Starstruck Ch. 10-12

Ok readers, here's the fourth installment. It's hopefully a lot longer than the others so it should give you a descent amount to read. I know some of you have asked for longer chapters, but I'm afraid that with story writing, you can't really plan the length of a chapter, the story happens how it happens, so if you think they're too short, then tough cookies. Just a little reminder to PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT. I can't improve on my stories if I don't know what you think about them. Us writers really DO appreciate them. As always, all characters are 18 years or over. Happy reading.

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Over the next couple of weeks Sam and Chase go to know each other better. They went horse riding every day together, even if it was only for an hour or so. They went out for walks, went shopping in the town and a couple of times they had taken Sam's car and gone to the city to have a look around and go to the movies (with Chase in disguise of course). Some days they would just lounge around the lake. Chase had to admit that this was his favourite activity with Sam, as Sam's bathing suit was probably the one revealing outfit she had. Although not as skimpy as some bikinis you can buy, it still showed a good proportion of her stomach and breasts as well as showing off her long curvy legs.

Sam was tall for a woman, almost six foot, a good height for Chase's six foot four, he had thought secretly, and a good proportion of that was leg. Although he didn't make it obvious, Chase loved to look at her when she didn't know it. Chase was a great guy that went for a females brain rather than her body, but at the same time, he was still a guy.

Although Sam and Chase spent most of every day together, Sam disappeared for a couple of hours every afternoon. When questioned, Sam merely stated that she had some things to take care of. Even though Chase knew Sam hadn't left the house, he could never find her, so had to make himself content with the knowledge that Sam would be back soon. Chase was finding it harder and harder to be without her company though and this disturbed him.

To be honest, without Sam's company, Chase would have packed up and left after the third day. Emily and Parker were absolute pains in the ass, always talking to Chase about absolute crap that he didn't need or want to know about. Emily was an empty headed bitch who looked down on anyone who wasn't at her social status and Parker was a moron who had less sense than a speck of dust. Chase couldn't stand either one of them and now knew why Jack had gotten him to stay here. He had hoped that Chase would soon leave. Well, thanks to Sam, Chase was able to bear the evening meals and occasional tea parties with Emily's friends. They made sure they were out most of the time to escape both of Sam's parents, and so were able to both maintain a happy medium.

After all the time they had spent together though, Chase was starting to get impatient. Although Chase talked about his life freely enough, Sam was still resigned, not giving away anything personal. Although Chase tried to get Sam to talk about her relationship with her parents, she kept those feelings bottled up, refusing to talk about it. Chase didn't push her, remembering Mac's words about her problem with trust, but he liked Sam, really liked her, and Chase wanted her to trust him. The way she responded to him made Chase think that she liked him too, even if she didn't want to admit to herself. Nothing had happened between them, just the way they acted towards each other, the small smiles Sam gave to Chase that he noticed weren't given to anyone else, the way she would genuinely laugh at his jokes, as lame as they were or the way they would accidentally brush against each other and pull back quickly.

They were good for each other, although neither Chase or Sam realised this. Chase saw Sam beyond the hard shell she had erected to the vulnerable girl inside, and Sam saw Chase as the man he was, not the Hollywood star he had become. They both helped each other to get some normalcy into their lives, something that deep down, they both craved.

* * * *

Chase headed down to the stables to look for Sam. She had gone off by herself again, but had been gone for a lot longer than usual and Chase was getting worried. He hadn't found her in the house, so he assumed she was with Warrior. When he got to the stables he could see no sign of Sam, and instead ran into Mac cleaning out stalls. "Hey Mac, have you seen Sam anywhere."

"Can't say I ave Master Chase. 'Ave ye looked for 'er in the tower?"

"The tower?"

"Sam has 'er art room up there. Only way to hide it from 'er parents. They don't agree with 'er artwork."

"Okay, thanks. I'll look for her there. I'll see you later yeah."

"I'm always ere Master Chase."

