A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Chapter #2 - Free To Read

Chapter Two

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Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Aidan woke up knowing that everything hurt. Why did his forehead hurt? He was possibly suffering from severe head trauma. Perhaps if he opened his eyes, he would find himself in the hospital. His head throbbed as if he had rested it on an amp at a heavy-metal concert.

When Aidan finally opened his eyes, he found that his vision was blurry. But the brief glimpse he took of the room, before reflexively closing his eyes, confirmed that he wasn’t in his hotel room, or in a hospital. The bed was different. It smelled soothing, like flowers, not at all like his hotel room.

He gingerly opened his eyes again and looked around. He was alone. Thank God for small favors. He noticed a large bottle of water on the bedside table. Grabbing it, he drank thirstily. Okay, where the hell was he? This room had all the markings of an office that doubled as a guest room. In the far corner was a beautiful old-looking secretary desk, which paradoxically had a very modern notebook computer on its oak desktop.

There was a short knock on the door and a petite but curvy woman looked in, her eyes filled with concern.

“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked from the door.

“My head hurts, but—”

“I have some tea for that, hold on.” The pixie vanished. What the hell is going on? The last thing he remembered was buying a round for everyone at the local tavern, and then buying another round and, well, that was it. No, wait. He remembered finding a nice seat in an outdoor park where he was going to rest until the world stopped spinning. Then, nothing.

The pixie walked back in, dressed in a wood-nymph green skirt. But it was her shirt, a V-neck that hugged her spectacular breasts that drew his attention. She sat on the edge of the bed allowing him to avail himself of an even better view of this magical creature. My God, she had curves in all the right places. Even in his hung-over condition, his mouth watered. He moved to get closer and noticed for the first time that she was holding a cup of tea that smelled of locker-room socks.

“What is in that?” he asked. Only something healthy could smell that bad.

“Dandelion leaf and root, yellow dock root, ginger root, and chicory root. It is a great cure for hangovers.”

He eyed her speculatively. He had been a drinker for years and found that nothing but drinking water before falling asleep conquered the hangover demon.

Aidan sniffed the tea and frowned. “Before I drink this, can you tell me who you are, where I am, and how I got here?”

She smiled. “You probably want to drink that first then I’ll tell you everything.”

Well, either she was a crazy fan about to poison him or she was a shapely woman who was about to save him from a diabolical hangover. In for a penny, in for a pound. He eyed the tea one more time before making a decision.

Aidan carefully sipped the tea, unsure what to expect. Before the liquid touched his lips, his stomach clenched. This was going to be dreadful. Not even someone with his acting skill could pretend this tasted good.

“Drink it all, Mr. Shannon, or it won’t help,” the sweetly militant voice cautioned.

“It tastes worse than it smells,” he said, trying not to whimper. But then he realized she had said “Mr. Shannon.” He sighed. “It appears you know who I am.”

“Are you kidding?” The woman before him giggled softly. “The entire town is in ecstasy because you guys are filming your movie here.” She paused as she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. Don’t try to distract me; drink your tea. How about this…? If you drink it, I will make you some eggs.”

He considered arguing but drank the whole thing down like a shot of whiskey.

“Good!” She looked as if she were trying not to laugh when he immediately grabbed the bottle of water and drank a giant slug from it.

“I left a towel and a new toothbrush in the bathroom. Why don’t you take care of yourself, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

“Well, thank you, Ms…?”

The woman smiled. “I’m Bethany Michaels, Mr. Shannon. You are in my home. I found you singing away last night on a bench by the library where I work. I didn’t recognize you right away, I’m sorry to say, but once I did, I tried to get a cab to escort you back to your hotel, but you refused to go. You see…” She paused, as a sweet blush bloomed on her face. “You apparently thought that you and I were going to…to…well, you know. After convincing you that I did not want to “ride the Aidan train,” as you so delicately put it, you somehow convinced me to take you to my place—I’m still not sure how you did that—and you ended up asleep in my guest bed.”

Aidan grimaced. “Ms. Michaels, I—”

“Call me Bethany,” she said, patting him soothingly on the shoulder.

“Bethany, thank you for taking care of me. It means more than you can possibly know.”

“You’re welcome. I admit I’m a fan and am happy to help. I’ll give you some privacy now.”

“Bethany, you’re to call me Aidan then, right? I’m terribly sorry about the ‘train’ remark. Whiskey makes me incorrigible,” Aidan said, smiling.

“Let’s pretend it never happened, shall we? I’ll leave you alone so you can shower.”

“No need to leave, I mean…”—he glanced beneath the sheets at his unclothed body—“you’ve seen me naked so…”

“No! Mr. Sh—I mean Aidan, I most certainly have not! You disrobed yourself after I had already closed the door.” Then she paused, her face reheating. “I mean, well if you don’t count seeing you naked in Robot Warrior. But of course, you don’t mean that. I should go.”

“Bethany, a movie or last night, you’ve already seen me. No need to leave.”

“Are you still drunk? Because you still seem pretty incorrigible to me.”

Aidan laughed. “I’m Irish, darling, this is just me being me.

Bethany seemed to consider his comment and then smiled. “I figured that out already, Aidan.” With a friendly wink, she left him alone.

Aidan watched the door close and chuckled. Bethany was a rare treat—gorgeous and kind, and not an actress. What would happen next with this lovely lady? He hoped sex would be involved. He might cry if he didn’t get a chance to play with those breasts.

