The Stars Trilogy Read Free Page A

night.
    “I know you need sex. I get that, you sex fiend. I know you need to be careful too, so they have to stay with you exclusively for at least six months. But this girl is playing the media coyly, Dare. She’s not abiding by the rules I strictly imposed on her. She’d been casually dropping hints to the press how serious you two are getting. Serious?! You?! Get rid of her soon or I will!”
    “Aw, come on, Kels, she’s just a kid who wants to be famous. She’s quite popular now, I think.”
    “Thanks to you, you single-handedly made her a hot property by just hooking up with her. She got three movie contracts a week after she became your latest floozy. And now you’re bringing her to the Oscars?! The fucking Oscars?! Are you trying to kill me, Dare? I have a list of superstars for you to escort here! Demi Moore is currently single, Scarlett Johansson is available, Kate Winslet-”
    “Kels, relax on the kid. She’s pretty harmless.”
    “Harmless?! She’s as harmless as a little mosquito! One bite and you get the Dengue fever!”
    “What the fuck is that?”
    “It’s a deadly virus from the tropics!”
    “I don’t want to blow her off just like that. She’s been nice to me.” And for a month, she made me chill with her creamy vanilla treats and curiously enough, prevented me from getting gangrene in the balls, he wanted to add but he reckoned Kelsey was too mad for his dirty humor.
    “Okay, choose. Her nice to you or me nasty like a bitch about to pop out 12 puppies and snipping at your ass every damn minute!”
    He couldn’t help but grin at that. He and Kelsey had been together for almost a decade now and she was probably the only woman who truly understood him. “I’m gonna tell her it’s over tomorrow. We’ll attend the Vanity Fair party and I’ll dump her on someone’s dick, I swear. I just need to look for a guy who’d take care of her better than I did.”
    “Do that. And don’t say anything stupid to the press while you’re at it, okay? You have such talent for pissing off the entire feminist kingdom and I have reached my quota this month on my cleaning business with your inexhaustible shit, Dare. I need a break.”
    “Okay, honey. I’m sorry. You want a trip to the Bahamas? Use my jet.”
    “Bye!”
    And now, he was at the Oscars with Taylor hoping somebody among the single and not-so-single actors, directors and producers present tonight had already started fantasizing about her jaw-dropping measurements. He’d give her a nine. Will some lecher give her a ten and take her from his hands tonight?
    Is there a lecher prowling the Kodak Center worse than you? bleated his fuckin’ conscience. He sighed. Just one horn dog rich enough to afford Taylor’s little designer dress-collecting hobby and he’d gladly lend them his villa in the Turks and Caicos Islands for a vacation.
    He went back to collect Taylor who was already abusing her photo op.
    “Oh Dare! This is the greatest night of my life!” Taylor gushed dreamily as she clung to his arm.
    “I’m glad, sweetie. The press adores you.”
    “Really? You really think so?” She waved her hand in all directions, enjoying her temporary stellar status in his company.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Thank you so much, Dare, hunny. Sorry I was in a rush earlier. I was just so excited for this event. I’d make you so happy later, I promise.”
    Her bedroom techniques turned to routine after a month of marathon sex. He’d rather sleep. Fuck, he was getting old. Wasn’t his motto, I’ll sleep when I’m dead?
    He felt Taylor stiffen beside him. “Oh my God, she’s here!” she whispered tensely in his ear. “I thought she was in London and couldn’t attend tonight. PopSugar is so wrong!”
    “Who?”
    “Your ex-wife!” she hissed.
    “I have two, so far. Third divorce on-going.”
    “Guess. She just got out of her limo.” Taylor was craning her neck to get a good look at the new arrival.
    He didn’t need to look. He knew who it was.