Cash (Hawthorne Brothers Romance) (10 page)

“Maybe,” I said with a wink. I couldn’t just let her know she was right. She’d never let me live it down.

The bar only got fuller and we finished our meals and quickly got out of there before the fire marshal came and shut the place down. “What now?” I asked as we walked to the car.

“Our favorite pastime, and one you definitely know well, being from the Midwest,” she said.

“Bowling?” I asked.

“Bowling,” she said with a grin.

Bowling in the Midwest was essentially
the
sport to play, other than high school football. My area alone had four bowling alleys, most of them likely filled with asbestos, they were so old, but they were charming nonetheless. Everybody bowled, from young to old, and nobody over the age of five needed bumpers. I even had my own ball back home. I should have it shipped here.

Bowling here was a little different than it was back home, though. Bowling alleys were fresh, modern, with mood lighting and expensive bars that served apple-tinis and ten-dollar draft beers. Gone were the days of fifty-cent games on Tuesday nights and free shoe rental on Fridays. Man, I kind of missed home now.

“How many games do you want to play?” she asked as we walked up to the counter.

“Two?” I asked.

“Two games and shoe rental, please,” she told the woman behind the counter.

“That will be fifteen dollars each,” she said.

My eyes widened as I produced the money and handed it over with a smile, almost coughing on my own spit. Back home I could rent a lane for the night with that kind of money. Big city living really was expensive.

We were assigned lane ten, my lucky number, and were sandwiched between two other groups, as all the lanes were taken. They were loud, drunk, and stupid, and one of them dropped a ball on their foot while trying to get it out of the ball return. I had a feeling they weren’t going to follow etiquette and rules.

“You’re first,” Malia said, and I looked up to see my name and a blinking cursor on the first frame.

I got my ball, lined myself up on the dots, and let it rip. The ball curved on the lane and struck the pins from the side. Strike. “Haven’t lost it,” I said as I walked back.

“Lucky bitch,” Malia said, shaking her head.

She got three pins on her first throw and two on her second, her skills not nearly as refined as mine, before she let out a sigh and said maybe this was a mistake. “You should’ve known you couldn’t beat me. I’m just too good,” I teased.

Our two games took about twenty minutes, as we began to pick up the pace the longer we were between the two groups. I ended my first game with a one-hundred and forty, and my second game with a one-hundred and fifty-five, while Malia didn’t even come close to breaking a hundred either game. I wasn’t the best bowler in the world, but I thought I could hustle some people if they played anything like her.

“Good games,” I said, shaking her hand.

“You’re so polite about this,” she said, laughing.

“Hey, it’s in the culture. I’ll never be a sore winner when it comes to any sport,” I said.

“Bowling’s a sport? Okay,” she said.

“Hey! You better not come to my house with that attitude, or they might toss you in with the hogs for the night,” I said.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I slept with a pig,” she said, looking back at me and laughing.

We stopped at Dairy Queen and got Oreo blizzards before heading home to our lowly townhome. “I’m going to head upstairs for bed,” she said, stretching her arms and yawning.

“Yeah, I’m going to soon. Goodnight,” I said.

“Night,” she replied, walking upstairs.

I sat on the couch and gingerly ate the rest of my ice cream while flipping through my phone and texting Cash. He told me that he told his publicist about us and she wanted to have clothes picked out for me for this charity event, but I politely declined, since I was a big girl and could dress myself. It wasn’t like I was going to wear a leopard print bikini and embarrass him. I did know how to dress conservatively and nicely—I did it almost every day of my life.

He sent me a few photos, just of him in bed, saying he wished I were there. I almost thought about rushing over there so I could be there with him. I didn’t, though, instead opting to do the same thing by sending him back some photos, one of them a little dirty. He liked it, a lot, and told me he was in the mood and wished even more that I were there. I told him I would be soon, and it would be fantastic.

We parted ways, deciding we couldn’t stay up and sext all night. I turned my alarm on and put my phone on “do not disturb” before lying back and feeling the cool inside of my comforter wrap around my slightly stubbly legs. 

Goodnight, world.

Chapter Nineteen

Cash

My eyes were beginning to get bloodshot, the copious amount of coffee I was drinking just barely keeping them open. “These early set times are horrible,” my makeup artist said.

“Tell me about it. I’m so close to falling asleep,” I replied.

“It’ll get better as the day wears on. It always does,” she said while she brushed powder all over my face.

