The clear ring of a bicycle bell chid in the bright midday sun. A small dog, standing in the middle of the road, turned its head and imdiately scurried into the greenery on the shoulder. As an ordinary bicycle sped past, the girl pedaling raised an eyebrow at the dog's flight. Her fair hair stread behind her, and dimples creased her cheeks, making her look utterly happy. She glanced at the street sign at the intersection and made the turn.
Rachel slowed her pace, carefully studying the houses on the right side of the road. Unlike the crowded streets of North Hollywood, the hos here were relatively spread out, so separated by hundreds of feet.
She spotted ivy climbing a wall a short distance ahead and, rembering the description from the phone, pedaled faster. She brought her bicycle to a stop, carefully reading the number at the top of the iron gate to make sure she had the right address.
"So, this is Matthew's house." Rachel parked her bicycle and lifted her bag from its fra. But instead of ringing the bell right away, she opened her purse and pulled out a small mirror, taking a mont to inspect her pretty face.
She was wearing light makeup today, and she looked stunning.
Rachel took out a tube of nude lipstick and brushed it lightly across her lips. After checking the mirror to ensure everything was perfect, she put both items away.
Only then did she step forward and press the doorbell. It chid for about ten seconds before the iron gate swung open from within, revealing a young, handso face.
"Hi, Matthew," she said with a smile.
"Hi, Rachel." Matthew imdiately took the bicycle from her as he led it into the yard, adding, "You look beautiful today."
"Oh?" Rachel followed him inside. "Thank you."
Matthew leaned the bicycle against the house, turned to close the gate, and then led the way inside.
Rachel walked beside Matthew, taking in the spacious yard as she asked, "Did you buy this place?"
"Rented," Matthew said, opening the door and letting Rachel enter first. He followed her in, adding, "I couldn't have afforded a house like this before."
He gestured toward the tidy living room. "Make yourself at ho. Tea or coffee?"
Rachel sat on the only sofa, surveying the living room's decor before answering, "A glass of water."
Matthew poured two glasses of water, placed one on the coffee table in front of Rachel, and sat on the long couch next to her.
"Why is there a sword hanging there?" Rachel pointed to a prop sword on the wall.
"It's a souvenir from The Scorpion King—the prop sword I used during filming," Matthew explained. "It was my first ti as a lead in a movie, so the sword felt like a special nto. That's why I hung it where it's easy to see."
Rachel knew that Hollywood productions often gave out souvenirs after filming, but only to the principal cast mbers. "That's nice," she said.
Her voice grew quiet. "It's a sha they don't give souvenirs to everyone when filming is over."
"You'll be getting them soon," Matthew chuckled. "Didn't you get the part? I read the script; you have an important supporting role."
Rachel fell silent for a mont, then asked curiously, "I heard from so of the cast and crew that they wanted to offer you the lead role, but you turned it down."
Matthew admitted, "Yeah, I discussed it with my agent and we decided the role didn't fit my current niche, so I passed on it."
Rachel couldn't help but raise her voice. "But it's a lead role!"
Then she realized her thinking was too simplistic. "I almost forgot. It makes perfect sense. Why would you take that part when you have the male lead in a top-tier production like Pirates of the Caribbean?"
As she spoke, she looked at Matthew, her eyes shining. "Even for my role, you settled everything with a single phone call."
Even her own agent didn't have that kind of pull.
Although Matthew was currently just a C-list star, Rachel could see he was destined for so much more. A Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheir co-production like Pirates of the Caribbean was bound to be a success upon release, which ant his status in the industry would climb even higher.
What a huge change in just two years.
Rachel could only lant silently that the changes weren't just about Matthew, but about herself as well.
This ti, she had co to Los Angeles from Canada to resu her Hollywood career—not on a whim, but after careful consideration. And now that she was here, she didn't want to go back empty-handed, like last ti.
The last ti she'd co to Los Angeles, ready to build a career in Hollywood, she had been an ignorant and sowhat naive fool.
But two years was enough ti to turn a naive girl into a mature woman.
For the past two years, Rachel had been watching Hollywood, studying it, and she had discovered that there was a shortcut to success in this town, especially for a woman like her, blessed with good looks.
You only get sothing when you give sothing in return.
Now that Matthew had given her a role, did he want sothing in return?
Perhaps this ti, Matthew had rembered their old friendship and made the call just to help, without expecting anything in return. But what about the next ti she needed his help?
"If you want soone to give you sothing, you have to give sothing in return," Rachel thought again.
"By the way, the tabloids were full of rumors about you and Keira Knightley a while ago." Rachel changed the subject, asking with feigned curiosity, "That couldn't be true, could it?"
Matthew denied it outright. "Of course not."
He glanced at Rachel. "You got here fast."
Rachel nodded. "It only took
a little over ten minutes."
She said pointedly, "We live so close. You should co over soti."
"Sure," Matthew replied, as if he hadn't caught the subtext in her words. "I have so free ti now. I'm on a short break."
He asked Rachel, "When does filming for Underworld begin?"
Hearing this, Rachel casually shifted her body closer to Matthew. "The crew is waiting for the lead actress. Kate Beckinsale hasn't finished with Van Helsing yet."
As she said this, she recalled the rumors circulating among the actors: many were saying that Kate Beckinsale was dating Fox Sherman, the film's main investor, and it seed to be true.
Rachel squared her shoulders. "Matthew, you helped
get such an important role, and I don't even know how to thank you."
Her words reminded Matthew of a text ssage he'd received. He was no saint, and he hadn't forgotten his original intentions when he entered the world of Hollywood. His gaze unconsciously drifted to Rachel's body.
"I..." Matthew was about to say no, but when he saw Rachel's graceful, seductive body beneath her thin, dark blue halter dress, he swallowed his words.
With an even sweeter smile on her face, her dimples deepening, Rachel stood up and said graciously, "I understand."
She stood up, turned to face Matthew, slowly lowered the straps of her thin, dark blue halter dress, and deftly removed her dress and underwear, standing completely naked before him.
Matthew stared intently at Rachel, at her bare breasts and everything below.
For a mont, his mind grew hazy. He wanted only one thing.
He was certainly no saint, much less a man of high moral character. He was a twenty-two-year-old man, brimming with passion and lust.
Rachel slowly sank to her knees, her eyes locked on his, and reached for his groin to unbuckle his belt.
...
The once neat and clean living room soon beca a cluttered "battlefield." Indescribable sounds broke through the walls and echoed into the yard. This continued intermittently from late afternoon until one-thirty in the morning, when everything finally fell silent.
When the sun dipped toward the western horizon, Rachel finally erged from the house. Matthew followed, walking her to his car to drive her back to North Hollywood.
As the black BMW SUV pulled onto the road, Rachel turned her head to look at Matthew for a mont before speaking. "You're handso, you have a great body, and you're... amazing. Why did it never occur to
to sleep with you before?"
Matthew could tell that Rachel had changed a lot in the past two years. "I also regret not trying this with you sooner."
He was extrely impressed with Rachel's magnificent 'skills'. "I hope we can do this again."
Frankly, Rachel was attractive and fit his aesthetic tastes, which, combined with her superb technique, brought him imnse pleasure.
"Matthew," Rachel said with a smile, then asked unexpectedly, "Did you fall in love with ? Do you want
to be your girlfriend?"
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