The Unkindness of the Paparazzi

  I looked down at the floor and asked, “are you angry at me?”

  I bit my lip again. I was incredibly nervous.

  “No I am not,” he said softly.

  “I am sorry Joshua.”

  He smiled and looked away shaking his head.

  “Yes so am I.”

  I realised he wasn’t going to talk to me.

  “Okay then I will leave.”

  I turned around and felt my eyes well up again. I walked towards the door and put my hand on the handle to open it when I felt his hand on my arm.

  “Wait,” he said softly from behind me.

  I stood there facing the door the tears ran down my cheeks.

  “Do you still love me?” He asked.

  “Yes that’s why I am here; I wanted to ask you if you would still have me,” I said.

  He turned me around and held my face in his hands again.

  “That Katie is a stupid question. Of course I will have you. It was the worst day of my life. I thought I had lost you,” he said before kissing me.

  I was back, back in his strong arms.

  He stopped kissing me and put his forehead on mine. He just stood there looking at me, he didn’t say a word.

  “I see you had a drink or two,” I said looking over at the coffee table.

  There were a couple of empty bottles on the table.

  “Yes I just wanted to get away from myself for a while,” he said turning my face back to his.

  “What do you want for us? What do you want me to do? I don’t want to ever feel the way I felt today so you are going to have to tell me what you want?” He asked.

  I realised that, that speech of Dean’s earlier was true and that I did break his heart.

  “I want you, the rest we can work out as we go along. I want to rewind back to last night in bed when we kissed for hours and to when the world didn’t matter.”

  He took my hand and started leading me to his bedroom.

  “Wait I need to phone Dean, he is waiting for me downstairs,” I said stopping him. He nodded; I grabbed my phone out my coat pocket and dialled Dean’s number. “Hi… I am okay, you can go home… I will phone you later.... Bye.”

  I put the phone down and saw him texting from his phone.

  He put his phone down on the table and led me into the bedroom. I was standing against the side of the bed. He took off my coat, he took me into his arms and kissed me like the night before. He softly and slowly pushed me on to the bed.

  He was a bit tipsy but that didn’t bother me, it was the same the night before only then I was tipsy too. It made for interesting kissing, he was more aggressive but in a good sexy way.

  When the kissing stopped, we laid next to each other. I looked at him and saw the sad look was gone but he still looked tired.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked in a whisper rubbing my hair.

  “I am thinking that you are looking tired,” I answered in a whisper.

  “I am very.”

  I gave him a kiss and sat up.

  “I must go home, and then you can rest. The two hours sleep last night and the drama today made you this tired,” I said.

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me back on top of him.

  “Stay please,” he said softly.

  “Okay, I am just going to text Dean to get me some clean clothes.”

  He smiled his naughty smile.

  “What? Why are you smiling like that?” I asked

  “Its just you don’t need clean clothes.” I put my head on his chest.

  “You have to sleep. I will sleep here with you.”

  Its not that I didn’t want what he was suggesting, I just needed him to rest.

  It was dark outside already, I looked at the watch it was twelve o clock at night. Time flew I didn’t realize it was that late. I realized I wasn’t going to be able to phone Dean at this hour. So I got up and zipped down the zip of my dress.

  I luckily had sexy lingerie on.

  There was no light in the hotel room, we never switched on any lights but the moon shined in and I could see him watching me.

  I opened the covers and got in to the bed.

  He took off his t- shirt and pants he was only wearing his boxer shorts.

  I moved closer to him, and laid with my head on his chest.

  “I don’t even have something to sleep in,” I said smiling.

  I could feel him trace my back with his fingers.

  “Oh small miracles,” he said.

  I could hear in his voice that he was smiling.

  “You know that I can’t sleep knowing you are lying next to me wearing this,” he said pulling on the side hip strap of my panties.

  “I can go sleep on the couch,” I suggested.

  “Or I could just take it off,” he suggested.

  “Sleep,” I said hitting him playfully on the chest.

  He didn’t take long to fall asleep. I too closed my eyes and drifted off.

  Chapter 19

  The next morning I felt his finger moving from my cheek down my neck onto my chest. I felt him lifting the covers.

  “What are you looking at?” I asked with my eyes still closed.

  “Morning, I was just admiring your hmm outfit,” he said.

  I opened my eyes and said, “do you like it?”

  “Very much I didn’t realise last night how sexy you looked because if I did, we would again have only two hours of sleep.”

  “Are you feeling rested?” I asked.

  He frowned at my sudden change of subject.

  “Yes I am. Why do you ask?”

  I smiled and climbed on top of him.

  “Well then I can tell you now that I especially put on ‘this outfit’ as you call it, as my special weapon if you didn’t want to take me back,” I explained.

  “Miss Roberts were you going to seduce me last night?” He asked pulling up his eye brows he had a hint of a smile on his face.

  “Yes I wanted to but then I saw how tired you were. So I decided to not do it after all. But now that you are rested...” I said kissing him in-between words.

  He stopped me and asked, “are you ready for this? Is this what you want?”

