Chapter 1 -
"Simey, I'm bored," she whined into his ear as they sat down to lunch. They'd finally been given a break after several hours of gruelling auditions. Those several hours felt like days, and not mere hours.
"Well eat some food," he replied as he sat down next to her at their small table in the corner of the room. Randy was off with Ryan somewhere - Ryan had wanted to try some food place he'd spotted on the way to the venue and only Randy had been game to go with him. Simon and Paula had cited hunger and fatigue as their excuses for refusing to go.
The day so far had been a slow one at that. They'd barely let anyone through to Hollywood, the talent was simply that bad. Simon had shot up out and his chair and dragged Paula with him the moment Nigel had said they could go for lunch; his stomach was grumbling. Tensions had been rising between the judges due to the lack of talent, so a break for lunch was welcomed. The judges had all split in their own respective directions - Simon and Paula to the food hall and Ryan and Randy off to the limo which was going to take them to the place that Ryan wanted to go to.
"Doesn't cure my boredom," she replied through a mouthful of food. Well a mouthful of salad. Something that Simon referred to as rabbit food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude," Simon replied after he'd finished chewing part of his chicken. Simon's plate consisted of chicken and chips. A meal much more carnivorous and calorie filled than Paula's.
"Well I'm sorry," she snapped in a mock-British accent. She hadn't meant to snap at him, she was just tired. The morning had been long and it had dragged. She felt the anger leaving her body as he simply placed his fork down onto the table before standing up and walking away from her, most likely up to the private room the judges and host had been giving to relax in.
The room was a plain room. It was simple and fit the purpose for which it was designed for. It contained two sofa's and a recliner which were set so that they faced the window which provided a beautiful, stunning view of the bay. As well as a fridge which contained water and a few snacks.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft and apologetic as she entered the private room to find Simon sitting on one of the sofa's with his back to her. She knew, he knew she was there the second she'd opened the door just by the way his shoulders were tensed. He made no move to acknowledge her as she entered the room, no acknowledgement as she moved to sit down beside him. "I didn't mean to snap at you. It was wrong of me. I let my tiredness and boredom get to me when you were only making a small joke. I'm sorry Cuddle-Bug," she whispered, smiling widely when he lifted his arm and allowed her to snuggle against him.
"Simey?" she whispered after some time had passed.
"Yes darling?" he replied, his voice muffled slightly by her hair.
"Do you want to watch a movie tonight after dinner?"
"And why would I want to do that?" he enquired, his voice light and teasing as he spoke and addressed her question.
"Because I would. I would think the idea of me and you under the sheets would be an idea which appealed to you. An idea which appealed very strongly. And Terri isn't here to keep you company, that's why?" she replied.
"Well in that case I'd love to. Me and you under the sheets, how nice," he replied, his voice nothing more than a purr. She ignored the stab of arousal which flew through her body as he spoke, she snuggled closer to him in a futile attempt to ignore the arousal.
"Time to go back," she sighed impatiently as she looked up at the clock on the wall, which told them that they had ten minutes of lunch left. She wasn't in the mood for the fit Nigel would surely throw if they were late or the jokes that Randy and Ryan would send their way, so she moved out of Simon's hold and stood up.
"Don't want too," he pouted, his bottom lip jutted out as far as it seemed to be able to go as he stared up at her with crossed arms and a defiant pout across his lips.
"Fine. I guess it means no between the sheets then," she replied before quickly walking out the door. She knew he would quickly follow if something he wanted was on the line, and he did. Mere moments later she felt his hand linking through hers as she walked back along the corridor to the stairs.
"Like I'm giving that up," he replied as they walked through doors which led them into the judging room, where shockingly Randy wasn't already there smiling smugly at them. His seat was vacant and empty, and there was no sound of Ryan and his T.V voice in the background neither.
"Wow! Cowell your early! I'm shocked!" Nigel replied sarcastically, his hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion as he saw Simon and Paula were both sat down in their seats.
"Sod off you prick!" Simon replied. Nigel wasn't offended, he merely smiled as he approached the table. Ever since he and Simon had known one another they'd always greeted one another in such a fashion. Beneath their sarcastic and sometimes rude replies to one another lay a huge respect and admiration for the other.
Eventually Randy and Ryan reappeared, both had been shocked to see Paula and Simon, especially Simon already seated and waiting for them to arrive so that auditions could continue once more. After a short but intense stare down between Simon and Ryan the auditions continued with little success; they'd only send through a handful of people, a handful of people who could sing but weren't going to win.
The judges had breathed a huge sigh of relief once the last contestant of the door exited the judging room without a golden ticket in her hand. She'd simply been awful, there was just no other word for it.
"No more moose," Simon said as the four of them climbed into the limo. Simon moved to sit next to Paula whilst Ryan and Randy sat opposite so they would be riding backwards.
"Simon!" Paula chided, slapping Simon on the arm for his remark and Randy and Ryan sniggered at the remark. "She wasn't that bad."
"She was Pauls," Ryan replied. "I could hear through the door and I'm so glad I wasn't in the room. So as cruel as it was Simon's comment about her returning to the top of the alps was, it was spot on."
"Thank you," he sniggered slightly at Ryan's backing of him and not Paula. His response changing to a wince as he felt sharp pain of a certain Poodle's nails in his thigh. "Bugger off woman! That hurts!" he winced as she released her grip on his thigh. He quickly turned his head to face the window as he rubbed the sore spot on his thigh. Christ, her nails sure packed a punch. His thigh was throbbing. His anger however was soon forgotten as was the other occupants of the limo when he felt her warm hand upon his. She linked their hands briefly before moving his away so that she could rub the sore spot herself.
