Just A Ride
Morgan
I heard the bell ring and quickly my laughter faded away. Josh was telling me all about his brother who was my age in school. He was the class clown and from the way Josh explained Keith’s life since high-school that hadn’t changed.
Josh glanced up and his smile faded as well. I could hear the footsteps behind me, and I already knew it was Creed. I refused to even look at him as I waited for the tow truck.
“Ready?” Creed asked and I thought he was talking to Josh, so I didn’t reply. I was just relieved he was leaving. The last thing I wanted to do was whatever it was we did when we were near one another.
“We have a few hours yet.” Josh replied to the man standing behind me. My skin was doing that weird thing where it felt like I had goosebumps chasing each other.
“I’m speaking to Miss Rossi.” Creed deadpanned.
Talking to me? He thought I’d go anywhere with him?
“I’m waiting for the tow truck, and I’ll have him drop me at the shop.” I answered. It would have made much more sense for me to wait for the new rental, but of course Creed had to make everything more complicated than necessary.
“You’re not getting into a vehicle with a stranger. You’ll get your ass on my bike, and I’ll be taking you.” Creed ordered.
My blood was beginning to boil already, and he hadn’t even been standing near me for thirty seconds. “Excuse me?” I stood then turned to face him. Once again I was taken off guard by those striking eyes, but I had to stand my ground despite them. “Who exactly do you think you are?”
He was standing with his arms crossed and I internally cursed myself for looking at those biceps. My God he was all man and oozed hot sex. Why a man like him had to pay women to sleep with him was beyond me. Even his demanding nature was somewhat a turn on, and I wished I could slap the attraction out of myself. How was it possible to fight whatever magnet was drawing me to him?
“I’m the man your uncle keeps pestering to watch out over you. Darren just happens to be a friend so it’s an obligation, or maybe one of many favors I owe him. Either way, let’s go.” He nodded his head toward a bike.
“I don’t have to go anywhere with you!” I snapped at him.
“Either get on that bike or call Darren for a ride. Either way you choose, I’m not leaving you here by yourself.” He demanded.
Did I really want to deal with Uncle Darren? He would be pissed that I took off by myself and I’d rather deal with my dad than my overbearing uncle. Plus, did it mean I’d got to see the inside of Creed’s Lake? Then I thought about being on that bike and having my body so close to Creed. It was a hard decision because Creed had red flag written all over him. He was the kind of man that could make the strongest and most independent women fall at his feet. Jesus he was hot, and made me feel hot around him. My eyes trailed over his body as I wondered of he was hiding tattoos under that shirt. Crap, I had to stay focused and keep my mind out of the gutter. I reminded myself to think about Callie and Addie. Maybe I didn’t think I needed Creed, but my two favorite girls definitely needed him. It was Creed that demanded Shane bring my girls to him the following night. Shit! Why did he have to be so damn beautiful but an asshole at the same time?
“Are you done eye fucking me yet? I have things to do, so either get on that bike or lets call Darren.” He said.
I gasped at what he said. Eye fucking him? Was he serious?
“Excuse me?” I wasn’t just offended but embarrassed, because he was right. I got lost in my thoughts over what my imagination was screaming had to be under that shirt.
“I can…” Josh went to speak up, but Creed shot his eyes at him in warning. “Fine.” Josh stood and looked at me. “It was great catching up, Morgan. I guess I’ll see you around.”
Oh, so Mr. Creed had everyone playing in his hands. Because he was his boss he thought he ran everything his employees did in their lives?
“Yes, it was good to see you as well, Josh.”
Josh gave me a nod then put his hand on my shoulder before he leaned in to whisper. “He’s actually a great guy, don’t let him fool you into thinking otherwise.” He gave my shoulder a pat then walked back inside the general store. I looked at Creed and he still stood there with his arms crossed, but lifted a brow as he watched Josh walk away. He then looked at me and waited for just a moment before he barked out the order.
“Lets go.”
“Fine!” I reached over for my purse. I already put all my things inside it, so I had nothing else to grab. Creed walked ahead of me, like I was supposed to just follow him like a lost puppy. Once we got to his bike, I just stood there clutching on to my purse as I admired it. It was jet black with dark blue accents, very sleek in design. Obviously, it was way more expensive than the other bikes in the parking lot. He unlocked a box on the side of the bike and opened it.
“Purse.” He held his hand out for it.
I rolled my eyes and stepped forward, handing it too him and he snatched it before putting it in the box and locking it. He then swung his leg around and pulled the bike straight up before kicking back the kickstand. “Hop on.” He said.
“No helmet?” I was hesitant.
He shook his head. “Not today, it’s legal to ride without one in Indiana.”
“But that’s stupid.” I crossed my arms.
