“I thought about killing you for a long time now, Joe,” I said coolly. “I’m just glad today is the day I finally get my wish. That wasn’t beer you just drank. It was poison. If you tell me where he is, I just might give you the antidote.”
Ryan flashed a big grin at me. “That was pretty good! I liked the improv!”
I just continued glaring at him, hoping he would play along. His happy expression disappeared when I kept giving him the dirty look.
He pretended to pop something in his mouth.
“You forget, Peaches, that my agency developed that poison. Sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t be dying today. You on the other hand…” He sprang up and pinned me to the bed. His body straddled mine; his hands held my wrists to the mattress. His aggressive acting actually turned me on.
“I just might be inclined to let you live,” he said persuasively. “But it all depends on what you’re willing to do for your country.”
“I’ll never give in to you, Joe!” I said with conviction and squirmed under his grip. “You may be strong enough to take my body, but my heart belongs to Ryan.”
He leaned down and kissed me passionately. I didn’t know if we were still playing or if he was serious, but his kiss was definitely serious. He released my wrists and I tangled my fingers into his hair as his tongue swirled with mine.
“I thought your heart belongs to Ryan?” he snickered.
“It does. As does the rest of my body.”
“Hmm!” He smiled his glorious smile at me. “That’s good to know! Now flip over so I can carve my initials back here.”
I let out a shriek as he grabbed my rear.
Chapter 15 – Dinner
“We need to get out of bed and get dressed,” Ryan said, noting the time.
“Are you insane?” I asked. “I thought the plan was to stay in bed all day?” I was surprised that he wanted to go somewhere. Him of all people!
“We can’t. We have dinner plans tonight.” He was smiling in a way that worried me.
“We do?” I was confused. He hadn't mentioned having dinner plans all day. Thoughts of another yacht trip came to mind.
“Yep. We’ve been invited to Cal and Kelly’s for dinner and I told them I would drag you along,” he said while pulling on my hand to drag me out of bed.
“But, but…” I whined. I really wanted to stay in bed and avoid the photographers that were lurking about.
“I promise, we’ll stay in bed all day tomorrow if it makes you happy.” I noted the sarcasm in his voice.
“Oh yeah, like that wouldn’t make you happy too!” I gave him a light shove. He grabbed me around the waist and moved me out of the way so he could dart out the doorway first, laughing on his way to the bathroom.
I had just slipped a white tank top over my head when Ryan came back into the bedroom.
“Nice!” he said. “Pants optional this evening?”
“Not wearing pants tonight.” I put on a charcoal gray sweater dress over my tank. The dress came down mid thigh and had a deep V-shaped neckline and an attached hood. It was another new addition to my wardrobe.
I zipped up my black suede high-heeled boots to finish off the look.
Ryan looked at me strangely.
“Is this okay?” I asked anxiously, worried that he didn’t approve. I knew the paparazzi were waiting outside to take our picture.
“Very much so!” He nodded. “You look adorable. Very sexy.”
Ryan dressed in his signature style, layering a long-sleeved steel gray collared shirt over a white T-shirt and jeans. We sort of matched.
“Wait, before we go I have something that would go great with your outfit.” He unzipped his bag. He deliberated for a moment, making sure he had the right package before handing me a gorgeous gift bag.
“Here, this is for you. I got you a little something when I was in New York.” His face showed his anticipation.
“Ryan!” I gazed at him lovingly, surprised that he bought me a present.
“Go on! Open it!” he urged.
I peeked inside the bag; nestled in the pretty tissue paper was a black jewelry box. He stared at me expectantly as I lifted the lid of the box.
Inside was a silver necklace with two diamond-encrusted hearts twined together, one inside the other. I looked at him, bewildered.
“Ryan, oh my God! This is absolutely beautiful!” I whispered, touching the pendant with the tip of my finger.
“I noticed you like to wear silver instead of gold, so I opted for white gold. Here, let me help you put it on.” He took the delicate chain out of the box.
I lifted my hair so he could attach the clasp. While he struggled with the delicate chain, my nervousness made my heart beat faster. I felt his hands rest on my shoulders when he was finished. He pressed his chest into my back.
“Do you like it?” he whispered seductively in my ear. I felt his warm breath on my skin as he trailed the tip of his nose down my neck.
“I love it,” I sighed, tilting my head even further to enjoy his nuzzle. “You shouldn’t have.” His gesture took me completely by surprise. I turned in his arms.
He smirked at me and slightly shrugged his shoulders. “I wanted to. You look beautiful wearing my heart.”
“Thank you!” I reached to kiss him.
He picked the bag back up off the bed and handed it to me. “There’s one more thing inside.”
I looked at him, perplexed. I reached inside the bag and found another black jewelry box in the tissue paper. This one was smaller. I felt all the color rush from my face.
I opened the box lid slowly. I gasped as my eyes took in the sight of spectacular diamond earrings, set in white gold as well. From the post, a diamond baguette led the way to where a diamond solitaire dangled below. The diamonds were at least a carat each.
“This is too much,” I breathed out. I was suddenly feeling very light-headed. “I can’t accept these.”