  He was serious.

  My heart started racing.

  “Make love to me Joshua,” I said softly.

  He moved us so he was on top of me, he kissed me passionately.

  I loved it; there was no one to spoil the mood. It was just us.

  He kissed my neck and my chest. He pulled my one leg up against his side rubbing the back of it. I could feel him pulling my body closer to him.

  He kissed my hand and moved up slowly up my arm, into my neck and back to my mouth. I felt so safe in his arms. I didn’t feel shy about him seeing my body. I wasn’t badly built but morning sex, in day the light wouldn’t have been my first choice.

  I laid there on his chest. I was wondering what he was thinking. It was very out of character for me to sleep with a guy so early in the relationship and I was unsure of what he was thinking.

  I listened to his heart beating against my ear. It made me feel so peaceful, I assumed by the way he was breathing that he wasn’t awake.

  I wondered if I should look up at him.

  I took a deep breath and looked up at him; I tried not to make sudden movements.

  His eyes were closed and he looked relaxed.

  I looked down at the blankets lying on top of us and tried to figure out what blanket I can take off to wrap around me so he wouldn’t wake up.

  I took the top blanket and wrapped it around me ever so carefully not to make the bed move.

  I got out of bed and started walking towards my coat lying on the floor. I wanted to get my cell phone out it had been ringing non stop earlier.

  “Where are you sneaking off to?” He asked.

&nb
sp; I realised he was awake the entire time I had battled to get out of bed without ‘waking’ him.

  I stopped in my tracks, almost like a child that believed if she closed her eyes then she would be invisible.

  “I was just going to get my phone,” I said still with my back towards him.

  “You should really work on your exit strategy,” he said laughing.

  I looked at him over my shoulder, and smiled.

  “I wasn’t going to go anywhere; my phone has been ringing all morning,” I tried to explain.

  “Sure,” he said patting on the bed for me to come back.

  I ran back and jumped on the bed, he was sitting. I got onto his lap placing my legs on either side of him.

  “I adore you,” he said.

  He tucked the hair in my face behind my ears.

  “I feel awkward,” I said looking down at his chest.

  ”Why, was it that bad?” He asked smiling.

  “No it wasn’t it was great, it’s just weird that’s all.”

  He frowned his smile disappearing somewhat.

  “I don’t know how to explain it… okay let me try. I haven’t had sex in over three years. I never enjoyed sex to be honest and then doing it in daylight with a guy who I barely knew. It’s just so out of character for me.”

  He put his fingers under my chin and pushed my face back up so I could look him in the eyes.

  “I loved every second of it, the way your body moves the way you moan. It was special to me and just because you haven’t done it in a long time doesn’t mean that it wasn’t great. I don’t care that we haven’t known each other that long. I love you and I am going to spend every second of my life with you.

  How can you say you have never enjoyed sex? Didn’t you enjoy it now?” He asked.

  I looked at him, I didn’t know how to explain it because for so long, I had felt like the only person in the world that thought of sex as a chore.

  “No that’s the best part, you and me it felt fantastic but in the past… Sometimes I would lay there and just think ‘Ah just get it over with.’

  I use to plan dinner parties or my calendar for the next day in my head while Tommy was well, doing it.

  I have never asked anyone to make love to me and I always thought of sex as a chore. I would have rather watched TV or work on my book than do it. I know it seems crazy but that is how I felt about sex.” I bit my lip.

  He smiled at that because by then he knew that when I bit my lip it was a dead give away that I was either nervous or shy.

  “How do you feel about it now? Wait before you answer I don’t want you to say something because you want me to be okay. I want to know if it was what you wanted.”

  I kissed him softly.

  “I really did love it and I am honest with you. Maybe it was something you did differently because when I asked you to make love to me I felt like I really wanted you to. Like that night in the kitchen at my place, nothing else mattered I just wanted to feel you close to me. I wanted to feel your hands on me.”

  I looked down again, what I told him was so personal and while I was saying the words aloud I thought ‘no stop.’

  “I adore you,” he said again.

  “I adore you too,” I answered.

  I looked at him and thought how could I have gotten so lucky?

  I felt his hands move on my back, the blanket was still covering the front of my body my back was totally open.

  I felt the gooseflesh all over my body. I ran my hand over his muscled arms and onto the back of his neck.

  We didn’t kiss or talk we just shared an intimate moment.

  He pulled me closer and started kissing my cheek and moved down to my neck.

  I closed my eyes and faced up towards the ceiling.

  I felt his lips on my neck; he moved his hands through my hair.

  I clutched the blanket close to my chest I didn’t want to expose my chest. Even though I knew he had seen every inch of my body already.

  He took my hand that was holding the blanket to my chest and put it on his chest. I opened my eyes and looked at him.

  “You don’t have to do that.” he said in a whisper.

  “I…” I tried to say.

  He held me against him as he kissed me. I could feel my naked chest against his.

  “Are you hungry?”

  I was.

  “Yes I am, I can’t remember the last time I ate.”

  Then my phone started ringing again.

