Riley"Of course. We were going to discuss a few scenes from the film, so you had to be here." He winked and offered Deza help too. She took it and thanked him before kicking off her sandals and pulling off her top. Ethan whistled playfully at her, and I couldn’t help but enjoy their relationship. If he and I didn't turn out to be lovers, I had to hope we could at least be really great friends like they were."Look but don't touch." She wagged her finger at him."Damn. I thought I was your type." His lip turned down into a frown."Not even close, Mister. Your skin is far too light for my liking." She shrugged and turned to walk toward the edge of the boat."I can get it dyed. I'm sure Nancy has something that would help us out. No need to let our love only go skin deep, Deza." He glanced over at me as his lip rose in a sexy smirk. "You like black men too, Riley?""Who doesn't?" I dropped my bag and purse on the boat beside me and kicked off my sandals. "They have incredible packages t

RileyHis answer stung me in a way that left me wanting to find a bathroom and let out a few tears. I glanced back toward the water and swallowed the hot ball of anger in my throat. Why had I even asked? It wasn't my business. I'd already made that determination, and to follow through with asking him about the girl only left me looking like a love-sick idiot, which I wasn't."That's very true." I shrugged and let out a soft sigh as if I was totally taken by the beauty of the ocean. "Whoever she was, she was beautiful."He snorted and shook his head. "This life isn't easy. It's not like I can have a real relationship. All I have is a few warm bodies to keep offering me false hope that there is more to love than a quick fuck."Now he was cracking. Some nefarious part of me wanted to clap and release a maniacal laugh. I wanted down into his heart. Wanted to know who the real Ethan Lewis was. It would take time to find him through the layers of lies and false character roles he'd taken on

Ethan"I should be rich enough at this point to have someone else pack for me. You do it. You dress me better than I dress myself anyway." I tossed a T-shirt at Deza and dropped down on my bed in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs."Cover that up. God." She walked into the room after bitching at me for ten minutes from the living room to hurry up. As if we had any-fucking-where to be that night. We didn't, and I was pretty sure the plane wasn't leaving without me."Don't be jealous. Get over it and I'll let you pet it too." I laughed deep in my chest as she tossed the t-shirt back at me and pretended to gag. "Keep it up. I know I'm close to breaking you down.""Breaking me down." She turned and put her fist on her hip. "And what pray-tell does that mean?"I sat up and licked my lips. "You tell me what the hell pray-tell means and I'll give in to your harassments. You can have an hour with me, okay?""I live my life with you, and you're too young to know what pray-tell means." She turn

Riley"What was that all about?" I moved back as Deza walked into the plane, looking less than thrilled to be there."Same old shit." She paused and seemed to force the smile that moved across her face. "How are you? Everything go okay with getting away for a few weeks? Your professors weren't assholes about it?""Most of them were good to me." I reached over and grabbed her bag as she tried to take it from me. I laughed and walked back to the small, but open space where a handful of leather chairs sat. "Morning, Ethan."I lifted Deza's bag as he turned and took it from me. "How are you? Ready for us to get this show on the road? Nervous at all?""I'm excited. I've been waiting my whole life for something like this, but on a smaller scale." I moved back and dropped down in the seat closest to me."You're just going to have to jump from commercials to the big time. It's going to be an adjustment, but you'll love it." Deza sat down on my left and let out a sigh. "We'll be here to help y

EthanShe fell asleep a few minutes later as I sat in the seat next to her, steaming. I was so pissed at Deza for being an ass about me and Riley sharing ourselves with each other. Was it dangerous? Yes, but so was humping the next stranger I ran into when we got off the plane.Why everyone had to complicate everything was beyond me.Silver spoon. Anger burned through me, causing my skin to heat and a slight sheen of sweat to collect at my brow and above my lip. My parents hadn't been around enough for us to have spoons. It was a miracle that Liam and I not only made it out of our childhood alive, but that we made something of ourselves. We were nothing but tools to two money-hungry people with the hope of grandeur and more greed than anyone should have to bear."You okay? You're sweating." Frank pressed his shoulder to mine and watched me with concern."I'm good. Just not feeling too hot." I stood and smiled down at him. "Or maybe feeling too hot. Just a little fever I guess. I'll be