Chapter 1 #2
Kitt sat there quietly. He stared at the aging pool table and wondered how many people knew he’d sold a chunk of his daddy’s land to pay for his sister’s education.
The idea anyone might know sure didn’t sit well with him, and he suspected this tight-knit community wouldn’t appreciate him letting the highest bidder just come in and take up residence.
That land had been in the Kelly family for a hundred and thirty years.
Kitt certainly hadn’t told a soul about what he did but keeping secrets in a small town like this seemed equal to hiding an elephant in a sheep pen.
Pretty much next to impossible. There was only one way to keep a secret: tell no one.
He knew that rule for fact, and it looked like he needed to remind Kylie to keep things a little quieter.
“Kitt, come dance with me…” JoLynne Rogers slid her body between his parted thighs. She was one of the twenty-five girls in his high school graduating class. He’d known her for most of his life.
“I can’t right now. I’m waitin’ for Jimmy to fail at his last shot so I can win this game and collect my money,” Kitt said, loud enough for Jimmy to hear and casually wrapped an arm around her waist. She’d been drinking quite a bit and already swayed on her feet.
“Jimmy, hurry up and lose! Kitt’s the best dancer here. We need him on the dance floor!” JoLynne directed her whiny words toward Jimmy who was leaning awkwardly over the pool table.
“He just thinks he has me. I found my shot, I’m comin’ back. JoJo, just stay there and keep him occupied.” Jimmy positioned himself for the perfect shot. He aimed, lined the ball up and shot. The ball hit just right of the pocket, knocking Kitt’s last ball in. “Damn it!”
“Yeah! Now come dance!” JoLynne pulled Kitt off the barstool. The waitress handed him a new beer as JoLynne tugged them out on the small dance floor with a slow-moving Carrie Underwood song beginning to play.
“I love this song! No matter how many times I hear it, I love it!”
JoLynne came straight into his arms. She molded her body against his and began to move around the dance floor in a slow, tricked up two-step. Kitt didn’t have a choice. He wrapped one arm around her thin waist and took a long drink of his new Bud Light before discarding it on a random table.
“I’ll be back for that,” Kitt called out to the couple at the table.
It freed him to twist and turn her to the beat of the music.
They danced well together, and after a couple of faster songs, they finally took it slower when Willy came on the jukebox.
JoLynne came back into his arms all hot, sweaty, and still tipsy as hell.
They were back to a simple two-step together.
On the pass back around, Kitt grabbed his beer with a nod and took a long swig.
He started to give JoLynne a drink but stopped.
“How’re you gettin' home?” He eyed her close.
“I’m not drivin’, I’m here with Rae-Anne.
But you know I’d go home with you if you asked.
” There wasn’t even a blush at the words.
He guessed they were too old now for hesitations and innuendos.
The game was gone. Apparently, they just said it plainly, and just like every other time she’d asked, there was no way he would be going there with her.
Instead of answering, he handed her his beer, and she drained it down.
“I’m guessin’ that’s a no, like usual. At some point, Kitt Kelly, a hot guy like you’s gonna need some in-town lovin’.
When that time comes, you promise to call me.
” She moved back into their dance embrace with her body molded against his.
She spoke more in his ear, and her breath tickled his neck as she rested her head against his shoulder.
“JoLynne…”
“I know, you don’t shit where you eat. I heard it all from Jimmy, but just know there’s a big Kitt Kelly fan club ready to step in and make you a fine wife for that big ole ranch you got out there.
And you aren’t gettin' any younger. Twenty-eight’s pretty old around these parts to never have been married. ”
“I know and you make it look like so much fun. When’s divorce number two final?” Kitt shot back. He kept their feet moving together instinctively. JoLynne was still inappropriately pressed against him from head to toe, and she grinned, gripping his ass when she answered.
“Soon as he gives me the trailer and stops fightin’ me on the flat screen. Until then, he can just keep payin’ for it all, and I’ll keep livin’ there without him anyways.”
“Hmm…” It was all Kitt said as he felt his phone vibrate at his belt.
He anchored her slightly to his left, not stopping their steps around the dance floor as he palmed his phone to read the text.
