Moon over the Bay (Moonlit Nights) (8 page)

The four headed to the baggage
claim. The girls had their heads together as they walked in front of him and
Kyle, likely already talking about the wedding. Kyle and Nathan talked about
sports and how many strippers were needed for the bachelor party. This of
course earned them a stink eye from both girls.

While he waited next to Kyle at
the baggage carousel, Nathan saw Jess typing on her cell, which reminded him
that his was still off from the flight. He turned on his cell and was
immediately notified he had a text message from Jess.

Come to my place for a bit,
please?

How could he say no? Besides, the
thought of having her again was just too tempting for sanity.

After all the suitcases were
collected, Nathan turned to Kyle.

“That was my agent, I’ve got an
audition tomorrow that she wants me to go to. I’m going to see if I can get a
flight now instead of coming back with you guys.”

“Awesome. Good luck tomorrow, let
me know how it goes,” Kyle replied, hugging Nathan. Sadie stepped up to hug him
too as Kyle spoke to Jess.

“We’ll drop you off before
heading home,” Kyle offered as he signaled for a cab.

“You guys go ahead. I’m tired,
and I’m sure you are too. My place is so out of the way for you,” Jess said.
“I’ll catch up with you both before you head back to Los Angeles.”

Moments later Kyle and Sadie
loaded into a cab, leaving the two of them alone on the curb as their friends
drove away.

The minute it was around the
corner and out of sight, Nathan grabbed Jess and kissed her like he’d been
aching to do since that morning. Still breathless, he hailed a cab, and they
climbed in, giving the driver the address to Jess’s apartment.

“Jess,
this view is spectacular,” Nathan said, staring out the window as the light of
the full moon glittered off the water of the bay. The Golden Gate Bridge was
the center point though. It’s orange glow made it hard to see anything else.

He accepted a glass of his
favorite drink from her. Of course it was great scotch. Good booze, great
setting, awesome view; all the things that drove home how far out of his league
she was. Just another reminder that no matter how he felt, this needed to stay
casual. People with money had a way of objectifying others, and Nathan never
wanted to be on the receiving end again.

“Thank you. The apartment was a
‘gift’ from my father, but really it was a non-negotiable compromise I had to
accept in return for my parents’ support of my art career. I really wanted to
live where Sadie does, in the apartment building I inherited, but he threw a
big fit about the lack of security and what not. They try to be loving, but it
ends up coming off as controlling, so I reluctantly allowed him to buy me an
apartment. I was pissed when he told me where it was, but this view shut me up
pretty quickly,” Jess said, smiling as she took a sip of her wine.

“You could say that again. I bet
you had an awesome house growing up,” Nathan said.

“I did, and it was filled with
lots of servants and me. My parents were always working and going out of town.
While I appreciate their money and have learned to enjoy the better things in
life, I also work for most of what you see here,” she stated as she waved her
hand around. Nathan couldn’t help but be impressed even more by her drive and
determination. He took her glass and sat it down next to his on a nearby table.

“I have to touch you. It’s been
too long since I’ve had you naked,” he said as he swept her hair to the side
and started kissing her neck. Anything he had to say was lost in her breathy
sighs and the removal of clothes.

_____

“I think you should take Kyle’s
offer of the apartment up, and move here, to the Bay.”

Nathan was lying on his stomach
in Jess’s bed and she was sprawled across his back. Her soft breasts were
pillowed against his ribs and her silky hair tickled his shoulder blades. The
sound of her voice broke through his blissed out haze.

“Do you now? Why is that?”

“Because, I want to be able to
have my wicked way with you whenever the mood strikes. If the last few days
have been any indication that would be often.” She giggled.

“Funny you say that because I
have been thinking the same thing,” Nathan said in a quiet voice.

“Oh, well good. I think it might
be fun to have you as my boy toy,” she murmured between the kisses she placed
on his back.

Nathan stiffened at her comment.

Oh no, what did she say?

