Crazy Little Thing Called Love: The 80's Baby Series Read online

  “But there is still a chance.”

  Gran, ever the optimist. I would give anything to see Christopher again. But after the way I left him, there is no chance he will want to see me again. The guilt for leaving comes in waves. It’s the worst at night when I’m alone in bed. His voice in my ear, telling me how much he wants me. It gets so intense that some nights I can almost feel the weight of him on top of me. We had only spent a few hours together at the disco, but it felt like a lifetime. Being with Christopher felt oddly right. I felt more of a connection just looking at him than I have in one date with these guys I have gone out with from this dating service. That is insane, right? How can you feel that kind of connection with someone you only just met?

  “Gran, that ship has sailed.”

  “I wouldn’t count that one out just yet, dearie. Love has a funny way of finding you when you least expect it.”

  The parking lot is full when we pull in. I drop Gran off at the front then make a few circles around the parking lot before a spot opens up farthest from the entrance. By the time I make it to the door, where Gran is waiting for me, I’m a sweaty mess. I’ll have time to hit the restroom, dry off, and fix my hair before I meet my date.

  The line for the signing is winding all the way from Macy’s down to the food court. Luckily for Gran, she has a reserved seat. Gran proudly smiles as we move past the long line of ladies waiting to catch a glimpse of Derek Fox. The security guard standing by the VIP entrance holds his hand up, stopping us before we can cross the line.

  “Tickets please, ladies,” he says in a deep gruff voice. I hand him our tickets and he inspects them before letting us enter. We find Gran's seat, right in the front row.

  “Heather, these seats are totally tubular, as you youngsters would say.” I can’t help but laugh at what she said.

  “Only the best for my Gran.” I kiss her cheek. “Do you want me to get you a snack before I go meet my date?”

  “Oh yes, please. I will take one of those orange drinks and a slice of pizza.”

  “You got it, Gran.”

  3

  Christopher

  “How many more of these meet and greet things do I have left?” I ask Cindy, the tour manager, who has been helping me with my first signing tour. I didn’t realize going on these mall tours would be part of my job when I auditioned for Starcrossed. I also didn’t think my character would have become so popular. I wasn’t fully prepared for all of the attention either. According to my agent, this will help me get bigger roles. Until then I will continue to work hard on the show.

  When I moved to Manhattan from Boston, I thought I would be doing Off Broadway productions, or at the most, commercials. Who would have thought doing some drama school student’s outlandish play about rural America would have landed me a starring role on Starcrossed. What I didn’t know was that this particular student’s father works for the talent department for the show and thought I was perfect for this new character they were introducing into the storyline. A month later I was on set playing Hank Cartwright, the handsome new doctor on the show.

  “This is your last one for the summer.” Cindy snaps her gum as she talks. Thank god. Pine Grove Galleria marks the twentieth mall I have been to since summer began. Between doing these meet and greets and the shooting schedule for the show, I am exhausted. I know once I get out on stage the excitement from the crowd will energize me. That is one of the things getting me through this tour, seeing the fans’ enthusiastic faces.

  “I will say, Derek. You are one of easiest actors I have accompanied on these tours.” That I believe. My co-star and love interest on the show, Susan, came with me for a couple of appearances, and she had a massive list of things she needed to have in her private dressing room, half of which she never used, and the wildest thing was the clause in her contract stipulating no one is allowed photograph her left side. At one of the events, a man in the audience took a picture of her from the left, and she had mall security throw him out. So that is the world I live in now.

  I am a pretty simple guy, and no matter how famous I get, that will never change. If I did get a big head, I have my older brothers to deflate my ego for me. I grew up one of four boys with my family in South Boston. My parents own a deli that me and my brothers all worked in after school and during the summers. Our parents instilled in us a good work ethic and taught us we have to earn what we want in life. My brothers to this day still work at the deli. I was the odd one that wanted to break free and do my own thing. Luckily for me, my parents supported me moving to the city to become an actor. My mom plays the show in the deli, so she doesn’t miss a single episode. She is my biggest fan and supporter.

