Center Stage (Bright Lights Billionaire #2) Read online

  "I like that. You'll have to tell me how to get women to serve you so easily." The tall asshole chuckled.

  "It's not too hard." I rolled my shoulders. "Riley doesn't serve you, I guess?"

  He laughed loudly. "Riley? Fuck no. That girl wears the pants in her world. She's far too dominant to let a man tell her what to do. The only time she relents is in the bedroom."

  White-hot anger burned down the center of my chest, and I lost the ability to suck air into my lungs for a few seconds.

  "Here you go!" Charlotte, or Jade, or whoever Riley's friend was, extended a bottle of water to me and then to Jace.

  He shook his head and patted my back. "Nice to meet you, Ethan. I'm getting a beer before this shindig starts."

  "You too, man." I took the water and glanced down at the girl as she stared at me with stars in her eyes. "You look pretty tonight."

  "I do? Really?" She smiled and turned from me as a soft squeal left her. My stalker-dar lit up with a bright warning to run like hell.

  "Yep. Tell me more about Riley and Jace. Are they a couple? She didn't mention being with anyone, but it's totally cool if she is." I shrugged as she glanced back over at me.

  "It's complicated. You know?" She moved closer. "Are you dating someone?"

  "Nope. It's in my contract that I have to remain single. Sucks, but it's the way they do things." I lifted my finger as she started to ask another question. "If you'll excuse me. We'll catch up later. I think they're getting started."

  "Oh, sure. Of course." She moved out of my way, which was a relief I hadn't expected to experience. Most girls like her wouldn't let me go too quickly, at least not without pawing at me or getting in a few awkward selfies.

  "Let's get this part over with." Frank patted my back as he moved up next to me and walked with me up to the stage.

  "Agreed. I hate this shit," I mumbled and scanned the crowd. "Where are the girls?"

  "The adoring fans?" He gave me a warning look.

  "No, my future baby-momma and my pimp, Riley and Deza." I glanced back toward the restrooms to see her and Deza walking out.

  "Please don't do anything we're all going to regret later." He patted my back again and took his seat.

  I pulled out two of the chairs at the long table before me and waited until they got on the stage to offer a kind smile. I wasn't going to regret a damn thing other than never experiencing the beautiful creature who had effectively fucked up my world.

  "Ladies..." I winked and pushed up their chairs before taking mine between Riley and Frank.

  She glanced over at me and smiled. "I like the black shirt. It accentuates your masculinity, Mr. Lewis."

  I leaned over and pressed my lips to her ear and the cameras flashed all around us as I chuckled. Her compliment was odd and I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment at all. "You didn't need that make-up. You looked incredible the minute you walked in. The whole fucking room took notice."

  She turned and caught me off guard with her nearness. "I'm glad they did, but what about you?"

  "Did you want me to?" I let my eyes move down to the swell of her ruby-red lips.

  "Not a chance," she whispered as another picture was taken. She turned back to the front and rested her forearms on the table. "We should get this party started."

  The crowd of reporters laughed and clapped.

  She was worried about the world noticing her, and I was almost scared to let them. It wouldn't take long, and she'd be dancing along the clouds with the rest of us stars in LA. Little did she know that I'd be waiting in the wings when the dust settled and the illusion wore off. She'd need protecting, and I'd made her a promise I intended to keep - no matter what.

  *

  "Are you just completely thrilled to be working next to ‘the Ethan Lewis’ like, the one and only?" One of the energetic reporters from NBC stood before me and Riley after the press conference portion of the night was over. Security was working to get all of them out the door so the rest of us could let our hair down and try to enjoy the party set up for us, but it was like shooing roaches. One disappeared to have two show up in its place.

  Riley glanced over at me and gave me a tight smile. "He's so much more than you guys could ever imagine."

  "I'm not just half an ass. I'm a complete ass." I winked at the reporter and put my arm around Riley's lower back, leading her toward the drink table "All right, superstar 101 is to never let them see the real you. Fake them out as best you can and keep them guessing."

