Page 2 of Notorious (Hollywood Heartthrobs #2)

Not bragging, but being raised in a loving household with supportive parents and siblings, his indifference stunned me.

“There was no affection at all?”

A smile quirked the side of his mouth. “Until I was five, a nanny raised me, and then they hired Angel, who my parents referred to as ‘the housekeeper.’ The woman who loved me more than they ever could and was the one who looked after me when my school day was over. Angel introduced me to romance novels and when I was fifteen, she discovered gay romance. She smuggled me an e-reader and had books already downloaded on it. She’s the reason I’m a writer.

When she gave me the books to read, she mentioned I read so many that I should be able to write my own.

Having encouragement for once in my life, I did.

Along with mailing her a check to help her transition into a new job and a note, she’ll find it when she arrives on Monday.

I predict she’ll quit soon after she finds that I’m gone. ”

There was a rebellious glint to his eyes, and I needed to understand his complete mindset. “Did your parents learn about your ambitions?”

Ollie shook his head, the smile turning up on his face.

“They ignored me and left me to my own devices, unless there was some function or another where they needed their image maintained. But I started with short stories and writing prompts, but by the time I graduated high school, I’d written two novels.

I attended college tuition free, so I took every literature, English, and creative writing class they offered while working on four other novels. ”

Stunned, I stared at him. I started acting at eighteen after being discovered at a photoshoot, but at sixteen, Ollie had written an entire novel.

“Do you write under your own name?” I pulled out my phone and connected to Wi-Fi before I glanced at Ollie.

“Sort of. I use my first and middle names, Oliver Jackson.”

I nodded and although I wasn’t an avid reader, other than screenplays, I wanted to read his books. As they downloaded, I asked a question that wasn’t my business, but curiosity won out.

“How did your parents discover you were gay?”

Ollie laughed and said, “It would be a great story if it were something salacious. But they, or rather Cheryl, took it upon herself to open my mail from a publisher and researched the company. They only publish LGBT romances. The letter included a layout of my books for their website.”

I studied him and despite the nervousness that shone from him in the beginning; he grew into a confident and proud man when speaking about his career.

“You don’t look too bothered by it?”

The same blush I was getting addicted to stained his cheeks and his mouth tilted up in a smirk.

“I used my parent’s careers in order to get a free education with the understanding they could discover my secret and ask me to leave anytime.

The prediction came close to how I believed the confrontation would go because of the underlying anger whenever we interacted.

It played out as it had in my mind. Well, other than destroying property. But I’m free now, so I can’t complain.”

Ignoring the way his half smile made my heart lurch and then beat hard in my chest, I continued with my imposing questions.

“You chose Los Angeles for a fresh start?”

“No, I didn’t choose it. There wasn’t a true destination in mind, and California seemed as good a place as any. However, when they kicked me out, I texted my friend from high school who knew about my home situation.”

I froze and blurted, “Should you trust someone you haven’t seen in years?”

Rather than being offended, Ollie’s eyes sparkled when he glanced at me.

“We’ve stayed in touch after being friends since elementary school. So yes, I trust her.”

Southern California was where I lived my entire life.

Before my career took off, we lived in a decent neighborhood since my father worked as a doctor with his own practice.

For many years, there was an all-encompassing sense of protectiveness for my siblings, but it’s waned over the years because of Sam’s constant need to be in charge.

Yet, I found myself protective of Ollie.

“How will you get in contact with her if you don’t have a phone?”

“I have her address and she’s expecting me today.” He searched my face before he asked, “Are you close with your family?”

A scoff escaped my throat. “You can say that.”

At his confused expression, I continued.

“My mama, Valentina, and my three younger brothers all live with me. My older brother, Sam, lives in a condo and my sister, Emilia, in an elaborate bungalow, both within a mile of my house. Naomi has one of the guest houses behind the main one.”

“You have six siblings?”

A smile quirked my lips as I thought about them. “Yeah, it’s a lot of noise and a constant stream of people in and out of the house, never any privacy or secrecy with nosy teenagers and an overprotective mother hovering around at all times, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

The smile on Ollie’s face held a sweetness that spoke of innocence and joy as I told him about my life.

“Um… what… and your father?”

Unable to stop the sensation, my chest tightened whenever I thought about my papa.

“Someone shot and killed him outside his general practice. They wanted his car and when he didn’t hand over the keys to his car fast enough... Yeah. The triplets turned ten a few days before it happened.”

Ollie reached for my forearm and squeezed, tears welling in his eyes, making them shine like the sun glinting off the ocean.

“I am so sorry for you and your family’s loss.”

Warmth and something unidentifiable pressed against my chest, making me feel noticed for what I’d been through in my life, not because of my looks or talent. Outside of my family, Ollie’s sweet nature and his demonstrative empathy made him the first genuine person I’d met in years.

My career and the business I found myself in didn’t allow for genuine connections.

Most actors loved the art and some of those I’d met wanted to do their job and nothing else.

Everyone I’d developed a cordial working relationship with dealt with insecurities, addictions, and other personal issues that caused anxiety.

But the ones I counted as friends were honest and caring people.

Society didn’t understand the drive and work it took to be an actor, instead seeking fame by being in the same vicinity as someone well-known.

The more time I spend getting to know Ollie, I believed that even if he learned about my profession, it wouldn’t change his view of me. Yet, I still hesitated to tell him the entire truth. Adding to the complication was my growing attraction to the man. It left me feeling unbalanced.

“So, is the plan to make it big when you arrive?”

