Glitter on the Web (21 page)

I scowled at him. “Elitist, much?”

“Maybe,” he conceded. “But we have a lot on the line. The plan is working. You’re one convincing romantic weekend away from getting out from under the microscope for a while. You really want to risk that?”

I pursed my lips. No, I didn’t want to risk that.

I also worried, exceedingly, what he meant by a “convincing” romantic weekend. It was clear I had a part now to play, but just how far did he want us to go?

Given we now had a secondary wager, where I’d lose everything if I ended up in bed with him, I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to gleefully push us right to the line in that annoying Eli way of his. And there wasn’t really anything I could do about it, since I had signed on to play the part of his doting girlfriend. All PDAs were on the table as long as there was a public to witness the display of affection.

To his credit, Eli threw me a few bones on occasion. He was playing his part of thoughtful boyfriend to a T. He was the one who made a pit stop on the way to the airport that morning, so I could stop in and see Ling one last time. The shop was effectively closed to the public, but when Ling saw us approach, he unlocked the door to let us in. The kitchen was scrubbed clean and the whole place was ready for the wrecking ball, but he had one last order to deliver.

It was my favorite, the #2 with vegetable egg roll and brown rice. Immediately the aromas made me nostalgic for that crappy studio apartment that had been my first home in Los Angeles. Maybe my first real home… anywhere. I threw my arms around my old friend. “I’m going to miss you, Ling. What am I going to do when you move across the world to China?”

He chuckled as he hugged me back. “It’s no big deal. We’ll Facebook.”

There were tears in my eyes as I laughed. He stole a glance at Eli, which made him scowl. He leaned close. “I do not trust this man, Carly. Are you sure you know what you are doing?”

I nodded. “I’ll be fine. And if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just come live with you in China.” I leaned close and whispered loudly. “Leave a room open, just in case.”

He smiled warmly as he took both of my hands in his. “You don’t need a Plan B. Follow your dream, Carly,” he advised. “Like I did. When you’re looking back, it’s the only thing that matters.”

I nodded and hugged him again. When Eli nudged me slightly, telling me it was time for us to go, I shook my head and held on. Ling was one of my first friends in California. I felt like I was losing my grandfather all over again.

The chapter on that part of my life officially closed as Ling locked the door behind us, and I sent one last glance upward at my old window. Eli took the bag of food from my hands before leading me back towards the limousine.

Within an hour we were settled on the plane. The flight attendant gave us our pre-flight safety instructions and then served us mimosas before leaving us to basic privacy. Eli curled an arm around me and bent close for a kiss. I indulged him, but remained wary. He could sense my reserve and pulled back, caressing my face with his palm, and brushing his thumb gently over my bottom lip.

“We had a shaky start,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “But we have a lot to celebrate. If you trust me, I’ll show you the time of your life. Someone should,” he added softly. “Let it be me.”

I sighed, before offering a barely perceptible nod. He bent for another kiss, and this time I tried to throw myself into the fantasy, if only to make it easier. This was my job, after all. I had to find some way to make it bearable. We still had a little over ten months to go.

So I decided that I
was
Doris Day. I could be the plucky ingénue cast in this romantic farce. Since I was stuck with him, Eli could play Cary Grant. He wasn’t hard on the eyes, and he was a pretty good kisser. I had faked a lot more for a lot less. These were our parts to play and we were actors dedicated to selling our performance to an unwitting audience—which included every single person outside of the two of us. And Frank.

That’s how actors did it, right? They embodied the character. They separated themselves out and lived in the skin of someone else for a while. For one week, I could experience that touch of mink, being wined and dined and “whisked” away by a wealthy, seductive man who lived life with few limitations.

And, with the added benefit of it being a 60s movie in my head, there would be no hanky panky.

I’d make sure.

Although I’ll be honest, it was a little easier to make out with him once I was picturing Eli as Cary Grant. The flight attendant kept our glasses refilled, taking note of how we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other with a knowing smile.

We were very convincing, especially the more mimosas we drank. It only took a few hours to get to our tropical paradise. I stepped off the plane into the brilliant sunshine of Hawaii, where I was greeted by a Polynesian woman in a grass skirt, who presented a lei around my neck as she welcomed me.

