Mike and Nancy lived in a gated community right on the beach that honored the privacy of the owners. Nick pulled in to the driveway of a two-story home painted white with gray trim.
Roxanne had never been to Nancy’s home. They’d always met at a restaurant or Roxanne’s home. “What a lovely place.”
“Yeah, makes my condo look like it should be condemned.”
Roxanne laughed. “This is what happens when old-Hollywood money marries old-Hollywood money.”
“They have homes all over the world.”
“Are we being jealous?” Roxanne teased.
“No. No, really. Well, maybe. Yes,” Nick finally admitted.
Nick parked in the driveway. Roxanne got out of the car, realizing that Mike and Nancy’s life was what her parents aspired to. Roxanne was comfortable. She would never want for anything in her life. But this was wealth with a capital W. These people wrote her checks. She was pleased that she and Nancy were friends. They’d been friends for a long time and in Hollywood who a person knew was more important than what a person knew. Roxanne was lucky in that she had a bankable skill, not only as an actress, but as a genealogist. And being on the crest of that popularity created new opportunities for her. Many of her contemporaries, whose careers went sideways, never recovered.
The front door swung open as they approached. A man in a black suit smiled at them.
“Good morning, Miss Deveraux, Mr. Torres. I’m Silas, Mr. and Mrs. Bertram’s butler. Please come in.”
Roxanne smiled at Silas. “Mr. and Mrs. Bertram are expecting us.”
“I know, miss. Mr. and Mrs. Bertram will not be able to be here today. They have made the house available to you both.”
“What,” Nick said. “I thought...”
Silas smoothly interrupted. “They ask your forgiveness, but a small emergency required their presence.” He moved aside and gestured them into the house.
Roxanne laughed. She nudged Nick. “Thank you, Silas.” Nancy was an unrepentant romantic. She and her husband were matchmaking.
The house was as white inside as outside—white walls, white furniture, white marble and white carpeting. Roxanne was afraid to touch anything for fear of leaving a smudge.
“Lunch is being served on the back veranda.” Silas led the way down a long hallway that bisected the house. The living room and formal dining room were on the left, and an office and a family room were on the right. In the foyer, stairs curled up to the second story. A huge country kitchen spanned the house from side to side, with a long bank of windows overlooking the ocean and a huge redwood deck. Steps led from the deck down to the beach. On the sand near the water, two lounge chairs, shaded by a large white umbrella, resided.
A woman stood in the kitchen arranging food on two plates. She nodded pleasantly at Nick and Roxanne.
Silas sat them at the table and poured lemonade into tall frosted glasses. A warm breeze brushed over Roxanne’s skin as she sat and luxuriated in the calm beauty of the Pacific Ocean.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” Nick said.
“I’m not surprised.” Roxanne hadn’t expected to have the house to themselves, either, but she knew Nancy. “This is going to be a perfect day,” Roxanne said.
Silas brought out two salad plates and served Roxanne and Nick with a flourish. He silently withdrew.
“I love the beach,” Nick said. “The surf looks good and I know Mike has boards in the guesthouse. He surfs when he has the time.”
“Surf? You surf?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t?”
“I don’t.”
He eyed her in surprise. “Why not?”
“I enjoy the idea of the beach and surfing, but once you’re in the water, you become part of the food chain. Didn’t you see the photo on the internet of the woman with her two children frolicking in the surf and the ten-foot shark outlined in the wave behind them?”
Nick sipped his lemonade. “I saw that, but I never believe what I see on the internet. For all you know it could have been Photoshopped.”
Roxanne shrugged. “If you say so. But I don’t believe you.”
“Come on, I’ll teach you to surf. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
“Really. What if I get injured?” Or eaten by a shark. She glanced doubtfully at the water.
“It’s a mild day and these baby waves are the best waves to learn on, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. We’ll take it easy and stay close to shore.”
