“What?”
“A Reese Collingworth film—the director’s director. I can’t believe we have the opportunity to finally work together.”
“Yes.” She met Britney head on. “No one knows better than I do how you worship opportunity.”
Britney leaned back, stared at Rina as though sizing her up. She slowly raised the wineglass to her lips.
“Be careful, Brit. The wine’s starting to dry you out. You don’t want to look haggard and bloated when you’re playing younger.”
As slowly as she had raised the glass, Britney lowered it unsipped and set it on the table. She smiled. “So, Rina, have you recovered yet?”
“From what?” Rina bit into a slice of apple.
Britney leaned in and lowered her voice. “You know, from the loss?”
“Aww.” Rina sighed. “That’s so sweet. But how did you hear about my cook taking ill?”
“What?”
“Silvia had to take an early retirement. She’s been with me so long and she’s been hard to replace.”
“No! That’s not what I meant.” Britney took a big swig of wine.
“Loss?” Rina paused. “You’re talking about the Oscar?” Rina finished the apple and fished around delicately with her fork until she stabbed clear through an artfully carved hunk of watermelon. “This watermelon is delicious. Care for a bite? It will help detox your liver—you know…” Rina pointed to the wine. “From all the drinking.”
“Yes, the Oscar! I can’t imagine how hard that was for you—losing—to me of all people.”
Rina raised her eyebrow and finished the melon. “What’s past is past,” she said graciously. “Onto bigger and better things, right? Speaking of which, how is Linnie?”
“We broke up.”
Rina stopped eating. “Well, who could’ve seen that coming?”
Britney took a longer sip of wine. “She turned out to be halfway up the psycho ladder. I should have never let you go—left you for her.”
Rina placed her fork on her plate. “You can’t let go of someone you never really had, Brit.”
“Huh. It sure seemed like I had you. We were good together. A real Hollywood lesbian power couple.”
Rina smirked. “Hard to be a lesbian power couple when neither partner is out.”
Britney laughed. “I suppose that’s true. So, Rina, are we done sparring about the past?”
“I don’t know—I thought we were just getting warmed up. But we do have a big film ahead of us. I want your word, Britney—utmost professionalism.”
“Of course, Rina.”
“Swear.”
“My god, what do you think I’m going to do, create a scene?”
“Yes. Isn’t that what you do best? You and I have no relationship anymore. None. Our characters, however, have a contentious one.”
Britney smiled from the corner of her lips. “Then it won’t be that big a stretch, will it?”
“I’m giving you fair warning that I’ve written it into my contract. If I feel you trying to undermine me and it affects me doing my job, then I’m out. And you’ll be left hanging.”
As Britney polished off the glass of wine, the waiter stood nearby to replenish it. “I promise. It’ll be fine, but I have one request.”
“What?”
“Once we’re on location, you have to have dinner with me one night. No managers, agents, or personal assistants allowed. Just you and me.”
“Why?”
“Consider it an olive branch. A way of keeping the peace.”
Rina stared straight at her. “Like this olive branch?”
“Better than now.”
“Are you capable of ‘better than now’?”
“Yes.”
Rina took her time considering it. “Dinner? Just dinner?”
“Sheesh. We have to eat, don’t we?”
“You’ll be civil? Professional? Not like now?”
Britney crossed her heart.
“Hope to die?” said Rina.
“Fine.” Britney rolled her eyes. “Want to shake on it?”
“Not really.”
“A kiss then?”
“There’ll be no kissing, Britney.”
“Maybe not here,” the vixen smiled.
“Read the contract,” said Rina.
“Yeah, whatever you want.”
“What scenes did you wish to discuss?”
“The scene where you squash my character in the boardroom,” Britney answered.
“You’re talking about the hostile takeover scene?”
Britney sat up straight. “Yes! That’s the power scene of the film, don’t you think?”
“I think there’s a lot we can do to show the conflict there. Also, in that horse scene on my character’s ranch—that’s a real good one.”
“Exactly.” She smacked her hand against the table. “See? I knew we were still on the same page. We’re going to knock it out of the park with that horse scene.”
Rina stared at her. “It’s not so different from the night you bolted from my house at three in the morning—after taking a swing at me and destroying my favorite vase. I’d be happy to never have to see that mood again.”
Britney sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Pardon me? I’ve never heard you apologize for anything.”
“I am sorry, Rina. Looking back, it was a bit overdramatic.”
Rina chuckled. “Gee. Ya think? For the record, the only drama I do these days is on-screen.”
“You must hate me.”
“I did. I don’t now. I don’t really feel anything for you. Although, sometimes I wonder how you manage to persist with all that toxicity. It’s old—predictable.”
“Okay. I know I can get a little crazy sometimes.”
“Sometimes? A little?”
“You didn’t deserve having me mock you at the Academy Awards. But I was hurt, too. Especially when you refused to take my calls after we broke up.”
For that one moment, Rina saw the two percent of Britney that hadn’t succumbed to the dark side. The sweet girl she had once known—the girl who wasn’t yet famous—who displayed vulnerability and love. The one who had adored her.
Rina steeled her resolve. “It’s history, Brit.”
