Read Online Reunion Girls by J. J. Salem - Free Book Online

Aspen's hand and combed his fingers through his hair, thinking about his parents. What perfect timing. To be in the sky and on his way to Greece when they found out about his new career. The announcement would lead tomorrow's entertainment news. His parents would be angry, dismayed, disappointed—the usual crap. But this time Dean Paul didn't care. It still pissed him off that he'd caved in to their demands and given up his chance to be The Bachelor. They were from a different generation. Shit. He'd never make them understand.
    All they wanted him to do was finish law school and run for office. The mere thought of it gave him a tight fight-or-flight feeling in his chest. He could practically feel his heart constrict. Why couldn't his parents see the obvious? He wouldn't last five minutes shaking hands and listening to people complain about taxes.
    His Hollywood Live gig would be a breeze. Easy work. Good money. The syndicated half-hour infotainment series was on the rise, having already supplanted Access Hollywood in the ratings race and gaining fast on Entertainment Tonight. Dean Paul would be issuing reports from parties and film premieres, and sitting down for flirty one-on-one chats with hot female stars. That sure beat a stump speech in a factory parking lot.
    Both of his parents had grown up in normal, middle-class families. They lived in Protestant bubbles where working your ass off was the only sure way to success. What did they know about being famous before birth? That blessing/curse belonged to only a few. It was a crazy, heady way to come up in the world. People were constantly removing obstacles for you. In a natural way, Dean Paul had come to always expect things. An instant table in a packed restaurant. VIP status at the airport. Women who wanted to sleep with him upon eye contact. Basically, he counted on special treatment everywhere. And after almost thirty years of this, who wouldn't be spoiled, lazy, and more than a little messed up in the values department? The truth was, he hadn't gone through life like everyone else. So why start now?
    Aspen began to snore a little.
    Dean Paul looked down on her. Suddenly, it dawned on him that his wife of just a few hours had never uttered congratulations on the new job. Her animal instinct had immediately pounced on her own career crisis. A smile crept onto his lips. You had to love her. And he did. Much to everyone's marvel. But Aspen was exactly the kind of mate he needed—a woman even more self-absorbed than he was.
    He'd developed a crush on her watching Survivor. That was an embarrassing secret. Dean Paul was three-quarters in love by the end of the first Tribal Council. Several weeks later, the season finale aired. That night he hit the cast party at Dolce with a buddy from Brown, Kris Everhart, an actor celebrating his first big part as Stabbing Victim Number Two on Blue Bloods.
    The vibe for Survivor bash had been media desperation. At that point, half the cast had moved to L.A., ready to cash in on their pseudo-fame. I want to act. I'm ready for any opportunity that comes my way. I've always dreamed of broadcasting. All the typical clichés.
    What they refused to acknowledge was that almost every reality rat from previous seasons of their own show, not to mentionevery other mind-numbing, nonscripted show, had built the same castles in the air that went splat. Still, everyone rented a U-Haul with the hope that they might be the next lucky breakthrough .
    There was something about Aspen, though. She treated the experience for the lark that it was. She vamped around—loud, drunk, and flirtatious. Did he mention beautiful? Her blond, tanned, south Florida sex-kitten looks stood breast-to-breast against the California variety that populated Dolce every night. Dean Paul picked her out. They laughed about stupid things. She confessed her wish of having her own talk show one day. He encouraged the impossible dream. A few minutes later she was blowing him in the