I never thought in a million years I would be wearing makeup for my job when I was a kid, but I also never knew that actors had to wear it. I thought only women did in real life and in movies, but boy, was I wrong. I hated the stuff, but it was part of the career I picked. Sometimes in life you just have to deal with things you don’t exactly enjoy.

I was picking up Jenna tonight and she was going to stay over before the charity event in the morning. We found it would be easier to have her there, and besides, I needed to get laid. While I
very
much loved the random dirty pics she sometimes sent me, I needed the real thing instead of just looking at a picture of it. 

“We need you on set,” one of the production assistants said as he peeped into the makeup trailer.

“That’s my cue,” I said, getting up from the chair.

I yawned, walking with the stainless steel thermos my mom got me last Christmas, before going on set and talking to David. “You’ve got a few scenes we need to get in while the outside lighting is good,” he said. These scenes weren’t in the sound studio, but rather outside with natural lighting.

“Got it,” I said, looking over my script again.

The crew set up and I swished water around my mouth to get any residual coffee off my teeth and gums. I walked onto set, was handed my prop gun, and got into position as terrorists guarded the door that I had to get into.

“And…action!” David yelled.

I picked each one of them off, assassin style, before a rogue one popped up and started to fight me in hand-to-hand combat. It wasn’t all that exciting, the camera tricks making the shot, as he didn’t really hit me and was rather slow in his execution. I took out a knife from around my ankle and stabbed him in the gut and he went down. All the while the door remained unguarded and unlocked. I went inside, then David yelled cut and I came back out.

“Beautiful, Cash, just beautiful. I think we’ll run it again for good measure, but I loved it,” he said.

I ran through it again, the choreographed fight sequences fairly easy to remember, before David yelled cut and said we had what we needed.

•••

After gaining a few bruises on set, I packed up my things and headed home for a relaxing night with my girlfriend. I’d showered in my trailer, the tiny camper-sized bathroom not big enough to do much, but I couldn’t sit in my car, in traffic, in filth. Besides, Jenna wanted to meet me at my place so that I didn’t have to pick her up, and the last thing I needed was to have her smell me after a hard day at work.

The cackling roar of my car engine went off as I pulled out of the lot, waving to the security guard in the shack. I loved driving this beast of a supercar, and I did so at every chance I could. I even let my dad drive it around when my parents were here, and he just about had an orgasm when he revved the engine for the first time. This car was a wet dream for a mechanic.

Traffic was horrible, but I passed the time by flipping through my satellite radio stations and finding one that was dedicated to music from the early 2000s, which I listened to a lot of growing up, between Bentley and the popular stuff of the day. I started singing, getting really into it, but my voice cracked and I was sure the people in the car next to me thought a crazy man was yelling at nobody in his car. I quickly stopped, clearing my throat while looking the other way and hoping they’d passed me.

Jenna texted me that she was a few minutes away as I pulled through my gate and into the garage. I decided to wait outside for her, so I leaned against the rear of my car, arms crossed, like I was some kind of greaser or something. I think I thought I looked cooler than I probably did.

She buzzed the gate and I let her in. I saw a giant smile on her face when she pulled up to me. I smiled, and she waved and put her car into park before getting out and pulling out a bag with her. “Let me get that,” I said, grabbing it from her.

“You don’t have to carry my bags,” she said, grabbing my arm and holding onto it.

“I want to. You’re at my place, so I should treat you. It’s what a good boyfriend does,” I said.

“You’re so sweet,” she said, kissing my cheek as I unlocked the garage door.

“What do you want to eat? I’m starved and need to get something in me soon,” I said.

“Anything you want is fine,” she said.

“Well, I have stuff here, if you want to cook with me,” I said.

“Cook with you? You’re a big chef now?” she asked, smiling.

“Hey, I can do…things,” I said, laughing.

“I’d love to make something with you. Probably a better option than going out again. I think all the sodium is making me bloat,” she said.

“Well, I have fresh vegetables, some marinated chicken, brown rice, and a lot of herbs. I asked my shopper to get a lot of those things. I have to start cutting back a little for the movie. I think they’re worried I’m going to get overweight,” I said.

“They’d monitor it that closely?” she asked.

“My contract lists the acceptable weight range I can be. It’s that strict. They wanted me to have a private chef or meal delivery service or something for all my meals, but that’s too much. My tastes change too much for that shit,” I said, pulling things out of the refrigerator.

“I’m the same way,” she said.

