Hollywood's Secret Baby

Sarah wasn’t expecting this. She looks from Cory to

me and back to Lizzie who explains her rationale.

“My mom said that since we’re going to California, that we get to take a trip to Disneyland. We’ve been planning to go to Disneyland ever since I was little, and Mr. Cory said that he was going to take us. And since he’s working on the movie with my mom, and you’re working on the movie with my mom, I think we should all go together.”

Sarah Park is a busy woman. And even if she weren’t, there’s no way any normal person agrees to go to Disneyland just because the daughter of a friend of a friend asks you too.

Sarah Park is not a normal person.

“That sounds absolutely splendid. We shall make a day of it. Maybe two!”

Lizzie’s eyes practically sparkle at this announcement. “Two days?” she asks in drawn-out amazement.

“I will see to it. You can trust your Auntie Sarah.” And with this, the blockbuster movie star shakes Lizzie’s hand and gives her the most reassuring smile.

Well, shit. I didn’t want to like Sarah, but now there’s no way I can hate her. Not even when, after this little interlude with Lizzie, she cozies up to Cory as we all four move through the onlookers we’ve gathered, towards the terminal. But it’s not into the congested lines of economy passengers fretting over their suitcases that may be over the weight limit. No, we’re escorted to the Platinum line, which is empty save for two perky employees who immediately take our suitcases. Within thirty seconds they’re directing us to the edge of the security area, where we bypass the lines once more. After a quick step through some sort of scanning machine, we’re in the main terminal just three minutes after checking our bags in.

This whole time, Sarah has been glued to Cory, arms linked, reminiscing over little anecdotes from her recent visit in Europe and whispering about the financing of his upcoming film.

“Anything I need to know about?” I ask, trying not to sound like I’ve been eavesdropping, but the topic of money and the movie I’ve been brought into has definitely perked up my ears.

“Just boring shop talk,” Sarah replies and flashes that perfect smile of hers before tucking her face back against Cory’s shoulder, practically hissing in his ear. I only hear snippets of what she says: “It is better to admit it all now…better it's all in the air…she needs to know….”

Unless I’m wrong, Cory looks almost annoyed at the star. He bites out a quick reply that they ‘can talk about this at a later time’.

Sarah only nods at this before launching into another monologue centering, from what I can tell, on what we shall eat during our first meal together. If Sarah has a superpower besides being unfairly attractive, trilingual, and blessed with acting skills that allow her to pick and choose her jobs, it’s that she apparently doesn’t need to breathe when she really gets talking.

But Cory drifts away from her and over to me, so that from an outsider’s point of view, Sarah might now look like the third wheel. At Gate 32A, we flash our tickets. Again, there are no lines we have to stand in. With a simple scan of our boarding passes, we go from walking across the tile of the airport terminal to stepping foot on the Airbus.

This isn’t my first time flying, but it is my first time being personally greeted by the pilot as we board.

“I’m a big fan,” he says to Cory, shaking his hand with both of his. Lizzie is right behind Cory, and she too extends her hand for a shake from the pilot. Bemused, he complies, but then at the sight of Sarah Park, his eyes bulge and he trips over his words to such an extent that he simply gives up and steps aside as Sarah continues on her rant, which has now shifted to how she is of the opinion that the wine coming from France these days is actually improving, despite what the traditional luddites say about all the chemistry behind the grapes in recent years.

We’re then directed up a small flight of stairs rather than back into the cramped economy seating. I didn’t even know there was an upper floor. And at the top of the stairs is the world of travel that I thought went extinct decades ago. There’s a public seating area with plush seats and a bottle of champagne on ice. To the left and right are tiny rooms that are really nothing more than a bed with just enough space to stand at the its foot. The flight attendants slide our carry-ons into personal closets and place glasses of champagne (and a champagne flute full of soda for Lizzie) in our hands before we even have a chance to sit.

Sarah’s mouth slows just enough to take a sip, wrinkle her nose, and analyze the notes. She’s no doubt ready to fire off her opinion of the subpar bubbly, but Cory acts faster than her mouth for once.

“Hot Stuff,” he says, taking hold of my wrist and pulling me into our private room “How would you like a tour? There are all kinds of interesting little things in first class. Sarah, can you watch over Lizzie?”

I’m about to interject at this suggestion, but Lizzie has already made herself comfortable in Auntie Sarah’s compartment, playing with the in-flight entertainment system, and eating snacks that the flight attendants shower upon her.

He closes the door, exhales a huge sigh of relief, and shakes his head. “I swear to god, that woman. It’s like she gets paid by the word and she’s determined to be the richest person on the planet.”

I can’t explain what comes over me in this moment. It’s probably a combination of things. All sorts of crazy feelings are bouncing around inside me, overlapping and painting over each other. Like the fact that Cory’s no longer my pudgy friend from high school but a hot director from Hollywood who would make a stupendous father. Then there’s the thought that he just locked himself away with me rather than spend one more minute with Time’s Sexiest Woman of last year, Sarah Park. Not to mention that we’re in first class, drinking champagne, on the way to start living a dream I long thought was dead.

This whole atmosphere charges my heart, prompting it to swell without warning. One moment I’m biting my lips while I wonder what I did to deserve all of this. The next I’ve thrown myself at Cory, our lips crushing against each other’s.

When I pull away, a fumbled apology ready to fall out of the same lips that were just pressed against his, Cory pulls me back in before I can get a single word out.

Chapter 10

When I close my eyes, it’s easy to imagine that we’re just teenagers again, metamorphosed into bodies with more curves and muscle. Anyway, we’re not acting like two rational adults, but like a couple of horny kids so desperate for release that all tenderness is thrown out the window in favor of animalistic speed.

We’re both out of our clothes in seconds. Cory has me pinned on the bed, his tongue wrestling against mine. I’m moaning into his mouth and grasping at his shoulder blades, pulling his chest down onto my naked breasts.

Then he’s slid down, licking and kissing and nipping. While his lips search out my nipples, his hands run up and down the sides of my body. His cock is rock hard against my inner thighs.

“Give me a second,” he says, pulling away. “I’ve got a condom in here some—”