Food chain, she chanted to herself. But pleasing Nick was important, too. “Life is about learning new things. I’ll give it a try.”
He grinned at her. “I knew you would.”
She finished her salad. Silas whisked her plate away and refilled her lemonade.
“How are things going with your family?” Nick asked after Silas left the main course in front of them. “They’ve been kind of quiet the last week.”
The plate consisted of a delicate white fish with a buttery-looking sauce, thin asparagus spears wrapped in an orange peel and a fluffy crescent roll.
“I think they’re gathering their flying monkeys,” Roxanne said wryly. “You know Portia told me they hired a private investigator to find deep, dark dirt on me, but the PI has come up empty. I’m a good neighbor, I sometimes help out at the zoo with my sister and provide a home for my grandmother. Hard to find dirt on those activities.”
“Your sister is cute. I really like her.”
“I know. She’s trying to find a way to get to veterinary school.”
“And your brother?” Nick asked.
She paused, thinking about what Portia had revealed about Tristan. “At one time, he wanted to be an environmental engineer, but I think fame has seduced him. He seems more interested in the trappings of celebrity now.” The more times she saw Tristan’s name in the tabloids, the more worried about him she became. “I’m worried he’s about to self-destruct.”
Nick nodded in understanding. “I’ve been avoiding him.”
“He wants you to cast him as the lead in the revival of Timbuktu.”
“I know, but it’s too early. Mike and I are only in the planning stages and we’re months away from casting.”
“How did your parents keep you and your siblings grounded?”
“Family always comes first. We have monthly dinners and even if you live in another state, we Skype. Excuses are not allowed.”
Roxanne thought about that as she ate her fish. It was delicious even though she wasn’t big on fish. Silence fell, punctuated by the roar of the waves as they pounded against the sand. The rhythmic sound made her sleepy. She might not trust the ocean and its uncharted depths, but the sound always relaxed her.
After lunch, they changed in the guesthouse into bathing suits. Roxanne’s one-piece bathing suit was a deep purple with white trim. Nick looked at her approvingly, though she thought she saw a slight disappointment in his eyes.
A rack of several surfboards were stored in a shed on the shady side of the guest house. Nick took one, removed it from its board bag and checked it over, smiling. “Ready?” He took her hand and headed toward the water.
“Don’t you have to do something to them?” She eyed the surfboard suspiciously.
“Mike keeps them in excellent condition.”
Roxanne hesitated trying to keep her calm. What were the chances of being eaten by a great white? A million to one. Five to one. She took a step and then forced herself to take another. Foaming water surged toward her.
You can do this, she told herself, hesitating as the surf surged toward her feet.
Nick waded into the water, pulling her with him. “Come on, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
The water was cool against the intense heat. She dug her toes into the sand and allowed Nick to pull her deeper into the water. He showed her how to sit on the board. She straddled it and he sat behind her, showing her how to paddle.
Roxanne didn’t expect to enjoy surfing. The waves were higher than she was comfortable with, but with Nick’s help she managed to catch a couple. She spent more time falling off the board than staying on.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to be a surfer girl,” Roxanne said with a laugh. She half stumbled across the wet sand after she exited the water.
“You’re a native Californian, how can you not?” He sat on the surfboard watching her, appreciation in his eyes.
She simply shook her head. “I’m done. You play. Silas set up those lounge chairs for us and I’m going to enjoy them while I’m watching you.”
She retreated back to the beach while Nick spent another hour on the board, paddling farther out to catch the higher waves.
While he surfed, she watched him. His body glistened with water highlighting every muscle. He was easy to look at. Farther out on the water, seagulls glided and dipped down, skimming the water, adding their raucous cries to the sound of the ocean. A pelican floated on the surface. Roxanne found her eyelids growing heavy and finally drifted to sleep.
* * *
“Tomorrow it’s back to rehearsal,” Nick said as he pulled into her driveway and parked next to Portia’s car.
