Star could feel a difference in the air between them. There wasn't any of the strange tension that was at their last meeting, and Anubis seemed to have forgiven him for whatever wrong he had done. Their conversation felt as if it were friends talking about their day.
“You also get to be their sounding board, guide, and mentor. And later, when you decide to have kids, you have a little experience as a doting parent.”
“Kids,” Star whispered.
Until that day, he hadn't thought he would have kids. Maybe years after he'd made it big as an actor and settled down with someone he loved, they would adopt a bunch of kids or use a surrogate, but now that he knew that men could get pregnant, the possibilities were endless.
“Do you want kids?” Star inquired, gazing into the handsome man's eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. He didn't know why he asked Anubis that question, but he could see Anubis as a father. Maybe he would be the doting kind that would spoil his kid silly.
“As a matter of fact, I...” Anubis went to speak, but his assistant interrupted him, and they both turned to look at Tyrek.
“Sir, the scripts are ready.”
He nodded and said to Star, “Let's go. I'm sure you're dying to read the script.”
“Yup.”
“Then, after you.” He stood up straight and extended a hand toward the dining room, and Star chuckled, walking back toward the rest of the crew.
Chapter Seventeen
STAR
“Hey, Star, are you heading home?”
Star looked up from adjusting his shirt collar to see Sundi Noxx standing beside him. It was the night's end, and everything had gone pretty well. He had almost forgotten the discomfort of being around Sundi while they did a short read-through of the script. They would start shooting in six weeks, giving Star enough time to finish all the work Vivienne had lined up for him. But in between, he still had to meet with the costume designer and a couple of others.
During the evening, Star had a passing thought that Anbuis had scheduled things this way for Star’s benefit, but what would be the reason when they meant nothing to each other? One night together did not constitute lasting affection. Subconsciously, he scanned the restaurant and spotted Anubis speaking with Everett Lawson, the set designer. As if knowing that he was being stared at, Anubis looked up, and their eyes connected, and an unspoken agreement passed between them.
“Ah...no...I have another engagement,” he said to Sundi.
“Pity.” She smiled sadly. “I was hoping we could get a drink and spend time getting to know each other since we'll work so closely together.”
“We'll have time,” Star assured her.
He returned to fussing with his clothes and anything else he could think of until she walked away. He was trying to buy time, hoping he hadn't read the message wrong between him and Anubis. Star wasn't sure what he was doing. He knew he was infatuated with Anubis Ahket and shouldn't try to get close to the director. But part of him wanted to know more about him, not just what he read on the blog sites. Not only that, but he couldn't stop thinking about their one night together. Or that time he ran out of Anubis's penthouse out of fear that he would give in to his need to be tamed by the dominant man.
“Did you drive here?”
Star looked up, meeting Anubis's gaze. “No, I walked.”
“Do you mind if I drive you home?”
“No.”
They walked out of the restaurant together. The walk to Anubis's SUV was short and quiet, yet it seemed they had walked many miles. Neither broke the silence on the drive to Star's apartment, the undercurrent simmering between them. Star locked eyes on the bright full moon, feeling his body tingle. It was approaching midnight, and the need to rip his clothes off and shift into his cat warred with his desire to be fucked and taken by a man who could make his body dance to his rhythm.
Star looked at Anubis, whose eyes were on the road.For a brief second, their eyes connected, and Star held back his gasp at the mesmerizing fire he saw in the golden hue. Star turned his head, unable to take it anymore, and focused on the moon, hoping it would give him answers on what to do. He didn't know how long it was before he heard Anubis’s deep tone whisper in his ear.
“We're here.”
Coming out of his daze, Star discovered they were in front of his building.When did we get here?That was what he thought but, “How did you know where I live?” came out instead.
“I knew you moved into the dorms after you signed your contract with Abandon Entertainment.”
“Oh.” Star's eyes dropped to his hands. His fingers were clenched into a tight fist. “Would you like to come up for a drink?”
When Anubis didn’t answer, he grew worried that maybe he was reading things wrong all night.
