Page 81 of #Starstruck

Excited, I gobbled up one of the truffles, and it melted in my mouth with a smoothness that American chocolate seemed to lack. “Mmm. This is so rich it should have its own trophy wife.”

“You shouldn’t make sounds like that. When you do, I want to finish what we started.” He kissed me, tasting the chocolate on my lips and mouth, leaving me dizzy. “But we have a lot to do today.”

“I’ve been so focused on school for the past couple of weeks that I honestly forgot about the party and premiere. I don’t have anything to wear.” I assumed one did not show up to a Hollywood movie premiere in a dress she had bought from Walmart.

“Don’t worry about it. One-F is sending over a stylist and people to do hair and makeup. I can just buy whatever dresses you choose.”

“I can buy my own dresses,” I told him. I ate chocolate between sentences. “Or buy one and wear it to both events.”

“You should probably let me pick up the tab on this,” he said. “Your picture will be taken, and you’ll want to be in the same kind of expensive clothes as everybody else.”

I paused, a piece of chocolate hovering in front of my mouth. “Are we going to take pictures together?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “We can if you want, but I’d prefer not to, just because I want you to keep your privacy for as long as possible. And don’t fight me on this dress thing. Just let me do it.”

“Fine. But you should know I’m financially independent. I make over four figures a year.”

Chase grinned. “So what you’re saying is, I’ll be a kept man.”

“I’ll keep you for as long as you’ll let me.”

His blue eyes danced just before he kissed me, and his kiss was better than any French chocolate.

“I have a phone meeting scheduled with my agent in half an hour. I’m going to take a shower, and then we can have lunch and get ready for my mom’s fund-raiser. And before you say anything, I know, standard introvert rules apply. You don’t have to talk to anyone but me. I just don’t want to be there without you.”

“Okay. I guess I can go because I love you. I’ll even take a shower so I don’t stink.”

“Awfully considerate of you.” He kissed me quickly and then headed into his bathroom. He paused. “Were you planning on taking one now? Or did you want to join me?”

I hoped he couldn’t see my cheeks flush from there. “I thought I’d wait until you’re done and use yours.” I didn’t want to get out of his bed and stop eating my delicious chocolates until I absolutely had to.

His hand gripped the door frame. “You should probably use the guest room to shower and change. Because I can’t be held responsible for my actions if you wander around my room in nothing but a towel.”

Gulping, I nodded and skittered off the bed. I grabbed my clothes from the previous night and went to a different bathroom. Where I refused to let my imagination run wild and instead just focused on what we had to do that day.

And how I could hardly wait for his mom’s fund-raiser to be over so I could end up right back here, in his arms.

When we had both showered and dressed, he defrosted a lasagna Sofia had made and entertained me with stories from his press tour. Most of them involved Amelia acting like a moron, and I felt silly that I’d ever thought him capable of cheating with her.

An hour later the stylist and her beauty team showed up with boxes of makeup and hair products, a rack of dresses, and loads of shoes in a variety of sizes and styles. Lexi would freak. No wonder she wanted to work in Hollywood so badly.

I ended up gravitating toward a royal-blue cocktail dress for the party, which reminded me of the box of chocolates Chase had given me, and a red formal-length one for the premiere, which I chose only because of how it made Chase’s eyes light up when he saw me in it. It was a little bold for my taste, with a high leg slit and a neckline a tad lower than I’d normally wear, but he’d made me feel beautiful in it. There were no price tags, which concerned me, because I had learned that meant “more than a normal person can afford.” But I’d said I wouldn’t fight him, so I just smiled and thanked him instead.

Chase got a phone call and excused himself as they started getting me ready. He didn’t come back into the room, and I heard him go upstairs to get ready. He came down in a gorgeous, perfectly fitted dark suit. My heart did a tiny flip when I saw he had chosen a metallic royal-blue tie that matched my dress.

But something was off. He seemed frustrated and was uncharacteristically quiet. “What’s wrong?”

“That movie?Spectrum? It’s falling apart. I invested some of my own money in it. It’s a mess. But I don’t want to think about it. Let’s just go and have a good time.” He kissed the back of my hand and forced a smile.

When we arrived at the venue, Chase directed the driver to drop me off at a back entrance. His mother would expect him to walk the red carpet and have his picture taken for publicity. “I’d much prefer to sneak in with you, but my mom is miserable when she doesn’t get her own way.”

While waiting for the security guard to look up my name, I heard someone call out, “Zoe!” I turned to see One-F walking toward me. It was funny. I hadn’t seen him in person since I’d dropped a bowling ball on his foot, but given how often we’d corresponded via e-mail, I felt like I’d just talked to him.

“One-F! How’s the foot?”

He held it out in front of him. “Much better. How’s the boyfriend?”

“Amazing.” It was such a relief to be able to talk to someone who knew Chase and I were together.

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