I held my thumb up, and she tenderly kissed my forehead before she left the room. I shivered when the sudden chill of the outside air hit me. I should get out, I just didn’t want to move yet…The D-Bags are better off without you.
And I was better off without them.
When I finally got my lazy, relaxed ass up to join the family for dinner, I noticed that Anna wasn’t as refreshed as I was. “What’s up?” I asked her, as Alfred set a plate of steak and potatoes down in front of me. Yes. Sex, steak, and starch…every day should end this way.
Anna sighed as a smaller plate was sat in front of her. “It’s just…I know we haven’t been here long, but…the people here are so fake, it’s already driving me crazy. I can’t tell who is being nice to me because they like me and who is being nice because they want something from me. And it sucks not having someone around here I can hang out with.” She looked over at the girls. “An adult who doesn’t pick on her sister every minute of the day or need something from me every five seconds…” She sighed again as she looked over at me. “It just makes me miss home.”
She had a frustrated expression on her face, and even I understood the real meaning behind her words. “We are home, and we’ll make new friends, Anna. Actor friends who are almost as successful as me. They won’t use us for anything. It’ll be completely legit. Just give it time.” We’re not moving back to Seattle.
Like she heard my silent addition, Anna frowned and let out a small sigh. I wasn’t sure if she was purposely trying to hate it here, but she refused to get into L.A. life. I think she would have before we had kids, when she was a little more wild and carefree, but now everything just seemed to annoy her. Even the near-constant sunny weather. More than a few times, I’d heard her sigh and say, “I miss rain.” It was weird to me. Who actually missed rain?
“Actors as friends,” she muttered. “Yes, I’m sure they’ll be completely real, all the time. Nothing fake there…” She looked out the window while I cut up my perfectly cooked steak. Gibson beside me was picking up pieces with her fingers while Onnika was helping herself to some baby oatmeal. Everyone was content but Anna.
Wondering what could perk her up, since the awesome sauna sex hadn’t done it, I tossed out, “Well, we could invite some friends down? Maybe…” My voice trailed off as I ran through Anna’s list of friends. Not Jenny, she would bring Evan. Not Rachel, she would bring Matt. Not Kiera, she would bring Kellan. Why the fuck did all of Anna’s best friends have to be in relationships with my best friends! Well, my ex–best friends. Irritated, I finished with “Troy and Rita?”
Anna snapped her gaze back to me. “Troy and Rita? That’s the best you could come up with?”
I shrugged. “Some of your Hooters friends then. I don’t care, invite whoever you want. Have a girls’ weekend.”
Anna turned thoughtful, so I knew she was considering it. Good. Maybe she’d like it better here if she realized it wasn’t a life in solitary imprisonment. We had the means to make most anything happen. For now. God, I hoped the full season got picked up soon. Anna would flip if she found out I was making minimum wage, or damn near it.
Right at that moment, Onnika decided playing was more fun than eating. With a mouth full of oatmeal, she blew a raspberry right in my face. The sticky, half-eaten shit went all over me. “Goddammit, Onnie.” She laughed while I wiped oatmeal mud off my face. Anna laughed with her. “Hilarious,” I told them both.
Handing Anna the spoon, I walked over to the counter to get a towel for my face. And hair. And behind my ear. How the fuck did it get back there? While I worked, Anna said, “Okay, Griff…I’m going to take you up on your offer and have some girls over this weekend. Could you find something to do for a few hours?”
I gave her a thumbs-up. I could handle myself for a night, and besides, I think Anna really needed this.
When I left that Friday night to hang out with the cast at Elijah’s, Anna was all smiles. I wasn’t sure who she’d gotten to come over on such short notice. Maybe Kate? She’d probably come down just to see Justin.
After saying good night to the kids—reading Gibson a princess story, while we both wore tiaras, of course, and singing a lullaby to Onnika—I gave Anna a long, savory kiss. “I’ll be fucking you later,” I murmured in her ear, “girlfriends or no girlfriends.”