A private car took us to our luxury hotel right on the beach in Waikiki, where we were personally ushered up to our two-bedroom suite with an ocean view from its private terrace. Everything was handled. There were no lines to check in, just a VIP concierge named Donna who greeted us when we arrived and escorted us directly to our room, where champagne and flowers waited for us. These gifts came from benefactors named Frank Abruzzo and Graham Baxter, who knew more about this trip than I apparently did. They weren’t Eli’s only co-conspirators, either. When Donna opened the massive closet of the master bedroom, it was filled with all kinds of clothes one might need for a week in Hawaii. My bestie’s fingerprints were all over each article of clothing, from swimwear and beachwear to a couple of cocktail dresses, which all had an alternative edge.

I decided to change into something lighter and more appropriate, while Eli escorted Donna into the other part of the suite. I was just finishing up when he walked back into the bedroom. “Don’t bother with makeup,” he instructed. “We’re going to the spa first.”

I employed the big floppy hat and sunglasses I had been given as we went downstairs to the hotel spa for some extra pampering. Like in Los Angeles, we were given the full couple treatment, and I figured it was too late to get shy now. I stripped down for the massage, and Eli watched unabashed. He didn’t say much, which was unusual. I figured it was because he wanted to stay in character, and he was afraid his mouth would trip him up.

For once he decided to remain silent.

By that afternoon we were ready for the beach. I donned the swimwear that she had packed for me, a flirty little swim skirt and halter, which gave a little retro flair to the outfit. I dropped my cover-up the second we reached our private cabana. I couldn’t wait to feel the tropical sun beat down upon my skin. I was smiling as I rubbed sunscreen onto my arms and my legs. Eli was quiet as he did the same, baring most of his body except for whatever the swim trunks he wore happened to cover.

Finally he spoke when he offered to do my back for me. I nodded and he joined me on the chaise lounge, sitting behind me. He poured the cold liquid directly onto my shoulders, which made me squeal. He laughed. “What do you think of your vacation so far?”

“I love it. I’ve never been to Hawaii.”

“Get your passport and I’ll take you all over the world,” he promised. “London, Paris, Rome. China,” he added in a softer voice. I thought about Ling with a gentle smile.

“Ambitious agenda for a year,” I told him.

“Ambitious year,” he responded. I nodded. If there was anything I knew about Eli Blake, he was an ambitious guy. He wouldn’t stop until he had dominated the world. His fingers were tender as he rubbed the sunscreen into my delicate skin that had already begun to warm under the sun. “You really don’t care what people think, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like today. I tell you to skip makeup, you put on sunglasses like it’s nothing. If I had said that to Rhonda, she would have spent the next ten minutes yelling at me in Spanglish, telling me I didn’t understand what it was like to be a woman in the public eye.”

“Big difference. I’m not in the public eye.”

“Yeah, you are,” he corrected. “You just don’t care. At the spa. On the beach. You just walked through a crowded lobby in beachwear, and don’t even notice if other people stare or talk behind your back. It’s like you’re a queen and they’re all beneath you.”

I chuckled. “Oh, I notice. But you’re right. I don’t care. I’m not defined by the opinions of others.”

His caresses grew even gentler. “Like a queen.” I said nothing. “It’s sexy,” he murmured, his fingers trailing over my shoulders and down both arms as he leaned closer. “You’re sexy.”

My eyes met his. “Surprised?”

He nodded. “Every day.” He leaned forward for another kiss. I rewarded him by deepening it, because I was pretty sure that was what Doris would have done. My ardent response made him groan deep in his throat. “If I had my way, we’d spend all five days up in that room.”

Again I chuckled. “I sure hope you have an alternate itinerary. Because we’re not doing that.”

He toyed with my lips, using his own. “Why not?”

My voice was soft. “I have a million new reasons why not.”

He searched my eyes for a moment. Finally he smiled. “Fine,” he conceded, a little too easily. He hopped off the chaise and held out a hand. “I hope you’re not afraid of deep water.”

I put my hand in his. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

He grinned wide. “Bullshit. You’re scared shitless of me.” He pulled me into his arms. “And you should be.” He delivered another scorching kiss, and this time, it left me breathless.