He started to roll over and away
from her, but she panicked and stopped him. Climbing up on his back, she ran
her hands all over the taut muscles.

“I didn’t mean ‘boy toy’ like
that. I meant my sex slave ‘boy toy.’ I’d never want you to be Vivien to my
Edward.” Jess massaged his neck, causing him to moan.

“Did you—god that feels
good—make a
Pretty Woman
reference?” he mumbled.

Jess moved off Nathan and rolled
him over before climbing back onto him. She settled on his hips and they were
connected again seamlessly as they had been all the previous times.

“Look, Nathan, I like you.
Probably more than I should and more than we agreed upon when we started this.
But what I’m trying to say is that if you decided to move here, I’d support
that and would never kick you out of my bed if you wanted this too,” Jess said
as she leaned down to kiss him.

Her heart felt as though it would
burst from her chest. Kissing Nathan kept him from looking right through her
playful overtures into the soul of a very scared woman who thought she might be
falling in love.

“Hmm, I like the way you think,
Princess. I like you too,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled
her closer.

_____

It had been a fabulous two days
since they’d gotten back from Chicago. Nathan had kept her very, very busy
whenever she wasn’t on the phone or on her computer. When she was returning
emails, he’d bring his own laptop into her office and set it up across from
her. He’d make silly faces while she was talking business and would pout when
she threw things at him.

They spent hours in her beloved
tub, and he’d laugh at her “chick rock” whenever songs from certain bands would
come through speakers wired throughout the apartment. He’d shown off his
amazing culinary skills and would’ve had Jess falling headfirst if she weren’t
halfway there already.

Her favorite moments were when
their frantic joinings became slow and sensuous. There were instances of such
tenderness at times it brought tears to her eyes. It was a gentle touch, a
lingering kiss, or even a heated look, and Jess could feel her heart stutter,
and she fell just a little bit more. The man was dangerous, and the smirk he
gave her when she told him so said he knew it.

Nathan walked around the room
now, clad only in boxer briefs, as Jess watched him from the bed. He had a
flight to catch that evening and was packing. A plea lingered on Jess’s lips,
but she held back. She had already laid her cards on the table about wanting
more, and while he hadn’t come right out and said it, he showed her over and
over again with his body that there was more to this than scratching an itch.

“A penny for your thoughts,
babe.” Nathan had stopped at the foot of the bed and was looking down at her.

“Oh sorry, was reliving the last
few days.” Jess blushed at being caught daydreaming. Nathan made a sound like a
growl.

“Don’t I know it? Those memories
will have to get me through the next few days,” he smirked.

“Only days? What happens after
that?” It took all Jess had to ask that question. She picked at her nails to
avoid eye contact, so he didn’t see the hope lurking in her gaze. Nathan lay on
the bed in front of her and grabbed her hands in his own.

“Well, I’m going to need a few
days to get my affairs in LA in order, but since I live with Kyle I don’t think
it’ll take too long. I’ll pack up my car, and what I can’t fit I’ll ship.”

Shock ran through Jess.
He was
staying!

“If that’s what you want of
course.” He was smiling at her when she finally looked up.

Jess felt as though her chest
would burst from happiness. “Yeah, I think I could deal with that,” she said as
she leaned over to kiss Nathan with all the joy in her heart.

Just then his phone rang. The
ringtone was so loud—Eric Clapton singing “Layla”—it filled the air
and blocked out the other music Jess had been playing.

“I’ve got to get that. It’s my
agent,” Nathan said and backed off the bed. He grabbed his cell from the table
and stepped out of the room to take the call. Jess checked her own phone and
her schedule while she waited. He wasn’t gone for long. She heard Nathan
reenter the room and looked up to see that he wore a huge grin on his face.

“Good news I take it?” Jess asked
but with a sinking feeling in her stomach already.

“You could say that. Layla sent
my audition tape in and one of the networks wants me for a part in a pilot! Of
course, it’s as a surfer, but look at me!” Nathan spread his arms out.