Roxanne groaned. “All this relaxation made me realize I need a vacation.”
“Where do you want to go? Tahiti, Bali, Venice, Rome?”
“I want to go someplace where I don’t have to work.” She thought about a destination for a moment. “Antarctica. The few people there are scientists and they are only temporary.”
“It’s cold there,” Nick said.
“You don’t like the cold?”
“Not that kind of bone-numbing cold. I like skiing-in-Aspen cold.”
“There’s history in Aspen.” She hadn’t been to Colorado for a couple years. She’d attended a seminar on genealogy there and loved it. If she’d had more time she might have done some skiing.
“That’s as cold as I ever want to get.”
“Fair enough.” She opened the car door and got out. Nick followed her up the steps. “Have you talked to your mother yet about her father?”
He shook his head. “I’m having a hard time figuring out how to tell her. I’m going to try tonight. We’re meeting for dinner.”
He gave her one last kiss and leaned into it. She didn’t want him to go.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded and opened the front door.
* * *
Nick parked in the lot adjacent to his parents’ restaurant. Daniel’s car was parked next to Sebastian’s, but he didn’t see either of his parents’ cars.
He pushed into the restaurant inhaling the spicy smells from the kitchen, hearing the muted conversation and an occasional laugh.
He sat down across from Sebastian. “What are you two doing here?”
Sebastian shuffled his deck of cards and slid them across the table. “Pick one.”
Nick did so and when Sebastian asked for it back, he slid the card into the deck without looking.
“Mom and Dad are having a date night,” Daniel said, “we’re here just keeping an eye on things.”
Even though his parents trusted their general manager, they didn’t leave anything to chance. Usually Matteus, their oldest brother, who had decided on a career in law enforcement, took up restaurant duty when his parents couldn’t be here. “What happened to Matteus?” Nick asked as a waitress poured water into a glass and set it in front of him.
“Big case,” Sebastian said. He shuffled his deck, counted the cards and held up a three of clubs.
“If you say so,” Nick said.
Sebastian grinned. “You know me too well.”
“That whole deck is probably nothing but threes of clubs.”
Sebastian shrugged. He turned the deck over to show the cards. They were all threes of clubs. Nick grinned at him. Sebastian shuffled again and the cards turned back into their normal suits.
“Have a nice day with Roxanne?” Sebastian asked. “I’m wondering when I get to meet her?”
“I tried to teach her to surf. And you’ll meet her in due time.”
Sebastian slid the cards into their box and put it away inside his pants pocket.
“I liked her,” Daniel said. The waitress brought a basket piled with an assortment of bread. He took a roll, buttered it and took a bite.
Nick liked her, too. “I was planning on talking to Mom about something tonight. I asked Roxanne to do an ancestry search for us, I thought it would be nice to know and make a great Christmas gift.”
“And you found something?” Sebastian asked.
“I found a lot of things. Or rather Roxanne found a lot of things.”
“Like what?” Sebastian asked.
Nick didn’t know if he should tell them, but then again, why not. “We have a grandpa.”
“Grandpa Al will be happy to know that.” Daniel finished his roll and searched for another.
“Not Grandpa Al,” Nick said, wondering how to tell his brothers about Lionel Stanton. He felt a little guilty discussing this with them before talking to his mom.
Sebastian’s eyebrows rose curiously.
“Grandpa Al,” Nick said, “is not our biological grandfather.” There, he’d said it. He didn’t realize how the heavy weight of keeping a secret had been pulling him down.
Daniel looked surprised and Sebastian looked curious.
“And,” Daniel prompted, tapping the table with his index finger.
“Grandma was married before Al to a Lionel Stanton and he’s Mom’s biological dad.”
Daniel leaned back, his mouth open in surprise.
“Wow,” Daniel said. “Who knew? Who’s going to tell Mom?”
Nick glanced at Daniel. “I planned to talk to her tonight, but she’s not here. You’re two minutes older than me and you’ve been holding it over me all our lives. You talk to her.”
