helped me get in touch with a lot of things I thought I'd lost.”
“When I want to get in touch with my feelings, I go up into the mountains. That's some nice fresh air,” Marcus said. He smiled and scratched at his chin. “I'm from a small town, too, you know. It's not quite in the middle of nowhere like where you're from. I don't go back too often, though, because it's not my world anymore. My family and I go on adventures together and bond over seeing the world.”
“That sounds like fun.” But not something her family would go for. Her family wasn't interested in seeing the world the same way she was. They only wanted to spend intimate time with each other, and they were not as enticed by exotic locations.
“Mm-hmm.” He moved closer to her. “You want to know what else would be fun?”
Not so sure I do, she thought, noticing the way his eyes were glued to her and how his smirk seemed to widen. “I don't know. What else would be fun?”
He laughed. “I think we could be fun. At first I thought that whole being a sweet innocent virgin thing was a gimmick. How many celebrities of the past have tried that angle? I did some digging, and I found it's true. Gotta say, it's pretty hot.”
Her body tensed as he moved even closer. “Thank you, I think.”
“I could teach you things,” he said, picking up her hand and giving it a kiss. “Things about love and adventures and being a woman.”
“You love me? Really? Because we've barely spoken ever since we last worked together,” she said, studying his face.
Marcus laughed. “I haven't been in love for a long time. It'd be a lie to say that I do, but you're exciting to me. You're the adventure.”
“Basically, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?”
“Basically.”
“You know I'm not interested,” she said. “If you've been doing your digging, you know why I'm waiting. You just said you didn't love me, and I'm not going to be another of your conquests. I'm sure that'll look really nice on your playboy resume. The one guy who was able to take my v-card.”
He shrugged. “You're amazing, smart, and sexy. You can't blame me for wanting to try. Maybe you're a little too smart since you figured me out so easily, but again, the adventure makes it fun. Don't you think? It'd be good for both of us, you know. You're not going to be able to get any serious acting roles if everyone thinks you're a stickler for purity. Producers want talent who are willing to take risks.”
She rolled her eyes and stood up. “I can't believe you went there. Wow, you'll say anything to get in my pants, won't you?”
“What can I say? They're a very nice pair of pants.”
“Thank you for the chat,” she said. “I should get going. It's late back in Ohio, and I haven't quite adjusted.”
****
Bryce arrived at the club. He gave his keys to the valet and walked up the sidewalk to the entrance. The paparazzi were there in full force, snapping his picture and shouting his name. A number of them were asking him questions about what had happened in Ohio between him and Arial. He smiled and waved every so often, but for the most part he kept his head down as he walked through the crowd. Security was keeping the photographers at bay, or he would have been completely swarmed by them.
Inside, the club was just as chaotic. People were everywhere. Marcus threw big parties, apparently. Bryce had no idea how he was going to find Arial in the sea of people, but he would figure it out. Katie said Arial was wearing red, so that's helpful.
Pushing his way through the crowd, Bryce tried to stay as low-key as possible. There were a number of his peers that he recognized, co-stars and acquaintances that he wouldn't mind catching up with. Overall, they would be nothing but a distraction to him and his quest.
“Hey, Bryce,” Katie's voice said from behind him. Her words were slightly slurred, and he dreaded turning around and talking with her. He did so anyway, determined to be polite.
“Hello,” he said. He swallowed when he saw the tight, low-cut, lime-green dress she wore. And she had the nerve to talk about Arial looking like a skank? He had to force a polite smile onto his face.
She had a drink in her hand that she swirled casually. “Good