Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins Read Free Book Online Page B

by when he was finished, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
    “It’ll be late,” he’d warned.
    “I’ll be waiting,” she’d answered. “Keeping the bed warm for you, baby.”
    If anyone had told him eight years ago that Venus Maria, one of the most famous women in the world, would be keeping the bed warm for him, he would’ve laughed like a freakin’ loon.
    Venus Maria. Platinum-blond superstar. A woman so famous she was now known by only one name: Venus. Everyone knew who she was. They bought her CDs, flocked to her movies, wore the hottest jeans in town with her name emblazoned on the label, sprayed themselves with her latest signature scent, and worshipped at her live stadium performances.
    Venus was a freakin’ icon. And he was her boyfriend. Her much younger boyfriend—well, not that much younger, thirteen years. And that meant nothing. It wasn’t as if he was some snot-nosed boy toy—he was a very successful movie star in his own right. He had a house, plenty of money, and a sizzling career. He didn’t need Venus’s fame to tag on to; he had his own.
    Besides, if the situation were reversed and she was thirteen years younger than him, nobody would give a rat’s ass. Hollywood was awash with old geezers whose wives and girlfriends were decades younger than them, and nobody said a word. Unfortunately, he and Venus got the treatment. Front page of the tabloids always carrying on about their age difference. Was she going to marry him? Was she pregnant? Were they breaking up? Was she too rich for him? Was he famous enough for her?
    At first he’d got off on all the attention, then after a while it started to get to him. He was a star, too; he didn’t appreciate all the trash talk he had to endure.
    Venus loved him, he knew that. The big question was: Did he love her? Or did he love everything she represented? The extreme fame and superglamor. The adulation and nonstop fan worship. Sometimes he simply wasn’t sure whether it was love or infatuation.
    And if he really loved her, would he cheat on her the way he had that afternoon?
    For a moment he flashed onto the young girl who’d followed him up to his house in her rundown truck with the broken taillight. She’d followed him willingly, and he’d given her exactly what she expected.
    Screwing her was a trip. Her lips, so soft and sweet, not to mention the sticky tightness between her legs.
    And yet … he couldn’t help feeling guilty.
    Sort of … because if he caught Venus screwing another man, he’d go ape shit. Venus was his girlfriend— his freakin’ girlfriend—and if she played around on him, it would mess with his head big-time.
    Not that he was possessive—at least he didn’t think he was. Venus was the possessive one. She could be bossy, a bit of a control freak, but she could also be supportive and loving, the way she was tonight. Although … from the look in her eyes, he knew she expected sex, and man, tonight was not the night. After Alex’s brutal workout his body was bruised, wrecked, and beaten.
    “Come to bed, baby,” she purred. “I’ll give you a back rub, you know how you like that.”
    Yeah, sex was definitely on her agenda, and what was he supposed to do about that?
    Nothing, because a sane man didn’t turn down a superstar, not if he wanted to continue being her boyfriend.
    “A back rub sounds kinda hot,” he mumbled.
    “Of course it does,” she murmured, husky-voiced and ready for action. “’Cause I’ll rub you, then you’ll rub me. …”
    “That’s a plan,” he said, pulling off his T-shirt. “Only first I gotta shower.”
    “Why?” she asked, reaching up and stroking the back of his neck. “Funky works for me.”
    “How about skunky funky?” he said, extracting himself from her touch. “Look at me—I’m in sweat overdrive, babe, an’ I got a hunch you won’t go for that.”
    “Okay, take a shower,” she sighed. “But hurry up, you know how impatient I get.”
    She wasn’t kidding