“So, how about something Asian inspired? Maybe some rice bowls with grilled vegetables and this pineapple teriyaki marinated chicken?” I asked.

“You had me at rice bowl. Give me those carbs, and give me them now,” she said.

“You’re such a weirdo. Here, cut these veggies and I’ll get the rice started in the cooker. Might take like half an hour for that to cook,” I said, getting a cutting board and knife out for her.

“I’m getting excited for tomorrow,” she said as I pulled out the rice cooker.

“Me, too. I think it’s going to be a fun time all around. Those kids are so cheerful and positive, even though some of them are terminal. It really puts life into perspective. I think I changed a bit last year when I did it, and I’m sure I will again,” I said.

“You changed? How so?” she asked while chopping an onion.

“Just the way you look at your own life. Sometimes you get mad or sad because something happens, like you miss a movie, you get takeout and they get your order wrong, or a parking spot is taken. There are so many trivial things in life that happen and you get mad at, but when you think that these kids are so happy and still have hope even though they’re dying, you just realize that your complaints are petty. It’s not to say that you can never be upset about anything, because everybody’s situation is unique, but sometimes it’s good to step back and realize that many people out there have it so much worse. That guy might have cut you off and stolen your parking spot, but at least you’ll live to see tomorrow,” I said.

Jenna started to sniffle, wiping her eyes with her forearm, so I walked over and rubbed her back. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” I said.

“You didn’t, it’s the onion,” she said, laughing a little. “What you said was beautiful, though. You’re right, I sometimes do get angry at little things when in the end at least I’m healthy.”

“I think the event will be good. Who knows, maybe you’ll even make a new friend or decide to volunteer there. I donate money and have volunteered a couple times, though with my schedule it isn’t always the easiest thing to do,” I said.

I took the chicken out of the fridge and let it rest before helping Jenna and taking some of the prepping responsibilities off her. We worked in sync, laughing and talking the entire time, like a real couple. This was exactly what I’d always wanted when I dreamt of my perfect relationship, and now I had it.

Things could only get better from here.

Chapter Twenty

Jenna

I sometimes wondered what my life would be like if I hadn’t given Cash my number that night in the restaurant. It probably wouldn’t be much different than it had been, with me sulking through work, school, and an absent social life that made me so jaded it wasn’t even funny. With him, though, I became more open, happier, and overall just a better person. Things hadn’t been a cakewalk since we started dating, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.

Cash lit some candles at the table and put on some romantic music before setting the table as I finished cooking and plating the dinner. Steam billowed up from the plates and Cash quickly took them, putting them on top of the placemats as a twinkling downtown Los Angeles shimmered in the distance. 

We sat down, him scooting my chair in for me, which was something I didn’t expect but greatly appreciated. “Thank you for coming over tonight. To us,” he said, holding up his wine glass.

“To us,” I replied, clinking my glass against his.

I took a sip, the white wine slightly bitter at first but quickly fruity, all the while locking eyes with Cash. We dug in, neither of us shy to eat in front of the other. The saltiness of the teriyaki sauce was quickly quenched by the acidity of the pineapple and orange juices. 

“This is so good,” I said between bites.

“Much better than the takeout we could’ve gotten,” he replied.

I moved my foot forward, playing a little footsy, and he winked at me, his foot wrapping around mine and giving me the slightest hint of butterflies. Was this what happiness felt like? 

Cash took our plates and silverware away as we finished dinner before whisking me to the couch, where he pressed the button on his fireplace and instantly turned it on. The pot lights above were dimmed, a few flameless candles lit, as the wicks threw flickering light across the white walls. “Want to turn something on for a little bit before going upstairs?” he asked.

I nodded, and he grabbed his remote before turning on the television and putting the volume on low. It was just enough to hear, but not enough to distract us from one another, which I thought we both wanted. Anything that took me away from the glistening of his beautiful eyes wasn’t a friend of mine.

We turned on some made-for-TV movie, nothing special, as we instead focused on cuddling and giving each other cute little kisses that quickly escalated into more. Pecks turned into full kisses, which then brought out the tongue, which meant our hands couldn’t help but slither across each other’s bodies and feel what had been missing from our lives for so long. 

It had been a couple weeks since we last had sex, with work and his parents hindering that aspect of our relationship. It wasn’t that we didn’t want it or miss it, but we did decide not to make it an aspect of our relationship that was of the utmost importance. Neither of us wanted to feel like we
had
to have sex whenever we saw each other. When we did do it, though, boy, was it fireworks. 

