Heart Is Where the Home Is Ch. 02

He was barely parked when she took off her t-shirt giving him a view of her ample chest. She slid her shorts onto the floor and kicked off her flip-flops.

"See anything you like, big boy?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she unbuckled his seatbelt and helped him slide down his mesh basketball shorts. She pulled the lever and dropped his seatback.

He saw the lust in her eyes as his cock sprung up and saluted her. She wasted no time in climbing over to his bucket seat and sitting down on his iron-hard shaft.

"Oh, Ryan! I love you," she said as she leaned back into him allowing him to kiss her neck and chin and she rode him slowly in reverse cowgirl.

He bucked up into her like a piston as she rubbed her clit.

"Fuck me, baby. Fuck me hard!" She cried as he pinched her sensitive nipples.

"Oh yes! Yes, baby. That's it. You feel so good," she said as she lifted her leg onto the console.

He rolled over on top of her, barely comfortable, and drove into her forcefully. She always liked it rougher when she was in that kind of mood.

The sound of slapping flesh filled the car as he pounded her tight pussy. He bit her nipple making her scream, "Oh yeah! Harder. Make me cum!"

Ever the dutiful husband he thrust as hard as he could, watching her eyes glaze over in the look he loved to see—her orgasm eyes.

She bit her lip and clawed at his sweaty back. He knew what was coming after twenty-five years together and reached down for her t-shirt.

He slid it under her just as she shook and squirted. The sounds of their coupling made him harder as he drove her through her strong orgasm.

"Yeah, baby! Oh, I'm cumming so hard for you!"

He said, "I'm about to..."

She pushed him back and he rolled over. She hurried to take him in her mouth. He erupted spurt after spurt, coating her throat and tongue.

She smiled and swallowed, making a point to show him her empty mouth.

He kissed her and said, "Damn, Angie. I love you, baby."

"I love you too, husband. Can we cut the crap about giving the car back now?"

Ryan laughed, knowing he lost the battle.

"Okay, we can keep the car."

She clapped her hands and put her shorts on.

"Give me your shirt. I'm driving home," she said.

*** Lainey

I woke up wrapped in Ken's arms. I had a feeling of contentment that I could get very used to.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said as I opened my sleepy eyes.

"Have you been up long?" I asked.

"Long enough to finish counting your freckles. I was just about to start connecting the dots."

"Leave my freckles alone," I said, playfully slapping his muscular shoulder.

"They're beautiful, as are you. You shouldn't cover them so much with your makeup."

"Whatever! I'm starving, what are we doing about breakfast?"

"Um? Check the 'pink sheet,' I think Jen has it coming."

I must've looked confused. I had no idea what the "pink sheet" was.

He laughed and said, "The 'pink sheet' is the schedule for the day. Jen always puts it on pink paper so it stands out. I get it sent to my phone's calendar directly, nowadays"

"You and Mom probably have a pink sheet of paper sitting on the floor by the door. She'd have slid it under by six."

"Okay. Since you won't check your phone, lazy bones, I'll go walk on the cold floor to get my piece of paper."

He laughed and said, "My phone is in the other room as well. I'll get them both for us. How about you start the shower?"

Moments later, as the soothing hot water fell over my skin, the door opened and air-conditioned coolness invaded my comfort.

"Breakfast will be delivered to Mom's room by 7:30," Ken said as he took over rubbing the shampoo into my hair. I moaned as he massaged my scalp, reveling in the touch of his strong fingers.

"What time is it?" I asked, blissfully unaware of where I was let alone the time.

"Almost seven. Breakfast is first on your agenda and then you'll try on the dress and get final alterations. It's a great dress, by the way. You'll look stunning."

"What's after the fitting?"

"Tanning if you want, then lunch. I would suggest not tanning. I love your creamy skin tone."

I was about to answer when he started massaging my breasts.

"Stop that!" I said. "We'll never get out of here if you keep that up."

He kissed my cheek and stepped back to the edge of the large shower.

"Okay, spoilsport. Please hand me the soap."

***

"Ken, this says I'm getting a mani/pedi."

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

"I'm, well I don't have a lot of money, and..."

He laughed as he cut me off. I should have known he would be paying for that also.

"Lainey, don't worry about a thing. You won't have to pay for anything. If you'd like some cash for anything, let me know, but you won't need it. In fact, here."

He handed me a credit card.

