Igniting The Flames

Chapter: 1

Elissa’s POV:

Camera.Lights.Action.

The camera flashed in my face while I posed for different photo frames before someone transferred them into a couple of shots. Many people were bustling around, and other photographers lined up the other angles. They were working on my portrait as I flipped my hair this way and that way. I have always adored the spotlight and have always had a commanding attention for it. I had never shied from this life; it only made me power through the cameras. The flashes didn’t bother me at all.

I was dressed in a black trumpet dress, and my long dark ombre strands were folded into an updo look. The dress hugged my curves, and I was the perfect image they wanted for a mystery shoot while twirling a little black umbrella. My smirk curled its way up and produced my dimples. I tilted this way and that way while looking innocent, but everyone knows that I am by far innocent. I was the devil. I relished in chaos. I was going to make my mark on this world that I lived in. Nothing would hold me back from what I wanted to accomplish. Nothing.

Once they got the pictures that they wanted, I trailed off to the side and was greeted by a gorgeous man who stood before me. His colorful eyes met mine and his strong jaw structure stood out along with his curly hair that was gel into perfection. His smirk pulled as he stood there in an open white blouse, his abs on display, and he was dressed in black trousers along with a black belt to hold it together. He wore shining dress shoes too before his velvet voice washed over my ears, “If we were alone, I would rip that dress off of you and have my way with you right now.”

The man wasn’t bad in bed, but it was for the distraction from my memories that like to bombard me at the worst times. A smirk spread across my lips, “This is Vera Wang. Not a dress to so casually ripped off of my body.”

“With those luscious curves and irresistible touch. I’ll buy you a better dress from some other famous fashion designer.” He purred to him while gripping my waist and pulling me closer to him. His thumb brushed my ribcage right underneath my breasts which were stuffed into a Double-D size bra.

I hate having this kind of body. It always attracts the wrong sort of males even if they have handsome faces and speak pretty words. All of it was a farce and a game to them. One that I was more than happy to dance their games and come out victorious. It was a distraction from my troubles. This man in front of me was a well-known actor and someone who liked the spotlight as much as me, but sadly there wasn’t anything there between us. Even if our interests did align when it came to the spotlight. We did our best acting up on stage in front of other cameras too. Maybe, it was why we were so comfortable being around each other. It was simplicity and it was something that I needed in my life as well.

“Oh really? You’ll go through all that trouble for a quickie. I might have to find something else to entertain your mind then.” I batted my eyelashes at him with a devilish grin. I knew I was bad to the bone. I reveled in knowing that I could take anything that I wanted when my mind was set on something. It made me feel invincible and where I strived to be better than who I was before this. I was changing for the better.

“Don’t worry. I’ll drive you to the edge and leave you hanging.” His voice was husky as he purred to me.

It was always like this with us. The sexual banter between us. It was nothing more than a show. A dangerous smirk split across my lips, “I would be careful with the threats you make with me, Andon Lockheart.”

He chuckled, “Always do when it comes to you, Elissa Garcia.”

He leaned in while placing a soft kiss against my lips and I returned it, but it was a simple kiss. Nothing more than that. No fireworks. No electricity. There was no heat between us. It was comfortable. It was a disappointment and I hope for something more than that, but sadly it doesn’t always work for people like me. Maybe, it was my karma for my early role of misbehaving and getting into danger. It wouldn’t surprise me the slightest bit. I was a reckless young woman and had to work twice as hard to get to where I was right now. Sure, it was seven or six years ago, but it affected me. The darkness still lingers and waits to latch on me during my vulnerability.

There was a throat clearing and we looked over to see a male that was dressed in a two-piece suit. It was a nice suit, but it looked like they were on business. Andon and I shared a confused look between us before facing the new person. His eyes landed on me, pinning me to the spot. Those calculating hazel eyes were filled with confusion as his bow-shaped lips parted. Something like embarrassment crawled its way through my body as if I had been smooching a co-star most inappropriately. That was ridiculous. His eyes narrow as if trying to concentrate on something, those eyes assessing me. A wave of heat crashed through me, but I shook my head mentally to clear the disturbing way that this guy was setting me off.

This time it was Andon who cleared his throat making the guy turn to him and leaving me breathless. My eyes took in the man before me as the color of his hair was like staring into spun gold silk. The pastel side, but it was a beautiful color. He was well filled out, too, underneath that suit that he was wearing. There was an air of command authority in which he held his ground against Andon who was seizing him up. Then he spoke, “Can we help you? We are busy in the middle of our photoshoot.”

The corner of his lips turned up into a wicked smile, and my toes curled in the closed heels on my feet. He was tall—maybe a little bit taller than Andon—but beautiful. It was like looking upon an actual Greek God. His voice rang out over my ears, freezing me in my spot: “I am investigating a murder, and in her phone contacts, you were the last person she called last night.”

“Well, detective. I guess we can talk over there.” He pointed to a secluded spot that wasn’t filled with people milling around. Everyone was on a fifteen-minute break before the couple shoots began.

Who was this woman that had called Andon last night? A frown etched onto my lips while flickering my gaze between the two who were staring each other down again. “Very well then.” His smirk was triggering a heated response from me before his eyes met mine again. Confusion lingered there in those hazel eyes of his, but he only gave me a swift nod before escorting Andon off to the side. A fierce detective here in the middle of a shoot, but this was Hollywood. There was plenty of crime that was committed here in the state of California. I was familiar with it, but I wasn’t scared.

With a suspicious look back at Andon Lockheart, his face was set angrily. The detective who was speaking to him was nothing, but calm in the face of a storm. His eyes flicked to me again and I realized that I was standing there like an idiot. With an annoyed huff at myself, I turned around and strutted over to the changing room. It was time to get into the other set of clothes that were waiting for me. Once I was done changing into it they let down my dark ombre hair, It fell in layer waves down my back. Some of the strands fell forward over my shoulders and I stared at the girl who became a woman.

It had been a long road, but I was finally here making my decisions. This was my life now. This is what I want. Once they were done with finalizing the makeup for the cameras, I was hopping out of my chair once more. I walk over to the edge of the new set-up photoshoot. A bed in the middle of the set, a deep red background, and a black fluffy circle rug on the floor. There were two wooden tables set up on either side. With a deep breath, I look over to where I had left Andon with the detective. Andon wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but the detective was leaning against a wall. His hazel eyes focused on me and it felt like he was undressing the black baby doll dress that I was wearing for this shoot.

His eyes were unreadable, but there was something in the way that he moved. Something was tugging my memory, but with everything that had happened. It was hard to pull the image forward. It was due to the trauma that I had suffered seven or six years ago. I still have trouble coping with loud sounds, especially ones that sound like a gunshot. We stared down at each other as a sense of familiarity washed over me. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like I knew him. The question was, where did I meet the man?

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