Page 13 of My Lucky Star
Chapter 5
Aria
MY EYES BULGED, BURNINGhot in my head. Every part of my body vibrated. Confusion, disbelief, amusement, arousal. It was all here, swirling under my skin like a torrent. I tore my eyes off his erection, stifling the laugh that rippled at the bottom of my belly. Focus.
His words re-played in my head.Please, Aria.
“You remember my name,” I whispered. It was the only coherent sentence not featuring the word ‘penis’ I could think of.
His lips pulled into a lopsided smile. “Of course. You told me.”
“And I look like someone you... used to know?” I asked before I could stop myself. At least I avoided repeating the word ‘intimate’, even though I couldn’t help another glance at the prominent hard-on fighting its way out of his towel. He wasn’t even trying to hide it, and the thought of him having this reaction to me was so unbelievable and unsettling I feared I might spontaneously burst into flames. My neck burned so hot it would probably be later identified as the starting point of the fire.
“An actress I worked with, a long time ago. Her name was Burcu.” I caught the moment of sadness in his eyes before he reverted to that self-assured half-smile.
I wondered why he didn’t say ‘girlfriend’, since he’d already alluded to sleeping with her, and had evidently been thinking about sex while I’d catalogued every significant Art Deco piece in the room.
“That’s... wild.” My eyes roamed the room. “Could I take a couple of pics of the bathroom if that’s okay?”
His eyes lit up. “You’re not leaving?” He closed the distance between us and took my shoulders, smiling. “Thank you! I was worried I freaked you out.”
I laughed at his over-the-top reaction, simultaneously tense and hot from his sudden touch. “It’s okay. I’ve seen an erection before. Maybe don’t poke me with it.”
I shifted to one side to avoid actual penis-to-hip contact and he released my shoulders, letting out a burst of laughter. “Yes, absolutely. I swear I’m not normally like this, but this week has been... I’ll tell you later. Can you wait here while I get dressed? Then I’ll let you photograph the bathroom, I promise.”
“So, you have some clothes here?”
He gave me an odd look. “I didn’t fly long haul in a towel, if that’s what you mean.”
He took a suit from his closet and disappeared into the bathroom. I collapsed in the seashell chair, releasing a sigh. I couldn’t think straight around him. I could easily imagine him on screen though, lighting up every scene with that intense presence, staring straight into the soul of his co-star. I wondered what that actress had been like, the one I apparently resembled. Probably two inches taller, several pounds lighter and nothing like me.
Still, I couldn’t help imagining what it might have felt like to do a scene with him, to touch him, kiss him... I could imagine him being good. Very good. And I could imagine my throat closing and knees wobbling as I forgot my lines and lost myself in his touch.
The bathroom door flung open and Cem stepped out, buttoning a ridiculously shiny shirt. Even his dress pants had an unreal sheen to them.
I covered my eyes. “Oh, God! I can’t even look directly at you!”