She bit her lip and pulled on the waistband of my jeans, until our hips met. “Yes, you will,” she matter-of-factly stated.
Fuck me running. Why couldn’t this party be over with already?
Elijah was a crazy alcohol pusher, and I was three sheets to the wind by the time my driver took me home. I was also horny as fuck. I started stripping in the car so I would be ready for Anna. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror and cleared his throat, but he didn’t say a word. Dude was silent as stone 99 percent of the time. I appreciated that.
By the time he stopped the car in the driveway to let me out, I was in my birthday suit. I grabbed my house keys but left the rest of my crap in the car. I’d have Alfred get it later. The night breeze was cool on my bare skin, but it only made me stiffer. Fuck, I couldn’t wait to ravage my wife. I stroked my shaft while I unlocked the front door. I’d be balls-deep inside her in five, four, three…
When I opened the door and stepped inside, my hazy brain instantly remembered that Anna had out-of-town guests with her. Maybe attracted by my noisy, drunken attempts at unlocking the door, one of them was in the entryway. “Oh my God, Griffin!”
She spun around so her back was facing me, but I’d already seen her. And recognized her. “Kiera? What the fuck are you doing here? Is Kellan with you?”
Over her shoulder, she stuttered, “Why are you naked? Did you leave naked?”
Letting go of my cock, I scratched my head. “No…I don’t think so…”
“Well, put something on…please.”
Even though the lights were off, I knew her cheeks were flushed. Girl blushed over every damn little thing. Grabbing a vase nearby, I dumped the flowers and water on the outside step, then closed the door and covered my junk with it. “There, I’m decent.”
Kiera slowly turned around, but she didn’t look any more comfortable with my makeshift covering. My cock was still hard as a rock inside the vase, and none of me touched the sides. My piercing was almost touching the bottom though. Fantasizing that the vase was really Anna almost made me come. I bet that would really make Kiera blush.
“As I was saying…what the fuck are you doing here?”
She frowned. I was drunk enough that it was easy to see Anna in the gesture. A pale imitation of her, yes, but close enough to make my boner throb. “Nice to see you too, Griffin. I still can’t get over your hair. You almost look like…” She tilted her head, and I could see her comparing me to her ex.
I held my hand up; I didn’t want to hear it. “I look like me with darker, shorter hair. No biggy. Is Kell with you?” I shifted to look down both hallways, but I didn’t see him.
“No, it’s just me, Jenny, and Rachel. Anna said she needed a girlfriend weekend, so here we are.”
Great, the three women who probably hated me the most were who Anna had invited over. Awesome. “Oh” was all I could get out.
Kiera indicated the door. “I just heard a noise, and wanted to see what it was. I didn’t realize…” She sighed and pointed down the hallway where a couple of guest rooms were. “I’m gonna go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. Hopefully with clothes on…”
She darted away after that. Removing the vase from my cock, I waved with it. “Maybe. I might just wear this again!”
I was certain I heard her groaning.
I spent the rest of the weekend ignoring the trio of visitors. Well, pretending like I was ignoring them. I was attentive to their every word, especially when they talked about the D-Bags. It’s not like I wanted to know what the guys were up to…but if they were crying and shit over me being gone, well, I wouldn’t mind knowing about that.
From where I was sit
ting, I heard Kiera say, “The third album is doing well, but the guys feel like it’s incomplete, you know? I mean, they can’t tour, they can’t do music videos, they can’t really promote it at all. I think it wouldn’t have done nearly so well without all the hype around the way Griffin…Well, he made quite an exit.”
There was a moment of silence, then Anna asked, “Couldn’t they just bring in someone else to tour with? I mean, I hate the idea, but they need to promote. I’m sure Griffin would understand.” Sure I understood. They were going to shove someone else in the shadows. I hoped he/she liked it there in the darkness.
“Matt feels like they should just let it go and start fresh. They’re having auditions this weekend, to replace…him…”
That was Rachel’s voice, from what I could tell. The girls were hanging around the pool in the backyard, splashing their feet in the water. I was in the living room with the doors open. For the fresh air, of course.
