The Stars Trilogy (40 page)

DARE WAS DETERMINED TO SHUT CELINE OUT OF HIS SYSTEM.

Easier said than done.

Mind over matter, he’d repeated to himself like a mantra the past days. But how could he do that when she was near? His body seemed to have a built-in sensor that would go off the moment he caught sight of her even from a distance. If only he could keep his distance from her.

He had to fire her. Soon. He couldn’t take this anymore. He was going nuts. Literally. His nuts hurt like a motherfucker.

Being in close proximity with a chick he wanted to fuck so badly was a torture of almost unbearable magnitude. Walking around with a perpetual hard on was more hellish than hell. He was a sex gladiator. He breathed and ate sex for regular sustenance and he’d had them in all places with every variety of two-legged pussycats one can think of. Blue balls was not in his
dicktionary
. His irrational refusal to jack off to alleviate the ache in his groin was giving him a headache worse than what his dick head was suffering. Worse, his zero interest in hooking up with any of his starlet fuck buddies for even just a quickie to remove even a fraction of the accumulated cum in his balls so he could relax a bit was downright alarming. He was horny as a thousand unfucked-for-ages convicts and he was not interested in other pussies except Celine’s? It was stranger than the Everlasting Storm phenomenon. Very apt analogy too as his groin was experiencing a stormy libidinous anomaly that made his cock painfully erect many times a day for several days now with no satisfying way in sight for relief. His anger over his frustrating situation only aggravated the matter.

If only she would stop smiling at him so his cock would soften from fantasizing of having a cocktail party between her sweet lips above and below. If only she would cease calling his name in that sweet oh-so-familiar way that made him want to bottle her voice and drink it whenever he was feeling lonely. Lonely?! He wasn’t lonely! He was fine. He was okay. Rolling!

If only his nose would only stop getting a whiff of her subtle fragrance that invoked scenarios of cuddling under the moonlight. Moonlight?! He was getting lamer by the minute.

If only she’d disappear from his sight so he won’t have to look at her lovely face, bouncy, perky tits and her shapely built-for-marathon-humping bootie and stop romanticizing her beauty like Shakespeare on Viagra.

If only…

If this continued for more days, he’d be one cantankerous, sexually frustrated sonofabitch, if he was not already, and he needed to work on his damn movie!

They attended the birthday party of Violet, the only child of Remington and Sarah Black.

Celine was glad to make the acquaintance of this lovely couple. Sarah was American-Thai. Meeting a fellow Asian was very comforting somehow. She’d been having hard doses of culture shock in the company of Dare. Not that she hadn’t been exposed to western culture but she’d never been in an intimate relationship with a man before, especially a Caucasian man from another country. Well, again, not that she and Dare were having any relationship for that matter. She just needed to be reminded of who she was and where she came from.

Sarah was older than her by ten years. She was a fashion model since she was a teenager but had shifted into styling and designing women’s accessories after she gave birth to Violet. The woman was beautiful and exotic, with shiny, black hair that nearly reached her hips. Her bohemian fashion sense made her even more visually striking. Sarah owned a shop at Rodeo Drive, frequented by celebs. Rem on the other hand was American Indian and his mother was French. A successful corporate lawyer, he had been working for Dare for almost a decade now. The couple met in Thailand when Rem vacationed there and Sarah was visiting her relatives.

Rem and Sarah’s charming, four-bedroom villa in West Hollywood was currently filled with Violet’s classmates and the couple’s closest friends. Dare was a hit among the toddlers as he arrived swashbuckling in his pirate costume. Mimicking Johnny Depp’s famous character was peanuts to Dare. His Jack Sparrow act was reminiscent of his portrayal of V. Violet and her friends were squealing in delight as Dare performed magician’s tricks and a sword fight with Cruz, who was channeling Captain Hook.

Seeing this playful, carefree side of Dare was both a surprise and a delight. Well not really a surprise because she had seen this side of him once, a long time ago.

He would be a great father...

Celine stilled her thoughts. Dare had gone from cold to I-wouldn’t-touch you-with-a-teen-feet-pole kind of ignore mode. It was destroying her. After their latest heated intimacy in the limo and their lengthy conversation at Chateau Marmont, she had thought that...

She sighed. Maybe she was expecting too much, too soon.

