All Areas Accessed - Sequel to Access All Areas

Chapter Four

"There's the thorn in my side!" My insomnia-inducing thorn in my side, I think only to myself. I'm so tired, but seeing Clara is giving me back my energy this morning. She looks good. Maybe a little tired, but beautiful nevertheless. I don't know what it is about this girl, but she makes me feel light and foolish in her company. That's why I like being around her. With Clara, I feel me.

There's no fame.

No fans.

No mom.

No Maci.

No press.

It's just me and her for brief and lighthearted moments. "Were you being a naughty girl last night?" I don't even know why I've just said that, I always feel like I want to fool around with her, in more ways than one.

"No I was not! I'm just—"

"Knackered!" I quickly hijack her sentence, knowing exactly what she was just about to say.

"Yes, I am." She blinks hard, looking jaded and vulnerable.

Clara really does look tired, but instead of resisting the urge to cuddle her, I go right on ahead and do just that. "Don't worry, we'll all look after you today. I'll ply you with coffee if I have to." Bringing her in closer against me, my smile is now almost ten miles wide of smugness.

"Thank you." She looks relieved and surprisingly accepting of my arm being warmly wrapped around her neck and shoulder.

"You're welcome." I smile some more, smug as hell for Cameron's benefit. "Anyway, I need you to get that adrenaline going, as I'd like you to come to the wrap party tonight."

"You do?" Clara's voice has a higher than normal pitch, a slightly surprised pitch.

Squeezing her sexy little shoulders, I smile just for her. Not for myself. Not for Cam. Only, for her. "Of course I do." It's here that I also want to tell her that I really want her there because being with her just picks me up and puts me in a better place. I'm heading back to LA soon, heading back to all the shit that continually blights my life, so I want to squeeze out every single fun moment with Clara Thorn.

"But I haven't brought a change of clothes with me?" She tries to throw me an excuse, a weak reason for not being able to come as she briefly stares down at her sexy little trouser suit that she's wearing this morning. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that cute little suit. In fact, there's everything right with it – the jacket is flatteringly fitted around her arms, shoulders and back, and the sleek little pants taper down to her appealing ankles and accentuate her squeezable ass cheeks, and don't even get me started on her silk shirt that sits so snugly against her breasts and stomach – yeah, that suit is totally working for me!

So I spread some more of my Rhys Ryan charm all over the sassy Clara Thorn. "I'd really like it if you'd come, Clara. When I go present shopping, you can buy something then." Hell, this girl could wear nothing but a damn tutu...I just want her at my wrap party!

Needing a moment just to think it over, I give her that moment until she eventually says. "Okay, I'd love to come."

I honestly want to high five someone, obviously someone other than Clara herself. Agreeing to come, she has just kicked aside all of my tiredness and made my morning already a great one. I have a feeling that I have a buzzing day and night ahead of me. First, I am doing a photo shoot for some other celebrity magazine, then I have a studio session booked, a vlog to record, signing a load of merchandise for the show tonight and too many calls to make. Most days, I like to check in on my mom, just to see how she and Maci are doing. Mace is in yet another rehab, I couldn't actually tell you how many times she has been in one, because I have honestly lost count. This worldwide tour has been my saving grace. It has kept me occupied and sane. Because just before the tour, my sister nearly died of an overdose. She nearly died, and didn't give a shit that she nearly did. Too many drugs and not enough cares, that's my sisters problem. But her problems are my problems, because it hurts my mom so bad. So I protect them both. Time after time, we put Maci in yet another rehab, because that is what my mom wants. But I don't want to be thinking about all of that now, I just can't. I have a shoot and some studio time to get on with, plus all of the other things that need to get done as well, and I have all of that to do before finally going shopping. You see, I always like to get a little something for my mom. It's just something I always seem to do whenever I'm away on tour. It is probably one of the only normal things that I do for her, because it's just something that is happening between only us. There's no Maci, no Don the dick of a stepdad—it's just me, giving my mom a present.