Jenny’s voice broke the stillness. “This is the second one they’ve had. So far…no one’s been a good fit. That’s what Evan says anyway. Personally, I think the guys just aren’t ready to move on. They keep hoping…”
Another pause, then Kiera spouted, “Is Griffin really going through with this, Anna?”
I glanced up to where I could just see the tops of their heads over the potted plants around the front of the pool. I wasn’t sure how Anna would answer her sister, but I hoped she gave her a resounding yes! I was absolutely going through with this; the guys should just suck it up…and move on. Even as I thought it, a confusing knot of anxiety started forming in my stomach.
Anna’s response was so quiet, I had to strain to hear her over Gibson singing along to the TV show she was watching. “Shhh, Gibby,” I snapped.
Stopping, she glared at me long enough so that I heard Anna say, “He’s excited about his show. He says it’s going to be bigger and better than the band, so, yeah…he’s really going through with it.”
The murmuring got quieter after that, and Gibson got louder, so I didn’t hear much more. I’d heard the truly important part anyway—they hadn’t found anyone yet.
Anna was in a wistful mood after the girls left Sunday morning. During lunch, she relayed all the pertinent information she’d gathered. “So, Jenny and Evan are starting to talk kids, which means they’re starting to talk wedding plans…but she’s really busy with the gallery, so they’re still in no hurry.”
I gave her a brief smile in response, and she took that as, Please, tell me more! “Rachel was really quiet about her plans with Matt, but I bet they tie the knot soon. Maybe a winter wedding…that would be fun.” She sighed, and I couldn’t help but wonder…if Matt and Rachel really did walk down the aisle, would I be invited? You’re dead to me.
Shaking my head, I redirected my attention to Anna’s ramblings. “Kellan and Kiera are actively trying for another baby, so, you know what that means…” She giggled, and her lips curved into a knowing smile. Yeah, it meant Kellan was coming a lot. I’d rather be doing the same than listening to a rundown of their lives. They don’t want anything to do with me.
Putting down my cereal spoon, I told her, “Maybe it’s time we tried for another baby? Why don’t we try out some of those things in the Kama Sutra book you picked up?”
Anna’s eyes brightened, and I wasn’t sure which idea she liked more—kinky sex or another baby. “Can we go for another marathon session? I think it’s time we attempted to break our record.”
Standing up, I held my hand out for her. “We should get started then. I’ll grab the water…I have a feeling I’m going to need to be well hydrated for this.” Over my shoulder, I tossed out, “Alfred, watch the girls for a bit.” Anna was laughing as I pulled her away, and I was glad I’d suggested her having a girls’ weekend. I might have to put up with occasional visits from the D-Bags’ Bitches if it meant keeping my wife happy.
Chapter 14
Awesomesauce. For Best Results, Add Me
In between filming, rehearsing, and rerecording voice crap that hadn’t turned out right, I was doing interviews. Everyone was still going nuts over the whole band breakup. I didn’t really want to talk about it anymore, but talking about it gave me a chance to talk about my show—and that I did want to discuss.
Stretching out in my motorhome-trailer, I enjoyed a moment of peace and quiet while I waited to be called to the set again. There was a lot of standing around and waiting involved in this job. I hadn’t expected that. I hadn’t expected a lot of things, like pissy directors telling me I couldn’t convince an ape I was a human. He’d sent me to my trailer to “cool down,” after I’d informed him that his penis was more appropriately sized for a fruit fly than a dude. I’d even given him a friendly tip, that manscaping that shit would make it look bigger, but he hadn’t appreciated my thoughtfulness. Whatever. The break was nice anyway. My feet hurt.
I was just considering popping open a beer when the door to my trailer was knocked on. Was it time to return already? Ugh, I couldn’t yet. Maybe if I ignored them, whoever it was would go away. No such luck. The knock returned even louder. Damn it.
“Mr. Hancock? Are you in there?”
Recognizing Harold’s voice, I smiled and got up to get that beer. He wouldn’t be the one collecting me to go back on set. I had time. “Yeah. Come on in¸ Harry.”