He was so excited it was hard not
to be happy for him, even though Jess’s heart was breaking into a million
little pieces. There was no way he’d move now that he got this part. Nathan
would have to stay close to the studio for filming, and if the studio ordered
the whole series he’d have to live on location.

She plastered on a smile for him,
and they spent the rest of the time before he had to leave for the airport
talking about the show and his part. After a quick, but very hot kiss, Nathan
walked out of her door with a promise to call. As the door closed behind him,
Jess leaned against it before sliding to the floor in defeat.

What chance did she have when
compared to living out your dream?

Laughter
filled the air around Nathan as he finished his second scotch. The producers
had treated the cast to dinner. The pilot episode was complete and rumor was
the studio execs liked what they saw.

Nathan flagged the waitress for
another and smiled at the punch line to a terrible joke from his cast mate. The
guy was the star of the show, and Nathan was his often-shirtless best friend.
The hoard of women that surrounded the guy would’ve made any man jealous. All
of them were the typical Hollywood actress types: big boobs, lots of make-up,
and designer everything. Which was exactly why they were here, all of them were
extras in the show. A show set near the beach of course, meaning lots of
bikinis.

The waitress came back and gave
Nathan a bright smile when she leaned over a bit too far and set the drink in
front of him. He got an eyeful of her pale-pink bra and the wink when she
caught him looking. A few months ago Nathan would’ve taken that wink as an
invitation to see if her panties matched her bra. Now all he could think about
was Jess.

He’d texted her a few times in
the last couple of days but nothing more than:
Hi, things are great and I’m
super busy-I’ll call later
. Nathan wanted to blame the sixteen-hour days
and the four a.m. wake up calls, but he couldn’t. During those hours the actors
spent a lot of time waiting. And waiting. And every time he sat down, he’d
pulled out his cell and looked at it. Sometimes he’d start a text or pull up
her number to call her. Other times he’d scroll through the photos he’d taken
of her.

Most of the photos were of her on
her damn cell phone. In some she was talking, others she was using her
super-speed thumbs on the keypad. But the picture he always stopped on was one
she didn’t know he’d taken.

The sun was barely peaking over
the horizon as it was setting, and Jess was sleeping. Her curly red hair was
spread out over her white pillow as she lay on her stomach, facing him. The
pale freckles that were spattered over her bare shoulder and nose were visible
in the setting light. Nathan remembered waking her by kissing every spot he
found.

Now he was surrounded by people
just like he always wanted and all he could think about was a woman
four-hundred miles away.

Nathan let out a heavy sigh and
finished his drink in one gulp. The burn felt good.

“Hey there, cutie, you better
slow down before you end up under the table drunk off your ass.” He looked to
his left and saw one of the extras had taken a seat. Of course she was the
redhead.

“I’ll be all right,” he muttered
before leaning over to grab a champagne bottle and an empty glass. He filled it
before sitting back and taking a drink.

“Uh huh, whatever you say.” The
woman offered before pouring herself a glass of champagne.

Nathan tried to listen to the
conversations around him, but he wasn’t interested. He just couldn’t not think
about Jess. The redhead next to him didn’t help. Not that she looked anything
like Jess. This woman was well toned and dressed for attention where Jess was
all soft curves and stylish comfort.

He didn’t know what to do about
her. It had seemed so right to tell her he was moving to San Francisco at the
time, but now that he was back in LA, he just couldn’t shake how different
their backgrounds were. Jess grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, and
Nathan grew up basically parentless. Jess’s parents were overbearing and
controlling, while his mom made sure he had necessities but didn’t care past
that. Nathan finished his glass and poured another.

He glanced over at the end of the
table and saw one of the studio lawyers flirting with one of his co-stars. She
was pretty good looking for her age, but she had at least fifteen years on the
guy she was smiling at and touching. Nathan remembered when he had been on the
receiving end of such attentions once he started making the audition circuit.
He hated it, and watching it now made his alcohol-filled stomach roll.

