Temptation

78 - Madden

I understand that Hero is busy, and I understand that he has a schedule with deadlines that he has to meet but honestly, a simple text to tell me that he landed in Vegas is not the hardest thing to do nor is it time consuming.

After calling DJ eight times because Hero was unresponsive, I am finally told that they are safe and are at the photoshoot. I have Hero's schedule on the fridge but it's one thing to see it on paper and another to actually know that he's met these times. After getting off the phone with DJ, I try to entertain myself with a puzzle. I'm alone in this house—well, actually Hero's house maid is here, and I have Bean but otherwise, I'm alone and there is nothing for me to actually do so puzzle it is. I start by dumping out all the pieces onto the coffee table in the living room and sorting through them to see which pieces look like similar parts of the image. After getting halfway through the puzzle, Bean acts out of frustration, probably wanting to get out of the house and eats a piece of the puzzle. "BEAN!" I shout at him. He doesn't even acknowledge me shouting, instead he runs to the front door and barks at it. I take the hint and grab Bean's leash and doggy bags. I forget that I'm only wearing joggers and a sweatshirt with my hair tied in a messy bun so when I step outside, Adam is confused by my appearance. I ignore this look he gives me; who's he to say I look good or bad, plus Hero isn't around me so I can go out in public dressed like a normal, lazy person if I want.

As I walk down the street with Bean and Adam following closely behind me, I notice a few people taking photos of me, but instead of recognizing them, I keep my head down and do what I have come out here to do. Bean is getting his exercise, and I am getting fresh air. With little residential street left, we are getting closer to the main streets and I know I am not dressed for that, so I do a U-turn and we make our way back home. As we walk down the street, a man in all grey attire comes close to me, which sets Adam off and he steps in front of me. The man in grey, looks up to me and asks Adam if there is a problem, "No problem if you don't make one," Adam says, with a strong intense voice. The man takes a step back from Adam's glare and reverts his eyes back to me. "I just wanted to see if it was really you, Madden." I'm confused; I do know that people know me because of my boyfriend but rarely do they approach me when Hero is not around. Adam keeps himself between me and this man in grey. "You don't remember me, do you?" He says. I try to look over Adam's shoulder, but he is too tall, and I cannot see who this man is. "It's Austin. Austin Macintyre." The name sounds so familiar, but I can't seem to remember why. Austin...Austin...Austin...OH SHIT! Austin is one of Noah's oldest friends. When we met, Noah and I hadn't started dating yet and Austin had pulled me aside at a college party to warn me about Noah. That's when Noah caught Austin and I in the room alone together, and we ended up leaving the party early. I never really saw Austin again after that night; he did hang around Noah on campus but when I was with Noah, Austin kept his distance. "Adam, it's fine. I know him." Adam steps back from between us, allowing me to greet Austin. I'm not sure how to feel or what to think right now. Is Austin here because of Noah or is this just a coincidence?

"What are you doing here?" I ask him and there is no hiding my fear in my voice. "Don't worry, I'm not here because of him," he assures me. "I actually live a few blocks down and I usually walk this route every day." He starts telling me that he moved to London after school because his girlfriend at the time was living here. Long story short, his girlfriend is no longer his girlfriend, but he was able to start his own clothing line and has been successfully running his own shop here. I'm impressed that a straight man like Austin has such a successful, woman's clothing line here. "I'll have to come by your store sometime," I tell him. After catching up for a few minutes, Bean is getting angsty and tugging at the leash. I say my goodbyes to Austin and continue to walk home with Bean and Adam. Adam keeps looking back to make sure that Austin is not following us; I guess he doesn't trust my judgement.