  "Who is they?" She pressed her hands to the bar in front of us and arched her back as she stretched. The soft groan that left her had my balls tightening. They could be whoever she wanted them to be. Hell, I could be whoever she wanted me to be as well. At least for a night. I was too selfish for much more than that.

  "Exactly, right? I hate they, but in our example, they is the news media, the reporters and your fans." I brushed my fingers over the small of her back and nibbled at my bottom lip as she subtly moved away. "Your family, co-actors and close friends are usually a good bet, but anyone else? Hell no. Be on guard."

  She turned and studied my face as if looking for something. An invitation maybe? Fuck, I wished. I’d jump right on that.

  "Do you only have Frank, Deza and your brother?" She licked at her lips subtly. The mere glimpse of her pretty pink tongue had my cock rising to attention in hopes of being petted by her.

  "How do you know about my brother?" I smiled and tried to rein in my need to move in without worrying about her desires to remain professional. I was only a man. She couldn’t expect too much from me, and if she did, she might find herself highly disappointed. I swallowed hard as my thoughts took a turn for the worse.

  Can you take a dick, sweet girl? Can you not only play the game, but bring home the win?

  "Charlotte mentioned him."

  "Charlotte, as in Jade?" I chuckled and brushed my fingers over my lips as I forced myself not to glance down the front of her dress to take in the beauty of her cleavage. She wasn’t too big up front, and I was glad. I wanted a handful to hold, a mouthful to suck, but nothing more.

  "Yeah, that's her.” She glanced around as if looking for her. “Did you get to meet Jace?"

  "I did. Is he your boyfriend that you mentioned a week back?" My insides tightened at the thought of her dating someone. I wasn't beyond being a home-wrecker by any means, but I was hoping her answer might leave me with some margin to be normal while stealing her heart.

  Her heart? No. That was far too high up for my goals. I wanted between her thighs. Nothing more.

  "No one is willing to start the buffet line. You guys get up there and eat, please. Let’s get this shit started so we can go home and get in our pjs soon. " Deza stopped beside us, interrupting our intimate conversation and leaving me without an answer.

  “We’re having a pj party tonight? I sleep nude.” I shrugged as Riley chuckled and Deza growled.

  "I’m not shy, and to be completely honest, I'm starving." Riley turned and walked to the long buffet line where her man stood, not looking nearly as pissy as I would have been about her standing close to another man. Did they have one of those odd relationships where they let other members into their bed? Like swingers or something close to it? Odd.

  "What the fuck was that?" I turned to my agent and put my hands on my hips. "I almost had her seduced. You owe me."

  "You did not. Stop acting like a dick and eat." She pushed softly at my chest.

  "You stop acting and eat a dick. I have one you can practice with." I laughed as she pushed at me.

  "I swear you're ten years old most days."

  "More like fifteen, but close." I put my arm over her shoulders and squeezed. "Find out who Jace is and help me get rid of him."

  "Nope. That’s not happening." She pulled from me.

  "All right. Then game on." I popped her ass hard and walked to the table, picking up the platter of shrimp and walking toward the door. "Fuck you guys. I'm going to hang out with the only big kahuna-
"

  "Shit, Ethan. Fine. Ugh. Put the shrimp back and behave," she growled at me. "I hate you sometimes."

  "No, you don't. You wish you did, but you just can't do it, can you?" I winked and set the shrimp down before looking back at a group of staff with a cocky smile on my face. "Just dicking around with my wife. She likes it when I do that... anything with my dick really."

  Laughter filled the room as she smacked me and growled at them, "Don't encourage his lies."

  Chapter 4

  Riley

  I rolled my eyes at Ethan's antics. He was too cute for his own good, but the sad part was that he was more than aware of it, and taken.

  "I'm going to have his children. I've decided." Charlotte let out a girlie sigh next to me.

  Jace picked up a plate. "I don't see what the hype is all about. He seems like a regular dude with a little bit of make-up and a fruity-ass haircut."

