was when you were leaning into the cooler. Those jeans you were wearing – yum.”
He took a deep, sultry breath. “Although the ones you’re wearing now are definitely my new favorites. I’m looking forward to untying them with my
teeth later.”
“Just don’t rip them! They were expensive.”
He shrugged and scoffed. “I’ll give you my credit card - go buy yourself a dozen more. Tearing those jeans off of you is worth every penny I have.”
I dismissed his comment and continued our private conversation. “What about the distracting belly scratch? What did that do for you?”
He looked at me and smiled bashfully while he chewed on his straw. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
“Yes!”
He hesitated before answering. “I spent a few moments thinking about violating you on top of this pool table. Sort of the same thoughts I’m
having right now, but now my thoughts are more from memory and less from imagination.”
I heard something bump against the poolroom window, causing me to flinch from the sound. Since no one was near a window, it had to come
from the outside.
“I think someone is trying to look in the window.” I peered over Ryan’s shoulder to see.
He grabbed my forearm and stopped me from getting any closer.
“Don’t,” he warned. “Just ignore it.”
“Ignore what? What’s out there?”
“Paparazzi and fans. We’ve already been informed by our security.”
“Do you have security outside?”
“Yes,” he answered directly.
I tried to imagine it, picturing all their bodyguards and drivers just standing around outside in the cold… bored, hungry, and waiting for the
celebrities.
“Why didn’t you invite the security guys inside? They could’ve at least had some food.”
“No. Their job is to make sure we can relax and not worry about what they’re worrying about.”
“You’re going to be seen leaving here no matter what,” I muttered.
He ran his hand reassuringly over my arm. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But if you’re photographed leaving in the morning?” I asked. I didn’t care about me, I was worried about him.
He looked at me with a serious expression. “If I leave here tonight, the paparazzi might just think that I arrived first – alone, and that they missed
me. If I leave in the morning, then the cat’s out of the bag.”
“What are you going to do?” It was his decision.
“I know what I should do. But what I should do is not what I want to do. If I leave in the morning, they are going to start following you.” He
motioned his head towards the window.
“What difference does it make? You’ve been here twice, and now there’s a private party here. I’m sure the connection has been made.”
“If I leave in the morning, that’s it. It definitely begins. Are you ready for that?”
A few select words he said crossed through my mind: “I’m falling in love with you” and “girlfriend.” Then I thought about the freedom that I take for
granted every day. I would no longer walk around the Earth in complete anonymity.
“If you really meant all the words you said to me on the roof, then yes, I’m ready.”
“Taryn, I just want to protect you. You know that, right?”
I nodded. I knew he didn’t want me to be hounded. But how long could he, or would he, keep me a secret? I guess a little disappointment
showed on my face.
“Well, we don’t have to decide now. We still have a game to watch,” Ryan said, giving me hope.
I turned the channel to Sunday night football. The familiar background music started to play and a few of the guys mimicked the tones. It was
funny.
“We’re going to watch American football?” Suzanne whined.
Ryan turned and spoke over his shoulder. “We could call a car for you if you don’t want to stay.”
I smiled inside. He was being nice, but he really wanted to get rid of her.
“I can call for my own car, thank you,” she snapped back. I was glad to see her use her cell phone.
I carried a fresh pitcher of beer over to the guys. They were all lined up at the table closest to the television.
“Gary, get your money ready!” Ryan teased.
I filled Ryan’s empty glass with beer. It looked tasty so I took a sip then handed it to him. He took a big gulp and handed the glass back to me.
“You get your money ready,” Gary bantered back. “I already have one of your twenties in my wallet; just waiting for another one. Maybe you
should give that twenty to Taryn to keep warm for me.”
Ryan patted my leg. “Don’t you worry about this twenty. It’s nice and warm, and looking forward to having another twenty to be its friend.”
Ryan rested his arm on the back of my chair and whispered in my ear, “let’s do a shot.”
“Preference?”
“How about that tequila we had that one time?” Ryan answered. “Do you still have some?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I think there’s enough left in the bottle.”
“Well, let’s kill it. I’ll give you money for a new bottle. That stuff was good!”
Suzanne and Francesca put their coats on and then Suzanne announced their departure. Hardly anyone said goodbye to them. Kat yelled “see
ya” very loud, but her tone was definitely more dismissive rather than a sincere goodbye.
I heard some screams coming from the waiting fans when they departed through my front door, but the screaming didn’t last too long. Since the
screams were coming from females, the crowd outside was obviously waiting for actors, not actresses. My thoughts were that they were really
waiting for one actor in particular to emerge.
I had suspected, and Ryan had confirmed, that the paparazzi were staked outside my building - waiting. But it was only then, when Suzanne and
Francesca left, that the amount of paparazzi waiting became more apparent. The entire sidewalk and the full length of my exterior were illuminated
by flashes from the cameras, completely lighting up the darkness outside my windows.
Once Suzanne and Francesca left, it was like everyone inside could breathe again. The men were getting loud, shouting at the football game,
and the ladies had to yell just so we could have a conversation.
My attention focused back on Ryan when I saw him talking on his cell phone. He didn’t talk long, but whatever he heard pissed him off. He
pounded his fist into the table. I watched as he leaned over and said something in Cal’s ear. Cal just shook his head in disgust.
After everyone did a shot of tequila, I sat at the big round table with the ladies to play some cards. Kat was getting tipsy; she was so cute to
watch as she giggled to herself.
“I’m glad the psycho twins finally left,” Kelly announced. Her comment made me chuckle.
“Yeah, what’s up with Suzanne?” Marie asked. “She’s kind of like a bitch.”
“That’s an understatement!” Kat laughed loudly.
“It’s surprising; on screen she and Ryan have such amazing chemistry. I thought she’d be nicer,” Tammy said.
“That’s because Ryan has the patience of a saint!” Kat yelled in Ryan’s direction. “We should call him Saint Ryan from now on.”
Ryan looked over his shoulder and smirked at her.
“We all told him that if he’d just kill her already, we could go home. We even offered to bail him out of jail if he’d do it!” Kat joked. “Right Ryan?
I’d bail you out of jail in a heartbeat, brother!”
“That’s why I check the clip in my gun before every scene.” Ryan laughed. “I’m so paranoid that one of you are going to slip real bullets in there
one day.”
“And what about Francesca?” Tammy asked Kat. “She barely said a word to anyone.”
“That’s because Suzanne does the talking for both of them now. Sometimes we wonder if Fran is made out of wood and Suzanne has her hand