“I don’t just carry around extra helmets, Morgan. It’s fine just get on.” He ordered.
“You might have a death wish, but I don’t.”
His lips lifted to a half smile. “Are you really too chicken shit to ride a fucking bike?”
I glared at him. “I don’t even know you and you expect me to put my life into your hands?”
He lifted one shoulder into a shrug. “I guess if you want to live your life always playing it safe and never taking chances that’s your decision. Have fun with Darren after I call him.”
“Ugh, you’re such an asshole!” I gave in and stepped closer. He leaned forward so I could swing my leg over and sit on the almost non-existent back seat. There wasn’t even anything behind me to lean on and the seat felt hard.
“This must be the most uncomfortable bike ever.” I complained as I took in what must be his own custom scent. It was a cologne or aftershave I never smelled on a man before. It was confusing because the rich earthy masculine scent calmed me for some reason. He started the bike, then reached back for my hands then pulled them around so I was pretty much hugging him.
“Hold on!” He yelled over the engine, but like the completely weak woman I tried to hide when I was around him, my mind was somewhere completely different. The amount of hard muscle I felt under his t-shirt mixed with his unbelievable scent left my mind completely blank of rational thought. He backed the bike up by using his legs, then put it in gear before he slowly took off. He looked both ways before entering the old county road, then gunned it. As sure as shit, he just had to freak me the fuck out. As I screamed for him to slow down, I could feel his stomach muscles like he was laughing at me. “You’re an asshole!” I screamed.
He nodded in agreement as he laughed at me. He had to stop at a stop sign, and I ripped into him. “You may not think much of me, but at least understand that I’m scared of not having a helmet. At least pretend to have some respect!”
It wasn’t my first time on a bike. I was on them for movies, but Uncle Darren took me for rides on his bike. Never had I ever rode without a helmet. Thankfully I had sunglasses on, but my hair kept slapping me in the face and eyes because I forgot to put it up. I was too scared to let go of him and dig a hair tie from my pocket.
When we made it to the main intersection, he didn’t go left toward the lake. “Where are you taking me?” I screamed over the wind and the engine. He said something but I couldn’t hear him. I suddenly wondered if I was the victim of a kidnapping situation. “Turn this bike around!” I screamed, but he just kept driving.
I gave him hell until I realized where he was headed. “The falls? Are you kidding me?” I screamed but felt him shrug. Eventually, he stopped and dug his wallet out to pay the park ranger the fee into the state park. That one move had me on alarm because is pocket was way too close to the top of my inner thigh.
He took me an entire county away from where we were supposed to go. He handed the park ranger money, and the ranger gave him a ticket before he took off slowly. I realized he wasn’t actually kidnapping me, but why were we at the park?
His motorcycle sounded even louder as he drove the paved road through the woods. I calmed, took in his scent and went back to thinking about the muscular body in front of me. My body was pressed against his and all I could think about were things I had no business thinking about a man that hated me.
Eventually, he parked his bike and cut off the engine. “What are we doing here?” I was acting pissed, but I might have been okay with it. He had to be a smarter man than to have left a trail of evidence leading to where he took me to kill me.
“Clearing the air. You can step off now.” He said.
I did as I was told and once I was standing on the ground, that felt like it was vibrating, he put the kickstand out and leaned the bike on it. He looked over at me. “I owe Darren and if I’m going to help with your friend and her kid, we need to get a few things straight.”
I remembered my hair and reached up to feel nothing but knots. Great, just great. I couldn’t have imagined how bad it looked. I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Like why you hate me even though you don’t know me?” I dug in my pocket and pulled out a hair tie.
He swung his leg around and stood. “I don’t hate you specifically, just your type. Come on, let’s go see the falls.” He walked toward the dirt path.
“My type? What the hell does that mean?” I kept following him down the path.
He stopped and turned to look at me. “The world you live in and the world I come from aren’t that much different. Neither are as big as you might think. I’ve met and known people like you, so we need to come to an understanding. There is no being fake with me. This isn’t Hollywood, so there’s no reason for you to pretend around me. I hate fake people, and since Darren wants me involved in bringing your friend home, I want to know who the hell I’m really helping.”
“Pretend around you?” I had to stop and think about it for a moment then I started laughing.
“You think this is funny?” He glared down at me with those gorgeous turquoise eyes.
I nodded. “Very funny.” I calmed my laugh. “I’ve worked in one way or another in Hollywood for twenty three of my twenty nine years. In that time, I’ve only made one true friend. Why is what you may ask? It’s because I’m the snobby bitch of Hollywood. Yeah, being labeled the snobbiest bitch in Hollywood by the snobbiest bitches in the world says a little something, doesn’t it?” I walked around him and headed toward the falls.
“Yeah, it says you’re the top bitch.” He said as he walked behind me.