Nathan didn’t ever want to feel
that way again. And Jess was rich. How many men had she treated like a boy toy?
That was what she’d said to him that weekend, how much she’d enjoy having him
as her toy boy. How many men had she had then grew tired of? He took another
drink. But was she really like that? She seemed way too sweet to be that cruel.
He pulled his cell out and looked at it. He typed out a quick text and sent it
off.
 
Then he poured himself another
glass of champagne when the flirty waitress brought another bottle.

_____

The shrilling sound of his phone
cut through the fog in Nathan’s brain. He struggled to regain consciousness but
it seemed to be lost in the thick haze of booze from the night before. Nathan
rolled onto his back as the noise finally stopped. The silence was blissful.

He tried to recall what had
happened yesterday as he slowly started to blink, looking up at the ceiling. A
ceiling that didn’t look like the one in his house. Nathan looked to his left
and saw an unfamiliar nightstand and lamp. A toilet flushed, and he sat up
immediately. As fast as he sat up, he fell back directly while clutching his
throbbing head. Nathan heard the bathroom door open and was scared to look.

“Hey there, cutie,” a woman
purred as she sat on the bed near him. Oh no.
No. No. No.

He peeked through his hands to
look at the woman.

How the hell did he manage to get
himself into this mess?

“Nice to see you too.” She
smirked as she pulled her dress on over her bra and panties.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Well since you’re so chatty, I’m
going to take off.” She put on her shoes and headed for the door. Nathan
finally recognized her. The extra who’d tried to talk to him last night.

“Wait, did
we . . . you know?” Nathan tried to swallow as he waited for his
death sentence.

The woman snorted. “Not for my
lack of wanting.” She gave him a sultry smile, and he felt sick.

“No need to look so freaked out.
After you got super drunk, which I warned you about, I helped you up to the
room,” she grabbed her purse and looked at him. “I was worried you’d end up
getting sick and dying or something, then they’d shut down production, and I’d
be out of a job.” She shrugged.

“Anyway, you kept calling me
‘Jess,’ and when I managed to get you in bed, you held me and said you loved
me. At which point you passed out. Your Jess must be a special girl. Congrats
on the part again. See you on Monday,” she said with a wink before shutting the
door.

The relief Nathan felt was swift
and overwhelming. Damn. The part! Nathan sat up again, and instead of falling
back, he grabbed his phone and went to call Jess. But then he stopped.

When his agent called about the
part a few days ago, he’d been elated. First he was antsy all the way home on
the flight and again the next day as he headed to the studio. After a screen
test and a table read with the other leads on the show, the producers took
everyone out to dinner. That was when the drinks started and didn’t stop until
the sun came up, if he remembered correctly.

While this was only for the pilot
episode he had filmed, the studio had high hopes that it would be picked up for
the summer schedule. This would mean he’d have to stay in LA. Nathan let out a
big sigh and fell back onto the pillows.

He really liked Jess. Hell, if
what the woman from earlier had said was true, he actually loved Jess. Did he
really love her though? Nathan knew that he wanted to call her and tell her
about everything that happened. But he also didn’t want to think about what
this role would mean for the both of them.

Nathan realized the phone ringing
was what had woken him, and when he looked at the screen he saw that it was a
missed call from Jess. The indicator said she had left a voicemail. Remembering
the panic he briefly felt when he thought he’d had sex with another woman, he
couldn’t bring himself to call her back yet. A lump formed in his throat at
hurting Jess’s feelings, and he thanked his lucky stars that he had enough
sense not to sleep with that woman.

Once at home, Nathan showered and
started working on some of his smaller accounts that he’d let pile up while he
was busy with Jess. He chose the jobs that were the least demanding today,
producing marketing material and updating some websites and blogs. It kept him
busy until his agent’s ringtone filled the air. Layla had received the contract
details for negotiation if a full season was ordered and was pleased with the
offer. Nathan was shocked to hear the amount. Also, if the pilot were to get
picked up, the studio would lease him a house close to the sound stage where it
would be shot.

