Ethan leaned out of the open window and punched in the code to let them in through the gates. When they opened, he drove up the long driveway lined with manicured hedges and parked in front of her house.
Victoria lifted her purse off her lap, swung the gold chain over her shoulder, and raised an eyebrow at Ethan. “Why is the car still running?”
“I told you in the club, I’m going home.” He flicked his wrist to glance at his watch. “It’s late.”
She slid closer and laid a hand on his chest. “Now that you’re here…” Her fingers travelled south and reached for the zipper on his pants and again, nothing stirred. Not even a twitch.
Holy fuck, was something wrong with him? “I wish I could,” he lied. “I’ll see you tomorrow on set.”
The scowl on her face told him she wasn’t happy but he knew she wouldn’t press it further. She never begged, she didn’t have to, men flocked to her. This rejection must be a new experience.
His gaze followed her as she got out of the car and sashayed to the veranda, obviously displaying what he was missing out on. Once the front door was unlocked, she waved goodbye before entering the house.
By the time he was halfway home, he’d forgotten about Victoria, and wondered what movie Ralph had lined up for him. On the Hollywood grapevine, a film portraying the story of a wounded soldier was still casting for their lead. That’s exactly what he wanted to dive into. In a role like that he’d finally be taken as a serious actor.
He pulled up to his house overlooking the harbour, lights shone from every room. Entering the code to open the gate, a plethora of cars lined the driveway and he heard music blasting from the open windows. His brother Aiden was staying with him for a few days while his place was getting roof repairs after strong, damaging winds. And by the looks and sounds of it, he’d thrown a party.
Dammit. Ethan wasn’t in the mood for more people.
It should make Ethan happy his brother was entertaining, but he knew Aiden only filled the house with people because he wanted to block out the noise inside his head and the pain in his heart. Instead of joining the fun, he’d bet he’d find his brother sitting in a dark room nursing a bottle of Jack, not giving a fuck about anyone at the party. Ethan couldn’t blame him, after losing his premature baby and his wife Madeline soon after to cancer, Aiden had been through the toughest months of his life. If he didn’t quit drowning his grief with alcohol, Ethan worried he’d lose his brother too. He’d have another talk with him. God knows how many times he’d tried. So had his mother and sister Chloe, so far, no one had managed to get through to him.
Aiden was the main character of Australia’s number one sitcom. It aired in sixteen countries around the world, rivalling the top shows in the US. And if he continued behaving this way, Ethan worried his brother would lose his job. Aiden should have taken the time off the studio offered him, but he’d refused. Now he was jeopardising his career with his behaviour.
If Ethan went inside, he knew he’d get no sleep. Not happening. He reversed the car out onto the street. He could stay at a hotel, but when people saw him, it wouldn’t take long for the paparazzi to hear about it, and they’d camp out front to see what unsuspecting woman walked in the lobby and link her to him which would then lead to a scandalous affair. The only other choice was his mother’s place. Thankfully he had a spare key, so he wouldn’t have to wake her.
Twenty minutes later, as he pulled up to his mother’s apartment and parked, his phone beeped with a text. He glanced at the screen; a message from Victoria.
Swiping to open the message, it read:
This is what you’re missing…
A photo followed. Victoria lay on white silk sheets on her bed, dressed only in black, lacey underwear. Her auburn hair fanned over a pillow.
He messaged back.
I’m an idiot.
And he really was. What normal man would give up sex with Victoria? Tonight, the erotic display didn’t interest him. Instead of black lace turning him on, images of a woman wearing a gold bra, black miniskirt and come-fuck-me heels sitting in the makeup trailer grabbed his attention. Her face, clean of heavy makeup, wasn’t movie star pretty, her nose slightly crooked and her mouth a little too wide, was more like the cute girl next door. It was Holly who made his body stir. And from the evidence in his pants, nothing was wrong with him after all. Thank God.
Chapter 4
When they arrived at Nancy’s apartment, Nancy flicked on lights and gave her a tour as they passed through rooms decorated with modern furniture and splashes of colour. In the living room, Holly stopped at a set of shelves filled with books, trinkets and photos.
“Is this Ethan?” She picked up a frame of a tall lanky teenager with a serious expression.
“Yes, he’s about fifteen.” Nancy smiled.
Nancy showed Holly to a guest room; with white sheer curtains, a bedspread with a pastel floral print and a rosy pink floor rug and gave her a large t-shirt to sleep in. Flopping down onto the soft mattress, she stared at the ceiling. After one night of pretending to be a makeup artist, something burned deep in her gut. The passion her parents turned their noses up at and pushed aside as some silly hobby because it wasn’t as prestigious as working for the family business, flared into a raging fire.
Holly couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a great time. She hadn’t been this happy in months. Nothing was as fun as playing with makeup and drawing bullet holes on actor’s headshots. Ethan Doyle got one right between the eyes. Nancy laughed at her creation but informed her he was only having light bruising.
To make the night even better, Nancy volunteered to be Holly’s practice dummy. An actor needed scarring from a burn on their face for tomorrow’s scene and she wanted Holly to create the look.
“Wow.” Nancy had turned her head to the side to inspect Holly’s work in the mirror. “This’s fantastic. You’re extremely talented.”
“Thanks, but you told me what to do.”
“Youapplied the makeup. You’re a natural.” The compliment had expanded her heart with happiness.
