Resist (Sphere of Irony 3)

I have to hide my shock when Mitch’s eyes zero in on the strip of skin that is revealed at my waist before quickly dropping back to his beer.

“It’s been fun, but think I’ve had enough of the heart to heart for tonight,” I admit.

Mitch stands up as well, finishing his beer. “Right. And we have to find a new place to live.” He shoots me a side eye, but I can tell he’s not angry. Maybe annoyed, but not angry.

“Sorry.”

“No worries, Gavin. Let me make a few calls.”

Mitch limps from the room. I hear his bottle clatter into the recycling bin in the kitchen. Without the work my assistant was bringing, I decide to get my laptop and Skype her so we can coordinate my schedule.

Hopefully it will be enough to distract me from the fact that I’m now sharing a house with one of the hottest, most intriguing men I’ve ever known. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s straight? But after that look he just gave me, I’m thinking it’s possible he’s a little bit bent.

Mitch

“Is it necessary?” I demand, pacing the length of the back deck of the rental house.

Ross snaps back in a clipped tone. “Yes, it’s necessary. It’s the launch party for their next album, Mitch. I wouldn’t make Gavin go if it weren’t important. You know that. He has to be there.”

I brace one hand on the railing, drumming my fingers, and look out over the city. When I asked Ross to get a rental house, I should have known it would be a ridiculous mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

“Fine. We’ll be there.”

“Great. The car will pick you up at three,” Ross instructs.

“No car. I’m driving him from now on. I don’t want anyone else knowing where we are or coming to the house. We’ll meet you at the studio and go with you from there. And three o’clock, Ross? The event isn’t until six!”

Ross huffs. “There’s wardrobe, makeup, photo sessions, meet and greets—”

“Whatever. Fine, fine, we’ll be there at three.” I disconnect the call before Ross goes off on another tangent.

Christ. I never knew how much work it was to be a celebrity. There are more pointless meet and greets and photo sessions than I ever thought possible. It’s not surprising Gavin is ready to snap. He has people tugging on him from a million different directions. It’s the contact with so many strangers on a daily basis that makes me nervous. You never know if one of them is about to attack.

“Gets old, doesn’t it?” Gavin quips from behind me, bringing with him the faint scent of that damn coconut body wash. “The nagging and expectations everyone has?”

I laugh. “Yeah. And it’s only been a week. How you don’t snap and go out of your mind is a mystery. I’d be in the loony bin by now.”

Gavin flinches and his mouth presses into a tight line.

What did I say?

“So,” I hesitate. “We’ll be leaving at two-thirty.”

He nods, leaving the deck in a cloud of unexplained fury.

Spoiled brat celebrities. Never again.

Flummoxed, I call Sasha to vent.

“Mitch, my gorgeous darling. Miss me?”

I smile. “You always know how to cheer me up, Sasha.” I settle onto one of the comfy deck chairs and close my eyes, letting my skin soak up the sun.

“That’s because I’m brilliant. And because I know you, Mitch,” she purrs.

“You do.” I agree.

“Uh oh, is there trouble in Hollywood paradise?”