Ch 34: Morning Glory

“I meant what I said, you know?” Luke said, as he stroked the hair off my shoulder, lying behind me completely naked.
“What’s that?” I asked, rolling to face him, keeping my body covered with his soft grey sheets.
“I love your strong body.” He stroked my bicep and let his finger travel down to my navel. I’d never felt so sexy or confident in my own skin. Besides that, I had been feeling more confident about myself overall lately - teaching Luke how to swim, walking a red carpet, and mingling with Hollywood celebrities.
I wondered if I would feel the same way in the morning, in the bright light. Would I be comfortable enough to let Luke see my naked body? I snuggled safely against him as we drifted off to sleep and tried not to think too much about the morning, instead focusing on the warmth of Luke’s body wrapped around my own like a cozy blanket.
As sun burnished through the windows the next day, I opened my eyes, taking a second to realize where I was. In the daylight, Luke’s room looked even bigger. I turned to look across the bed for Luke who was nowhere to be seen. Now was my chance.
I crawled across the bed, which seemed like a huge cavern that could swallow me now that Luke wasn’t there, to look for my underwear on the other side of the bed. I dipped my head over the bedside but couldn’t see them. I tried to hang my body over the bed and look underneath. I still couldn’t find them. Just as I was about to slink back under the security of the covers, Luke strode in.
“Not so fast,” he said, caressing and kissing my shoulder, then my breast, all the way down to my stomach as I kneeled on the bed. He wore a pair of boxer briefs and nothing else. “Looking for these?” he teased, holding up my panties, now dry from sitting out all night after the pool party. I tried to snatch them out of his hand, but he pulled it away too fast. I smirked, becoming irritated. I didn’t mind having a little fun, I’d just rather be dressed first. I was already mortified he’d probably seen my entire backside in the daylight as I was hanging over the bed. What more could he want?
“I hope you know, you don’t need to hide from me. I don’t think like some of those Hollywood people that thinner is always better.”
“I know,” I said, lying back. “It’s just…” He traced a line with his finger from my foot all the way up my thigh. “I told you about Ryan.”
Luke nodded. “I’m not Ryan.” He continued gently stroking my body as I lay fully naked on the bed.
“No, no you’re not,” I said as I succumbed to Luke’s touches and his fingers inside me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the satisfaction of Luke’s strokes and then his mouth on me.
When I achieved an orgasm, I opened my eyes to find Luke looking in my eyes. “Thank you,” I said. He lowered himself next to me on the bed, relaxed. We laid like that for a minute, before I sprung up like a cheetah on a hunt and straddled Luke, grabbed my panties and quickly rolled to the open side of the cavernous bed. Luke tried to grab my ankle as I hopped off and sunk below the other side of the mattress, scrambling to get my feet through the underwear. When I succeeded, I popped up, topless, but otherwise feeling like I’d one-upped Luke.
“Sneaky,” he said. “I like it.”
“Where are my other clothes?” I asked.
“Drying. But you don’t need them.”
I looked at him incredulously. “I can’t stay here all day naked like some sex slave.”
He laughed. “Now that’s an idea.” He shook his head, grinning. “Just kidding. No, I thought we’d do some more swimming. I really need to be ready for shooting my new film next week.”
“Well, last night you certainly proved yourself.” I smirked, then added, “in more ways than one.”
“That was the adrenaline,” he smiled, “on both fronts. But seriously, I just really have to make this movie work. I owe it to Cassidy.”
At the mention of her name, he became more serious. I was reminded of how much this project meant to him. “OK, get me some boxer shorts and a t-shirt, I can swim in those.” He nodded his approval and searched his drawers, before grabbing his bathing suit. “Aren’t you at least going to offer me breakfast?” I asked.
“Don’t worry, my chef left some delicious breakfast burritos. You just have to heat it up.”
“Sounds good.” Luke threw me the clothes, and walked out of the bedroom.
Of course, after he mentioned his deceased sister, I couldn’t ask Luke about our relationship status. It would seem trivial and maybe even a little desperate. He was clearly into me. Whatever he wanted to call that, I had to go along with it. I just hoped he realized I didn’t prefer casual sex to a real relationship.
As I descended the staircase, I could see the remnants of the party the night before. Empty glasses sat on the tables by the kitchen along with some napkins and leftover food. Luke’s other overnight guests must have woken up earlier or been sent home by Luke. “Want me to help you clean this up first?” I asked Luke as he stood in the kitchen.
Luke chuckled. “That’s not your job, Stella.”
“Of course not, but I can help,” I insisted.
“No, what I mean is, it’s someone else’s job.”
“Right.” I nodded my head. For a few hours I forgot about Luke’s status and all the money and fame that went along with it. Taking in the aftermath of the party, I was reminded of the pressure and expectations Luke faced.
We better get to work, I thought.