Chapter Twelve
"So when are you heading back home?" Ryan asked Steve as they worked on backing music for one of Sara's songs.
"Next week. My cousin Aurora's getting married."
"The one with tits bigger than her brain?"
"That's the one. Found some guy almost twice her age with a large bank account to attach herself to. I tell you, it's a match made in heaven."
"It sounds like it's heading for divorce court in less than five years."
"Yeah, probably. Last I heard, my other cousins were taking bets on how long the marriage would last."
"And what's your wager?" Ryan asked, putting down his guitar.
"I'm having a little faith in them and going for six years." Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I heard about it later than everyone else and all the lowest wagers were taken. That was as low as I could go."
"You men are terrible," Olivia said from the door.
"Yeah, well that's why we're men," Steve said.
"Steve, honey, would you mind disappearing for five minutes so I can talk to Ryan?" she asked, voice dripping sweetness.
"Sure thing, Liv. I'm going to take an hour for lunch. Meet you back here, Ryan."
"But we're not done yet," Ryan started before Steve had closed the door behind him. "Traitor," he whispered under his breath as he stood to collect sheet music.
"So now you're free for an hour. What do you say we head downtown for some lunch? I know a great place."
Ryan shook off the hand she had placed on his shoulder. "I really should run home and check on Sara."
Olivia visibly deflated. "But you promised me we'd do lunch sometime. Remember, Ryan? You promised." She turned her emerald eyes on him. "Please?"
Ryan kicked himself inwardly. "Fine. But I really do need to check on Sara"
"Just make it quick." Liv pulled a compact out of her purse and immediately started freshening her makeup.
He pressed number one on his speed dial and waited as Sara's cell phone rang. After two tries and the phone still remaining unanswered, he gave up and left a message telling her to call him back as soon as she woke up.
"So where to?" he asked, not really sure if he wanted to know.
Olivia took him to Kopi, a swanky new café that was the latest hit in Los Angeles. Olivia's body guard pushed his way through the throng of photographers sitting outside the restaurant so that Olivia and Ryan could get into the building. The matridé led them to a table on the terrace so that they could enjoy the sunny day.
Ryan groaned as he flipped through the menu as the photographers snapped away. "Did we have to sit outside so they could watch us eat?"
"Ryan, this is the most exclusive table in the restaurant," she said, placing a hand over his.
The two ordered and sat in an uncomfortable silence as the photographers stood there, asking them questions. "So what have you been up to?" Ryan asked, hoping to speed the lunch along faster.
"Traveling, doing some photo shoots, you know, the usual. I just flew back from Paris a few days ago."
"Oh yeah?"
"Mmhmm. I had a meeting with a new French designer who wants me in his first fashion show in a few months…"
Ryan zoned out as she went on about Paris, fashion, and music. He continued to feign interest as their food was brought to them. He dove into his alfredo and made noncommittal noises as she blathered on about working together in the near future.
"Well, I'll have to check my schedule," Ryan said. "I'm getting pretty busy with Sara's upcoming album. We want to have it out by the end of the summer."
"Oh…"
"I said I'll check. I'm only one man, Olivia. There's only so much I can do in one day."
"I know," she sighed dramatically, "but I was just really hoping."
"I've got a lot on my plate right now, Liv. I'll try to work something out."
Ryan took care of the bill and once again Olivia's body guard pushed them through the pack of paparazzi, whose number had grown through their meal.
"Thank you for lunch," Olivia said as they entered the recording studio.
"You're welcome."
Olivia rose on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips. "Have a good day, Ryan Cage."
Sara groaned and rolled over to grab her cell phone that sat ringing on the small table next to her bed. Glancing at the caller I.D., she groaned louder. "What?" she demanded through a hoarse voice.
"Got a computer nearby?" Veronica Starr asked.
"In my office, but I'm kind of –"
"Go look at the latest story on Star Track's website." There was a click and Sara knew Veronica had hung up. She fought back the blankets and slowly climbed out of bed. Wrapping a throw around her shoulders, she shuffled into the office down the hall and logged onto the website Veronica requested.
Immediately, Sara was bombarded with pictures from Ryan's lunch date with Olivia Walters. Her stomach dropped as she scanned the album of pictures. Pushing away from the desk, she slammed the top of her laptop down a bit harder than she planned. Feeling better now that anger was coursing through her veins, she headed down to the kitchen to make herself soup and let the anger stew.