“Don’t you like them?” His face twisted with concern.
“They’re beautiful!” I gazed at them, watching the diamonds sparkle in the light. “But I can’t accept these. It’s too much. You shouldn’t have spent…” I could only imagine how expensive earrings like these were.
His fingers covered my lips. “If you like them, put them on. They’re yours.”
I stared at the box, unable to move my fingers. Dinner on the yacht, diamonds… it was too much. This man standing in front of me was not here because he was rich or famous. The only gift I wanted from him was the one thing that his money and fame could never buy – to be my one true love forever.
I snapped the box shut and handed it to him. “I can’t. One present was more than enough. Please.” I shook the box for him to take it out of my hand.
“Would you like something else? I could exchange them for a bracelet or something. Just tell me.” He tried to be accommodating.
“No.” I gently smiled. “I don’t want anything else. Please. This pendant was more than enough.”
He looked confused as his eyes toggled between questioning me and looking at the little black box in his hand.
He shrugged and became slightly irritated. “I’m not going to even pretend that I understand this.” He set the little box on my dresser.
We were instantly photographed the moment I opened the front door. Ryan and I hurried down the street to my car; we practically ran. I wished I had a closer parking spot, but my building was very close to the beach and most of the buildings never took parking into account.
Ryan had my car keys in his hand and every so often I felt his fingers touch my back when I wasn’t walking fast enough. As we crossed the street, we were surrounded by almost thirty people. We had photographers and people filming us, blinding us with flashes of light. The cameras clicked feverously.
Mixed in the crowd were several men begging him to sign glossy photos and a few obsessive female fans. They just hounded him. One girl with curly brown hair grabbed the sleeve of Ryan’s jacket, pulling
him off-balance.
“Hey! Please don’t touch me!” Ryan yelled, yanking his arm away. “Come on, this is not cool!”
Everyone begged for photographs and autographs. “Ryan, Ryan, over here” – the words were chanted over and over again by the different intrusive menaces that plagued us.
I looked up to see the faces of some of his fans; they were mostly young girls – twenty somethings – but there were a few older women there as well. Even though he was with me, it didn’t matter. It was like I wasn’t even there to them. In some twisted way, I was actually glad the photographers were surrounding us; they provided a barrier between us and his female admirers.
I looked up at the parking lot long enough to see my car, but something was horribly wrong; different colors of white, red, and hot pink stood out against the stark black paint. When we got close enough, I was relieved but now angry; my car was covered with love notes, cards, and all sorts of paper. Notes to him were stuck in the door handles and under the windshield wipers. My windshield was covered with crap. I quickly cleared the passenger side while Ryan grabbed handfuls of paper from the driver side, tossing them all to the ground.
I hopped into the car as fast as I could and locked the door behind me. The crowd was terrifying. The same girl who grabbed his arm, the one with long, curly brown hair, pressed her hands on the driver side window yelling “I love you” at Ryan. I noticed she had a big gap in between her front teeth. These people were scary and sick.
Ryan looked over his shoulder to back my car out of the spot, but we were surrounded by people on all sides. I tried to cover my eyes with my hand to block the camera flashes; the photographers were relentless.
“I should have called for security,” he muttered under his breath. “This is fucking ridiculous. Move already!”
He continued to inch back out of the parking spot until the crowd finally parted enough for him to back up all the way.
Even as we drove out of the lot, photographers ran along side the car, continuing to take our picture. Ryan got my car out on the road and hit the gas pedal; my tires squealed from the power. Ryan looked like we just robbed a bank; his expression was a combination of panic, frustration, and anger.
“Are you all right?” he almost yelled at me.
“I’m fine,” I stated calmly, looking over at him. “How are you?”
He shook his head and let out a big lung-full of air. “Unfuckingbelievable.”
This is exactly what I was referring to this morning in bed. How could he stand to deal with this craziness all the time? Today was certainly not the first day something like this happened to him. At what point do you tell yourself that the money and fame isn’t worth it? Even though I was thinking it, I didn’t say a word to him about it. I knew he was beside himself; it was clear that the turmoil was wreaking havoc on his brain.
“How do I get on the interstate from here?” he asked excitedly.
“Turn right in three lights.” I tried to remain calm. “Do you have their address?”
Ryan locked up my brakes and made a quick right turn through one of the neighborhoods. I grabbed the seat with one hand and the door armrest with the other as he wove my car through the streets.
“We’re being followed,” he growled. “Don’t let me hit any dead end streets!”
My heart was pounding and I was slightly petrified.
“Taryn!” Ryan shouted. “Where to?”
“Left,” I breathed.
He handed me a slip of paper that he took from his coat pocket. “That’s where we need to end up. Direct me.”
“Turn right at the gas station. Down there, get on the 103. See the sign?”
Ryan nodded. His lips were pursed tightly together. I could tell he was seething.
“Ryan, it’s okay. There’s no one behind us,” I whispered, patting his leg with my hand. As soon as I said it, a large SUV turned the same corner.
“Wrong!” he shouted, making a right turn through a red light.
