Hollywood Heartthrob (8 page)

“No, he wouldn’t!”

“Wouldn’t he?” Sophie challenged. “You said yourself he’s been acting different.”

Caroline’s mouth was set in a straight line, pinching her features as she thought it over. Then she sprung from her chair and stormed after Josh.

“Josh!” she declared sweetly as she caught up with him on the far side of the set. “Don’t worry about the invite, I’ll come with you, you know you don’t need to ask.”

“Too late,” Josh told her, turning to leave.

“What?” Caroline placed a hand on his shoulder and sharply turned him back to face her.

“I’ve already asked someone else.”

“What – who?” Caroline demanded.

“Someone I actually enjoy spending time with. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve a scene to film.”

Josh marched off leaving Caroline alone, mouth agape in amazement that he had brushed her aside so easily, and moreover that she was being passed over for a teacher! It was utterly absurd.

****

Amy felt giddy after receiving the call and had to lean against her desk to steady herself. An unknown number had flashed on her cell and she’d been reluctant to answer but was glad she did.

“Hello, Amy?” came the unmistakeably gruff and sexy voice of Josh Roberts.

“Yeah, um, Josh, hi,” Amy stumbled over her words.

“How are you?”

“Okay, you?”

“I’m less sore, thanks.”

“So you’ve stopped getting into random fights with strangers on parking lots?” Amy joked easing the tension between them.

“Yes, indeed, I’m being much more careful.”

“Good.”

“So I was wondering…what are you doing tonight?” Josh suddenly felt like he was back in high school, asking a girl to the prom, full of nervous anxiety about whether or not she’d say yes. He loved it; no girl had made him feel like that in such a long time. No was a word he never heard from members of the opposite sex.

“Tonight…” Amy pretended to flip through her diary, fully aware that she had no plans that night.

“I was planning on seeing some friends,” she lied.

“Oh,” Josh sounded disappointed on the other end of the line.

“Why?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to come to a party with me. I promise it will be better than the last one, but if you’re already seeing your friends…”

“I’m sure I can see my friends another time,” Amy smiled.

“Great! I’ll pick you up later!”

Amy hung up and leaned against the desk for support as she felt she was on cloud nine, dizzy with glee, the world below her spinning away, causing her balance to falter.

****

Josh had been right about the party. It certainly wasn’t like the one they had previously attended.

This party had a grand venue and probably an even grander budget.

It was being held at one of the hottest nightclubs in town. The whole place was closed to accommodate the party.

At the entrance there were performers to greet the privileged guests; fire eaters and guys on stilts. The whole party had a carnival theme.

“Wow, this is impressive,” Amy gushed as she walked in on Josh’s arms, cameras lighting up all around them.

Josh looked simply stunning in the Armani suit he wore which accentuated his amazing physique. Amy feared that she looked dowdy and plain beside him in her short black sequin dress but he kept assuring her she looked beautiful.

She’d hastily borrowed the dress from her sister, careful not to divulge too much about where she was going as her sister would only want to tag along and network. But as the cameras flashed it was obvious Amy’s secret would soon be out- within minutes the pictures would be online and the whole world would see her being escorted to a party by the heartthrob Josh Roberts.

“What’s the point of this party again?” Amy whispered nervously as they walked the red carpet to get inside.

“To advertise a movie, which is all about the carnival.”

“Ah, okay.”

“It’s supposed to be pretty good.”

“Well judging by this party it’s going to be spectacular!”

Inside the venue it was even more jaw dropping than outside. The whole interior had been decorated to be like a big top, and high above their heads acrobats shot across the ceiling perform amazing jumps. There was even an animatronic elephant towards the back of the room, gently squirting guests with a watery mist.

“Walter certainly pulled out all the stops,” Josh declared, looking round.

“It’s unbelievable!”

“Welcome to Hollywood,” Josh joked, “where nothing is beyond belief.”

He led Amy to a vacant table and ordered them each a drink.

“I’m so nervous,” she admitted to him, feeling jittery. “Everywhere I look I see someone I recognize.”

“This is a pretty big party. Most big names in the industry will be here,” Josh explained.

“I feel so out of place.”

“Don’t. You look beautiful.”

“So you keep saying, and I appreciate that, but the parties I normally go to are so much more…normal than this. Like a get together of teachers at someone’s house where we get drunk on cheap wine and play Guitar Hero.”

“Sounds fun.”

“It is. It’s just so much less than this. This is all another league, another world.”