Following a hot shower, Aidan stepped out to find his clothes cleaned and folded by his bed. Damn. He was a spoiled movie star but even to him this care and concern were rare. A quick check of his mobile told him he was dangerously close to being late for his next scene.

He should call his driver to get picked up, of course, but he had no idea where he was. He stepped out of the room. “Beth?”

“It’s Bethany. I’m in the kitchen.”

“I need to call my driver. I’m going to be a bit late as it is for makeup.”

“And you’ll need to tell him how to get here, I’d imagine.”

“Right exactly, cheers.”

“Hand the phone to me when he’s ready.”

Aidan walked to a kitchen stool and stared, amazed at all this woman had done for him—bringing him to her home, making him a hangover cure, and now, it appeared, he was about to enjoy a homemade breakfast. She placed a steaming latte before him.

“Sugar?” Bethany asked.

“Yes, please.” He pressed a number and waited for an answer. “Declan? I need you to come pick me up. Yes, I’ll pass you to Beth, she will explain the directions.”

Bethany grabbed the phone and provided detailed directions to her home. When the call ended, she grabbed her latte and sat down on the other stool next to him.

“I don’t know how to thank you.” It surprised Aidan how relaxed he was in the presence of a virtual stranger. But he was very comfortable. Something in the air seemed to insist on his relaxation.

“There’s no need to thank me, Aidan. Your movies, especially Fly Me to the Moon, are important to me. I’m just glad I was able to pay you back.”

“Why was that movie so important to you?” Aidan asked, curious about the touch of sadness that darkened her cornflower blue eyes.

“I was melancholy when that movie came out. I lost some people who were close to me. Your movie helped me realize that I was still alive and needed to keep living.”

Damn. He contemplated her words. The movie had been a look at the seriousness and silliness of life. Fly Me to the Moon had been very popular—what Hollywood loved to call a dramedy. It broke box office records and pushed him to stardom. It had been five years since he’d thought of that movie with anything other than pride that it had accomplished so much for him.

“Well, I’m glad for that. Thank you for telling me. These eggs are grand, luv.” Aidan smiled as he saluted her with his fork.

She reddened and jumped off the stool to clean up the kitchen. Aidan paused as he considered what else he could say to this oddly magical woman. He was, strangely, at peace around her, which was weird for him since he hadn’t made one true friend since becoming famous. He trusted all his friends before Fly Me to the Moon, and no one he had met afterward.

After what appeared to be an incredibly thorough job of scouring the stove, she leaned over the counter, and said conspiratorially, “I see you loved that latte. Do you want me to make another one?”

Aidan was charmed to his bones by this woman. It didn’t hurt that she was as magical in body as she was in spirit.

“Beth, I would love another latte, but my driver will be here to take me to the set, so I must say no. Might I take a rain check?”

“It’s possible, for sure,” Bethany replied, grinning.

The doorbell rang and, to Aidan, it appeared as if she skipped to the front door. This was certainly a peculiar hangover; it was making him feel fanciful.

“Well, good morning!” Bethany said to the driver. “Obviously, this handsomely dressed man is for you, Aidan,” Bethany called back with a smile.

Aidan shook his head in amazement. Declan had been quiet around him for almost a year before he started talking to him, but as Bethany escorted him into her home, she peppered him with questions about his family, which he shyly answered with a big smile. It was clear to Aidan that she readily displayed the same care and warmth to others that she had shown him in their short acquaintance. It occurred to him that she treated him with the same care she gave anyone else, and that was a rare treat.

She was a wonder, this lovely sprite. He smiled as she insisted on giving Declan a “to-go” bag filled with what appeared to be muffins.

As he walked to the front door, Aidan turned to thank Bethany again and found her pressing a bag into his hands as well. He smiled at the packet of goodies.

Oddly, Aidan felt disappointed that his visit to fairyland was over. But he brightened as an idea came to him.

“You have been so kind to me, Beth, the only way I could repay you is to offer a tour of our movie set­—let me know if that sounds like something you would enjoy.” He grabbed her cell and typed in the number for his assistant. “This number will connect you to Serena. She’ll handle everything.”

“Are you sure, Aidan? I don’t want to bother you, I was happy to help,” Bethany said.

“I’d be pleased to see you again,” Aidan said as he headed toward the elevator. As the doors opened, Bethany waved.

“It was nice to meet you, Aidan.”

“Same here, luv. Going to work, are you?”

“Yes, I’m the local librarian.”

Of course, she was. Bethany, the librarian—that was perfect.

“Hey, if you need a book or something, let me know. You can usually find me at the local library downtown,” she said, a touch of rosiness darkening her face.

Aidan grinned. “I just might do that.”

“Aidan?”

“Yes,” he replied, already distracted as he checked his phone.

“Could I be so bold as to ask for a selfie? No one will believe me unless I…” She made a snapshot motion with her cellphone.

“Of course, you can,” he said, smiling broadly. As she took the shot of their two faces pressed together, Aidan requested a second shot with his lips pressed to her cheek in a friendly kiss. “Thank you so much, Beth, for everything.”

“Aidan, my name is Bethany, not Beth,” she said, evidently hoping to discourage the shortened version of her name.

Aidan looked at her as he stepped into the elevator. “No, I think I’ll call you Beth.”

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