For Lust or Money

She and Angie had shared a tiny two-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood for almost three years, while they were both trying to break in to television work. One night, they’d gone out clubbing and Angie had met Joe Sheppard, a devastatingly charming thirty-five-year-old in town on business. After a long-distance romance, they’d fallen in love and married in a lavish ceremony in Santa Barbara. Now, Angie had a four-year-old daughter and owned a lingerie store.

The driver found the location in a matter of minutes and dropped her and her overnight bag at the curb. Kelly walked up to the door and saw by the sign that the shop was open until six on Tuesday evenings. How would it be to see Angie again? They barely had anything in common anymore, beyond the friendship they’d once shared. And at times, Kelly had envied Angie’s happy marriage and her new family. Her friend had given up her dreams of stardom and simply exchanged them for a better dream.

Kelly opened the door, then set her bag just inside and strode up to the counter. “I think my boyfriend is stealing my underwear,” she said in desperate tone, recalling an old joke between them. “And he likes to wear it. Do you think we should break up?”

Angie glanced up and a wide smile broke across her face. “Kelly Castelle! What are you doing here?” She hurried around the end of the counter and threw her arms around Kelly’s neck, hugging her tight. “I can’t believe it’s you. Gosh, look at you. You haven’t changed a bit.”

“I’m here for a job. I’m doing a segment for Just Between Us.”

Angie stepped back. “The talk show? Really? How long are you going to stay?”

“Tonight and tomorrow night.”

“Oh, that’s so great! We can have dinner tonight. Joe is out of town on business and Caroline is at Joe’s sister’s place for a birthday sleepover. I’m a single woman. At least for one night.”

Kelly thought about the offer for a long moment. She didn’t really have firm plans with Zach, just plans to make plans. And she had enough trouble controlling herself in his presence. It wouldn’t do to tempt the attraction she felt toward him with an evening of kissing rehearsal. “All right. We’ll have dinner.”

“Oh, drinks first and then dinner. God, I can’t believe you’re here. It seems like ages ago that we lived together. I miss having a roommate. It’s so hard to talk to Joe about that time in my life. He just doesn’t get it.”

“It does seem like it was ages ago.” Back then, they were both twenty-seven or twenty-eight and still full of hope about their future. They’d tell each other nearly every day that their big breaks were just around the corner.

“You haven’t changed,” Angie said. “I think you might have even gotten more beautiful. I’ve been watching for you on television and checking your page on IMD.”

“My career has slowed down a little. Ever since I got written off on the soap, I’ve just had a few jobs. Nothing big.” Kelly took a deep breath. “In fact, I’m thinking about getting out of acting. I’m going to look for a real job—a normal job. Maybe sell real estate or get a job in casting.”

“Oh, you should move here!” Angie said, her eyes full of excitement. “I need someone to help manage the store. I’m opening up another location in midtown and I can’t be two places at once. And you’d love Atlanta. It’s got everything that L.A. has, except people are real here. And everything doesn’t revolve around the movies. And you don’t have to even think of plastic surgery until you’re at least forty.”

Kelly shook her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t really decided where I’ll settle. Just that I have to make a change.”

Angie glanced at her watch. “Come on, let’s get out of here. It’s nearly six. I’m the boss and if I want to close early, I can!”

She grabbed her purse from beneath the counter, locked the register and then slipped her arm through Kelly’s. “My car is parked out back. Where should we go?”

They ended up at the bar at the Sheraton. Kelly checked in, then made a quick trip up to her room to wash her face and change. By the time she got back downstairs, Angie had already ordered them a pair of cosmopolitans and was chatting up the handsome bartender.

After three drinks and a lot of memories, it seemed as if only a few hours had passed, instead of seven years. Kelly hadn’t had a roommate since Angie had left and she realized she hadn’t had a best friend, either. She needed someone to confide in, someone who’d understand all the changes she was going through, someone to help sort through the confusion.

“So, tell me about your sex life,” Angie said, getting right to the point.

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh, come on. All those gorgeous men in L.A. and you aren’t dating someone?”

“For every gorgeous man there are three gorgeous women. And two of them are younger than me.” Kelly gnawed on her lower lip. “Actually, there is someone I’m interested in. The only problem is that he’s younger.”

“Younger is good,” Angie said. “Like a few years younger? Or boy-toy younger?”

“Eleven years,” she replied.

