Author's Note: We've got about 5-6 chapters left in Book Four here. There is a lot to pack in, but I hope you enjoy the ride. It's going to really change the dynamic of what's coming. That's right -- we will definitely move right into Book Five when this is done. I hope you enjoy it.
* * *
After a quiet weekend at home, which helped ground all four of us and stop the whirlwind of events unfolding around us, I jetted off to LA the following Wednesday. Petey wanted to meet, and he sent his private jet for me. It was going to be a quick up-and-back again. I'd return to Houston on Thursday morning.
Jess dropped me at the airport and wished me luck. I hurried aboard the plane, anxious to get the trip over and return to the girls. The big day for Kat and all of us was a whisper away. But as soon as I stepped past the threshold of the cabin, I knew I was going to be in for more of a ride than I had bargained for.
"Welcome to All Anal Airways," a giggling, singsong voice from the back of the plane said.
Surprising me once more, like she always seemed to, was Juliet Lawson. She sat at the table facing the front of the cabin. A cold bottle of Dom Perignon and four lines of cocaine were next to her.
"And here I thought I'd be able to work on my presentation during the flight," I said sarcastically.
"You're going to have to work on your penetration instead," Juliet said.
She was a silly, smiling vision in Lululemon. Her yoga pants and workout tank top looked as if they had been designed for her. Who knows -- maybe they were. Despite a messy ponytail and what must have been an incredibly early wakeup call, she looked photoshoot ready. Her makeup was done, and she batted her eyes at me, beckoning me to sit next to her.
"I missed you, daddy," she said and gave me one of her soft kisses.
"You know, Kat would flip out if she ever heard that you call me that," I said. "It's been her pet name for me since we met."
"But, daddy, I just want to be a good girl that satisfies you," she pouted.
It dawned on me that this probably was another of Juliet's power plays. It was so ingrained in Hollywood culture, I don't even think she consciously realized she did it. Transparency had worked well for us, and I knew it would be dangerous to take even one step away from that.
"Seriously, Juliet," I said sternly, with a look to match. "Kat takes it really seriously. If you keep doing it, you're disrespecting her. That puts me in an impossible position, and it's unfair."
She looked hurt, but I wasn't sure if it was a genuine expression.
"It's just acting," she said. "I'm trying to turn you on."
"You will turn me on even more if we just avoid that one word," I said with a light laugh.
"Kat would really be that mad?" she asked, pulling back her actress mask.
"Probably more mad than I'm making clear," I said. "She can be very possessive about certain things."
"Okay," Juliet said. "This is supposed to be fun, right?" She put on a seductive look, and I was just astonished at how intentionally and skillfully she could change facial expressions and do it so convincingly. "Maybe I'll just call you 'sir' then."
I laughed and said, "Because I'm so overwhelmingly powerful."
"But for real," she said, rubbing her hands up and down my thighs. "Is there something that would make it more fun for you?"
Was this insecurity I detected?
"No, baby," I said and kissed her. "Just being here, being with you is like living out the craziest fantasy I can imagine. Just be yourself."
It was Juliet's turn to laugh. "I'm on camera so much," she said, "I'm not sure what's real anymore!"
"I find that hard to believe," I said.
"Petey already has another role for me," she said. "It looks like filming will start in a few months. I've been doing three movies a year for what feels like forever. It really is easy to lose your sense of self."
"Well fine," I said. "Then when you're with me? Just be a naughty little slut who can't get enough cock."
Juliet rolled her eyes. The plane was taxiing to the runway, and we were airborne in moments. The flight attendant brought us some light refreshments and also placed a glass straw on the table next to the cocaine.
"Exceptional service," I noted.
"Heather has been working here ever since I first flew with Peter and Stephen," Juliet said. "Gosh, that must have been seven years ago."
"But you haven't been in a movie with Stephen before?" I said.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "This was the first."
"Do you think it's worth the buzz?" I asked.
"I can't get caught up in that," she said. "It's like when you were in school, and people liked to talk about a test after you took it. That's just an invitation to get inside your own head. The cake is baked at that point. There's nothing you can do to change it. You have no control. For me, I just have to move on. The hard work goes in during the production. After that? It's out of my hands."
"That's a very diplomatic answer," I said.
Juliet moved and sat on my lap. She felt warm and very light on my legs.
"It's just how I have to approach it," she said. "If I allow myself to get caught up in buzz? I lose. I'll either get acclaim, get slammed by the critics, or somewhere between the two. What I do know is that what I could control? The work I put into this movie? It was the best I've ever done. I'm going to be proud of it no matter what."
"Sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to get all caught up in the hype."
"I don't think you are," she said and ran a hand through my hair. "If you got caught up in the hype, you wouldn't ask questions. You'd just talk down to me like an Oscar is a forgone conclusion, like a lot of people do."
"I can't imagine that's ever a foregone conclusion," I said with a chuckle.
"I like you," Juliet said. "You're very down-to-earth. I don't get to spend a ton of time with people who are grounded."
"I'll take that as a compliment," I said.
She let her lips brush mine as she said, "It's a real compliment. I think you're good for me."
"You make me sound like a side of vegetables," I said with a chuckle.
"A carrot maybe," she said, now kissing my ear. "A long, thick, throbbing carrot."
"I want to fuck you," I said.
"What a coincidence," Juliet said. "I want to get fucked."
I ground my hard crotch into her ass.
"Then strip," I ordered. "I want to see you naked."
Juliet obediently slid off my lap and stood up. She had a pregnant smile on her face.