“Do you want to?” he asked, pointing upwards.

“Please,” I replied, causing him to quickly turn off the television and fireplace.

I extended my hand and he grabbed it and pulled me up off the couch before picking me up in his arms and walking off with me. “Cash!” I exclaimed, giggling.

I wrapped my arms around his neck while he effortlessly carried me up the stairs and to his room, or at least he didn’t show a struggle while doing so. He pushed open the door with his foot as the dim lights turned on and he tossed me on the bed. “God, do I want you right now,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

“Then come get me,” I said with a sultry tone.

He pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside, before walking between my legs while I wrapped them around his hips. My arms circled around his broad shoulders, pulling him closer, as I grabbed the back of his head and ran my fingers through his hair. 

He kissed me, passionately, like he was a sailor about to be shipped off to sea for the next ten years. He was insatiable, and I loved every second of it.

Kissing was only so much before he pulled back and I sat up on the edge of the bed. I pulled up my top, my slightly transparent black lace bra catching his attention as I could see his jugular start to throb. “Do you want these?” I asked while I grabbed them and squeezed them.

He nodded, unable to speak, while I bit my lower lip and unclasped the bra from behind. I tossed it aside, and just before I told him to come over, he was back in front of me, squeezing them and playing with my nipples. “Yes,” I moaned, as I could feel his bulge pressing through his pants against my inner thigh.

I reached down, feeling it through the fabric, before slowly unbuckling his belt one-handed and slipping off his pants. He kicked them aside, sucking on my nipples, before I reached into his black boxer briefs and cupped his thick, throbbing cock in my hand. It was so warm, growing ever larger the more I felt. His tongue let go of my nipple and he stood back up again. 

I slipped down and pulled down his briefs before tossing them aside and attacking his dick without warning. My jaw stretched as far as it could, it obviously not remembering this much girth, as my tongue stayed flat, running against the bottom of his shaft. I heard a little moan and looked up to see his eyes closed and his body moving slightly from side to side, before I grabbed his balls and started to massage them in my hands.

Cash reached down, pulling my hair back, before I put my hands on his thighs and he began to gently thrust. He went slow, knowing I couldn’t handle much more of this thing in my throat without gagging, before he pulled out and I gasped for air. 

“Are you okay?” he asked while I wiped tears from my eyes.

“Yes,” I said, grabbing it and starting to jerk him.

“It’s your turn,” he said, his bulging biceps picking me up off the ground and tossing me onto the bed like a ragdoll. I loved it when he tossed me around like that.

He pulled down my pants and quickly ripped off my matching black lace panties before pulling my ass to the edge of the bed and holding my legs out. He started to eat me out, slowly, then all at once, as my head turned like a person being exorcised. I gripped the sheets, positive I was going to rip them, as his middle finger found its way inside me and started to flick upwards.

“Shit,” I said, emphasizing the first two letters much longer than needed.

“You like that?” he asked before doing it again.

“Babe,” I moaned, as my back arched upwards with each and every flicker.

I could feel goose bumps forming all over my body as I tried to keep it together but couldn’t. Whatever he was doing felt so good, better than my vibrator, and even better solely because he was the one doing it to me. Even though it felt like ecstasy, I only wanted one thing in this moment, and that was his cock inside me. Deep inside me.

“I need it,” I moaned as he sucked on my clit.

“Need what?” he asked, pulling away a little.

“You,” I said, looking up at him.

“Tell me what you need about me,” he said.

“Your dick,” I said, wishing he’d stop teasing me.

“And what about my dick do you need?” he asked.

“I need it inside me, please give it to me. Now,” I said, turning over and going into his nightstand drawer.

I pulled out a condom, tearing it open and rolling it down his cock, then pulling him forward while holding onto it. He liked it, smiling, as I propped myself up with my elbow and rolled his head around my pussy before slowly putting him inside. “Yes,” I moaned, falling backwards against the bed.

He held my legs by my calves and slowly went in. I was almost positive he could feel that I couldn’t take him all at once. Nobody could. 

“Mm, you’re starting to cream a little,” he said while I played with my nipples.

“I wonder why,” I said, smiling.

Cash went in a little further with every thrust. I squealed a little and begged him for it even more. That only fueled him on. He turned me on my side, his cock not leaving me, and pushed my knees up a little before beginning to go again. Each position pulled me closer to orgasm as his dick felt different, from my back, to my side, to on all fours. 