  My need to defend Ethan roared to life, but I pushed it back down. He didn't need to be defended, and I'd never seen Jace get upset or jealous over another guy. It was almost humorous.

  "Don't be a hater," I mumbled and pressed my shoulder against his as we moved down the buffet.

  "Why would I be hating on him? He just has everything in the world that any man could possibly want, and then some. The fucker has the perfect life." Jace rolled his shoulders and sighed.

  "Well, he doesn't have me." I was only teasing, but the look on Jace's face said that he didn't have me either. Not that I was the end all be all. I wasn't. Not for either of them obviously.

  "That looks good." Ethan moved in on the other side of Charlotte and plucked a cherry tomato off her plate.

  She giggled as I lifted my eyebrow at him. "You're in rare form tonight."

  He bounced on his feet and shrugged. "I'm excited. I love the start of a new filming session. It feels like my slate’s been wiped clean and it's time to start over."

  “Your slate being wiped clean?” I turned my attention back to the table. “That would be one hell of a job for the one with the Windex.”

  “You’re telling me. My arm hurts just thinking about it.” He reached for the same piece of cheese I was working to get and plucked it from the tray. “I’m guessing you have nothing on your slate that needs to be removed, Miss Goodie-Goodie?”

  "When are we leaving for Rio?" I ignored his comments as my lip tugged up into a smile. I liked him teasing me in any way that he would, but letting him know it was out. He was already convinced that he was a Casanova to a hurting world. I wasn’t adding to that shit in the slightest. I busied myself with filling my plate as Charlotte stumbled over herself and Jace moved stiffly beside me. Awkward wouldn't begin to cover it.

  "I think Tuesday or Wednesday next week. I can't keep up with the schedule. That’s why we have schedulers." He moved around Charlotte and squeezed in between us. "I go when they say go, and I come when they say come."

  "Sounds like they have a tight grip on your balls." I glanced up at him and lifted my eyebrow. I wanted a tight grip on his balls, but getting one was going to prove to be challenging and perhaps more effort than it was worth. Ethan probably changed women the way most people changed underwear.

  "Mmmmm... just like I like it." He lifted a tomato toward my lips and smiled. "I do believe I owe you a testing period."

  "What? That makes no sense." I leaned in and took the tomato without thinking too much about it. Jace cleared his throat behind me and slid an arm around the back of my waist.

  “A testing period over what?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

  Ethan ignored him, seeming almost comfortable in the midst of what could turn out to be something quite ugly.

  "Yeah. You tested me and I passed. I think I should return the favor." He lifted a tomato to his lips and sucked it into his mouth.

  I hated how badly he affected me. Warmth spread down my stomach and swirled between my thighs, leaving me far more needy than the man before me would ever know about. I wanted a kiss. Just one. The memory of the hard press of his lips against mine during my first audition was lost to how nervous I was trying to keep it together and score the part.

  "And why in the world would you plan to test me, Mr. Lewis?" I took a step closer as Jace released me, growled softly and walked with Charlotte to a nearby table.

  "You could be after my assets as much as a woman who simply pretends to be a fan. I think if I tease you mercilessly and you don't give in to my advances that we can safely say that you're just simply a great actress with no agenda." He winked and walked around me, brushing his shoulder against my back ever so softly before stopping on the other side of me at the table.

  "You'll have to get close enough to tease me." I moved by him as he stopped to pick up a napkin. "Good luck with that one."

  "Rehearsal starts on Tuesday, I believe." He licked his lips and winked at me. "Best of luck getting through that unscathed."

  "You wouldn't do that." I walked with him to the table where Jace and Charlotte were, and sat down, half-expecting him to find another table. When he sat down across from us, I glanced up in shock.

  "Of course I would. I made sure not to give you too much trouble during the audition because they were watching you so closely, but now... game on, right?" He seemed to be ignoring the fact that we had other people at our table, Jace especially.