“So, there’s no chance of us ever…”
“Stop right there. No. There is no ‘us’ and there isn’t a chance.”
“I know that look, Rina. There’s someone else now, isn’t there?”
An impulse to grin at the thought of Julia escaped in an uncontrolled burst. She said nothing.
“Who is she?”
“No one you know or ever will.”
“Maybe by the time the film wraps you’ll see how I’ve changed and you’ll have a change of heart.”
Rina chuckled. “No one ever really changes, Brit. If we work hard at it, maybe we evolve.” She flashed on her time at the rehab. “The thing is, I know how good an actress you are. You have an Oscar to prove it.”
“Truth be told, the Oscar doesn’t keep me warm at night.”
“But I bet it’s one helluva chick magnet.”
Britney signaled the waiter. “Check, please.”
Rina grinned. “Don’t bother. I’ve got it.”
Before Britney stood to leave, she stared longingly into Rina’s eyes.
Rina stared back. “I’ve missed Caring Gaze Number Ten. But it needs a little work.”
“I’m flattered you’d notice. See you soon, Rina.”
“I’ll count the hours.”
Britney rose, plastered a fake smile on her lips, and made a high-profile exit that rivaled what most assuredly had been a high-profile entrance.
“Will there be anything else, Miss Verralta?” asked the waiter.
“God, let’s hope not.”
Chapter Seventeen
Julia stood in the bedroom doorway holding two mugs of steaming coffee. She leaned against the jamb, lightheaded at the sight of Katarina Verralta’s curves tangled i
n her sage-colored sheets. Intoxicated still from Rina’s touch, she breathed in a fresh dose of the scent to which she had become addicted, the one now embedded in her senses every day whether Rina was there or not.
Lying on her side with a stray chestnut-colored wave settled along her prominent cheekbone, Katarina breathed silently in the early morning light. Julia mentally traced the woman’s outline, gliding her gaze along the slope of her shoulder, fixing the curve in her mind, knowing that if this dream ended, she would remind herself of it by sinking her hands deep into amorphous clay and molding it into the vision before her.
Julia crossed to the bed and looked down at her before placing the cups on the nightstand. Though it was only their fifth time together, already they had a ritual. She sat beside Rina and kissed her bare shoulder, lifting Rina’s hair and bringing her to consciousness with soft lips against a smooth and warm neck. The beauty’s eyes fluttered open.
“Mmm, am I still dreaming?” Rina stretched into a yawn. “Good morning, Julia.”
Julia grinned at the way Rina spoke her name. It reminded her of the first time she’d heard it leave the woman’s lips—Zhooliaah.
When their eyes met on this morning, Julia felt her world transform suddenly from a black-and-white silent film into a big-budget, A-list Hollywood musical. With Cinemascope. Dolby Sound. Lyrics dancing on notes. And the star splashed with flattering ambient light.
Julia gazed into her lover’s eyes. “There should be a lottery to guess which color your eyes will be in the light of any given morning.”
Rina smiled. “What color are they right now?”
“My favorite color.”
“Which one is that?”
“The color of how you look at me. Whatever that one’s called.”
Rina rolled onto her back and pulled Julia into a kiss. Julia’s body melted into her when their warm lips touched.
“Do I smell coffee?” Rina asked.
“You know you do.”
Rina sat up against the cushioned headboard, the sheet wrapped loosely around her naked form. “If we had stopped kissing for an instant last night, I’d have told you I love the new hairstyle and highlights.”
“Thank you. I wondered if you’d noticed. Here.” Julia handed her the cup. “Medium light with fresh cream and that sweetener you brought with you.”
“You’re so good to me.” Rina took a sip. “Have I told you how much I love your coffee?”
“Repeatedly. And I love your—everything.”
Rina chuckled. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m in, Rina.”
“In what?”
“In this—this thing—whatever it is. I’m in love with you.”
Rina’s cup tipped, spilling a little coffee. “Shit!”
“Not exactly the response I was hoping for,” Julia said softly.
Rina set the cup on the nightstand. “No, that was for spilling the coffee.” She stroked Julia’s cheek with her warm hand.
“You look shocked,” said Julia.
“How can you be so sure of your feelings so soon?”
“Also not the response I was hoping for. I’m not asking anything of you, Rina. Take it. Leave it. Believe it or don’t. I’m certain that I’m in love with you. I’ve never said that to anyone before—because I’ve never been in love until now.” Julia fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. “And good morning,” she added nervously. “H-Have I said good morning yet? No, I-I don’t think I have.”
When Rina stared at her, Julia could hardly catch her breath. The yellow-green cat-eyes bore right through her. She bit her lower lip and in the awkward silence turned her head and reached for her cup.
“Put that down, Julia. Look at me.”
Julia needed an extra second to muster the courage to return to the gaze that held her a willing prisoner. Dammit, I shouldn’t have said it. She inhaled—a junkie in need of her next fix—the scent of the woman in her bed. She wondered how and where she could lock this feeling away inside forever.