  “I will take that as a compliment,” I say as I adjust my tie.

  “You should and I hope you stay that way.” She blows a big pink bubble while teasing her wild main of curly blonde hair with a comb. “There are enough spoiled, pain in the ass celebrities in this world.” She grabs the can of hairspray off the fold out table and douses her hair. Once she is happy with her results, she adjusts the shoulder pads in her shiny, bright purple and silver dress and says, “I’m going to go make sure they have everything ready for you.” She turns and saunters out of my makeshift dressing room. From the other side of the curtain I can hear her telling the security guard to make sure no one tries to sneak inside. At our stop in Pittsburgh, a group of women valiantly tried to break into my dressing room. Now Cindy requests a security guard to be stationed outside my door.

  There is an hour before the signing starts and a few hours after that I will be on a plane heading back home. Back to my search for Sarah. I’ve spent the past three weeks searching every club and bar trying to find her. I know she is out there somewhere, and I will find her if it kills me. I waited outside the club for over an hour for her and she never showed. I don’t know what could have changed her mind. I thought we had a real connection. I felt an immediate pull to her the moment I saw her walk into the club. She was wearing a gorgeous low-cut red dress that hugged her mile-long curves. The slit that went all the way up her right leg gave me perfect access. Her ruby red lips tasted like strawberries and sin.

  Where did you go, Sarah? Sometimes I wonder if I imagined the entire night. I will find you, Sarah, and this time I won’t let you get away.

  I open a little slit in the curtains that make up the dressing room to get a look at the crowd. The VIP section is starting to fill up, and there is a huge line forming beyond that. My eyes shift back to the VIP section and I catch a glimpse of a familiar grin. My heart screeches to a halt. No, it can’t be her. My mind has to be playing tricks on me. My eyes squeeze shut, and I shake the image out of my head. I open my eyes again and she is still there talking to an older woman. That is her. I would recognize my beautiful angel anywhere. Those emerald green eyes and that beautiful smile. My Sarah is in Louisiana of all places.

  She turns her back to me and starts to walk away. This is my only chance to go get her. The only thing standing between us is a two-hundred-pound security guard. I feel around the curtains, trying to find another opening that is out of sight of the guard. I yank on the last curtain panel and with luck it opens, and I sneak out. By the time I am free, Sarah is gone. The mall is not that big. I can still find her before I have to be back for the signing. The guard was easy to escape. What I didn’t take into consideration is the long line of women waiting to meet me. The next sound I hear is a very loud woman yell, “There he is” into the crowd.

  A stampede of women heads in my direction. “Oh fuck.”

  4

  Heather

  I managed to weave my way through the crowd by Macy’s to get over to the food court. The lines for food are just as bad as the one waiting to meet what’s his face. I finally have Gran’s food in hand when I hear a horde of screaming women and it’s growing louder. It can’t be the event starting, there is still an hour before that’s supposed to happen. I begin to turn with the tray of food when out of nowhere a body slams into
me, spilling Orange Julius down the front of me and slamming the greasy pizza slice into my chest. The tray falls to the ground and the slice of pizza slowly peels itself off my dress and falls at my feet.

  I look up just in time to see the asshole that just crashed into me sprinting away. “Fucking asshole,” I yell at the running blur. The people at this mall are totally insane. I check my watch and see the time before my date is rapidly dwindling and having to go get a new outfit is only adding to my stress.

  The VIP section is full by the time I get back with Gran’s food. “Oh, Heather, honey, what happened to you?” She looks me up and down in horror. The whole front of my dress is covered in orange juice and a bright red smear of pizza sauce. I look straight out of a horror movie.

  “Some douche bag ran into me in the food court and he didn’t even stop to apologize. Now I have to go buy a new outfit. Here is your food. I’ll be back before the event is over.” I hand her the tray of food.