Daniel glanced at Sebastian. “You’re older than us.”
“I think we should let Matteus tell her. He’s the oldest and he has a gun,” Sebastian said.
“Mom must know. She has a passport. So she would have needed to provide her birth certificate to get it, which would have included her biological father’s name.” Nick frowned.
“You can change a birth certificate,” Daniel said.
“You would need a court order to change the name of a biological parent and that would be difficult to obtain,” Sebastian replied. At one time he’d thought about being a lawyer, but card tricks won out.
“She’s never said anything.” Nick wondered if there was more than just a secret at stake.
“What do you want to do?” Daniel asked.
Nick almost wished he’d never started the process, but that wasn’t fair to his mother or Roxanne. “The problem is that Lionel is still alive and he lives in Pasadena and I think he wants a relationship with us.”
That shocked his brothers. Daniel stared at Nick and Sebastian frowned.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Daniel said. “You’ve met him?”
“I wanted to check him out first.”
Again his brothers looked at him in surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting that, either,” Daniel added.
Nick fell silent. The waitress brought spinach salads and placed the plates in front of them.
“Why?” Sebastian stared hard at Nick.
Nick didn’t know why. He’d thought it was a good idea at the time. “I wanted to check him out. I thought Roxanne had made a mistake, but...” His voice trailed off.
Sebastian said, “Maybe Mom didn’t say anything because she didn’t know he was still alive.”
Nick didn’t have an answer. Their mother was so open about everything, why hadn’t she ever said anything about this, unless she considered the information to be unimportant.
“Maybe we could all go meet with him,” Nick said.
“Do you think we should gang up on the poor old man?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t know what to think, but this is bigger than just me. Mom is going to be affected, too.”
“I wonder if Dad knows?” Sebastian mused.
“I want to meet this man.” Daniel glanced back and forth between Nick and Sebastian. “But before we do, we need to talk to Matteus, Nina and Lola. They should be part of this process.”
“I want to get a feel for him before we break this to Mom,” Daniel said.
“Mom is no wilting lily,” Sebastian said. “I just don’t think she knows the truth.”
“Let’s find out the truth and then we can talk to her,” Nick replied.
* * *
“Where are we going?” Roxanne asked.
The rehearsal had been a good one and Nick seemed buoyant about something. “I have all this excess energy today.”
“I can think of a thing or two to burn it off,” she said with a coy sideways glance at him.
He grinned. “I have something else in mind.”
“Am I going to like it?”
“Yes,” he said. “Of course you are.”
She settled back against the leather car seat and watched the scenery flash by. He turned down a side street and into a large parking lot mostly empty of cars.
The banner Studio City Roller Rink hung over a double door entrance.
“You’re kidding,” she said with a wide grin. She hadn’t been roller-skating since when, high school, maybe?
“I never kid about roller-skating.”
“Do you even know if I know how to roller-skate?”
He grinned. “I talked to Portia. She said you did as a kid.” He parked the car, slid out and opened her car door with a flourish.
Afternoon heat flooded the car. Then he opened the rear passenger door and grabbed a large black metal box from the backseat.
She remembered roller-skating around the studio when she wasn’t on the set. She’d had fun. But she hadn’t been on skates in years. “Is it even open? There’s hardly any cars in the lot.”
“I rented it for the afternoon. I know how you big stars hate having the public see you fall on your tush.”
She laughed. “I rolled down a muddy hill and played dead. The public has already seen me at my worst.”
He tugged her out of the SUV. “Come on. You’ll have fun.”
“I don’t know if I remember how.”
“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.” He pulled her toward the doors.
“You’re planning a dance with me and you on roller skates, aren’t you?”
“I’ll make that decision after I see you skate.”
The interior was cool. A blast of air-conditioning lifted her hair. Muted music filled the large oval rink. An attendant on skates circled the rink in step with the music. A second attendant asked her shoe size and handed her a pair of brown skates.