Red flag! Expectations are the bane of relationships, remember? The more you expect, the closer you’ll get to disappointments and disillusionments. You’ve bookmarked that part, come on!

Reality was, they had no real relationship yet, therefore, she had no right to expect anything from him and vise versa.

Relax. Men hate needy women.

Indeed, expecting a man to babble love words after making her come for the very first time via his talented hands and mouth was wishing for the moon. That incredible experience left her reeling and she couldn’t get over it. How was it possible that she felt more in love with him now than ever? Utterly ridiculous but her orgasm was somehow tied up to her heart. It was even more embarrassing to admit what a late bloomer she was when it came to sex but Dare was partly to blame for it. She just was not interested in any other male and therefore did not have the usual teenage curiosity to experiment with the opposite sex, until she saw him again.

Alas, Dare did not share the awe and wonderment she’d felt during and after their heated intimacies. Sex was commonplace to him. He was a huge celebrity and women threw themselves at him at every opportunity and this was America, the land of the free. Typical conservative Asian culture did not apply in Dare’s high-octane world. She must adjust, not compromise her self-respect but make allowances for his sexually liberated lifestyle or she can take a hike.

Now, taking a hike was not in the picture. She will only take a hike in one place with Dare and that was on the flower-strewn isle leading to the altar. Carve that in stone.

No expectations. Live with that. For now, at least.

She tried to drive away her despondent thoughts as she watched Dare play with the kids.

“Violet’s really fond of Dare,” Sarah commented pleasantly beside her.

She smiled. “Yes. She’s so adorable, Sarah. How do you manufacture sweet babies like that?”

Sarah laughed. “Oh God, Violet is Calamity Jane! She nearly totaled all my celadon collection when she was two! She and Rem get along better playing baseball and football than us doing girly stuff. She wanted this macho theme for her party and she specifically asked her Daddy to bring Uncle Dare as her gift.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“She rarely sees Dare these past months. But when she does, she gets her fill. Look at them. Rem is jealous for sure. Dare is so good to Violet.”

Indeed, Violet seemed to be getting her fill of her Uncle Dare. The little girl was now hoisted atop Dare’s shoulders, her stocking-clad legs dangling down his chest.

“Are you and Dare dating?”

Sarah caught her unaware. How would she answer that? She wasn’t dating Dare and yet they’d shared intimacies…

“I’m sorry, wrong question. Didn’t mean to pry.” But Sarah didn’t look apologetic. Her eyes were twinkling in speculation instead.

“Uhm...I’m his secretary.” She hoped it would suffice.

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean?”

Sarah studied her face thoughtfully. “He doesn’t look at you like he would at his secretary.”

She swallowed. “I really am his secretary. But only until Kelsey comes back.”

Sarah smiled knowingly. “I think Dare’s in love. At last.”

She coughed, feeling awkward but her heart was hoping Sarah was not just hallucinating. God knew she needed a lot of encouragement. She was desperate for some affirmation that she was right to hold on to her dream, that Dare would be all worth it in the end. “No... It’s not what you think.”
Oh, I hope you’re right!

Sarah grinned. “Oh, I know what I think.” She patted her back. “Don’t worry, I met all his exes. None of them had your aura.”

“My...aura?”

Sarah stared deeply into her eyes. “Uh-huh. Positive aura. You really love Dare. I can see. Your eyes give you away. You have honest eyes. Too honest for LA.”

She blinked rapidly, feeling warm. Was Sarah a clairvoyant or something? Could she read minds? Aura? What aura?

“Tell me I’m right.”

“Wh-what...?”

“You love him,” Sarah said emphatically.

I...I do,” she admitted quietly. Denying it was futile. And she was relieved to let it out some. Secretly loving Dare for years was an overwhelming state of being. Her intuition told her Sarah was a good person and can be trusted.

Sarah glanced at Dare. “I can feel it. You two have good chemistry.”

“W-we do?”
Keep going. I need more of that.

“Yes. I think we should be good friends, Celine. I can see you in Dare’s future.”

“You can?” 
This woman is weird. Beautifully weird! Dare has the coolest friends.

“Oh, yes. Very far into the future.”

“Are you ...clairvoyant?”