I stopped walking and turned to face him. “It means I think I’m better than them, and it’s true. I didn’t take the easy route in my career. Never once did I suck a dick to get a part in a movie. I never slept my way into fame. In fact, I’ve dated two guys my entire life. An amazing young man that grew up to be an equally amazing adult. And then a world history teacher that had nothing to do with Hollywood. My red carpet appearances have been either on the arm of my best friend out there, my brother, my father, or my uncle. I’ve never attended after parties, or had any other women as friends. Want to know why?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I cared so much to prove myself to him.
He shrugged.
“Because they can’t be trusted, and I didn’t need drama to be the spotlight. I worked, I was lonely, and I came home for the same reasons you don’t like Hollywood. I was six years old when I started working. Do you really think I understood or wanted a life like that at that age? I didn’t have a clue about Hollywood, I just liked playing pretend. As in a child’s game. I just happened to be good at it. The thing I wasn’t good at was making friends out there. My friends, my family, and all the people I love were always here. I want my real life back, with the people that understand I might be a little spoiled, but I sure as hell am not fake.” I turned and walked toward the falls again.
“You’re awfully close to Jake Meadows and Jonathan Powers.” He said as he followed me.
I sarcastically laughed as we walked. How dare he presume what kind of person I am without even knowing me? “Jonathan Powers and his wife the wicked witch of the west? No thank you. Jonathan could care less about me or Jake. Did you know Jonathan is his uncle and he hates the man? Jake only took this latest role to be with me. He was watching over me.”
“You don’t like Jonathan or his wife?” He asked as I stepped on the observation deck.
“Well, I wouldn’t say I dislike his wife, more like hate her with a passion. She took advantage of me when I was in college and trying to balance school and work. Jonathan was great when I was younger and made my first two movies. At first I thought she was really nice. The woman conned me into signing a contract with one studio and to do a certain number of movies with Jonathan. My lawyer steered me wrong, and I signed it. It was the biggest mistake of my life, because here I am at twenty nine years old and I just now fulfilled that contract. While I worked my ass off, Jonathan and Nicole took luxurious vacations and benefitted from my hard work. They weren’t easy roles. It took me months to prepare for these roles, and they weren’t even the type of movies I wanted to make. Now I’m free of them, and I’m taking the time off I need to decide what life I want to live from here on out.”
He looked down at me with a disgusted look on his face. “Are you trying to tell me the studio and Jonathan Powers has owned you all these years?”
I looked at the falls then back up at him. “I loved my work, but they’ve worked me like a mule. I’ve spent a great deal of the money I earned just trying to get out of that contract. I hated it, but I did benefit somewhat. I became an A-list actor and didn’t sleep my way to the top like many others. Not that I care about my status as much as people might think. I just wanted to act, honestly I was more attracted to Broadway, but that wasn’t in the cards for me. Jake and I were such a hit together and they really pushed us into more movie roles. Jake was free and refused to do a movie for his Uncle until our last one. He is very protective of me, and thought Jonathan and Nicole would make threats to get me to sign again. In fact, Jonathan begged me to do a sequel to one of my movies, but as soon as production wrapped up on the last movie I left to come home.”
His eyes turned dark. “So, it’s true. You are fucking Jake?”
Was he serious? I told him the biggest Hollywood secret I had to live with for a decade and he asked me that question so bluntly? Fuck him!
“That’s your business how?” I was so pissed.
“You’re not bringing him here to live, are you? I settled here to live a peaceful life away from people like him. I deserve to know.”
I could feel the blood boil in my face. It must have been red from anger. I repeated myself for fifteen years, over and over again to the media and everyone else that asked. There I was as an adult woman answering the same damn question to someone that had no business even knowing.
“Do you have siblings, Mr. Creed?” I asked.
“Its just Creed and my answer is no.”
“That’s too bad, then you might understand the relationship I have with Jake Meadows. We kissed on set, hell we even had pretend sex on set, but never one time did he ever touch me as my true self. The thought of that disgusts me, because he’s my only other real friend besides Callie. We watched each other grow up. Sometimes we fight like siblings, and he’s protective of me just like Patrick. He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known, just like my brother, dad, and uncle. No, we never dated. No, we’ve never slept together, and no, we never even considered it. Jake and his parents, along with my family, are the only ones that know about my contract with Jonathan and the production company.”
He studied my eyes and his turned soft. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Why would I lie? What benefit would that give me? Other than helping Callie, there isn’t anything I want from you. You’re obligation as you say isn’t toward me, but to my uncle. What benefit would I get by acting fake in Cold Springs? I never cared what the tabloids said about me, so why would I need to be fake around anyone in this town? If anything, they all know my flaws and they’ve known me since I was born. I have family and good friends here, not in Hollywood.”