Opening the door, he frowned as he walked inside my trailer. “I wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Like always, he was wearing a suit, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he did all day that required him to wear a tie.
“How’s it hangin’ on your side of the universe?” I asked him.
Normally he’d roll his eyes when I talked, but today he only gave me a tight smile. “Things are just fine, my friend,” he said, taking a spot on the couch. “How is filming going?”
We’d just started filming the second to the last episode earlier this week, and it was already giving me a headache. It seemed like most of my scenes involved me standing in the room while other people talked. It was a waste of my talent, if you asked me. But the writers said my silence made my speeches more impactful. Whatever.
“It’s going,” I muttered. I popped open a beer, brought it to my lips, then changed my mind and offered the bottle to Harold. He had just called me friend, after all. With a small grimace, he shook his head and turned it down. Then his expression shifted to reluctance. It was subtle, but I saw it. “Something going on?” I asked, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.
“Nothing major, but I feel obligated to tell you…LMF has decided to go a different direction with their fall lineup, but not to worry, Acing It is slated for midseason replacement. That’s actually good news for us. Some of the greatest shows in history started out as replacements.” By the smile on his face, you’d think we’d just won the lottery. I wasn’t so sure.
“They’re pushing us back? This wouldn’t be because of the crap between the writers and shit, would it?”
Harold seemed surprised that I knew about that. His face immediately settled into a carefree expression though. “Oh no, of course not. All television shows have drama behind the scenes. It helps fuel the drama happening in front of the camera. But have no fear, Mr. Hancock, the show is moving forward perfectly. It’s just a matter of time before you’re on top of the world.”
“Okay…good.” Even as I said it, I couldn’t help but think I’d already been on top of the world with the D-Bags…but not really. I’d been on top, but in the backseat. Now, I was the driver.
Once we were done filming the six episodes LMF had ordered—a feat that I had doubted on more than one occasion would ever actually happen—the really fun stuff began. Parties, parties, and more parties. Say what you will about the entertainment industry, they sure knew how to wine and dine. The fluffy schmooze coming out of people’s mouths was as consistent as the alcohol going in. And everyone I met told me how incredible I was and how amazing this show was going to be. I was in heaven.
Anna wasn�
��t enjoying it quite as much as me. “Again? This is the fourth party this week. I’m all for having a good time, but I’d like to spend some evenings with my family too.” She was flipping through the clothes in her closet, looking for a party dress that she hadn’t worn yet. By the look on her face, I could tell a shopping trip was in her future. Personally, I thought she should just wear what she was wearing now—a black and pink bra with matching boy shorts. Damn, she was smoking. Maybe she was right about sitting this one out…
Shaking those thoughts out of my mind, I told her, “The network wants us to go. It’s good for the show…I guess. Fuck if I know why we really need to be there. All I know is it’s an open bar.”
Sighing, she muttered, “It always is.” Turning to look at me over her shoulder, she asked, “Chelsey is going to watch the kids tonight, right? As much as I like Carl…he’s not a babysitter.”
Our enormous closet was divided down the center by a long row of dressers. As I opened a drawer to pull out some clothes for tonight, I imagined laying Anna on the top them and having some fun with her before we left. Another time maybe. “Yeah, Chelsey should be here soon.”
Anna turned back to her clothes. “Good. Remind her to keep Gibson away from Onnika.” With a long exhale, she shook her head. “I don’t know what her problem is with her sister. I asked the doctor, but he said it was just sibling rivalry.” Pulling out a tight, black dress, she turned to me with a pout on her full lips. “It seems like it’s more than that though. I mean, just the other day I caught Gibson drawing a picture of our family.”
She paused, like that was supposed to mean something to me. “Yeah. And?”
“She crossed out Onnika in every single picture.” Raising an eyebrow, she clarified her statement. “She didn’t just forget to add her, she made little stick people for all of us, then scribbled Onnika out. Hard. With a marker.” She shook her head. “It seems deeper than rivalry to me.”