Sarah smiled. “No. Just a hunch. I trust my gut feel. You should, too. And you have such fab skin! You must share your beauty regimen with me next time.”

Sarah winked at her and went to join her husband and Dare nearby.

Her eyes followed the woman, slightly shaking her head, amused. Sarah gave her a positive glimpse of her future love life and complimented her skin, all in one breath.

Wow. Don’t I love her already?

“I like her.”

Dare pretended not to hear Sarah’s remark.

“I think I like her, too,” chimed in Rem.

He caught husband and wife exchange amused looks. “Don’t start on that, you two,” he said with ire, his eyes following Violet around the lawn as the little girl played with her friends.

“You should start your own litter of little Monty’s, you know?” Rem said.

“Yours is hardly a litter yet.”

“At least I’ve started. We’re planning to have a brother or sister for Violet next year.”

“Do I look like I’m rolling in envy?”

“I know you are. If you can kill us and have Violet for yourself, you would,” Rem continued ribbing him.

“Well, Violet is really special,” he conceded. “But it’s because she has a rare breed of a mother.” He smiled at Sarah.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, man. Not all women are barracudas like your exes, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just because you found one pretty, little goldfish here doesn’t make you the authority on women.”

“Excuse me, I’m not a helpless goldfish. I’m a Great White. Mightily carnivorous. I eat my husband for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” commented Sarah with a straight face.

Remington guffawed. “I love you, baby. Eat me for snacks, too.” He kissed his wife on the lips.

Dare chuckled. Yes, deep inside, he felt a tinge of envy at the intimacy he’d just witnessed. Rem and Sarah had been together for eight years now, quite a feat in his book. This couple was the only reason why he still didn’t completely lose faith in relationships. But they were the exception to the rule. “You don’t even know her and here you are, shoving her down my throat.”

“Sometimes, Dare, all you need to do is swallow. No questions asked.”

With that remark, Sarah left them to join the children.

“Lucky bastard,” he said to Rem, shaking his head and grinning.

“I really am. You know, you don’t have to die a lonely old goat, alone and rolling in your billions and hanging out with women young enough to be your granddaughters forty years from now. There’s your woman. I think she’s great. Go get her before Thadeus the Fourth beats you to it.”

He ignored Rem’s dig and opinion of Celine. Rem didn’t know her that much to conclude she was great.

You’re just pissed off that another man found her great again. And do you know her well enough?

No. He didn’t want to. He’d seen enough. She may look like an innocent Asian goddess come to life but her game was as old and dangerous as time.

Playing with men. Screwing them over.

He’d been shafted once. Big time.

It won’t happen again.

“What’s he doing here?” he asked of Thad.

“I’m baby-sitting him as requested by Thadeus the Third, who you know is dear to me as you are to me. The kid flunked the bar. He can’t afford to flunk again.”

He gritted his teeth as Thad Branson IV, heir to the Branson investment empire was making the smooth moves on Celine.

The guy was really cute in a boy band way, tall, blond and built like a ramp model. Thad was closer her age and seemed really nice, too.

A few minutes into their conversation and Celine was already laughing with him. Thad had a way of conversing that was so engaging. Why not? He was a lawyer. Well, not yet. He had yet to take the bar, he’d said.

“You don’t seem to be the secretary type,” he said. “No offense to the secretaries, but I just don’t see you typing memos and doing paperwork all day.”

She shrugged. “In Hollywood, nothing is what it seems.”

“Right. So, what is your real gig?”

“Film.”

“Oh wow! You studied film?”

“Yeah. I want to direct movies one day.”

“That’s my first love.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you pursue it?”

“Father’s orders. He wants a lawyer to protect the family business. Art to him is for foolish dreamers. No room for dreamers in a family built and driven by financial interests.”

“It must be a huge interest for you to be compelled to do so.”

Thad just smiled, sadness in his eyes.

She patted his arm. “Hey, you know what, sometimes we take a certain path which we think will surely sabotage our future. But there are so many crossroads in every journey. Who knows, you might encounter your first love again somewhere. It’s very possible. The choice is always yours. I hope next time, you won’t let her pass you by. Love like that rarely happens in our lives. The moment you see her again, grab her with both hands, hold onto her for dear life and don’t let go. We only live once. Carpe diem.”