She was just sitting down to eat when Ryan walked through the door. "Sara, I would've brought you lunch if you had called," he said, coming over to kiss her head.
"Leftovers?" she asked coolly.
"Listen, Sara, I called you and you didn't answer. I wasn't going to go out for lunch – I was going to come home and check on you."
"Oh, so this is my fault now?"
"No – that's not what I'm saying at all."
"No, what I'm hearing is that you deliberately went against what I wanted when I asked you to stay away from her."
"And what I'm trying to tell you is that she asked me to go to lunch so we could talk. And that's all we did – talk. It was completely innocent."
"Oh please, Ryan," Sara scoffed, her soup long forgotten. "Nothing about that bitch is innocent."
"Well it's nice to see that you're feeling better, at least."
"It's amazing what seeing pictures of your husband out at lunch with another woman will do to you."
"Sara, when are you going to stop being the jealous little girl and realize that I'm not leaving you? I love you," he said, slowly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not leaving you – and certainly not for Olivia Walters."
"Fine. I'll try not to be so jealous. But can you really blame me for wanting to keep you to myself?"
"Not at all, considering I'm pretty awesome."
Sara slapped Ryan's chest. "Jerk. Will you at least tell me what you and Olivia talked about?"
Sara sat and listened intently as Ryan relayed his lunchtime conversation with Olivia. "So she didn't try anything with you, though, right?"
Ryan fought with himself about telling her. "Right?" she pressed.
"She kissed me," he said quickly.
"Come again?"
"When we got back to the studio, she kissed me. Nothing long or involving tongues. But she kissed me. I thought you should know."
"I'm going to rip that bitch's face off," Sara decided, sliding off the stool.
"As entertaining as I'm sure that will be to watch, why don't you wait until you're feeling better?"
"Oh I feel fine, Ryan, trust me. We'll let the doctor decide that. You've only been on the medication for a couple of days."
"Five days," she corrected, "and I've been sleeping and drinking plenty of liquids during that time. I feel fine now Ryan. Really. I could even go back to work tomorrow."
"We'll talk about that tomorrow. But right now you're going to go back to bed and I'm going to bring you that soup that you forgot to eat."
"I'm not hungry for soup anymore."
"Well what do you want? I'll make you something."
Sara slid her hands over his shoulders, locked behind his neck. "I just want you. Did you know you haven't kissed me in six days?"
"That's because you've been sick. I didn't want to get sick, too."
"But I'm better now," Sara said, kissing one cheek, then the other. "No coughing, no sniffling, not even a runny nose." She kissed his neck softly.
Ryan groaned, balled his fists at his side, not willing to touch her. "But baby –"
"Why won't you touch me?" She took his hands, placed them on her hips. She felt his hands tighten on her as she kissed the other side of his neck. "I want this, Ryan, just as much as you do." She slid her hands down his chest, down to his jeans where she felt him hard as a rock already. She lifted her gaze to his eyes where she saw the desire pooled in the ocean blue orbs. "Just touch me, Ryan. Really touch me"
"Fuck it." Ryan slid a hand into her mass of hair, pulled her mouth to his. His mouth plundered hers as he took what he wanted – what he needed more than air. He needed her at that moment more than he needed anything in his entire life. As his tongue sought out hers, he pushed her sweat pants down her legs as Sara fought with the zipper of his jeans.
Ryan picked Sara up and she hooked her legs around his waist as he slammed her back against the nearest wall. They broke the kiss only long enough to strip each other of their shirts, their mouths fusing back together as soon as they could feel the sensual rub of skin on skin. His lips burned her skin as he dragged them down her neck to her chest. His teeth left marks on her skin as her hands found him as she pushed his pants down to his knees.
"Now. Ryan, God, please now."
Sara cried out as Ryan thrust up into her. She held onto his shoulders, her nails digging into the skin, as they drove each other to their peaks. His name was a cry on her lips as they pushed each other over the edge.
So this chapter is somewhat short, and I'm not a huge fan of it, but I missed Ryan and Sara, so I wanted to try an update. Also, please check out my other story in progress
Please review. :)