Here's the second chapter :) Enjoy!

We had fallen back asleep in each others arms after we had spent almost an hour rolling around between the sheets. My lack of sleep had allowed my eyes to close even thought I knew I had to be up soon. Ryan's body was curled around mine as I woke for the second time, the sounds of his breathing filling my ear. I reached over to the bedside table and fumbled to find my phone without waking Ryan up. I had two texts.

Came by your apartment to pick you up for the photo-shoot, but you weren't there. I assume that you'll make your own way there. Don't be late! – Aria

Another reminder why we hardly sleep at my apartment. Aria seems to think that it's appropriate to barge in at any time, which would probably lead to the poor girl having a heart attack if she walked in and saw us. I read the second text.

I'm at the studio, you better be here on time today Max. You have half an hour – Aria

I checked the time stamp on the most recent one and sighed, I had twenty minutes to be up and ready for the photo-shoot. My lack of sleep was going to make this photo-shoot a challenge, but hopefully Aria would spare my life today.

I looked down at Ryan, I hated leaving when he was asleep, but I didn't want to wake him up. I placed a soft kiss to his honey coloured hair and gently manoeuvred my body out of his hold expertly, having done this many times over the past year.

I gathered up my clothes and took a quick shower before changing into some spare clothes and walking back over to the bed. I left a note for him and pulled my dark sunglasses over my eyes before walking out of the room, making my way to the hotels back exit.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

The car dropped me off at a large white building, I passed one woman as I walked the ten or so feet to the building and she took a photo of me. I made sure to smile and give her a wave before stepping into the building.

I was accosted by a group of people, all wanting to either tell me something or do something to prepare me to the photo-shoot, also I was apparently two minutes late, of which, they acted like it was some federal crime.

One woman with make-up in her hands asked me to stay still, and started applying some foundation looking stuff to my face, while a man held up some outfits to my body, shaking his head at most and nodding at some.

'Step away people,' Aria's commanding voice came from behind me and suddenly the people all dispersed like birds at the sound of gunfire.

'You're late Max,' she told me, grabbing my arm and steering me towards a door at the far end of the studio, passing many onlookers, fear in their eyes when Aria would make eye contact with them. Aria was not a violent person, but when she was at work, well, let's say she is well, demanding. Her parents are publicists and had run a large agency, so she was taught at a young age how to get things done in show business.

We walked into the room, and I was pleasantly surprised that the room was more of a dressing room than Dexter's killing room, like I had imagined. She would never actually kill me, but I wouldn't put it past her try to scare some sense into me.

I smiled hesitantly at my manager slash publicist, and hoped that she wasn't too mad, but she retuned my smile with ease, thank-god, I would live to see another day.

Aria Reid was a tall girl, her hair in long dark curls which ended just above her waist. She had deep set brown eyes which were like pools of chocolate, catching your gaze and never letting you go. She was quite pretty, being only twenty three. I had first met her at nineteen and both of our careers had grown over the years, but our friendship was never forgotten. I was always thank-full I was a good actor, because over all these years she had never once doubted my sexuality. At times I did wish that she would work it out, it had always felt like I was keeping apart of myself from my best friend and she was the closest thing other than Ryan that I had to family, seeing as my parents lived in Florida.

I gave her a look over, her black skirt was snug on her small hips and her navy top showed just enough cleavage to be acceptable without going slutty. Her left wrist covered in blue and black beaded bracelets. She may be a professional, but her quirky and fun personality always found a way to peek through.

I walked past some large mirrors to a chair, placed in the centre of the room and took a seat.

'Honestly Max, you need to start getting some sleep the nights before work,' she said, her thumb tracing the darkness under my eyes.

'And when am I not working?' I asked her, the joke evident, but there was truth in my words. I worked practically every day.

She was a hard ass around other people, but she always had a soft spot for me, 'Yeah, I see your point,' she folded, 'but still, you shouldn't spend so many nights off at random girls houses.'