I felt it coming closer and I told him not to stop. “Are you going to cum for me?” he asked. 

“Don’t stop,” I moaned gently. I could barely keep myself up on my knees as my arms began to feel weak.

Cash didn’t pick up the pace, didn’t slow down, but stayed right where he was at. He knew what I liked, and he planned to give it to me exactly that way. I felt the buildup as I put my face against the bed and reached back to rub my clit. I flicked it furiously, feeling the electric warmth deep inside me as it quickly found its way to the surface. 

“Yes,” I said, barely able to spit it out.

Suddenly, like a wave crashing down, it hit me, intensifying all at once. I screamed in pure orgasmic ecstasy and felt my pussy wrapping around his cock like a hungry snake. 

“Fuck,” I heard him mutter, as he could barely thrust anymore.

I gasped for air, the orgasm fleeting, as I moaned and felt my face get warm and likely red. 

He pulled out, pulling off his condom, before I flipped over and let him spray all over my tits and stomach. It didn’t stop as I grabbed his balls and felt them empty all over me. He was sweating, his knees buckling under the orgasm, before he grabbed the bed to keep himself upright.

“Fucking shit,” he said, wiping his forehead with his forearm.

“You better fuck me like that every time,” I said, smiling.

“I need to cool off. Shower?” he asked. I nodded and he helped me up.

I put my hands under me and kept his juices from falling onto the carpet before we walked into his shower stall and he turned on all the nozzles. The water was warm, though not hot, and he pulled me closer to him and gave me cute, romantic kisses while I wrapped my arms around him. 

There was something greatly comforting about knowing that we could go from wild, hot, primal sex to being cute and romantic together within a short span of time. Most guys wouldn’t get like this after having sex, instead wanting to toss the girl out or go to sleep, but not Cash. He was one in a million, and the more I realized that, the more I wanted to make sure this worked.

•••

“We have a photo op to start with, and then we can get into things,” Stacey, Cash’s publicist, said as we stood in back at the charity event.

The sounds of rumbling carnival bells and games being played were close by as kids yelled and laughed like they were having the time of their young lives. Cash rubbed his hands together, slightly nervous, before looking at me and asking if I was ready. “Ready,” I replied without hesitation.

“Okay, we’re going out,” Stacey said, grabbing the curtain and pulling it back.

“Cash!” a million people yelled as cameras started to flash.

He held my hand, holding it tight, refusing to let it go as we walked out smiling. My cheeks started to hurt, but I didn’t budge, while Cash pulled me in lovingly and we posed for pictures. I started to see stars with all the flashes before more celebrities came out and started to get their pictures taken too. We moved down the line a little more, hearing yells for attention from the ravenous paparazzi. Cash whispered and asked me how I was doing.

“I know it’s a lot, we’re almost done,” he said.

“Good,” I said, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

“Who is with you tonight? Is she your girlfriend?” one reporter asked as we walked past the flashes and towards a more interview-like area.

“This is my girlfriend, Jenna,” Cash said, leaning in to the microphone.

“What is it like dating a superstar like Cash Hawthorne?” she asked as she looked at me with genuine interest in her eyes. I wasn’t quite sure how to answer that.

“Being with Cash is great. He’s a really amazing man and I’m happy to call him my boyfriend,” I said with a cheerful demeanor and smile.

Cash answered a few more questions, mostly about the upcoming movie and how filming was going. He was polite, concise, and always had an answer, as if Stacey was feeding him lines from an earpiece or something. We got done with the interview as another person came up and began walking into the carnival area, where a few kids were already waiting.

“Hi Cash!” one little boy said with a massive smile across his face.

“Well, hey there, buddy,” he said, letting go of my hand and getting down on one knee.

“Can you please sign my shirt?” the boy asked.

“Well, of course I can. I’d be happy to,” Cash said before getting handed a marker and signing the boy’s shirt.

“Are you going to play games with us?” a little girl asked.

“I’m going to try! I’m sure you can kick my butt, though!” he said with a smile.

She blushed, smiling. It was easy to tell she had a crush on him. She wore a pink hat, her hair missing, likely from chemo, but the look in her eyes right now was enough to show just how strong she was. I knew she was going to be okay.

As we started to play games, like whack-a-mole, some of the kids began to warm up, getting more talkative and not nearly as shy as when we first came over. One girl in particular stayed close to me, and not Cash.