It was the one he’d been waiting for all night.
With one hand, he texted back a quick, “I’m on my way” and began to pry JoLynne off his body.
“Honey, I gotta drive to Dallas tonight. I just got the call. Thanks for dancin’ with me.” He saw her wobble a little and turned his head to see if Rae-Anne was in any better condition to drive them home.
“Kitt! Why’re you leavin’! You never come into town anymore!” JoLynne stomped her foot as she spoke.
“Sorry, babe, it’s an emergency. I gotta roll. Tell Jimmy bye for me.”
He left the dance floor, texting Jimmy to make sure the two women got home safely. Kitt pulled out his wallet, paid his tab at the bar and strolled right out the front door without a backward glance. Suddenly, the night started looking up in a major way.
It was at least a ninety-minute drive to Dallas, but his fuck buddy had gotten free after all, and the lord knew he needed to get laid in the worst way possible.
As he stepped onto the running board to his F250 pickup truck, Kitt palmed his phone again.
He quickly sent a text to his ranch foreman, letting him know he would be back about mid-morning and to begin the day without him.
His truck was in gear and already pulling forward before he even got the door fully shut.
=?=
Four hours into the awards ceremony, Austin wanted to hang himself.
The never-ending tears during the acceptance speeches rang like a sledgehammer through his head giving him one hell of a splitting headache.
At least at the other award shows, they served alcohol to help take the edge off the tedious boredom and in-your-face egomaniacs.
Seriously, the whole industry just thought too highly of itself.
In what world was it ever okay to have a room full of people sit for hours, stewing in their own greatness?
All while they waited to see if they’d won a trophy of a naked man with no dick… It was such a joke.
Austin didn’t have to worry about his appearance tonight.
His hair was sculpted in place, designed not to move even in gale force winds.
He didn’t have to worry about the makeup either because much to his staff’s annoyance, he’d refused to wear any tonight.
Austin drew the line at makeup after he was spray tanned, clean shaven, and if he was willing to admit it, even waxed.
To top it all off, Austin was brawny and solid.
The idea of wearing a form fitted tuxedo with a stupidly tight silk necktie that seriously limited his breathing by half was plain crazy.
The seating in this old building was impossible.
These tiny seats had to have been made for children, not for grown ass men.
Nearly an hour later, the night finally began to wind down with only three awards left: Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Movie.
Austin was nominated for his role as a down-on-his-luck guy who turned multimillionaire, only to lose it all on a sick son he didn’t know he had.
He wasn’t sure the simple, low-budget role truly rang award worthy, yet the entire cast sat behind him.
He could hear their giddy whispers buzz through the air, but he just wasn’t emotionally in the same place with them.
He felt like a caged animal begging to be set free.
The Best Actor nominees were announced while scenes from their films were shown.
It took several minutes to get through it all.
As Austin’s name was read, the cast sitting behind him clapped a little louder throwing in a few whoops and hollers.
Cara leaned in to whisper in his ear as the camera panned in on him.
“Focus in, Austin. They’re reading your name.
It’s almost over.” She kissed his cheek.
He smiled the smile he knew people loved and lifted his head to watch the clip of the movie.
The actress giving the award, Meryl Streep, fanned herself after watching him cry by his dying son’s hospital bed before she opened the envelope and grinned.
“And the Oscar goes to… Austin Grainger!”
He kept the smile on his face and stood. Cara stood with him. It was like he was in robot mode. She kissed him lightly on the lips before he turned to have the young director hug him tight.
“You deserve this, Austin.” The director held him a moment longer in the tight embrace. Austin pulled back to see tears in the young man’s eyes. He forced himself to turn, reminding his brain this meant so much to so many.
Austin took the steps up to the stage as various well-wishers congratulated him along the way.
Meryl stood waiting for him and handed him the trophy before hugging and kissing him on the cheek.
She’d been one of his mentors from the very beginning when he’d played her son in one of his very first roles.
He accepted the award and turned to the audience united in a standing ovation still clapping wildly for him. The fact that he couldn’t even muster a serious emotion at winning this award and having his colleagues and peers cheer him on proved beyond any doubt he was more than just burned out.