Hollywood Harlot

Chapter 17

Bella stood in front of the mirror in her room, on her side of the cabin, applying a little more lipstick.

“What is taking you so long?” Jake shouted grumpily from the great room.

“I’m getting ready,” she called back, smiling at his obviously irritated attitude. She liked that he was jealous of her dinner with Alex. Even though there was no future for her and Jake, it still felt good that he didn’t want her going out with another man.

“I told you I could cancel, if it’s going to make you angry,” she said to his silence.

He suddenly appeared at her door, his large frame filling out the entire entryway.

“Why are you wearing that?”

Bella looked down at her emerald green dress in surprise and then back up at Jake, her eyes wide.

“What’s wrong with my dress?”

He crossed his arms and took a step toward her. “It’s too damn sexy.”

A slow smile spread across Bella’s lips and she put her brush down on the counter and slowly turned to him. “This old thing?” She asked innocently, slowly turning in a circle so he could enjoy every angle of the form-fitting silk dress.

His jaw clenched and he took another step toward her. “I don’t like you wearing it for him.”

Bella pursed her lips to prevent herself from giggling out loud. She was really enjoying this.

“Jake…” she started, “I told you…” but he interrupted her.

“I want you to wear it for me,” he said, closing the gap between them with another step.

Bella paused, pretending to carefully consider his words, but inside, her heart was racing. He was really worked up about this, and she was really enjoying that.

“Wear it for you…” she said slowly, “Or take it off for you?”

With a frustrated snarl, he closed the remaining distance between them in a single bound and pulled her roughly up to him, his hands moving quickly up and down the soft fabric. He claimed her mouth roughly with his and she immediately felt the burning deep down inside of her, her body screaming for more, screaming for him. He pressed up against her even harder, moving the two of them backwards, until she was pushed up against the wall. He put a hand on either side of her head, and pulled his lips from hers just long enough to stare down into her eyes.

“Is the dress for me?” he said, his voice thick and deep with desire.

Still not quite willing to give into him, and enjoying the dress’s effect on him, she slowly licked her lips and took a deep breath in, forcing her breasts to push up against the deep cut of the dress. His gaze dropped momentarily to her bust line and his eyes darkened. Bella’s breath caught in her throat, knowing she may have pushed him too far.

She took her right hand and slowly raised it to his face, running her fingers lightly down his jawline. She leaned in close and whispered, “To be continued,” before she quickly ducked under his arm and darted past him, squealing in delight.

He spun around and caught her by the wrist, pulling her back to his chest in a swift, single movement. He mimicked her move, tracing a finger down the side of her face, gently following it with delicate kisses, his lips barely touching her soft skin. He changed course and began kissing his way to her neck, applying a little more pressure as he reached her collar bone. Her breath quickened and she clenched her fist in a ball, his other hand slowly tracing up her dress, starting just below the belly button and ending between her breasts. The fire deep within the pit of her stomach began burning hotter, and she looked away from him, hoping he couldn’t sense how turned on she was. She wasn’t quite ready to admit defeat in their little game.

He leaned close to her ear. “It’s for me,” he said definitively, and then kissed her on the mouth once again. Bella leaned up to him, to return the kiss, and she was the one to break it off and walk away. This time, he let her go, but she could feel his eyes burning into her back the entire way to the door, so she made sure to sway her hips just a little more than usual. She walked through the house to the front door, where she put on her coat and stood, waiting for him.

He came slowly after her, putting on his own coat, and still glaring a little.

She sighed. “I said I’d cancel.”

“I wouldn’t dream of disrupting your plans,” he said, glowering, “I’m going to go into town and eat with Greg. Maybe I’ll see you there.”

Bella scrunched up her nose as he held the door open for her and she stepped outside into the icy night air.

“We aren’t going into town,” she said carefully.

“The Mountain Room, then?” he asked, referring to the resort’s fine dining establishment.

They walked together down the snowy path toward the main lodge in silence for a moment.

“Do you really want to know the details of my date with Alex?” Bella asked hesitantly.

“So it is a date,” he said, his voice steely edged.

Bella took a deep breath in, treading very carefully. “Regardless of what it is, do you really want to know all about it?”

His jaw clenched and the muscle at his temple tightened. “I guess I do.”

“Fine, then,” she replied. “If you must know, he’s cooking me dinner at his place.”

The already frigid cold air felt like it dropped another ten degrees.

“His place,” Jake said quietly.

“Jake…” she started, but he interrupted her.

