Wicked Torture (Stark World 3)

"Baby, that sounds perfect to me."

19

"I can't believe we're on a studio backlot. Look!" I say, pointing at the fake facade of a two-story house. "I know I've seen that house in some television show. No," I correct. "A movie. Definitely a movie."

I'm not a celebrity hound, but I can't deny that being on the backlot with the likes of Hollywood A-listers like Lyle Tarpin and Francesca Muratti is pretty damn amazing. And even though I'm trying not to be a drooling fan girl, I think I'm losing the battle.

"You're cute when you're awed," Noah says. To which I stick out my tongue. In the most polite way, of course.

"But seriously," I say, hooking my arm through his as I gaze over the crowd and the set pieces for M. Sterious, the blockbuster action movie that will be released next year. "This is pretty much the best date ever."

"Better than miniature golf?"

I lift myself up on my tiptoes and press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Nothing's better than miniature golf."

He laughs, then raises his hand to wave at someone across the crowd.

And there really is a crowd.

In addition to everyone who worked on the film, the cast and crew invited their own friends and family. And on top of that, Lyle invited fifty kids enrolled in various programs offered by the Stark Children's Foundation, an organization that assists abused, traumatized and disenfranchised children through sports and play therapy, though lately its mission has expanded to include mentoring.

All of which I know because Lyle and Damien explained it when we first arrived, after being shuttled from the airport to the studio in a private car from Stark's fleet. Another perk that I could get used to.

Lyle is active in the organization and acts as a Youth Advocate, which is more than just a mentor. Instead, Youth Advocates are celebrities who publicly share their own past trauma in order to help the kids in the program realize that they're not alone.

"You should consider doing it," Lyle tells Noah, when he and his girlfriend, Sugar, come over to greet us. "There's power in owning the shit from your past. And a lot of these kids have lost family members through violence. You've got a lot to offer them."

"We'll see," Noah says, as Sugar hip bumps Lyle even as she shoots me an amused glance. Her eyes are brown, a shade similar to mine, but no freckles dot her nose, and her hair is the kind of blonde that reminds me of beaches and summer.

I remember that there was some sort of media brouhaha that involved the two of them a few months ago, but I don't recall any of the details, other than that I thought it was unfair that she'd had her privacy ripped away. It wasn't as if she'd jumped into the spotlight on purpose, like Celia and I were hoping to do with Pink Chameleon.

But I suppose that's the price Sugar paid dating a guy whose face often peers out at the world from magazines in supermarket checkout lines. From the expression on her face when she looks at him, I'm certain she thinks it was worth the price.

"This is supposed to be a party, not a recruitment event," Sugar continues. "So behave."

"Only if I get to misbehave later," Lyle says with a wink.

"I think that can be arranged."

Lyle catches Noah's eye and grins. Then he turns his attention to me. "Come on. I'll introduce you to Francesca."

"Muratti?" If Lyle's a star, Francesca Muratti is a supernova. "Really?"

"I told her you were coming. She's a fan." He glances around. "Where did Celia go?"

Noah had asked Lyle to invite her, and she'd completely squealed over him when we'd first arrived, then almost lost her shit when he'd autographed her T-shirt. Now, I look around and find her talking to a stunning brunette with a microphone. She sees me and waves, her shoulder-length pink curls bouncing.

"Who's she talking to," I ask Lyle, but it's Noah who answers. "That's Jamie Archer. Well, Jamie Hunter, now."

"You know her?" Considering he just told me she was married, the tinge of jealousy is ridiculous.

"She's Nikki Stark's best friend. And she recently married Ryan Hunter."

"The Stark security chief that you want to talk to about beta-testing?"

"Right," Noah said. "He's around here somewhere. We'll find him later," he adds as Celia rushes up and grabs my arm.

"That's Jamie Archer," she says. "She does entertainment reporting, and I told her we're getting Pink Chameleon back together. I think she might do a story on us!"