  “You should get that because I think by now Dean is on his way over here.

  I covered myself with the blanket again and got up to answer the phone.

  “Hallo.”

  It was Dean on the other side in a panic.

  “You didn’t phone, where are you?” He asked concerned.

  “I am still at Joshua’s, why are you so worried?” I asked looking back at Josh.

  “I thought you would have been home by now,” Dean said.

  “I kind of spend the night,” I said a bit irritated.

  “Oh tell me you patched things up and that you are engaged again. We should get you registered ASAP. Wait did you have sex? You did didn’t you? I can hear it.”

  I turned away from Joshua and walked towards the window, I held my hand over the phone.

  “I don’t know if we are engaged again. And as for the other questions, I am not saying a word he can hear me and it’s personal.”

  I heard Joshua laughing softly clearly he heard.

  “I knew it,” Dean said giggling with delight.

  “Look I have to go.”

  I knew he was going to nag me for more information and I wasn’t going to give it to him.

  “No wait...” he still said when I put the phone down.

  “Sorry about that, he just doesn’t have any boundaries sometimes,” I said looking down at the phone.

  “It’s fine, I understand your friendship. About the first question he asked you. Do you want to be engaged?”

  I turned to face him again. I walked slowly towards him and got onto the bed.

  “I want to be your wife,” I said softly.

  “When do you want to make it official?” He asked challenging me.

  “Today, tomorrow I don’t care,” I said smiling.

  His face went serious.

  “Really or are you just making a joke?” He asked.

  “No, not at all.”

  “Vegas?” He asked.

  “Yes, when?”

  While I was taking chances and considering myself first, why not? I thought.

  “We only have tomorrow off from filming so-” he started when both our phones rang.

  He looked at the screen of his phone.

  “It’s my agent I should get it,” he said before answering the phone.

  I saw it was the producer of my movie phoning me so I answered.

  Both calls were about the movie. They let us know that the filming would be delayed by another couple of days due to two of the leading actors getting sick unexpectedly. We would resume filming the following Thursday. It was Wednesday. I said that, that was fine and I would be there on Thursday morning.

  “I presume you heard,” Joshua said as he put the phone down.

  “Yes a short holiday.”

  He nodded.

  I snuggled up to him, I wanted him to finish what he was saying before the phone rang.

  “As you were saying,” I said rubbing my finger over his cheek.

  “You are sure about this Katie?”

  “I am, so tell me when?”

  “Tonight?”

  I pulled his wrist to my face and looked at his watch.

  “Its already 4 o clock, how are we going to get a flight to Vegas on such short notice? Also should you not speak to Jack, he is going to freak out if you don’t speak to him about it?” I asked.


  “Firstly I have a private plane. Secondly I have told him just now on the phone we are going to get married probably in the next couple of hours in Vegas and he said he only had one request and that was to come with. You see Jack is not only my agent he is my best friend. He was here with me when I thought I had lost you and he made sure I wasn’t going to drown myself in alcohol. So if this is what you want, I can phone him up and he can make all the arrangements.”

  “Phone him I will phone Dean because he has to go with, he will never forgive me if I didn’t include him, he was going on about registering us for wedding gifts. He is going to be very disappointed that he can’t do that anymore.”

  I laughed rolling my eyes.

  “But he can still do that when we get back. We can have a big wedding with everything your heart desires.”

  I gave him a quick kiss and made a noise of delight then I grabbed my phone and phoned Dean.

  “Vegas! Are you insane?” Dean asked shocked.

  “No I am not are you coming with?” I asked

  “Yes I will pack and meet you, wait where are you? Where should I meet you?” He asked.

  “I am going to get dressed now and then I am going over to my apartment to grab a bag, you can meet me there,” I said.

  We said goodbye and I put the phone down.

  “I am going to my apartment and then you can come pick me up there, will that be okay?” I asked.

  “Yes I will meet you there, Warren will drive you. I have to go make a couple of stops before we can leave for Vegas,” he said looking pleased.

  “How are we going to do this? I don’t even know what kind of ring to get you, do you like yellow or white gold? Platinum? I don’t have a dress.”

  I started panicking, I held me forehead in my hands still clutching the phone in my one hand.

  “Calm down sweetheart, I will get the rings. You just go home meet Dean and go get yourself a dress. I don’t care if you get married in denim. I will come pick you up at seven,” he said pulling my hands away from my face.

  “Okay then.”

  I grabbed my dress and searched for my underwear. I got dressed quickly.

  I put on my shoes and tied my hair up in a ponytail at the back of my head. I gave him a quick kiss at the front door and left with Warren.

  “Can you stop here for a second?” I asked Warren when we drove past a small boutique on our way to my apartment.

  I knew the owner; I had bought all my dresses there for any important dinners or meetings.

  Warren pulled into a parking in front of the boutique. I was about to open the door myself when he said, “I will get that for you, it seems we have company.”

  He pointed to a reporter that parked behind us.

  “Miss Roberts its better to say no comment, especially with what you and Mr Scott are planning for tonight.”