* * * *

Chase knocked on the door to the attic. When he got no answer he walked in. Sam wasn't in the room, but Chase could see that she had been walking on something so he assumed she would be back soon. Walking around the room (which was quite large as it used to be the servants quarters), Chase studied her artwork. There were paintings and drawings of Warrior and the other horses, landscapes of the surrounding area and sketches of the house. It was obvious that Sam went down to the town quite often during past visits as there were also sketches of people going along on their business. An old man sunning himself outside his shop, a child pulling on his mother's hand and two girls window shopping. Chase was impressed. It was obvious that Sam had a lot of talent. Not only could she draw what she could see, she could also draw what she couldn't. Sam put emotion into her drawings and that is what made a great artist.

As Chase continued to walk around the room, he came upon a pile of paintings that had been stacked carelessly along the wall, like they didn't matter. These paintings were different from the others. They were swirls of colour, showing fire and anger as well as hurt and depression. They screamed of great independence, but at the same time screamed for love and understanding. Chase felt a sharp pang in his heart as he realised what these painting represented. These paintings weren't just pieces of art. They were Sam. Looking at the dates, Chase could see that these paintings went back for years, and for the first time, Chase was able to see what a truly lonely and sad life Sam had lead. Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Chase quickly moved back into the middle of the room to the work bench. Although he didn't think Sam would care that he saw her sketches, he knew the other paintings were personal, and she'd be pissed if she knew he had seen them.

Sam walked into the room and was startled to see Chase standing there. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Hi. I was looking for you and Mac said you'd probably be up here. How come you never told me about this room before?" After the great last couple of weeks they'd had, Chase was a bit hurt that Sam hadn't told him about her art room. He'd thought that she'd been starting to trust him.

"I don't know. I guess it never seemed that significant really. Normally I come up here to get away from things, but lately, all I've been doing up here is working."

"So I've seen. I had a look at some of your other work as well. It's fantastic."

"How much did you look at?" Although Sam didn't mind Chase looking at her artwork, she didn't want him to see the paintings of her. She wasn't ready to go into that with Chase yet.

"Just the ones on the easels. They're really good." "Thanks. They're just doodles really. It helps me to relax."

"Sam. I've seen doodles. They're way more than just doodles." Sam walked over to the table. She wasn't accustomed to praise with anything that she did. Chase could see she was embarrassed, so he changed the subject. "So, this is where you go when you disappear on me then."

"Sometimes. I've been busy organising a gallery opening at my school. The parents wanted it done. You know what they're like. They need something to show off their children's brilliance to the other parents."

"So you're the organiser. Really? How'd you get stuck doing that?"

"Actually, I volunteered. Why?"

"Nothing, its just, well, it doesn't seem your sort of thing. It sounds like something the social club would do or something."

Sam smiled at him, pleased in a way that he had actually taken the time to learn things about her. "I don't do it because I enjoy it. I do it because it will look good on my scholarship application."

Chase was confused. Its not like she had the need to scrape for cash. "Why the hell would you need to apply for a scholarship?"

"Chase, think about Parker and Emily, then think about me. You really think that we have the same idea about which University I'm to attend."

"I guess not. So what, they won't pay for you to go to Uni?"

"Oh, they'll pay alright, as long as I go to the Uni of their choice and study the course they approve of. Otherwise, I'm on my own."

Chase didn't really know what to say to that. Having a loving family, he couldn't imagine parents being as hard and callous as Sam's. "So, how's the gallery coming along?"

"Fine. Everything's sorted out now except for what needs to be done on the night. I'm just making signs and name plates for all the artwork. I wanted to have them printed so I'd have less work, but my art teacher insisted that it would look more artistic if I did them by hand. It's a pain in the ass. Now I'm screwed because I've had no time to do a picture myself for the gallery."

Chase walked over to the table and sat down. "Why don't you enter one of the ones here. I think they're fantastic."

"I don't want to. They're a part of my life that I don't share with that part of my world. When I come to stay here, I come to get away from society and just be by myself. The majority of my school ignore me because I don't fit in, but those who don't give me hell. I don't want to give them anything personal to attack me with."

Chase was amazed. This was the first time Sam had ever voluntarily let Chase get an insight into her life beyond the estate. Although he knew it was probably unintentional, Chase realised that, even if it was done sub-consciously, Sam was beginning to trust him. At the same time he wanted to kill those bitches that had been giving Sam a hard time. He knew her life was hard enough as it was without the added pressure of school bullies.

