Star Struck(2)

Mandy had always been interested in glamor, but her history wasn't exactly a poster for anything remotely glitzy.

Her father was a big-shot financial guru who handled investment accounts  for the high and mighty in the corporate world. His work with hedge  funds ensured he gained a bank balance that wouldn't run dry in a few  lifetimes to come.         

     



 

Mandy could remember growing up in a sheltered household with her  siblings surrounded by the love and attention of her stay-at-home  mother, whose idea of a treat was to cook for a house full of guests.  Her mother, Georgia, was a beautiful, petite brunette who'd enjoyed the  status of having a millionaire husband without letting it shape her into  anything pretentious or over-entitled. And she instilled that sensible  nature in her three daughters.

Mandy was the eldest and she'd always prided herself in being the least  impulsive, reckless, or unpredictable in the family. Ever since she'd  been creating new hand-made outfits for her dolls as a child, she'd  known what she wanted to do. She'd studied all the right courses, stuck  to her dream, and waited for the opportunity to shine in her chosen  career.

She'd been touched and thankful when her father, Kirk, told her he'd  fixed an internship with Jessica Charles, who'd been married to one of  her father's business clients. Mandy had felt like she was living in a  dream the first time she'd walked into this very office on her first  day.

"I've seen your portfolio," Jessica had said in the way of a greeting as  Mandy had sat in a chair in the all-white, minimalist designed office.  "You've got talent. Most importantly, you have potential. I can tell. So  even if this is just a favor to a friend, if you step out of line just  once, you're out. Do you understand?"

Mandy had stared unwaveringly into Jessica's kohl eyes. "Yes, Ms. Charles."

"Jessica. Just Jessica," the woman had snapped, then flashed a slanted  grin. "Call me Ms. Anything again and I'll fucking kick you out on your  ass myself."

Every day as an intern to the topmost fashion stylist in L.A. had  brought its share of sweat, tears, and other challenges. There was so  much to learn and yet more to give back. Jessica believed firmly in  making sure you did your share. She wanted to hear your ideas; she was  always interested to see if you could bring it. Whether it was for some  new-kid-on-the-block rap star or the latest Hollywood leading male,  Jessica saw to it that Mandy had a feel of what it took to make your  impact, no matter how little.

So far everything had been one rollercoaster ride of delights, of  learning something new and meeting one more mega celebrity. And yet so  far Mandy had never given herself the chance to feel star-struck or  overly awed by anyone.

But then here was Ethan Tyler, unlike any man she'd ever met, celebrity  or not. The way he looked at her was enough to twist her insides into  delicious knots. He was a couple of years older but there was much of  the worldly-wise aura about him. He had ‘danger' written in caps lock  all over his hard-planed, lean-hipped body. Mandy knew about his  reputation with women, which was no surprise. After all, he was a rock  star - young, rich, and famous. Not to mention sexy as the devil. His  careless good looks appealed in ways Mandy wouldn't have imagined  because she'd never have thought of dating a man like Ethan in the first  place. Until now.

Although there was just one problem  –  Mandy already had a boyfriend and  she was no cheater. Her own boyfriend was very much like her father; a  business-savvy financial exec that was as success-driven and practical  as Mandy was. His name was Marcus Quay and he was one solid factor in  her life that Mandy felt grateful for. He was dependable, good looking,  and charming. And now their one-year relationship was going strong even  if he was a good seven years older than she was. At thirty, dark haired  and sleek-bodied in his designer suits, Marcus was Mandy's idea of what a  boyfriend should be: mature and reliable, always there to give the  needed reality check if things got too surreal.

Well, surreal and dreamlike were the sensations Mandy felt when she  looked at Ethan. He brought in energy and an awareness that paled  everything around him. Even Jessica's outlandish personality took  backstage to Ethan's.

He had the looks, no doubt about that. And he had the personality  –   loads of it. The room felt like it thrummed with his masculine life  force. Now, in person, Mandy began to understand why around the country  and even the world, right-thinking women turned into horny tigresses for  Ethan Tyler. Mandy was uncomfortable just thinking about how attracted  she was to him and she knew, if she wasn't careful, that it could easily  get out of hand and spiral out of control.