I didn’t have time to analyze it. He tugged me by the hand and we ran down towards the water.

We spent that afternoon taking surfing lessons. Again I managed to surprise Eli, who was still trying to find the one thing that I might refuse, just because he thought I couldn’t keep up. As it turned out, both of us had had some prior experience trying to ride the waves. I took lessons when I first got to Los Angeles, as did he. But life intervened and we never went back to it.

Our surf instructors took their time with us, focusing that first lesson on teaching us the fundamentals, like paddling. These baby steps were painstaking. I wanted to learn the fun stuff, like standing on the board, but I knew from experience that it was worth learning proper technique. I had to crawl before I learned how to walk. And I had only just been released from wearing the boot, so I didn’t want to aggravate my injury.

He glanced down at my foot after our lesson came to a close. “How’s your ankle holding up?”

I hated to admit it, but all the exercise in the sand had left it aching. He nodded and cut our beach time short. “There are plenty of things we can do,” he promised with a smile. “In the meantime,” he started, before picking me up in his arms and literally whisking me right off the sand and into the lobby of our hotel.

I was more embarrassed by that than walking on the beach in my swimsuit.

After a brief stop in our room to change for dinner, we headed back downstairs where a car waited to take us to our first official luau. Because he was Eli Blake, he got us premiere seating right next to the stage, so close I could feel the heat from the fire they used in their Polynesian dancing. It was all primal and exciting and I definitely threw myself into the experience. When one of the dancers in a grass skirt asked for volunteers to hula, I was the first one out of my chair, my stupid aching ankle be damned. Eli laughed as he recorded me with his camera phone, offering me a thumbs up to show his approval, along with some enthusiastic catcalls. We topped off our night with tribal henna tattoos, which Eli photographed for his social media. “
We’re branded now. Does this mean I get to keep her
?”

It was late by the time we got back to the hotel, but I wasn’t tired. Not in the least. We were in paradise, and I wanted to squeeze every single minute out of it I could. When he suggested the hot tub, I didn’t hesitate.

There was no one else around, but there wouldn’t be. It was after hours for the hotel, but since he was Eli Blake, he got special privileges. We enjoyed the crystal clear night with full bar service as an attendant started up the hot tub, getting it steamy and bubbly for us. Eli got in first and then assisted me as I joined him. I smiled as I relaxed against the forceful jet against my back. The attendant brought us huge fruity tropical libations, complete with an umbrella. Eli started to sing that old 70s song about pina coladas, which made me laugh. He could be really amusing when he wanted to be.

“How is paradise treating my queen so far?” he murmured from where he sat on the next jet.

“It’s perfect,” I said without opening my eyes. “A girl could get used to this.”

“Stick with me, baby, and it’s nothing but champagne and caviar from this moment forward.”

“So says the Oscar winner,” I teased. He laughed.

“It’s just the beginning,” he promised, and I knew he meant it.

“I believe you,” I murmured. “If there’s something you want, you make it happen. Topping the pop charts, winning a coveted award. Surfing,” I added and he chuckled, thinking about our day.

“Me? What about you? I can’t believe you volunteered to hula. Where did you learn to dance like that?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Clem and I took belly dancing lessons for a while.”

He nearly choked on his frozen drink. “Seriously?”

I opened one eye to peer at him. “Something wrong with that?”

He thought about it and finally decided, “Not at all. Those hip movements definitely come in handy.”

I laughed again. “Indeed.” I fell silent again, listening to the relaxing bubbling water as the cool breeze filtered from the ocean. I drifted away in my own little paradise I almost didn’t hear him speak.

“Come here,” he said softly, and I turned to look at him.

“I’m right here,” I protested softly.

“Not close enough,” he insisted. “Come here, Carly.”

I might have denied him had a full staff not been waiting nearby. This meant I was on the clock. I stood and faced him, and he helped me onto his lap, which I straddled to face him. His hand snaked behind my neck and pulled me down for a deep kiss. He tasted of pineapple and coconut and rum, and it was that last little bit that helped me get into character. I placed my arms around him and kissed him back. He clutched me tighter, his hands along my back, sliding down to rest comfortably on my hips. “Show me,” he whispered.