"Well, have you had any other ideas what to do?"

"I had one, but it involves you, so I didn't bother about it."

"Well, why don't you tell me before you totally dismiss it."

Sam looked at Chase shyly. She knew there was no way he would agree, so she didn't know why she was bothering, but Sam knew Chase wouldn't let up until she told him. "Do you remember when we first met, under the oak tree and you told me that you wanted people to see the real you, not the actor."

"Yeah."

"Well. I wanted to sketch you, show people the real you. But it's a stupid idea, don't worry about it."

"I'd love to model for you, if you want me to."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all." Chase thought it was a good idea. It meant that he could spend some personal time with her. Sure they'd spent a lot of time alone together when Sam wasn't doing her gallery thing, but this would be different. Although Chase wasn't any type of artist, he knew that modeling for an artist was quite personal. Although he didn't want to admit it, Chase was falling, and falling hard for Sam. He had been from the moment he had met her. He felt a deep possessiveness over her, and all he wanted to do was to protect her, to make all the hurt from the past go away and stop anymore hurt from happening. Chase had never felt this way before, and it scared the hell out of him, but it pissed him off even more that Sam wouldn't allow him to protect her. Chase hoped that by modeling for Sam, he could get inside her head a bit more.

"So, when did you want to start?"

"Um, well, as soon as possible, I guess." Sam was still in a state of shock. She had never expected Chase to say yes, so wasn't really prepared for anything. "I don't know if it will be any good. I don't have much time to do it in."

"I know how good you are. You'll do fine. So, how do you want me?"

"Well, I wanted to draw you first as Chase Major, you know, something dashing and actorish. I don't know really to be honest."

"Well, here's an idea. What if I dressed up as a cowboy, like in Texas Ranger. I expect with the amount of promotion its had, people will recognise me in the picture straight away."

"I like the idea, but there's one problem. I don't have any old cowboy costumes lying around the house."

"Leave it to me. I'll be able to organise to get one of the costumes I wore for the shoot sent here. I'll go and make the call now."

* * * *

Later in bed that night, Sam lay pondering over what had happened this afternoon. She couldn't believe what she had said to Chase about what happened to her at school. She had never talked like that to anyone before. Sam was scared. Although she was apprehensive about it, Sam was beginning to trust Chase more and more. Secretly, Sam was happy that Chase had agreed to model for her. It meant that they could spend some personal time together. Sam was so confused. She had never had anything to do with guys before. She had never really been interested, and none of the guys at school would ever look at her twice. Sam just didn't know what her feelings for Chase were. She was hoping that spending this extra time with him would help her to sort out her feelings.

Chapter 11

Chase was true to his word, and the next afternoon the costume arrived via express delivery. Sam decided that to get the true effect, they should do the sketch outside, so Sam organised a picnic lunch and they rode out to one of the boundary fences. Secretly, Sam thought Chase looked gorgeous in his Stetson and chaps. "So, how do you want me to be?"

"Well, it may be a little uncomfortable, and you'll have to take a lot of rests, but I was thinking that if you leaned your back against the fence with your elbows leaning on the top rail. Cross your feet. Yeah, that's good, now push your hat down slightly, no, up a bit, that's good. Now I want you to look directly at me. I need you to pretend to be the ranger again. Look slightly arrogant, like nothing bothers you, nothing can hurt you. That's perfect." Sam settled down with her back against a tree and began to draw. Chase was amazingly patient. Sam knew that his position wasn't comfortable and asked him several times if he wanted a rest, but he told her to keep on drawing. After 40 minutes though, Chase couldn't hold his position anymore and had to have a rest.

"Can I have a look?"

"No way. You can't see it until it's finished."

"Oh, no fair. I'm the model."

"Yes and what a cute model you make." The words were out of Sam's mouth before she could even think. They both stood there looking at each other until Sam broke the silence. "Um, do you want lunch now?"

