my purse in surprise. I bent down to pick it up.
“Excuse me?” I glared up at the man next to me, not looking at him properly as I stood back up, clutching my bag tightly to my chest. Had he been watching me watch Jackson and the blonde this whole time?
“I said, better luck next time.” His voice was deep and mocking, and his tone was already irritating me.
“Better luck next time?” I finally made contact with his sharp, azure blue eyes and my heart skipped a beat as I realized who I was talking to. The number one actor in all of Hollywood, Oracle Lion. He looked taken aback as our eyes made contact, and he seemed to be searching for something in my gaze. I offered him a small smile, but he didn’t smile back and I stood there, feeling uncomfortable.
“Just think, that could have been your breast he was signing if you’d been able to open your mouth a bit faster.” His lips twisted up at the side and he looked as cocky in person as I had always imagined him to be from his movie posters and TV interviews.
“I don’t want him signing my breasts.” I spoke stiffly, not knowing what to say. I wanted to tell him off for being rude, but how did you tell off a big star?
“You’d rather have him doing other things to your breasts?” He grinned and licked his lips in a deeply suggestive manner. I shuddered in response. My shudder was directed to both him and myself. I couldn’t believe that he would be so blatant with me, and I couldn’t believe that I sort of liked it. Most probably because of my earlier flirtation, my body was in high gear.
“No!” I said sharply. “That’s really out of order.”
“What is?” he said with a small wink. “You need to loosen up, lady.” He stared at my lips and I wanted to slap the smirk off of his face. “Or maybe you need something sweet to eat.” He said the words slowly and suggestively.
There was something in the way that he spoke that sounded so familiar to me, but I shook it off as just being smitten with his movies. Instead of responding to him, I turned away from him. I was pleased to see that the blonde was gone. Jackson was still there, and I took a deep breath before tapping on his shoulder.
“I’ll have that drink now.” I smiled up at him and he looked back at me with a smile.
“I thought you’d never say yes,” he teased with a crooked smile, and I laughed loudly so that the other man would see that I could be fun, even if he didn’t think so.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Jackson?” The man behind me said, and I groaned.
Why was he still here? Though I could probably guess. He was obviously there with Jackson. I didn’t know that they were friends, but didn’t all famous people seem to know each other? Thinking about it, hadn’t they been in a band together years ago?
“Sure, if I can get her name.”
Jackson grinned at me, and I felt my face flush with pleasure. It was kind of cool that a hot rock star wanted to know my name. Actually, it was more than kind of cool, it was super cool and awesome, and I wanted to text Alexa and jump up and down. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before in my life.
“Piper.” I smiled at him sweetly, my heart racing rapidly. “I’m Piper.”
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” began the man behind me, and I ignored him. He was trying to rile me up for some reason. I just didn’t know why.
“Nice name.” Jackson smiled at me. “I’m Jackson, and that’s my good friend, Oracle.”
I turned around reluctantly and looked at the annoying man behind me again. This time I allowed my eyes to look him over fully, while he did the same to me.
Of course, I had known as soon as I’d seen him that he was Oracle Lion. I would have had to have lived under a rock not to know who he was. Oracle Lion was an A-list actor, former rock star, and a complete and utter playboy. He was in the newspaper almost every other week with a different model or actress on his arm. And he was known as the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood. He was sex on legs and standing next to him I felt his presence and charisma oozing from every pore of his body.
If it had been hard to believe that Jackson Camden was here, then it was even harder to believe that the handsome, gorgeous, and completely untameable Oracle Lion was standing right next to me. It was hard to believe, but it was true. I guess the gossip rags weren’t always true. They said that Oracle never deigned to go to public establishments anymore. He only liked to attend exclusive parties and private clubs.
I guess they’d been wrong.
“Hi, what’s your name again?” Oracle held his hand out and tilted his head as he gave me a small nod.
“Like I just said, I’m Piper.” I reached my hand out to shake his, and I felt a small buzz as our fingers touched. “And you are?” I gave him a small smile, faking politeness as he grinned. “I didn’t quite catch your name. Did Jackson say Urkel?” I gave him a blank stare, hoping he bought my I-have-no-idea-who-you-are act.
“No, I’m not Urkel.” He raised an eyebrow as he stared at me with the most intense gaze I’d ever experienced in my life. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle as he kept his focus on me. “I’m the starring fantasy of every woman’s dreams.”
