Big City Seduction

Chapter Four

I stretched my arms out in bed and discovered that Blake was no longer beside me. I sat up and looked around the room, sure enough finding that I was in his bedroom. I looked underneath the covers to find that I had a tank top on panties on, but there was no question in my mind that we had had sex the night before. I could still feel the way he touched me and smell the scent of his cologne.

I crawled out of bed and put my clothes back on and wondered where Blake could be. I stepped out of his bedroom and padded my way to the kitchen, where I found him seated at the kitchen table. He was drinking his coffee and talking on the phone, with the newspaper in hand. He looked up and spotted me, then nodded. "Okay, then, great! Yeah. Yeah. Alright, we'll talk later," he said. He disconnected the call. "Good morning sleepyhead," he said with a lopsided grin in my direction.

I smiled. "Good morning! Who was that?"

"Oh," he waved me off with a hand, "just an adoring fan," he said. He laughed, but didn't confess who it really was. "Have a bagel and there's some coffee. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

I nodded. "Like a baby." I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee, then grabbed a bagel from the bag. He had already been out to get a bagel so early in the morning. I sat down at the table. "Reading anything exciting?" I asked, motioning with my head towards the paper in his hand.

He shrugged. "Honestly, it's pretty much garbage, but we did make headlines." He pushed the paper towards me and I looked down at it. There was a picture of Blake and myself kissing on the beach, with the headlines, Romance In the Air.

"Why would we be headlines?" I asked. "I'm practically a nobody."

He laughed. "For now, but read the article." And so, I did. It went on to say that Blake got the lead role in this new TV drama and he just might be cozying up to his new co-star already. Then it proceeded to say that rumor had it that Blake and I were already an item and that he just might be the one to have landed me this role. But bottom line remained, I was sick over it. I looked at him and he was smirking.

"So, in other words, the only reason I could get this job is because of you. That's what they're saying?"

He shrugged. "Who cares what they say? It's trash talk anyway," he said. He wasn't bothered by it, because he would be the good man that got me the job, while I would be the one that couldn't get even an audition without the help of my boyfriend.

"But it matters to me," I mumbled.

I caught him staring at me. "Now, Elisha, don't be ungrateful here. I did a generous thing for you. Just nod and say thank you!"

I looked away from him. He was dead serious on this, but the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that this wasn't even something I wanted. I was annoyed that I left my guard down, just like Lucy warned me about. "Um...I'm not feeling all that well," I said. "Will you take me home?"

He tilted his head. "Are you pouting now?" he asked.

There was a mocking tone in his voice, and it sunk in my mind then that he was the same ass that he's always been. I felt so stupid and foolish knowing that I was making a mistake last night by coming here, but did it anyway. It was almost as if – in a split second of reading lines with Blake – I was becoming one of the stupid girls who pined over celebrities as if they were the greatest thing made to walk the Earth. I hated girls like that. To lower yourself to that level was unthinkable and something I'd sworn a long time ago never to do.

Was I going back on one of my big promises to myself?

I glared at him. "No! I'm just not feeling that well. Please... take me home," I argued, sadness lacing my voice.