“No. You’re a big girl and you’re welcome to do whatever you choose. Despite what I said earlier, I don’t own you, and I can’t make decisions for you. You have the right to make your own choices, no matter how bad they are.”

Jake’s pace quickened and Bella matched her stride to keep up with him.

“No matter how bad they are?!” She said indignantly. “How dare you!”

Jake rolled her eyes. “How dare YOU?” he shouted back. “I brought you here. You’re here to be with me! I was gracious enough to allow you to have a night off, and now you are going to rub it in my face and sleep with the first man to look your way? What’s wrong with you that you need attention so badly that you’re willing to w***e around for it?”

Bella’s mouth dropped open and she stopped dead in her tracks, frozen in fury and stunned to silence. Jake kept storming forward, not even realizing she wasn’t keeping up with him, and she turned to run down the first path veering from the main walkway that she could. She ran blindly, numb not just from the cold, but the shock of Jake’s hurtful words. She had reached the curve of the path before he apparently realized she was no longer beside him, and as she turned the corner behind the back side of the lodge, she heard him shout into the wind, “Bella!”

Cloaked by the dark, she knew he couldn’t see her as she went through the back entrance into the lodge, quickly turning the corridor to the kitchen, where she and Alex had agreed to meet.

He was standing in front of the kitchen door, a black suit and dark green shirt, smiling broadly at her as she turned the corner. Immediately, his face turned to concern and he took a step toward her.

“Bella, are you okay?” he asked, reaching for her arm.

She allowed him to take her by the elbow, but she led him quickly to the end of the hallway, driven by a desperate need to get as far away from Jake as she possibly could. Alex seemed to understand she needed to move, and he quickened his own pace to keep up with her until they were nearly jogging together. Subtly, he shifted her arm so that he was leading her, and he took her through a doorway she hadn’t seen yet, and down a concrete stairwell, which led into a basement. He continued leading her gently, walking briskly through the cellar hall, until they reached a steel door at the end. He opened the door for her and placed his hand on the small of her back as he gently nudged her outside, and she obligingly stepped back into the frigid air, still not a word spoken.

Outside, he switched his grip to grab her hand and he led her to a tan colored old Jeep parked in a small parking lot. Once again, he took her to the door, opened it for her, and helped her inside. It wasn’t until he had walked around the front of the Jeep and sat down on the driver’s side that he looked at her and spoke again.

“Bella. You’re crying,” he said gently, as he wiped the tears away with the back of his thumb.

“Am I?” She asked, genuinely surprised. “Well, I’m okay, I’m just mad.”

Alex paused for a moment before putting the keys in the ignition. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“No,” she said firmly, wiping the rest of the tears from her face, “I’d like to enjoy my evening with you.”

He nodded curtly, slipping the Jeep into gear, and said simply, “Whenever you’re ready, I’m here. If you want.”

Bella glanced at him and smiled, grateful for his kindness and his quiet. He was so different than Jake, and right then, that was exactly what she needed. She allowed the silence to settle around them for a solid minute or two before she spoke.

“So what are you making me tonight?” she asked, purposefully changing the subject.

“Oh, you’re not getting off that easy,” he said, matching her jovial tone. “I thought it would be nice if we cooked together. So I was going to put you to work.”

Bella nodded. “Actually, that does sound nice. So what are we making?”

“Well, I know you’re a vegetarian, so I made a really hearty corn chowder and bread for our main course, and I thought we would make dessert together.”

“Mmm, that sounds delicious,” Bella said, starting to relax and leaning back up against the seat. She was touched that he remembered she didn’t eat meat, either.

Alex drove the Jeep up a winding road behind the resort, and a small cluster of lights up ahead began to slowly emerge from the darkness. Bella sat up a little straighter to get a better look.

Alex glanced over and smiled. “It’s just another couple minutes,” he said.

“It looks so quaint, like it’s own little village on the hill,” Bella breathed. “What is it?”

“It’s cabins the McGreens put up here for staff. They’re not mandatory, but it’s a perk because it’s extremely low rent. They said it helps them to have staff close by, especially with how treacherous the roads can sometimes be in the winter. For me, it’s a no brainer, since I like to always be on call.”

Bella nodded and they continued their drive until Alex pulled into a driveway with a one car garage and slowly pulled in. He jumped out and walked around the front of the car to open her door for her again.

“Thank you,” she said, placing her hand in his as he helped her down. He closed the passenger door behind her and gently led her through the door into the house. The scent of different spices mixed with a faint trace of burning wood welcomed her, and Bella felt instantly at home.