Nick led her to a bench and opened his case to show gleaming black leather skates. He pulled a roll of socks out of a pocket and handed them to Roxanne. “Put these on.” He opened another case and added a helmet and knee and elbow pads to her pile.
“Do I get a pillow for my tush?” she asked as she took off her shoes and rolled the socks on and then Nick knelt down in front of her and laced her into her skates, then helped her with the pads.
“Why?” she asked as he fussed with her skates.
“Balance, stability and coordination,” Nick said. He sat next to her and stripped off his shoes. He slid his feet into his skates and laced them up. “All those elements are a bit out of your comfort zone.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“This is going to make dancing seem much easier.” He stood and grinned at her. He held out his hand. “Come on.”
Standing wasn’t as easy as she remembered. The wheels were loose and slick on the tile floor. She slipped and slid her way to the rink, afraid to pick her feet up.
The attendant waited for them at the entry to the resin floor that comprised the main rink. He held out a hand to Roxanne. “Haven’t done much skating lately, have you?”
“My feet seem to remember, but my knees don’t,” Roxanne admitted, trying not to wobble.
“Keep your feet together,” the attendant said. The name Wes was embroidered on his shirt. He gently pulled her out onto the floor. “I’m going to help, and I won’t let you fall. A few tips to keep in mind...” He rattled off instructions while Nick took a turn around the floor looking like skating was so completely natural to him, Roxanne felt a spurt of envy.
After ten minutes of patient coaching, and picking her up after a couple falls, the attendant turned her back to Nick who took her hand. The music played more loudly.
“What dances can you do on skates?” she asked after her first circuit around the rink without falling.
“Fox-trot, waltz, polka and a pretty good tango.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and took the other hand and held it out. “You’ll be a master in no time.”
She found herself sliding in time to the music with Nick’s hand clasped tightly around her waist.
“Stop thinking about your feet,” he ordered. “Go with the flow.”
Going with the flow became her mantra as she worked to enjoy herself. Lulled by the music and the rhythm, she leaned into him. She’d forgotten how much she loved skating. After a few turns around the rink, she found herself relaxing and laughing, melting into his arms with a sensuality that left her almost breathless.
“I feel like my feet are still skating,” Roxanne said as he opened the car door. “Are you still thinking about a dance routine on skates?”
“I changed my mind,” he said as he started the car.
Twilight cast a yellow glow on the landscape. The air was thick with summer heat. “I think you’re going to need to feed me.”
“I can manage food. How about take-out from Mario’s and then...” he hesitated on the next words “...come home with me,” Nick whispered into her ear. He leaned into her, his hands moving around her waist. His need for her flamed and he kissed deeply until she groaned.
She pushed away to study him. For a long moment, she said nothing and then finally nodded.
Nick lived in a condominium just off Wilshire Boulevard. He pulled up to heavy wrought iron gates, inserted his key card and slowly, the gates opened. Roxanne looked nervous.
He liked his condo. He’d kept the decorating to a minimum—bare wood floors, brown leather furniture and white walls with a few art pieces he liked.
Roxanne looked around curiously while he opened the wine fridge behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of white wine. He popped the cork, poured two glasses and opened the brown paper bag from Mario’s, which they’d stopped at on the drive over. The scent of tacos, enchiladas and spicy guacamole and corn chips filled the room. He handed her a paper plate and Roxanne grabbed a taco.
“I didn’t realize I was so hungry,” she said between bites.
“Roller-skating can do that to you.” She sat at the bar with him, eating her food and sipping the wine. All the while he was conscious of her heat, the scent of her floral perfume and the way her eyes keep glancing at him almost shyly.
“This is good,” she said as she finished an enchilada.
“Not bad.”
He cleaned up when they’d finished and joined her on the sofa. He pulled her into his arms and again heat flared through him.