"If you'd like to buy souvenirs or something for your folks or Melanie, feel free as well. You won't have any time today for shopping, I'd bet. For sure tomorrow we'll do a little sightseeing."

I looked at the schedule Jen planned for me and he was right. There was no free block of time. Fortunately, all of the activities were in the hotel and all but the tanning was in our rooms.

"What's your day look like?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "Mostly the same as yours except I'm a guy so everything will take less time. In fact, I would guess that we'll find Jen has already been to my condo and got my outfit for me so I can get ready here with you all."

As if on cue there was a knock on the door. I answered to find Jen standing in the hall with a garment bag and shoes.

"Good morning, Lainey," she said as she blew past me into the room.

"Ken, here's your suit for tonight. I figured you'd have stayed over."

She winked at me and smirked.

"Thanks, Sis. Where's breakfast? Lainey is starving."

"It's waiting in Mom's room. Fair warning, Lainey—you're gonna want to fill up because it will be light eating and snacking the rest of the day. We don't want to be too bloated under the bright lights and in front of the cameras."

I nodded and Ken took my hand.

"Let's eat, honey."

***

Standing in front of the full-length mirror I couldn't believe my eyes. They had transformed me from a meek waitress to a statuesque starlet.

I was over six feet tall in the four-inch heels, and holy cow were they gorgeous shoes. Jen and her partner Cindy gave me tips on posture and how to walk without killing myself and Jen even gave me some advice on answering any questions I might be asked.

As I looked at the beautiful job Cindy had done on my hair and makeup, I felt like a princess. Cliche, I know, but there is no other way to describe what I was feeling.

Ken walked up behind me after having his hair styled and kissed my neck.

"You're stunning. You're going to be the talk of the town tonight."

"Ken, I'm scared. I don't want to do something stupid that hurts your image."

"Don't worry about my image. I don't care about it and neither should you. Jen's phone has been buzzing since our first date and she's handled it like the pro she is. Tonight, you'll be seen by the world as my girlfriend and I couldn't be more proud to have you by my side."

Jen burst into the room as gorgeous as ever.

"Okay, the limo is here. Are we ready?"

"Let's roll," Ken said, taking my hand.

I was expecting paparazzi, glitz, and fanfare and what I got was the kitchen.

After exiting the elevator, we were whisked to the back of the hotel and through the kitchen to a dock area, where an Escalade stretch limousine was waiting.

Hotel security was standing by other doors and a police car had the alleyway blocked off. I saw two other limos waiting and asked who else was there.

"Jim Steel and Devon Jackson," Ken said as if it were no big deal.

"Oh wow!" I gasped as Ken motioned for me to get into the limo.

"You'll meet them later at the after-party."

Shocked, I shrieked, "Afterparty? That wasn't on my schedule."

"It's informal. No cameras, no reporters, just us relaxing."

"Who is us?" I asked.

"The cast. We do it after all of the premiers, it's kind of a tradition. Don't panic."

He was seeing what I was feeling.

"It's completely relaxed. We'll all be in jeans and t-shirts having beers. Trust me."

I nodded and could feel sweat starting to ooze from my pores.

"Jen, do you have the fan?" He asked.

She passed him a battery-operated fan and he handed it to me.

I smiled and thanked him.

It only felt like a moment, but we were all of a sudden in line with other limos around a corner. I looked out and saw thousands of people lining the cordoned-off streets and sidewalks. Each seemed to have a camera or phone and there were a lot of signs.

When it was our turn, Jen handed me a glass with a shot of tequila in it.

"Bottoms up!"

I then noticed everyone had the same glass including, to my surprise, Janis.

We drank them down just in time for the door to fly open. I'd already been told Ken and I would exit last and I watched as the others slowly exited before me.

Ken gripped my hand tightly and said, "Relax, it'll be okay."

I wished I believed him.

"Big smile!"

Suddenly I was out of the limo. I remembered to exit ladylike and not flash the cameras my lady parts.

It was surreal. There were large lights pointed at the car and flashes going off all around me. Ken held my hand and whispered, "You'll be fine," before kissing my cheek. When he did that, the flashes burst even faster and brighter.

I heard Ken's name called out by the crowd as we walked down the red carpet and he waved and shook hands. Then I heard my name start to get called out by the crowd and I wanted to vomit. I wished I hadn't done the shot as we walked down a tunnel-like walkway. On one side was the crowd and on the other was a temporary wall that had the movie posters and logos all over it.