The pain seemed to vanish the moment her hand was placed upon his leg. The sensation changed from one kind of pain to another. Her hand felt hot, it was literally burning through his jeans as he suddenly yearned for his skin to be touching hers. It was as If she could read his thoughts and desires because her hand was quickly removed from his thigh and returned to her own lap. The rest of the journey she stayed silent as Simon happily conversed with Ryan and Randy.
"Come on Poodle." she turned her head to see his hand was extended to her. She was the only person still sat in the limo, she hadn't noticed it come to a stop or her fellow passengers get out until she heard his voice. She let a smile grace her lips as she accepted his hand. Whatever funk she was forgotten as he slipped his arm around her waist, and the four of them made their way to the lift.
Weirdly they were on different floors at opposite ends of the hotel with Paula being on a floor all on her own. Her room was in the North wing of the hotel whereas Simon, Randy and Ryan were in the South wing of the hotel on a lower floor.
They dropped Paula off at her floor before resuming their journey back down to their floor where they all bid one another goodbye until dinner.
"Hey darling." he quickly whipped his head around to see his girlfriend sitting on the bed in his hotel room.
"Terri," he whispered, his breathing still slightly erratic from the fright. "What are you doing here? Your not supposed to be here? Your supposed to be in LA!"
"I finished early and thought I'd surprise you," she replied.
"I've already made plans," he replied guiltily.
"Oh," she whispered.
"I'm just going to watch a movie in Paula's room and then I'll be back. Your welcome to join us all for dinner. I've missed you too darling," he whispered as he joined he joined her on the bed. She tilted her head to side as he nuzzled into her neck.
"After I come back let's say you and I have some fun of our own," he purred into her ear. This was the only way he was going to get lucky tonight because Paula wasn't the type of woman who'd jump into bed with a guy at a moments notice and considering he couldn't get her touch out his mind, he needed a release and he needed one badly.
"Ok darling," she replied, placing a kiss on his lips. "Just let me go and get ready for dinner."
Dinner went well. The five of them enjoyed a three course meal with a good chat amongst them. They spoke about all sorts and when it was time to go Ryan suggested that they stay for a few drinks. Paula had declined citing she was exhausted, so they'd all bid her goodnight and then turned their attention to the Brit sat next to Terri.
"I have to take this," he had said, motioning to the phone in his hand. The phone that was ringing with an important business call. "You guys on ahead," he had said as he excused himself from the table and made his way across the lobby to the lifts.
He entered the lift to find it had another occupant. And that other occupant was no other than his poodle, who smiled warmly at him as he entered the elevator nodding in her direction as he continued to talk on the phone.
She didn't mind him being on the phone. Instead she moved closer to him, lifted his free arm and snuggled into him. His free arm coming to rest around her body, his fingers mere millimetres from her ass as they rested on her lower back.
She knew he'd noticed how her body had stiffened and her breathing had hitched as his hand began to draw circles just above her ass. He didn't show he knew verbally, he just continued to talk on the phone. She knew he knew because she knew he noticed almost anything when it came to her and this was no exception, because she felt his hand moving a little bit lower. His hand was now tracing circles on the top of her ass, she groaned when she felt his finger trailing just below her trousers, his finger playing with her thong.
He finished his phone call, his fingers left her body as the elevator reached his floor. "See you soon Poodle," he purred into her as he leant down to kiss her cheek softly before he left her in the lift standing there staring at the door looking completely bewildered and stunned at what had just happened. Lines were close to being crossed, and she didn't know if she cared anymore.
She knew he'd gone to his room to change into something much more comfortable, and then he'd be along to her room so that they could watch the movie. So she used his absence as an excuse to change into a more comfortable attire of shorts and a vest-top, to make some popcorn and put the DVD into the machine.
She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard three distinctive taps on the door. She quickly recovered from the shock. She knew who it was on the other side of the door simply because there was only one person she knew who knocked like that.
"Who is it?" she called. It was completely pointless seeing as she knew who was on the other side of the door, she was messing with him. She stood behind the door and heard him exhale, it was a frusta rated exhale and it brought a smile to her face.
"You know exactly who it is. Now open the bloody door," came his response through the door.
"I'm sorry but I don't know who this is," she replied, struggling to stop herself from laughing. "I was always told not to let strange people into my room. Surely you must understand that Mr. 'You know exactly who it is?' Hmm?"
"Goodbye Paw-ler!" she heard him reply. She quickly opened the door to see him retreating down the hall, apparently he didn't find her joke funny at all. She rushed after him, using her speed she jumped onto his back and wrapped her legs around his torso and her arms around her neck.
"What the fuck Paw-ler?" he snapped as he narrowly avoided the wall in front of him. The sheer force of her jumping him had nearly sent him face-first into a wall, and that wouldn't have been pretty.
"I was only messing with you," she whispered softly into his ear as she loosened the grip she had on his neck.
"Well it wasn't funny," he growled, mock-seriously as he turned them around, her still riding his back as he walked towards her room. Once he slammed the door shut with his foot he manoeuvred his body she released her grip and fell back to the bed, staring up at him with fury in her eyes. "But that was funny," he quipped as he sat down on the bed next to her and removed his socks and shoes, placing them neatly by the bed before grabbed a hold of the bowl of popcorn sitting on the bedside table as he shuffled up the bed so that his back was resting against the headboard. "You want some?" he asked, his mouth full of popcorn as he noticed she was still in the same position as before; she was still glaring at him, but the look in her eye had changed. it was less aggressive than before, it was more kind.
"I do, considering it's mine," she replied as she moved up the bed and mirrored his position before snatching some popcorn out the bowl.
"Feisty," he whispered as she pressed play on the remote and the movie began to play. "What is this?" he asked.
"It's called Unfaithful," she replied. "It's about a woman who begins an affair with a handsome Frenchman; a hot, passionate affair," she carefully pronounced each word as she watched him swallowing at her words.