“Make a left and then a right and get on the 103. It’s a highway.”
I felt the car accelerate even faster.
“Ryan…” I breathed and slid my hand onto his leg. We were going almost ninety miles per hour.
“I’m just trying to put some distance between us,” he muttered. His tone was still irritated.
I looked over my shoulder and out the rear window. “Are we still being followed?”
“I don’t know if I lost them but I’m not taking any chances.”
I entered the address into the navigation system; soon the computer was giving him driving directions. He let out a big breath of air; I noticed he calmed down a little. He dropped the speedometer down to seventy-five.
“You okay, Babe?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” He smiled at me briefly and then patted my thigh.
During the next ten minutes of complete silence, I thought about all the crap we removed from my car and how it was just laying there in the parking lot. Even though I didn’t want to know what his fans had to say in them, the fact that they were laying all around my monthly rental space bothered me.
“Ryan, when we get back tonight, I need to pick up all that paper in the parking lot. That lot doesn’t belong to me; I have to pay a monthly fee to park there and I can’t leave my spot all littered like that.”
He nodded at me. “I’ll take care of it.” With one call, he made arrangements to have Jason clean it up.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He loosened his grip on the steering wheel. “Did you talk to Marie about covering the bar while my parents are visiting?”
“Not yet,” I replied. I had been putting that conversation off.
“Tar, please. Can’t you take a couple of days off?” he pleaded. “I finally have a normal weekend and I really want you to be with me.”
“What were you planning on doing?” I asked, wondering how I could be in two places at once.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I was sort of hoping that you might have some ideas. I want to take us all out to dinner Friday night though – someplace very nice for my mom’s birthday. Do you have any suggestions of where we can take them?”
“I know a few nice restaurants.”
“Just one request… some place outside of Seaport,” he added.
“Have they ever been to Boston? It’s not too far of a drive from here. There are some things we can do in Providence too,” I suggested, thinking it would be easy to take day trips and still work the bar at night.
“I know what I’d like to do this weekend.” His tone was mischievous.
“And what would that be?”
“I’d love to take my parents up to the lake.” He looked over at me and raised his eyebrows. “I’d love to take my dad out on the boat. Can we do that?” He was so excited.
“Ryan, it’s Halloween. I have bands scheduled. It’s one of my biggest weekends of the year. Let me see if I can rearrange coverage for the pub first, okay?”
We drove up the coast for almost a half-hour, then turned into a gated beachside community. I was relieved to see the security guard on duty and a huge metal gate blocking the rest of the world from entering. I never knew we had gated communities so close.
The homes were typical three story beach houses, all placed very close together. The house that Cal and Kelly had rented was only three homes away from the beach. “This must be really neat in the summertime.” I smiled over at Ryan.
“Yeah, too bad it’s October,” he said in agreement. I was glad to see that he was almost himself again.
He opened my car door and held my hand as we walked up the sidewalk to the front door.
“Hey guys, come on in!” Cal greeted us and took our coats.
Behind him, the most adorable little girl with long blond hair came running down the hallway. She hid behind her daddy’s legs.
I peeked behind Cal and smiled at the little cutie. “Hi,” I said softly, crouching down to her level. ??
?You must be Cami!”
She giggled at me and hid her face. “Cami, are you being shy?” Cal asked, tickling her head.
“Hi!” Kelly said as she joined us at the door. “Glad you could make it!” She gave me a big hug.
“Thank you so much for inviting us.” I returned her hug.
“Whyin!” Cami pointed at Ryan. Slowly she came out from behind Cal’s legs.
“Come here you!” Ryan scooped her up and kissed her on her cheeks before spinning her around in his arms to tickle her belly. Her giggles were precious. They obviously knew each other very well.
We walked through the front entryway and down the hall to the large family room that bordered the enormous kitchen. Something smelled wonderful. The house was decorated in shades of white, blue, and beige with hints of seashells and starfish; typical for a beach rental home.
“How was your ride over?” Cal asked Ryan.
Ryan set Cami down and looked at me before answering. “It was a bit crazy, but we made it. Taryn’s car was covered with notes.” He looked at me like he was guilty of something.
“You’re kidding?” Cal said. “How the…”
“The pop were waiting for us when we got back from the marina last night - they were at both doors. And then when we left to come here, the fans were waiting as well. The paparazzi even chased us for a couple of miles.”
Cal inconspicuously looked over at me. “How’d she do?” he whispered to Ryan, but I could still hear him.
“She did great. I was the one who flipped out!”
Even though I was interested in their conversation, I was distracted by a pair of big blue eyes and a naked Barbie doll staring at me.
“Is that a Barbie doll?” I asked Cami.
“Uhuh, wanna see?” She held the doll out to me.
“Hello Barbie, my name is Taryn. It’s very nice to meet you!”
Cami giggled. “Her name not Barbie! Her name Dora!”
“Dora? What a pretty name! It’s nice to meet you, Dora. Dora, Dora, Dora, the Explorer.” I sang, making Cami giggle at me again.
“How do you know the Dora song?” Kelly asked as Cami ran back down the hallway.