Angie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my. That’s definitely boy-toy.” She took another sip of her drink. “Is he wonderful in bed? Please tell me all the details. I’ve been sleeping with the same man for seven years and I’d like to imagine someone out there is having wild and crazy sex. Not that we don’t have our moments. My talents as an actress have come in handy on more than one occasion, though I’ve been typecast as the French maid.”

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Kelly admitted. “In truth, I just met him today. There was just a…a spark. I know he’s interested and the more I think about it, the more I think I might be interested, too. Or maybe curious is a better word. And I think I’m reading the signals right, though I can’t be absolutely sure.”

“I don’t think the signals have changed over the years,” Angie said. “Why not go for it?”

Kelly groaned. “Because he’s twenty-four, for starters. Isn’t that reason enough?”

“No. Men at that age are in their sexual prime, they’re adventurous and uninhibited and…energetic. They say that older women should be with younger men because they’re a better match in bed, orgasmically that is.”

Her answer did make sense and Kelly was forced to rethink her position. Maybe it was that simple. Maybe, when it came to sex, younger was better. “God, he’s so gorgeous,” Kelly said. “And he’s not an actor, so I don’t have to worry about him spending the entire evening talking about himself. He’s just a regular guy with a beautiful face and killer body and this bad-boy smile that just makes me want to tear off all my clothes and give him everything he wants.”

“Then why the indecision?”

“It would just be sex,” Kelly said, wincing. “There’s no future with him. I thought I gave that kind of thing up a long time ago. I’m older and I’m supposed to be wiser and less self-indulgent.”

“You’re older, but you also have the maturity to take pleasure where it’s offered,” Angie said. She picked up her drink. “Here’s to new experiences. And new beginnings. Maybe you’ve found more than you expected here in Atlanta.” She downed the rest of her drink then set the glass on the table. “It’s time for me to go home. I’m a little drunk and I’m horny and I’m going to call my husband and force him to have phone sex with me.”

“You can’t drive.”

“I’ll take a cab and come back and get my car in the morning. The shop doesn’t open until ten. If I’m up early, maybe we can have breakfast. We can talk a little more about that job I have for you.”

They walked out to the lobby together and Kelly gave Angie a hug. “It’s been so nice to see you again. And let’s definitely have breakfast tomorrow. I don’t want to leave without seeing you again.”

“Call me,” Angie murmured. “Or I’ll call you. Better yet, I’ll just stop by.”

Kelly watched as she walked out of the lobby, giving her a little wave. The bellman motioned for a cab and a moment later, Angie slipped in to the backseat. Kelly smiled as she walked over to the elevators. It was only eight, but she felt as if she’d been awake for days. She hadn’t eaten, so she’d order something light from room service then crawl into bed and sleep.

She closed her eyes as the elevator climbed to the twelfth floor. She could sleep or she could call Zach Haas and invite him over. No doubt there’d be a message from him waiting on her voice mail. Kelly giggled softly. God, was she really considering making a booty call?

The elevator doors opened and she walked down the hall toward her room, weighing her options. Kelly noticed a man sitting on the floor near her room door, his attention focused on his cell phone. She hesitated for a moment, then recognized Zach. “Oh, boy. Here we go,” she murmured to herself.

With every step she took, she felt as if she were walking in to dangerous territory. The sexual attraction between them was undeniable and incredibly intense. And a man like Zach was probably used to acting on his urges and getting exactly what he wanted whenever he wanted it. She’d lived her life within the lines for so long. Was she really ready to step out and do something so bold and daring?

He stood up as she approached, tucking the phone in his jacket pocket as he leaned back against the wall. Kelly reached in to her purse and withdrew her key card. He watched her the whole time and she tried to keep her hands from trembling.

“I was about to leave,” he murmured.

She sent him a sideways glance, their gazes meeting for a long moment. Kelly felt a shiver run down her spine at the look in his eyes—confident, determined, a bit predatory. He had one thing on his mind and she knew what would happen if she let him into her room. He’d find a way to seduce her and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. “I’m surprised you came,” she said.

“I was in the neighborhood.”

“How did you know my room number?”

“The production crew is in and out of this hotel all the time. Since we pay for the rooms, the front desk gives us the numbers.”

Kelly slid the card into the lock and the door clicked. She pushed it open, then turned back to him. “Can you just wait out here for a second?”

“Sure,” he murmured.