Nick’s words caressed her. “I want you.” He reached out and pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her, moving his mouth over hers, and Roxanne wrapped her arms around him. Every part of her body was ablaze. Her eyes closed and she let the passion take over. It was so wonderful being out of control. She clung to him like a desperate woman. She could feel herself growing even wetter.
Nick pulled away from her and she missed his heat the instant it was gone. “Tell me you want me to.”
“More than anything.” Did he have any idea how sexy he looked as he shook out his hair? Her throat went dry and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor before striking a pose. He was stripping for her. How exciting! She found herself smiling like a lovestruck fool.
“Do you like?” Nick unbuttoned his jeans and folded one side back slightly.
She stared into his chocolate eyes. “Were you in any doubt?”
He chuckled. “Good.”
She felt his laugh all the way down to her toes. “Do you want me to get undressed now?”
“Slowly.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
Roxanne unbuttoned her shirt, slid it off and then pushed her jeans down. She slipped off her underwear and stood, her panties dangling from her fingers.
Nick snatched her panties out of her hand and tossed them on the floor. “They look good on the floor.” He pointed at her. “Next.”
She unhooked her bra, pulled it off and let it slide through her fingers.
He grabbed her wrist and brought her hand to his very hard penis. “This is how bad I want you.”
He felt so strong, so powerful. Her heart started racing. Heat gushed between her legs.
“This is why I can’t wait.”
Her eyes slanted over the condom packets lying on the bed. She turned her gaze back to Nick. She let her eyes roam his beautiful sculpted chest, admiring his muscles, his skin, his everything. She watched him take off his shoes and socks, and then put the condom on. Then he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up. “Wrap your legs around me.”
Roxanne did as she was commanded and he walked them to his bed. He put his knees on the mattress and lowered her body until she was lying on her back. Without giving her any time to think, he spread her legs.
“You are so pretty down here.”
She had a moment of self-consciousness and wanted to close her legs, but then he slid two thick fingers inside her. Her back arched as she accepted him inside her. Pleasure knifed through her and her toes curled. Wetness coursed through her. She was ready to explode. Then he began to massage her clitoris. The calloused pad of his thumb moved achingly slowly over her hard bud. Roxanne couldn’t catch her breath.
He moved faster, harder, driving her to the point of orgasm.
“Inside me. Please.”
He smiled. “Yes.”
Roxanne sighed as he removed his fingers and quickly inserted the head of his penis inside her. She looked up at Nick and his face was tight with tension. He had squeezed his eyes shut and his chest was rising and falling.
“You feel so good.”
Roxanne raised herself on her arms and wriggled her hips trying to get him farther inside her.
He opened his eyes. “Do you want all of me?”
She nodded her head.
He slid his arms around her waist and lifted her up until she touched his chest. The motion forced her body to impale itself on him.
A shuddering breath escaped her mouth. She felt so full. He throbbed inside her and there was a moment where she just felt so complete. She was hanging on the edge.
He smiled against her mouth. “Hang on to me. I have you.”
Roxanne put her arms around his neck. She could feel him pulsing inside her. She was ready to orgasm now.
He put his hand on her butt, cupping her cheeks, and slowly he began to move her hips up and down. He filled her so completely, Roxanne was dizzy with pleasure. Her head fell back and she just let instinct take over. She clenched her muscles around him.
His fingers pressed into her skin and his lips roamed her neck and breasts. She could feel the beginnings of stubble on his chin. He whispered against her skin, but she couldn’t exactly make out his words. He suddenly sucked her nipple into his mouth and she felt herself come. “Nick.”
He laughed and pushed her down hard on his penis.
She spiraled out of control, and increased her tempo, wanting him to orgasm with her. He pushed up into her and she thrust down on him.
Together they found their perfect tempo and time seemed to stop. Her pleasure escalated and their mouths collided, their tongues dancing. Their bodies strained together until Roxanne came again, Nick following her seconds later.