I was looking at the crowd still shocked that they were calling my name out when Ken stopped and started talking to someone. I missed the first part of what he said, but then I heard"...and this is Lainey."

I whipped my head around and smiled as instructed, but panicked when I was asked, "What's it like dating Kinsey Greer?"

I was frozen for a moment and then blurted out, "Mind-blowing." It left my lips before I could take the words back and the crowd cheered.

I wanted to cry, and suddenly we were ushered away for the next star to be interviewed. We stopped in front of the movie's logo and Ken whispered, "Picture time."

I nodded and we took pictures for what felt like hours. They made me take pictures with Ken and by myself. I was shocked at all of the cameras pointed at my feet until I realized people wanted to see my shoes.

Once done we were pulled into a tent behind the wall where the other actors were waiting together.

"Lainey? Are you okay?" Ken asked as I was starstruck by all of the famous people around me.

"Yes," I answered meekly.

"We're going to wait here for the last of the main cast to arrive and then we'll take some group pictures in front of the logo wall."

I nodded as someone handed me a glass of Champagne and said, "I was watching from the side. You did great, honey."

I looked over at the speaker with her sweet southern drawl and didn't recognize her, but she was beautiful and well made up.

"I'm Abigail, and I was like you not so long ago."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lainey."

"Oh, I know who you are and I know all about you. I've been following your whirlwind romance on Twitter."

"Oh, God!" I said, feeling sick again.

"Ken, why are you leaving this poor girl to fend for herself over here?" She asked.

He spun and said, "I was just talking with your jerk of a husband. I guess I should introduce everyone, huh?"

He stepped aside and behind him was Jim Steel. I almost dropped my glass as he stepped up to me extending his hand.

I wanted to scream as he said, "Well, if it isn't the beautiful Lainey. Nice to meet you, honey."

I stood in shock as I shook hands with the most gorgeous face I'd ever looked at. He called me beautiful and I wanted to scream.

Once again, I had verbal diarrhea and said, "You're my favorite."

My hand shot up to my mouth and I wanted to melt into a puddle. I was so embarrassed and was afraid Ken would hate me.

Abigail laughed and said, "Now you've done it. I'll never get his head through the car door."

Ken rolled his eyes and said, "It's always Jim."

They all laughed but I was still mortified. Abigail looked me in the eye softly and said, "One piece of advice for you, Lainey. If you didn't see it with your own eyes, don't believe it happened. The vultures out here are scum and they want nothing more than to create drama. Ken's one of the few good people we know in this sea of depravity. He's like us, he's down to earth and homesick."

I nodded and we were pulled away for more pictures. I even took some with just Abigail at her request.

***

The movie was amazing and after it ended we were whisked away for more interviews and pictures. Janis stayed with me while Ken was talking with some reporters on his own.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and was face to face with Kate Ferrell.

"Well, if it isn't the farm girl who's playing dress-up?"

Before I could say anything, Janis said, "Hello, Kate."

"Hi, Janis. How've you been?"

"Well, my husband died a couple of weeks ago. Thank you for the flowers."

"What flowers?" Kate asked, confused.

"Exactly. Bye."

Janis took my arm and led me down the tunnel, towards the limo.

She explained, "I got flowers and cards from you won't believe how many famous people I'd never met. She was close to marrying my son and didn't even call me. I may be old-fashioned in a lot of ways, but that hurt. I was blind to it while she was dating my Kinsey, but I can see clearly now. After thinking about it, she wasn't as sweet as I thought she was. I guess she put on a good act with me and Jonathon."

I hugged her and we stopped to wait for Ken. The crowd was still calling to me and taking my picture.

I asked Janis, "Are the fans bothering you? I can walk farther behind to give you some privacy."

"No, they don't care about me. I'm fine. You know, Jonathon used to walk me down these red carpets like a proud peacock. Oh, he was so proud of Kinsey. He would gush about everything for weeks after."

A tear slid down her cheek and I handed her a tissue.

"Thank you, Lainey."

"I wish I could've met him," I said. "He sounds like a good man."

"The best. He was the absolute best," Ken said from behind me. "Let's head out."

***

"Lainey, trust me," Ken said, "anything you wear will be fine. I'm wearing what I have on."

He had changed and was wearing khaki shorts and a Van Halen t-shirt.

"I don't want to make you look bad," I said as I stood in the gown from the premiere.