I smiled when his head shook back and forth.

“Oh, no. I cringe when someone wants to take my picture, and if more than one person pays attention to me, I make excuses to leave. So no, I have no desire to be famous.”

“And you’re going to keep writing?”

Ollie’s face beamed. “Yeah, so far I’ve been lucky. My books have a loyal reader following and my publisher is happy with me. I have hundreds of ideas written down or rolling around in my head. Which is understated by epic proportions. It’s something I want to continue as a career.”

Someone stopped next to the aisle, and we both glanced up to see the flight attendant smiling down at Ollie. “Would you like anything to drink, hon?”

He blushed and ducked his head. “No, thank you. But maybe Connor would like something?” He turned his bright eyes toward me, raising a brow in question.

She blinked and focused on me. “Oh, yes, sorry about that, Mr. Blake. Anything to drink?”

“No, thank—” I almost chuckled aloud when she forgot about me and focused her attentions once again on my seat mate.

“It was rude of me when I welcomed you on the plane. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Amy.”

His brows drew down in confusion. It was obvious he already knew her name, but he didn’t know she was hoping to make herself memorable, which was why she repeated it.

“I’m Ollie.”

I loved how he’d adapted to his new nickname.

She purred in response. The smile dropped from my face and I readjusted in my seat as the flare of jealousy surged through me.

Then Ollie’s cheeks turned pink and all rational thought fled.

Ollie cleared his throat, and I leaned forward to hear him, before he whispered, “I don’t know if this is proper, but I have to tell you that while I’m flattered, I’m gay.” While he dropped his voice to say the last word, there was no hesitation.

Amy huffed out as she walked away, “Of course you are, honey. My luck with men is bad to none.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her head snapped back around as she stopped mid step. “Nope, nuh-uh, you have nothing to apologize for. I know you’re gonna break a lot of hearts.”

The look on Ollie’s face told me that her suggestion horrified my new friend.

“I hope not. I’d hate to think myself capable of hurting anyone like that.”

She smiled. “You’re a sweetheart. I came by to tell you we are landing in fifteen minutes. And give you a reminder to buckle up. But you’re already set.”

With a wave, she disappeared behind the curtain toward the back.

“Wow, that was the shortest five and a half hours I’ve ever spent, and now I have to worry about the landing.”

I chuckled. “You didn’t notice take off. I’m sure you won’t notice the landing.” Before he could protest, I asked, “What’s your friend’s name, the one who invited you out?”

“Gracie. She moved out here at the start of our senior year in high school, but we kept in touch over the years. She works for an agent, or producer, or something like that, but I couldn’t keep track of the hundreds of things she does throughout a day.

Her dream is to become a producer, but she’s happy where she is now, learning the ropes. ”

“Cool. Why don’t I wait and see if you get in touch with her and if you can’t, we’ll try again tomorrow, and you can come and meet my family?”

“Oh, that seems like I would be intruding. If I can’t get ahold of Gracie, I’ll get a hotel for the night.”

I shook my head. “Trust me on this. If my mama finds out I let you stay in a hotel after telling her your story, and I won’t hesitate to tell her everything because I’ve been gone for six weeks and there isn’t much I keep from her, she’ll drag me out to find you, guilt you into coming home with us, and then feed you until you burst, all out of love. ”

His response was unexpected. “She sounds wonderful.”

I raised an eyebrow and said, “You’d think so, but she has a way of getting you to spill all of your secrets from a simple look.”

They’d landed, but again, Ollie’s focus was on him and he’d missed it.

He leaned closer and whispered, “Like, what sort of secrets? Because I once lost the cat from my friend’s Monopoly board and had to sneak home, get the one from our game, and replace it. Luckily, he didn’t realize it was missing.”

It was a close thing not to lose it at his serious look. His heart was so pure. I wondered if he’d lose that innocence the longer he stayed in Los Angeles, and the thought alone made me sad.

Instead, I nodded my head and said, “Yes, things like that. When I was eleven and discovered the pleasures of masturbation, mama glanced at me during breakfast the next morning and I confessed all.”

His cute cheeks turned a shocking red before he choked out, “What did she say?”

“Both her and papa, right then and there, started a conversation about safe sex and consent. They stressed to each of us the need to respect our partners, recognizing that no means no, even in the middle of sex. Always ask, several times if needed, before you touch anyone, even as simple as a kiss on the cheek or a hand on their arm. Not everyone is okay with touching. Papa was adamant we learned to watch out for harassment and danger signs at a club or party, making sure we knew it was our responsibility to watch out for others. Mama made it known sex is natural and you and your partner need to be protected. All of it, with complete consent. There was never any shame about ‘the talk,’ especially after my friends complained about their experiences.”

Clearing his throat, he nodded. “I would have loved parents who cared enough to impart that information. Instead, I’m a twenty-two-year-old virgin who wouldn’t even know what to do if I found myself with a man, much less a man I’m attracted to, who wanted to touch me. But I know about consent.”

I swallowed and blinked when the plane stopped at the gate and the typical series of dings sounded throughout the cabin, letting us know we could remove our seatbelts.

“And to answer to your question, I would love to meet your family. If my plans with Gracie fall through.”

With what must have been a sappy smile on my face, I led the way off the plane and toward the baggage claim, happy with the thought of spending more time with the intriguing younger man.

But the moment the carousel buzzed into life, I heard a loud squeal. I turned in time to see a five-foot nothing woman launch herself at my new friend, wrapping her arms and legs around a happy, laughing Ollie.

Well… fuck!