  “Good luck on your date, sweetheart.”

  The way my day is going, I wouldn’t be surprised if my date stands me up.

  “Thanks, Gran.” I pull my jacket closed, gather up the spoonful of dignity I have left, and walk as fast as my legs will carry me away from the glaring eyes of the other ladies sitting in the VIP section who have been staring at me since I walked in. Once I am free, I make a break for Hudson’s to buy a quick replacement outfit.

  I frantically sift through the racks and grab the first cute dress I come in contact with, then grab a few accessories to go with it. I wave at Josie in the dressing area as I breeze past her and yell that I am taking room five. I have fifteen minutes and counting to change, fix my hair, and make it through that crowd before my date. It’s not a lot of time but I will work with what I have.

  I slide off my dress and toss it to the floor. As I take the new dress off the hanger, I notice the tag and realize in my haste I grabbed the wrong size. “Josie, will you please get me another size in this dress, the one I grabbed is a size too big.” I hold the dress out the door.

  “Of course, doll.” She takes the dress and a few minutes later she returns with the correct size. “Can you believe that crowd out there?” she asks.

  “It’s getting insane,” I respond, taking the dress. I haven’t seen a crowd this size since Glitter came to perform at the mall. I guess Starcrossed is a much more popular show than I realized.

  “Only wish some of that crowd would come in and shop. It’s been dead most of the afternoon.” Hearing that makes me glad I took today off.

  “Can you get me a pair of those black lace fingerless glove things from the accessories department, I think they will go great with this dress.” If I am forced to wear someone else's designs, I might as well add my own flare.

  “You got it. I will leave them up at the cash register in the men’s department with Karen before I go on my lunch break.”

  “Thanks, Josie,” I call out from behind the door. My bra is covered in orange juice, so I discard it. Last thing I want is my tits swimming in a wet bra. I start sliding the dress up my legs when I hear a commotion coming from the front of the store. In a flash, the door to my dressing room bursts open and a man comes rushing inside and slams the door behind him. I scream at the top of my lungs for him to get the hell out. I quickly cover myself up then grab one of my boots and start hitting him with it.

  “Get the hell out of here,” I scream, as I hit him again with the heel of my boot.

  “Will you please calm down,” he has the audacity to say to me.

  “No, I will not calm down. You are in MY dressing room,” I shout back. I raise the boot up to strike again, but he grabs it from my hand. I reach over to the bench and take one of the hangers from the pile and slap it across his arm as hard as I can. The force causes a piece of the plastic to snap off.

  “Son of a bitch,” he hollers. He grabs hold of the hanger and yanks it from my hand. “Would you knock it off?” he snarls.

  “I will stop hitting you when you get the fuck out of my dressing room.” I glance around for my bag. If I can get to it, I can get my pepper spray. I grab my other boot and swat it across his face, and he falls to the ground. While he is preoccupied, I bolt for the door. I twist the knob and pull, but nothing happens. I yank even harder, but I’m met with the same resistance. I double check the lock to make sure it is unlocked, and it is. I jiggle the handle to no avail. No, this can’t be happening. This asshole must have messed up the lock when he came bursting in. I pound my fist against the door and yell for Josie, then quickly realize she is on her lunch break, and Karen is all the way in the Men’s Department and can’t hear me. When it’s slow like this Josie takes hella long lunches. So, God knows how long I am going to be trapped in here with this asshole.

  “Looks like neither one of us is leaving, thanks to your stupidity,” I snarl.

  “What are you rambling on about?”

  “When you burst in here like a madman you must have broken the lock, because the damn door won’t open.”

  “Are you sure you released the lock all the way?” he asks, looking up at me.

  That is when I get the first full view of his face. No, it can’t be him. What would he be doing in Pine Grove? His eyes widen and I’m staring into those deep blue eyes. The eyes that made me melt on the dance floor. Holy shit, Christopher is here…in my dressing room. Am I dreaming right now?