Rina peeled Julia’s robe from her shoulders and allowed the sheet to fall away from her own body. She pulled Julia up against her and tasted her lips—kissed her hard, then soft, then lingered there, in the place where they met as equals. As lovers.
“Julia, do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?”
Again, the woman’s eyes made it difficult for Julia to speak. “I know that I love you, that I want you, and I don’t care what I’m getting myself into—as long as you’re in it with me.”
“What if I’m not the woman you think I am? I fear that because I’m famous, you may have this unrealistic view of me.”
“Or perhaps I see things in you that you haven’t yet seen in yourself, Katarina.”
Rina smiled just enough. “You called me Katarina. This must be serious. Such as?”
“You may be a lot older than I am, but…”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
Julia continued. “But I see the girl in you. Not just the woman. The girl.”
“You do, huh?” Rina said, still smiling. “So who is this girl you see?”
“Someone who deserved better early on—someone who needed more love than she got. So she used her amazing talent to get it from millions of fans instead.”
“Excuse me? You know this how?”
“For one thing, you just stopped smiling.”
“Hmm. Not bad. What else have you got?”
“I believe what you really crave is love from the one person who matters. I feel it every time we make love—in a connection that’s so strong it defies age, culture, even lifestyle. I want to be that one person.”
“What about when the day comes that you bring my morning coffee and you see an old woman lying in your bed?”
“Impossible. I only see the girl to whom my love matters. So, I guess the question is: Does my love matter to you? Don’t answer that right now. I couldn’t handle it if your answer was no.”
“But you’re young and I won’t look like this forever.”
“Do you really think I’m that shallow?”
“No, I’m just that insecure,” said Rina.
“You? Insecure?”
“It’s an occupational hazard.”
Julia laughed. “You’re the most confident person I’ve ever met.”
“Don’t confuse confidence with being secure.” She paused. “Julia…” Rina’s eyes first searched the reaches of the ceiling.
“What is it? I promise you can say anything to me.”
“I’ve honestly never met anyone like you. Sometimes I wonder if you’re for real.”
“I’m for real.”
Rina smirked. “I’ve been in LA for so long, I’m afraid a part of me has forgotten what real looks like.”
“Maybe what you said before is wrong, and it’s actually the other way around,” said Julia.
“What is?”
“Perhaps you’re the one who has an unrealistic view of me. You underestimate me.”
They took refuge in the silence that followed, Julia craving the touch of the woman that destiny had literally driven to her door.
“Julia?”
“Yes?”
Rina pulled Julia on top of her and pierced her with her stare. “Make time stand still for me—again.”
Julia ran her fingers through Rina’s hair and gazed into the actress’s now hazel eyes. With her lips but an inch from Rina’s, she whispered, “I’m. In love. With you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rina sauntered out to the barn wearing designer capri jeans, print sneakers, and a button-down pinstripe shirt tied at her midriff. Her hair still tousled from Julia’s touch, her oversized sunglasses concealed her nearly naked face. Silent, she stood at the door, admiring Julia from behind. Her eyes drank in the sight of the long legs and narrow waist, the freshly layered hair that fell down her back. She held out a glass of lemonade when she entered.
“For my hardworking girl,” Rina
simpered. “The one who makes my knees weak.”
Julia turned away from grooming Lightning. “Do you usually thank your women with lemonade?” She stepped over to Rina and kissed her lips. “Nice surprise,” she said, taking the glass.
“Me or the lemonade?”
Julia set the glass on the wooden stand, slipped her arms around Rina’s waist, and looked into her eyes. “You. Only you. Always you. Got it?”
Rina caressed Julia’s cheek. “I missed you. You came out here twenty minutes ago and already it’s been too long.”
“I know.”
“Even though I didn’t say it back to you?”
“I meant it when I said I don’t expect anything from you, Rina. Real love stands on its own—we are who we are. Who I am is the girl who has fallen in love with you. Whatever challenge that brings, I’ll face it.”
Rina’s body froze in place—her face a snapshot of untitled panic. She forgot to breathe.
Julia tossed a glance at the stall. “If you need to bolt right now, Lightning here is pretty fast.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Julia nodded. “Smart girl.” She glanced down at Rina’s footwear. “Cute sneakers. Are you sure you want to wear them in here?”
“They’re the only sneakers I have with me.”
“I wouldn’t want you to ruin a pair of two-hundred-dollar sneakers.”
“Eleven hundred.”
Julia raised her eyebrows. “Really? I didn’t even know there was such a thing as thousand-dollar sneakers.” Julia glanced at the sidewall. “There are some boots in the tack room—help yourself.”
“Thanks.”
Rina returned to watch Julia brush Thunder. “He seems to like that.”
“We both do,” said Julia. “It’s relaxing. Very Zen. Come try it.”
Rina took the brush and Julia stood behind her with her arms around the woman. She placed her hand over Rina’s and together they brushed Thunder in long strokes along his shoulder, back, and flank.
The horse snorted.
“He likes you,” Julia said.
“How can you tell?”
“He just snorted, his nostrils are relaxed, and when he takes a step back and forth like he just did, he’s showing you which spots you’re brushing that he likes. I wish I understood women as well as I do my horses.”
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