He couldn’t believe his luck at
the moment. Just when he thought all was lost on the acting front, a golden
opportunity was presented to him. Then there was Jess. She was everything he
never knew he wanted. And now that Kyle was moving to San Francisco
permanently, that would leave Nathan alone again. As much as he hated to admit
it, he despised being alone and left behind.

It always made him feel like he
had growing up and his mom never being around. When Kyle had brought him home
to meet his parents during one summer break, it was like being wrapped in a
warm blanket on a cold night. Kyle’s parents accepted Nathan as if he were a
long lost son. He had been there with Kyle when his friend’s mom passed and his
dad, Miles, wept. The three men grew closer after that, and the idea of not
seeing Kyle or Miles as often hurt.

If the pilot was picked up
though, his life would change, and he’d never be alone again. Nathan would be
invited into the inner sanctum of Hollywood and TV land. It would be awards
shows, interviews, then onto movies and box office success. He leaned back in
his chair and clasped his hands on his head. Sure, he could try a long distance
thing with Jess, but how long before she wouldn’t be able to handle his schedule?
Or the tabloids, if he ever got that famous?

But could he really only see her
again in passing when he visited Kyle and Sadie? What if she started seeing
someone else; how would he deal with that? The thought of another man touching
her made his blood boil. On the other hand, now that this golden opportunity
was laid at his feet, could he walk away for a chance at love? What if she
didn’t care for him as much as he did her?

Nathan rubbed his hands over his
face and let out a heavy sigh. He’d never been so conflicted in his life.

Lost in thought, it took a moment
to realize his phone had chimed letting him know he had an email. Nathan jumped
over to his email account on the laptop and saw the latest message was from
Kyle.

Hey brother,

Look what a local Chicago news
guy caught with his camera. Sadie and I thought it was fairly telling. Call me
when you get a chance.

Kyle

Nathan downloaded the photo that
was attached in Kyle’s email and opened it immediately as his curiosity was
piqued. What he saw was a gorgeous photo taken during Sadie’s show in Chicago.
The image struck him so profoundly he was reaching for his phone to make that
call, never once taking his eyes off the screen.

_____

Jess swallowed the last of the
wine in her glass, her third for the evening. She was sitting in her wonderful
tub, soaking in the wonderful essential oils. Wonderful!

If everything was so freakin’
wonderful then why the hell did she feel so miserable?

Letting out a deep sigh, she
acknowledged that she knew exactly why. It’d been a week since she’d heard from
the man. Since he sent his “needing time to figure things out” text. It’d been
ten stinking days since he walked out her door . . . leaving her
alone in her big, sad, empty apartment. It felt so cold now, as if he’d taken
the warmth with him when he left her. Even the melodic tones coming through her
speakers were sad; Train was singing “This ain’t goodbye.” Pfft. It totally
was.

Hell, she’d turned into a hermit
these last ten days. Not helped by the fact that Sadie was gone too; she’d left
a couple days ago with Kyle for Los Angeles to help him pack.

That’s where
he
was. Blast
him all to hell!

Jess knew she was acting like a
heartbroken teenager, but she couldn’t help it. She felt like one. Jess wanted
to call him and yell at his voicemail, or send him a scathing email about how
awesome she was and how lame he was. She resisted . . . because
maybe it was the booze talking.

An hour later, she was wandering
listlessly around her apartment, unable to settle, when her house phone rang.
It was the security guard from the front desk telling her she had a delivery
from a department store. She didn’t remember ordering anything but allowed the
delivery anyway. It might be from her parents or a client. The man knocked on
the door once to let her know he’d arrived, and when she opened it, handed her
a note as well as a garment bag before running back to the elevators.

She walked to her room and hung
the bag up
in
her closet, and then she opened and read the note in her hand.