'I thought that you wanted me to sleep around?' I said, reminding her of the image she had created for me.

When I first started I wasn't really getting anywhere. I had met Aria at a party and we instantly clicked. I was her first client after she took over her parents business and she told me that I needed an image. She showed me some ideas and I went with 'The Bad Boy', at the time thinking that I would be awesome, wearing leather jackets and looking all mysterious and sexy, but it turned out that although I did get to do those things, I also had to be the notorious play boy, who had numerous disposable girlfriends, something I wasn't too comfortable with.

I had never said that outright to Aria though, it was my image now, and not much would change that, even Arias clever work. I was known by that now, that was what was in the newspapers and on the TV. I wasn't happy with that, but I lived with it. Aria and Ryan, they knew the real me, so I wasn't too fixated on making the rest of the world see it too.

'When I said that, I meant that I wanted you to show up to parties with women, not sleep with everyone in sight,' she said, the words were harsh but she didn't mean them that way.

'And who says I'm doing that?' I asked her, my tone calm.

'Well, you hardly ever sleep at your apartment, and I have not met one serious girlfriend of yours. You don't even take dates to parties.'

I didn't know what to say to that. I wanted to say, 'Well, that's because I am sleeping with your favourite male singer, and I feel like I am cheating on him when I go out to parties with other people', but instead I stayed silent.

I was thank-full when I was saved by her phone going off. She took a look at the caller ID and spoke to me before leaving the room, 'I love you honey, and you need to keep up your image but that doesn't mean actually sleeping around, that's all. You are a good person, with good values and I don't want a bunch of tardy women to taint your real personality.'

I had only a few seconds to myself before the people from before came inside the room, making me try on clothes and fixing my hair.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

'Just tilt your head a little to the left.'

The photographer told me, the short man had been giving me instructions for the past hour, and I was sick of it by now. Aria assured me that this would be done in less than two hours, so I braced myself for a little bit more.

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy photo-shoots, I did, it's just that it's our anniversary today and I had something special planned for tonight, of which, I was eager to get ready.

'More make-up' the photographer shouted and a young blonde woman ran up to me, the same one from before.

She didn't say anything, just started to run a make-up brush around my face.

'Very Handsome,' she commented quietly, eyeing her handiwork.

'You're not too bad yourself darling,' I replied, giving her the playboy smirk which I used way too much for my liking. It screamed, I'm-sexy-and-I-not-only-know-it-but-I'm-also-going-to-flaunt-it.

That one smile seemed to hold a lot of words.

Oh and did I mention that it also made girls fall in love with me on the spot. Yep. It does that too. If I was straight it would be like a superpower, but it's more of a hassle for me.

'T-Thanks,' she stuttered and blushed from her cheeks to the top of her ears.

'Let's go!' The photographer yelled out and the flustered girl sent me a shy smile before hurrying away.

A few shots later we took a few minutes of break and Aria came up to me, a phone in her hand.

Wait, my phone in her hand.

'Your phone rang before, the caller ID said 'Ray'?' she questioned, her gaze fixed on the phone in her hand.

Ray was the name which I had Ryan stored in my phone and I was Maxie in his.

'Did you pick it up?' I panicked, I knew that Aria would recognise the voice of her favourite singer.

'No, missed it, but you have a few minutes, go call your friend back,' she told me absentmindedly, seeming more interested in her own thoughts.

Ryan knew not to call me when I was working, it was like an unwritten rule we had, just to make sure other people didn't pick up the call.

Maybe something was wrong?

I checked and he had left a message.

'Max, it's me, please call me back as soon as you get this!' His voice was hushed and stressed. I instantly thought the worst, has he been kidnapped by stalkers? Has someone pulled a gun on him?

I told myself to calm down and stop worrying so much. It was probably nothing, right?

'Max? Are you alright?' I heard Aria speaking but I didn't listen, I just hurried back into my dressing room, waiting for Ryan to answer the phone.