  “It’s you,” he says, as he looks me up and down. The little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and those familiar butterflies start dancing in my stomach. This feeling doesn’t happen in my dreams, so this must be real.

  “Christopher, what are you doing here?” I manage to ask through my utter confusion. My feet pull me back until my back meets the wall behind me. My mind is whirling a mile a minute, trying to figure out how on earth I am looking at Christopher right now.

  “Before I can answer that question, I’m gonna need you to cover your tits, or I won’t be able to keep myself from ravishing you.” I glance down to where his eyes are looking. In my rush to beat the crap out of the guy who burst into my dressing room, I let the front of the dress fall and expose my boobs to the world. I quickly yank the sleeves of the dress up my arms and cover myself.

  “Is that better?”

  “I wouldn’t call covering those magnificent breasts of yours better, but I can focus now.” He smirks and runs his hand through his disheveled sandy blond hair, while keeping his eyes firmly locked on me. “What was your question again?”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m in town doing a signing. I can’t believe you are here. What are you doing in Pine Grove?” he asks, inching closer to me.

  “I live here,” I reply, still in a state of shock. In the bright lights of the dressing room, Christopher looks even more drop dead gorgeous than he did in the dark club. I can see his strong jaw, and his blue eyes sparkle under the lights. Without my high stiletto heels, he is a good foot taller than me. He looks mouthwatering in that white suit. The top three buttons on his shirt are open, giving me a peek at his tan skin and flecks of chest hair. He looks like a hotter version of Don Johnson in that suit. “You live here. I have spent the past three weeks trying to track you down in New York.” He takes another step closer.

  “You have been trying to find me?” I question. After the way I left, why would he still want to see me?

  “I have searched every damn bar and club in hopes I would find you again.” Another step. “Hoping to get an answer to the question that has been plaguing me. Why did you leave?” The words float through the air, hitting me with a shot of guilt.

  “I’m sorry for standing you up.” My eyes drop from his gaze. “I didn’t mean to leave without saying goodbye, but the girls I was with dragged me out of the club before I could go and find you. I really did want to leave with you.”

  Christopher lets out a huge sigh of relief. “That makes me feel better.” My eyes return to him and he has a smile on his face and re
lief in his eyes. “I have been a man possessed trying to find you.” The heat from his body radiates between us. Seeing him again has my panties damp with need. My thighs clench as he leans into me. “This better not be a fucking dream,” he hisses before sealing my lips in a heated, desperate kiss. All the frustration of being apart comes flowing through this kiss. His strong hands take hold of the back of my thighs and lift me off the ground. My legs wrap around his waist.

  “This is not a dream,” I moan. “I’ve missed you so much,” I say, deepening our kiss. He grinds his hard length against my center.

  “Sarah, I’ve missed you so damn much.”

  Hearing the name Sarah forces me to break from our kiss. I have to tell him the truth.

  “Why did you stop?” he asks, confused.

  “Can you put me down?”

  He hesitates at first, then does what I ask and gently returns me to my feet. “Sarah, what is going on?” This time his voice sounds more worried.

  “That’s the thing, my name is not Sarah Jenkin’s. My real name is Heather Cunningham.” Christopher’s eyes go wide with shock. “I’m sorry I lied to you about who I really was. The girls I was with were talking about how they use fake names sometimes when they go out. I’m so sorry Christopher.” First I lied to him, then I stood him up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to see me again.

  He rubs his hand over his mouth. “I’m a little shocked. No one has ever given me a fake name before. In my world, women want to make sure I can find them after a night together. It also explains why it was so hard to find you.” He lets out a little chuckle.

  “You’re not mad?” I ask and breathe a sigh of relief.

  “No, I’m not mad. I understand why you did it. It’s kind of the same reason why I changed my name.”