"Lainey, please relax. Put on some shorts, some leggings, whatever you have. We're going to this party to drink and relax. There's no Hollywood in that room. I promise you. Be yourself, be comfortable."

"Easy for you to say. I'm not part of this world, I have no idea what I'm doing here."

I was still panic-stricken. I was desperate to not embarrass him and I felt like I'd failed him all night.

He took me in his arms and said, "You're here because I want you to be here. Next February, at the Oscars after-parties, you'll need to be dressed up, but for this? Please relax. This is going to be like hanging out with your friends on a Saturday night."

"Except everyone there is rich and famous," I spat.

"Well, not everyone is famous. Abby stays out of the spotlight. Kyle Bradley's wife Julianne isn't an actress."

"No, she's just a best-selling Romance novelist."

He laughed and walked behind me. Before I knew it the dress was on the floor and I was standing naked before him.

"What I'd really like to do is head into the bedroom for some adult fun, but we always do this party and this is the last movie we're making together. I tell you what. If you want to stay, then stay. I'll say your stomach is bothering you and everyone will buy it because of your nerves. If you want to wear the gown, wear it. You'll be the only one though."

I sighed and said, "Fine. I'll go casual, but you better stay close to me the entire time."

"I promise."

*** Ken

I just couldn't understand why Lainey was so afraid of the after-party. That was going to be the easiest part of the night and she'd already survived the hardest part.

She put on khaki shorts and a striped shirt and we went down one floor to Jim and Abby's room.

Before I knocked, I kissed her and said, "Take a deep breath and try to enjoy yourself."

"Just don't leave me, okay?"

"Okay."

Abby answered and pulled Lainey into a hug.

"Come on, Lainey. The girls and I have a game of Charades about to start, and we're all ready to start making fun of our men."

Before I could say anything, she was whisked away. I shook my head and laughed. She'd be in safe hands with Abby.

I walked into the main sitting room and Jim tossed me a beer.

"It's about time you got here. Abby was about to go hunt your girlfriend down."

"Lainey was really nervous about coming. She's not ready for all of this. I just hope we can keep moving forward together with her taking it in stride."

Jim laughed and said, "Were we ready when it all exploded?"

The rest of the guys laughed at that. Besides Jim, there was Kyle Bradley, a veteran actor in his fifties, Benny Ramirez, the young pup out of all of us, and Devon Jackson, who was a hip hop singer that transitioned over to acting.

Devon said, "Ken, we were just talking about there being no more group movies. Would you be willing to do a cameo in my solo film?"

"I'd like to, but I'm done with all of this," I said. "Maybe they can use some cut footage to create a scene or something. I'd be cool with that."

"Alright. I see how it is," he said and made the guys boo me.

"Hey! Screw off. I'm tired of the game. It's time to go home and live a semi-normal life."

Kyle said, "You can't live a normal life, brother. You'll always be Kinsey Greer the guy who played Jace Stryker."

"Yeah, but I won't have to travel 40 plus weeks out of the year anymore. I'm tired of it, man. I really am."

"We haven't had a real break since all of this shit started. Maybe just take a year off and see where you're at then?" Jim advised.

"Nope, I'm gonna try to start a family back home. I want to be there to see my kids grow up. I want to coach little league games, play in the yard, teach my kids how to fish, ya know? Just be normal."

Jim put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I don't blame you for that. I've missed so many of the little things. I've never been there for a first step or the first time they said daddy. It's a hard life, but the rewards are worth it."

"Are they?" I snapped. "How many more millions do we need? We've all been set for life a dozen times over."

Kyle nodded as I continued, "Hell, I can't even get a decent role that isn't an action hero. There's nothing left to get from this stupid business. I'm really over it."

Deftly changing the subject, Jim said, "Guys, put on the end of the Lakers game, they're playing my Grizzlies."

*** Lainey

I was pulled into a room by Abby and introduced to the other ladies. Julianne, who was Kyle Bradley's wife. Brandi, who was Benny Ramirez's fiancé, and Chantelle who was married to Devon Jackson, were in a heated conversation about their dresses for the evening.

"It sucks, damn it!" Julianne said. We have to spend all day getting ready and shoehorned into formal gowns while our men don't even wear ties. Not one of our men had a tie on."

Chantelle laughed and said, "Yeah, but then we couldn't have gotten a view of Kinsey's chest hair peeking out over his unbuttoned shirt. Mm, I'll have me some of that white chocolate please."