But she wouldn't do that to Marcus. She just couldn't. Not when he had  been there for her, first as a friend and then as a lover, when she  needed him most.

Still, despite herself, she couldn't stop watching the way he moved,  catching her breath at the sound of his deep voice rumbling as he  flicked through the personal wardrobe portfolio she had created for him.         

     



 

Mandy found herself staring at his hands. She'd never seen hands like  his, and she wasn't even thinking about the gleaming blue-black nail  polish coating his fingernails. He had beautiful, tanned hands, which  managed to look finely structured yet very adept all at the same time.  Like the hands you'd see on a gifted surgeon, sculptor, fine artist, or  yes, guitarist. Every finger was formed with almost delicate symmetry  while maintaining a manly edge. Mandy felt the strangest stirrings in  her body just thinking of those guitar-strumming fingers playing over  her naked flesh. Images of being sexually pleasured by a man like Ethan  was enough to get Mandy's spine tingling as a single line of cold sweat  slid down her skin beneath her clothes.

Ethan suddenly looked up from the pages of the folder and held her fixated gaze.

A small smile tilted his lips when he caught her staring at him. Mandy  felt her neck redden as she wondered if he could guess her thoughts or  read her mind. Mandy knew she'd just die if Ethan knew she thought of  him in ways she'd never thought of another man, even her boyfriend  Marcus. She felt guilty and ashamed just having these strange, salacious  urges. What the hell was her problem?

Jessica was chattering on and on about giving Ethan a whole new image  and ‘refreshing' his look so that he appealed to both older and younger  fans. Something about building more interest in him as a standalone  brand, much like Jaime, the band's lead vocalist, was achieving with his  new edgy and dark style. Jaime had always stood out for his mystery  while Ethan had always been the brash, bold, and loud lead guitarist  everyone loved to watch go wild on stage with his customized, flashy  guitars.

With just a look, Ethan could make the most timid of fans scream out  their desire any time his live solo riffs played out during the bridge  of any of The Strum's songs.

Mandy forced herself to look away, breaking contact with Ethan's  penetrating gaze, and she tried hard to focus on Jessica's comments as  the older woman walked Ethan through her suggestions for the revamp of  his image.

Mandy had nothing but respect for Jessica's vast knowledge of the  industry and for the way she went out of her way to really understand a  client's passions - their lifestyle, personality, physical, and career  elements - so that their new style was genuine and real. In fact,  Jessica's reputation in the industry was unparalleled and she had  already attracted a lot of media attention from men's magazines, talk  shows, and national dailies. Working with her as closely as Mandy was  about to was incredibly exciting, and she didn't want to do anything to  jeopardize the opportunity that she'd been given.

Especially being able to play a part in transforming Ethan …

Every up and coming fashion stylist knew that the best way to break into  the game wasn't just through getting the fashion degree or having some  retail experience  –  both of which Mandy had. It also took starting at  the bottom by working as an assistant to an established image  consultant. Mandy was looking forward to gaining all that on-the-job  training with Jessica in order to learn how to work with clients and  also how to run her own consulting business when the time came.

For a twenty-three year old, Mandy knew she was ambitious, driven, and  sometimes even single-minded. Failure was not an option - something  she'd learned from her father and a trait that her boyfriend Marcus  encouraged, being as goal-oriented as she was.

The only problem with being so focused with her career meant that Mandy  had very little experience with the opposite sex. Marcus was her first  real boyfriend and Mandy couldn't deny herself the truth …  she'd never  really known true passion or romance.

What love and respect she felt for Marcus didn't carry the kind of  sexual passion that she'd heard her friends speak of. She was attracted  to Marcus, sure, especially given their history, but when it came to  raw, animalistic hunger  –  the need to be taken, or to take from a man  for her own desperate pleasure, she had only books and movies as  inspiration.