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Chapter 9: Mama Pat Is Always Right
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The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 10: The Devil's Party
I feel anything but strong as I stare up at Dante's house.The first time I came here, years ago, I had no idea what I was in for. Dante and I were working together on a project for film school, and though obviously I was well aware of who he was - you had to have been living under a rock to not know about the Fontaines - I was less than thrilled to have to cooperate with him on a project. He already had the career, the connections, the esteem - I'd have preferred to work with someone more like me, who had to rely on hard work and talent rather than family or money.He'd insisted on meeting here, at his home, rather than the much-more-convenient library or coffee shop near campus. It had annoyed me to no end, and the first time I stomped up the steps, I hardly gave his house - his mansion - a second glance.I noticed it later, of course, for I returned to his house many times, at all times of day - but it never seemed quite as big, quite as impressive, as it does tonight.Jack seem
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 11: Things I Can't Forget
Things are quiet for a while, and I stay tucked away in the shadows at the far side of the pool, sipping at my drink and watching the party unfold around me. I'm glad to be alone, but now that Jack isn't here to distract me, it's hard to keep my memories at bay.Dante and I spent quite a bit of time by this pool. We often studied out here - there was something about the sun on my skin and the ocean breeze in my hair that made me feel both calm and energized at once. And Dante always claimed that he did his best work outside. He used to sit in that lounge chair beneath the cabana and scribble away at his latest script. He always preferred to write his first drafts by hand - he said that the words flowed better through a pen than through a keyboard.I think that might have been when I realized I was in love with him - the first time I saw him bent over his notebook, his eyes bright as they followed his pen across the paper. It was like I was watching him pour his soul onto the page.I
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 12: Encounter on the Beach
Dante is here.Dante, who couldn't be bothered to show up at his own damn party. This is who sneaked up behind me when I thought I'd finally found a moment of privacy. Immediately, rage boils up in me."What the hell are you doing out here?" I say, ignoring the jolt of pain in my ankle as I shift my weight. "You scared the crap out of me!""I'm sorry," he says, and there's a hint of wicked amusement in his voice. "I didn't mean to startle you.""It's not polite to sneak up on people," I snap. Beneath the anger, I feel something else - a sudden panic that threatens to drown out everything else. I wasn't prepared to run into Dante out here. Without Jack. With my hair sopping wet and my dress sticking to my skin. My anger is all I have, so I cling to it."Why aren't you at your party?" I demand. "Why are you skulking around out here by yourself?" It's not until the words leave my mouth that I realize he might not be by himself. Oh, God - please don't let him be down here with Emilia.
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 13: Facing the Demons
"What are you doing?" I ask Dante as he sits down beside me."I'm not ready to go back to the party either," he says."It's your party," I remind him again."And most of the people in there are used to my parties by now. They know not to expect to see much of me."I stare out at the dark surface of the sea as I consider this, tightening my arms around myself. And then I feel a weight coming down on my shoulders - his suit jacket."Don't argue," he says when I start to do just that. "You need it more than I do."He's right, and I'm too cold and wet and miserable to argue. I pull the jacket closer, covering myself. I dig my toes into the sand and wait for him to speak. He's the one who insisted on staying with me - let him come up with something to say. I'm too busy trying to figure out how to extricate myself from this interaction gracefully."It's been a long time since we sat out here together," he muses finally.The comment is casual enough on the surface, but I know better.
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 14: In Which I Almost Make A Very Bad Decision
Even now, after all this time, my memory of that intimate moment on this beach still affects me. I can still feel the frightening buzz of that connection Dante and I made."Why did you invite me here tonight?" I ask him, pulling his coat tighter around me.He shifts next to me. Though I'm not looking at him, I'm oh-so-aware of every move he makes."Have I changed so much that you can't guess?" he asks, his voice low. "I invited you here for the same reason I showed up at your bakery. Because I wanted to see you."And to meet my boyfriend, I think. I may not have a lot of ex-boyfriends - and certainly none who shared the same intimacies Dante and I did - but I recognize the game we're playing here. Dante was never exactly what I would describe as possessive - he didn't freak out if I talked to another guy or anything like that - but he'd never needed to be. Even when we were together, we never defined what we were to each other - and for most of our relationship, I never thought we
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 15: Meeting the Boyfriend
"Put me back down!" I say to Dante, my voice cracking. I wriggle, trying to free myself, even though I know my ankle can't support my weight right now."I'm not going to leave you to hobble over there by yourself," he replies. His arms tighten and his fingers press into my skin as he marches across the sand toward the stairs.We reach the base of the steps just as Jack does."God, Ash. I've been looking everywhere for - " His words cut off when Dante steps into the glow of light cast by the strands of twinkling bulbs in the palms above. His eyes widen as his gaze flies from me to Dante and then back to me.I expect Dante to put me down, but instead, he just continues past Jack and starts up the stairs. Jack's wide-eyed look of surprise turns into one of full-on shock."Dante, what are you doing?" I wiggle again in his arms, then look around him and back down to where Jack is standing with his mouth open. "I hurt my ankle," I call to my friend.Jack must see the desperation in my
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 16: Damsel in Distress
I wake the next day with a hangover that threatens to split my skull right open. The blare of my alarm is like a gunshot right in the brain.I groan and roll over, slamming my hand against the screen of my cell until the horrible sound goes away. I'm stiff, and my skin is oddly both dry and sticky. The hair that flops across my face feels gross too, and it smells like the ocean. And that's when I remember everything that happened.I leap up from the bed, then nearly fall over as the hangover vertigo hits - and a sharp pain shoots up from my ankle. I fall back on the mattress, cursing at myself. How could I forget about my injury? I lift my foot, giving myself a better view of the damage. My ankle is currently a lovely shade of purple and about three times its normal size. I remember icing it sometime between the bottles of wine last night, but I'll need to wrap it before I do anything else."Jack?" I call. He was good enough to bring me back to my place after the party - and he thre
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Sweet Taste of Sin Chapter 17: In Which The Devil Performs A Rescue
I've heard Dante's mesmerizing voice say my name a hundred times before, but it's the last voice I want to hear right now. If I weren't stunned out of my mind with pain, I'd hang up, but Dante rushes on while I'm still trying to figure out how to handle this."Where are you?" he says. "At your place? Have you moved since the last time I was there?"At least my shock has managed to completely shut down my sobs. But the panic is already setting in. He intends to come here."I'm fine," I force out through pain-clenched teeth. "I thought you were Jack. I'll be fine. I'm fine.""Like hell you are. You can hardly even speak.""I don't need you to come here. I'll call Jack. Jack will come." Fuck - but Jack is at work for another eight hours. I rush on, "Or Mama Pat. She'll help me." I grimace as another wave of pain sweeps through me. "I-I'll be fine. Really. Fine.""Where are you, Ashlyn?""I'm fine," I repeat, but my resolve wavers as the pain once again threatens to pull me under. A
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