  What an ass. What if Jace was my boyfriend? Ethan didn’t know the truth of our relationship, and regardless of that, Jace was my date. For Ethan to be so crass around him told me one thing… he was a spoiled brat that expected to get what he wanted no matter who might get hurt. Some of the lust I had dancing inside of me dimmed.

  "So I quit my job today." I glanced over at Charlotte, changing the subject.

  "And her car broke down." Jace wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "Long day for the prettiest girl in LA."

  I gave him a cheeky grin and couldn't help but notice how Ethan's gaze darkened. Was he jealous? Surely not, though the thought caused my heart to beat faster. It was silly and childish as hell. I needed to teach him a lesson or two on how to be a better human in general, but the girlie part of me was thrilled with the possibility that the Hollywood icon of our generation wanted my attention. Me. A nobody.

  "We need to get you a new car. You have to have reliable transportation to get places on time." Ethan had no emotion in his words. He was pissed or tired of being around us from what I could gather.

  Jace pulled out his phone and grumbled, "I need to take this."

  "I'll go out with you. I forgot my phone in the car." Charlotte got up and followed my handsome date outside.

  "How long have you guys been together?" Ethan's voice softened a little, but the disapproval on his face was obvious as he poked his fork around on his plate.

  "I've known Jace for a little over five years now." I took a bite of the chicken on my plate. "He's a good guy. Captain of the rugby team at UCLA where I go to school."

  "Awesome." He glanced down at his plate. "You know it's hard to maintain a relationship when we have to travel so much. Not to mention how jealous guys get when their girls are making out with someone else on screen."

  He glanced up as I sat back in my chair. Our relationship was going to be a fucking roller coaster at best. I could only pray that our highs were going to be good enough to sustain the drop offs.

  "I remember you telling me that." I smiled. "Right before you reworded my question to make it less about you and more about actors in general."

  "It's hard to let someone in, Riley. I'm sure as we get to know each other more and work together for an extended period of time, you'll come to know more of me than you ever wanted to." He pushed his food around the plate, but kept his gaze locked on to mine. I was beyond intimidated and yet there was no way I was breaking the stare. Something hot as hell sat between us. Maybe it was fame that birthed lust between two co-stars. I’d seen too many stories of actors leaving their wives for their co-stars. I was starting to see why. Separating fantasy from
reality was going to be a challenge.

  "What if I want to know everything?" I licked at the tip of my fork as his eyes lifted.

  "I have a biography you can read." He winked and glanced around as Deza approached and sat down beside him.

  "Hey, kids. Congratulations to you both. Frank and I are thrilled to have things going this well." She reached for the salt in the middle of the table.

  Darren's voice surprised me as he spoke just behind me. I hadn't let him go as my agent yet, so I wasn't sure why I was so taken aback by him being there, but I was.

  "I'm proud of you too." Darren rubbed my back and sat down to my left. "I'm so sorry about not calling you with Eon's offer. I honestly had so much shit go down with my momma-"

  Deza lifted her head as her eyes widened a little. "What's wrong with your momma?"

  "She had a heart attack. It's been a long-ass week." He ran his fingers down his face. "I should go. I don't deserve to be here."

  "No, it's okay." I reached back and took his hand. "It all worked out."

  "Not because of me." He shook his head and couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off Deza. Something beautiful existed below the surface of the odd relationship between them. I’d have to find out more later from him or her… or both of them. Why weren’t they together when it was more than obvious that they should be?

  "Let's go talk. You want to?" Deza moved back from the table and walked around, offering Darren her hand. "Just me and you?"

  "I'd love that." His voice was soft, endearing.

  I turned to watch them go as tears filled my eyes.

  "Wow. That's the first time I've ever seen Deza give up eating for anything." Ethan chuckled as I reached for my napkin and turned back to face him. "Hey. What's wrong?"

  "Nothing. I just hope things work out for them." I blotted my eyes and glanced up to the ceiling. "Acting is my passion, but can you imagine if life really included feeling some of the things we fake?"