Once we get home, Bean snuggles up on the couch while I make myself some lunch. Usually, while I cook, Hero is hovering in the kitchen trying to make himself look useful when realistically all he is doing is distracting me. It was a few weeks ago, I was making us homemade Mac n' cheese and Hero was watching over the noodles while I cut up the cheese. He came behind me, grabbing my ass cheeks in both his palms; I jolted with shock from his squeeze then turned to face him. Without hesitation, Hero lifts me up, kissing my neck and I cannot resist him. He carries me to the couch, laying me down while he hovers over me. Hero lifts my shirt from my body and continues to kiss down my stomach. My hand follows down my torso where Hero planted those kisses. I tug at Hero's shirt and lift it over his head. Both of us become fully naked; Hero moves his tongue between my legs causing my entire body to crave his pleasure. I lift Hero's head from between me and beg him to give me his cock. The water boils and reminds me that Hero is not here in the room with me, in fact, I haven't heard from him still. It's morning in Vegas and Hero still hasn't called me. I'm quite annoyed with him but at the same time, it's hard to be mad because this is his job and I signed up for this life with him. I look down to the stove where the water boiled over once before, leaving a burnt mark and bring myself back to reality.

* * *

As I'm turning off all the lights on the main floor, ready to go into bed, there is a knock at the front door. I'm assuming it's just Luke letting me know that it's his turn to watch over me. When I open the door, ready to greet my overnight guard, I'm surprised to see that it's not Luke but instead, Tom Holland. I'm braless, and pant-less, just wearing one of Hero's t-shirts and my hair is thrown into a mess on my head. "Tom?" I rudely greet him and cross my arms over my breasts. "Good evening Madden, nice to see you too." He laughs. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting guests. I was just getting ready to lie in bed and binge Netflix!" Tom laughs at me and apologizes for the intrusion, "I thought since Hero is not here, you'd like some company." He waves a small baggy in his hands with two joints of Marijuana. I shake my head to say no way in hell, if Hero found out that there were drugs in this house other than medical ones, he'd get so angry with me. "I don't think that's a good idea..." I would like to experience it once, but I don't need Hero getting angry with me. I step aside to let Tom in because it's quite cold outside. He removes his shoes and his coat, which shows he's wearing joggers and a simple t-shirt; similar to how Hero would dress the only difference is Tom is actually wearing a shirt in the house. He reaches his arm out, looking for my hand to invite me into my own home, and I take it. Because I've already turned off all the lights, we go into my bedroom and out onto the porch. Tom closes the door behind us, so that the smell of weed doesn't get into the house and pulls out both joints from the baggy and from his pocket, he pulls a lighter. I watch as Tom lights the joints and passes one to me. I take the small rolled up paper in my hands, and hesitate while Tom takes a few puffs, "Well, c'mon then." I don't feel pressure, just curiosity to know what it is like to be under the influence of weed so I take a puff and the taste with the addition of smoke burns my throat and down to my lungs, causing me to cough. Tom laughs at me; he smokes without any congestion or reaction from the burn. I take a few more hits of the joint, and begin to feel as if I'm not standing, I feel like I'm falling over and my legs are numb. Tom takes the rest of the joint himself and we stand out on the porch, staring at the dark sky lit with the stars. "Beautiful isn't it?" He asks me as he looks up. "Hero and I would sit in the grass, watching the sky go dark with the stars." I hold onto the railing to balance myself. As dizzy as I feel, I also feel calm and relaxed. Tom places his hand over mine, "I know it may feel like your falling but you're not," his touch shows me his words are true. "You're freezing," he tells me. I haven't even noticed how cold I am, I've just been intrigued by the stars. Tom walks into the bedroom, grabbing the blanket laid out on the bed and comes back to throw it over my shoulders. I now know how cold I was, because this blanket brings in so much heat back to my body.

We go back inside to the bedroom and sit at the edge of my bed; the bed I share with Hero. Tom takes control of the remote and scrolls through Netflix to find something to watch. "This is a great movie." He clicks on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; I can't help but show my excitement and I'm fucking starving. "I'm so hungry!" Tom looks at me, laughing at my mood swings and then leaves the bedroom. I don't know where he's going and don't have the care in my body to go follow him. I wait in my room for him to return, if he will and lay my head on my pillow. On the night side table, my phone starts vibrating. I pick it up and see that Hero is calling; immediate panic streams through my veins and I know if I don't pick up, he will assume something is wrong, so I take one deep breath, hoping that I sound normal then pick up the phone.