“We can leave if you want,” Josh suggested as their drinks arrived.

“No, its fine,” Amy said, gratefully taking a huge swig from her glass to calm her nerves.

“You got to these types of parties a lot?” Amy asked.

“I guess,” Josh shrugged. “Normally it’s for PR, like I need to be pictured at certain parties, but tonight I just wanted to come and enjoy it, plus I thought you’d think it was cool.”

“It’s amazing,” Amy cooed as an acrobat leaped and soared just above their heads.

“I also just wanted to see you,” Josh admitted, immediately regretting it and feeling vulnerable.

“I wanted to see you too,” Amy echoed his feelings. Across the table they reached out and held hands and she felt a surge of fierce electricity dance through her, lighting up every part of her body.

Whenever she was around Josh she felt perilously close to losing her mind. She was glad that there were so many people around to distract her from him.

“Would you like to dance?” Josh suggested as he noticed the mirrored dance floor filling up as the latest hot song came bursting through the sound system.

“No, I don’t really dance,” Amy waved a dismissive hand.

“Come on – it will be fun,” Josh urged, desperate to remove the table between them and feel her body against his.

“Fine, okay,” Amy agreed, allowing him to lead her to the bustling dance floor.

Josh instinctively drew her body close to his and they began to move and sway to the music.

It was intoxicating to feel him so close, to smell his breath, the scent of his cologne. Amy began to lose herself to the moment, to the music.

They were dancing as one, their bodies tightly together as they swayed and gyrated. Suddenly Josh threw her out in a spin and Amy responded with elegance and grace.

Around them people began to part, watching this stunningly beautiful couple so lost to the music as they danced so skilfully.

Amy pivoted in his arms and arched her back, moved her feet and became a different person; a confident, glamorous person.

She didn’t see the crowd watching, she cared only for the music and for Josh. His hands expertly moved her while her feet responded as though they had always known the steps to this dance.

They moved, they weaved, they became one entity; existing entirely in the song while around them people watched in awe.

Finally the song ended and the spell was broken. Amy fell into Josh’s chest and suddenly sensed that all eyes were upon them and her self-conscious self returned.

“Everyone’s watching!” she shrieked in horror.

“I had no idea you could dance so well,” Josh beamed approvingly.

“Me neither!” Amy panted, trying to catch her breath.

“You were amazing! Did you used to dance or something?”

“No, I used to be a gymnast,” Amy admitted as they walked back to their table.

“A gymnast?” Josh raised his eyebrows cheekily as he spoke.

“Hey! No flirting, remember?” Amy scolded.

“I’m not flirting,” Josh smiled as she stepped forward and wrapped Amy up in his arms.

Then he leaned down and they shared their first, passionate kiss. It was hot, it was heavy and long… and when they finally pulled apart, their hearts racing, they both knew that this was something special, something magical.

Amy wasn’t sure if she’d ever felt so happy. Standing in Josh’s arms she felt as though she were floating on a cloud.

“Are you having a good night?” he leaned and asked in her ear.

“The best.” Amy beamed before resting her head against his chest and sighing contentedly.

Around them the party continued to develop, people were dancing, acrobats were flying and everyone was talking about Josh Roberts and his new woman!

“I’ll be right back,” Josh told Amy as they pulled apart.

“Oh?” Amy asked, suddenly feeling a little anxious about being left alone at such a grand event.

“Bathroom,” Josh explained bashfully.

“Oh!” Amy laughed.

Alone at the table she allowed herself to soak in the atmosphere of the party. It was all so energetic and vibrant; unlike anything she’d been to before.

Everywhere she looked she saw a familiar face from film or television.

“You know, you could be in the movies.”

Amy jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice as a man in an immaculate black suit slid in the chair across from her.

His hair was as dark as his suit and was slicked back to rest almost directly on his skull and on his wrist a diamond encrusted watch sparkled and caught the light; the only element of color in his whole outfit.

“Sorry, do I know you?” Amy asked, feeling uneasy.

“No, but you should. I’m Mitch Johnson.”

Mitch Johnson whipped his business card out from within his suite with skilled precision and slid it across the table to Amy. She picked it up and read it aloud.

“Mitch Johnson, agent to the stars.”

“That’s right. I represent all the big names.”

“Okay,” Amy wondered what he wanted with her.

“You might have heard of Caroline Demure. She’s one of my biggest clients.”

“Oh yes, I’ve seen some of her movies,” Amy answered politely.