"Yeah, lunch sounds really good." As Sam rummaged through her bag for the sandwiches, Chase took off the Stetson, chaps and shirt, leaving him in a wife beater and faded jeans. Sam couldn't help but look at him. He had one of the most beautiful bodies Sam had ever seen on a man. His arms and chest rippled with wiry muscle, the type of muscle one got from hard work rather than the gym. Shaking herself, Sam told herself to stop daydreaming and get back to reality. It's not like Chase be interested in her like that anyway. Handed him a sandwich, Chase went to sit against a tree opposite Sam. All through lunch, both Sam and Chase were uncomfortably aware of each other and at the end of lunch, Chase told Sam he was going to have a nap. Really it was to try and calm down his raging hormones, but Sam didn't have to know that.

As Sam sat there looking at Chase, in idea formed in her mind. Taking her sketch pad, she flipped to a new page and started to draw Chase sleeping under the tree. He looked so innocent laying there with the light dappled from shining through the trees. Laying there, he didn't look like Chase Major, screen hunk. He looked like Chase Mathew, ordinary man. Sam knew then what her picture would look like. Chase slept for nearly an hour before Sam was done and woke him up to continue working on the first picture.

Soon the picture was done enough that Chase didn't need to model anymore (Sam was an extremely fast drawer), so they went to find the horses and rode back home. Going into the tower alone, Sam got out a new piece of paper and started to draw the two images of Chase onto the one page. Sam worked for hours until she couldn't draw anymore. She was pleased with how the drawing was going. On one half of the page there was Chase the actor, the cowboy with his horse, in all his arrogance and pride. On the other side was Chase the man, sleeping innocently under a tree without a care in the world. Rolling the paper up and putting it into a tube, Sam hid it so that Chase couldn't find it. She knew how impatient he was and that he would be hunting for it as soon as her back was turned. Sam turned out the light and went to her room. She was tired and soon she was asleep, dreaming of Chase.

The next morning Sam woke up all hot and bothered. Her body was tingling and there was an unfamiliar ache between her legs. Not a bad ache, but pleasurable. Sam wasn't sure what was going on. She had never had this feeling before and wondered if she was getting sick. She had been working hard lately and decided to spend the day lazing by the lake.

Chase found her soon after breakfast and spent most of the day with her until Sam announced that she had work to do. Chase for once, was glad that she'd gone. He'd had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her and had had to turn onto his stomach to make sure Sam didn't see his erection. Chase didn't understand what attracted him to Sam. She was the complete opposite of the girls he usually went for. She was rude, outspoken, stubborn and pig headed, but Chase loved to hang out with her. Probably because he knew where he stood when he was with Sam. She wasn't fake. She wouldn't lie to keep him happy. Chase found it refreshing.

Later that day, Chase met up with Sam in the tower to see how she was going with the sketch. "It's coming along well. I've almost finished it. I'm just sketching a picture of Warrior behind you and the fence to give more of a cowboy impression."

"Can I see it?"

"NO!!!"

"Alright then, don't get so crotchety. Okay, subject change. How are you going with the gallery?"

"Fine, i've actually finished all the plaques and stuff, although god knows how, so there's only what needs to be done on the night. I have no idea who's been invited though. I had to organise the bloody thing, but I couldn't decide who got to go."

"That sucks. So, are your parents going?"

"No thankfully. It was up to me to invite them, so that's one less problem I'll have to deal with on the night."

"You didn't bother to invite them?"

"No. Why, you sound surprised."

"Well, I am. Especially since it's obvious that you did this for your parents approval."

"Excuse me?" Chase knew he was going into dangerous territory with this, but decided that a direct approach could be the only way he could get through to her.

"Think about it. The catering company, the food and wine, the invitations, the waiting staff. All from the same companies your parents use. The way I know you've decided to decorated the gallery, in a style you would hate but your parents would approve of. Everything you've done isn't you, it's your parents."

"Don't be stupid Chase, it's a formal event and it's for my scholarship. What do you want me to do? Serve sausage rolls and party pies with fizzy drink. That'll impress everyone. This has nothing to do with my parents." Sam was starting to yell. Chase was dredging up buried feelings that Sam didn't want to think about. Chase started to yell back.