by JC Harroway
By eleven, I’d enjoyed a solitary breakfast on the terrace and a leisurely swim, but Jess had yet to surface, so I brewed a pot of tea and carried it to her room on a tray. I balanced the tray on one arm and tapped on the door.
‘Argh.’
I entered the darkened room and placed the tea on a nearby table.
‘Time is it?’ The mound on the bed spoke, one arm shooting out from beneath the covers to fumble with the clock on the nightstand.
‘It’s after eleven. What time did you get home?’
‘Dunno,’ she groaned, ‘Four?’ Jess emerged from the duvet, her hair a chaotic copper cloud around her face.
‘I’m sorry. Nathan invited us to the studio and then lunch. I’ll text him and say no.’
‘You go. I’m not really in a lunch kind of place.’ She eyed the tea, her mouth twisting as she clutched her forehead.
Perching on the edge of her bed, I stroked the curls away from her pale face. ‘I’ll stay here with you then. Do you want some painkillers?’
‘No, yes.’ She reached for her bag, lifting it up onto the bed to rummage inside for something to ease her headache. ‘You go. I’m going back to sleep.’ She swallowed two of the pills with some water from a glass on the nightstand. With a groan, she disappeared back under the duvet.
‘Jess? Did you have a good time with Tyler?’
Another groan.
‘A very wise woman once told me that life is short and I should seize opportunities.’
‘Soph.’ Her flushed face appeared over the top of the duvet. ‘Trust me, I seized, okay? Now will you please leave me alone and go and shag that gorgeous piece of man meat of yours?’
‘He’s not mine.’ At her glare, I held up my hands in supplication. ‘Okay, text me when you wake up, grumpy.’
‘I will. And Soph?’
‘Yes?’
‘Sorry—I had a bit too much to drink. I’ll be a better friend tomorrow, promise.’
***
Jake ushered me into the control room—an aptly named space housing a bewildering array of computers, speakers and mixing consoles, which appeared capable of flying space shuttles rather than recording and manipulating the spoken word. Behind the glass, Nathan sat in the recording studio, his face partly obscured by a large pop filter fitted to a microphone.
I’d guessed he’d be good, but I wasn’t prepared to be completely enchanted with him. He read each line of the script, recording it multiple times with as many vocal variations as he could produce with little more than a stick man version of his animated character for inspiration. His energy and enthusiasm never wavered despite the repetitive nature of repeating ‘You’ll pay for that!’ fifty times.
With an astounding range of facial expressions that could rival a gurning champion, he ‘acted’ each line to the hilt, his dedication to a process only the sound engineers and I would ever see a further glimpse into his personality.
Not content to sit on the stool and say his lines, he used his whole body, gesturing wildly with his arms and mimicking his character’s actions. He loved being a villain, and his skill and passion were mesmerising. He threw himself into it, committing fully, oozing confidence, and completely in his element. Simply watching him was exhilarating. My blood surged with renewed vigour through my veins, my pulse fluttered excitedly, and arousal flooded my girly parts, soaking my panties.
Despite my teasing, he was the sexiest man in the world, and Jess’s comment this morning, that he was mine, painted such an alluring picture that I had to remind myself he’d made no more commitment to me than admitting he’d missed me. I fidgeted in my seat and glanced at the clock. How long before I could drag him out of here?
My phone vibrated and I stepped out of the control room to answer.
‘Mum?’
‘Hello, darling. How are you?’
‘Is everything alright?’ I’d never placed my video call to Matty after all last night and guilt tightened my chest in a painful reminder.
‘Yes, the photographers have left us alone for days now and Dad’s blood pressure was down when the nurse checked it yesterday. A letter arrived for you. It’s from the hospital. Would you like me to send it on? I thought it might be important.’
‘No, just open it, please.’
‘Oh dear. I’d better read it to you. Dear Dr King. We have recently become aware of the media coverage of your high-profile relationship and whilst private, this presents several concerns for the security and patient care at St Mildred’s Hospital NHS Trust. We would welcome an opportunity to discuss this matter further with you and urge you to contact Daryl Beckwith at our Media Centre at your earliest convenience. Oh dear, Soph.’
I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut as if I could block out the unsettling news. ‘Mum, it’s okay. I’ll deal with it. I’ll contact them today.’
‘Will your job be affected?’
‘Mum, please don’t worry. It will be fine. I’ll sort it out.’
We chatted for a few more minutes, then ended the call. When I returned to the control room, Nathan had removed his headphones and was in conversation with the director. I gathered my belongings and left the booth, asking Jake to let Nathan know I would wait outside.
Once in the car park at the rear of the studio, I took a deep lungful of warm air and sat on a low wall facing the ocean. I expected to feel more panicked. Whilst concerned about the letter from my soon-to–be employer, I struggled to muster a fraction of the apoplexy such a letter would have created two months ago.
My thoughts were disjointed. Part of me was confident I would be able to reassure the hospital that their patients would be safe from harassment. Nathan would move on, date the next stunning model or actress to come along and I would be forgotten, relegated to insignificance, an extra with a minor scene in the long and distinguished career of Nathan Banks.
A larger, more insistent part of me clamoured to explore the possibility of a future between Nathan and I and the likely choices I would have to make. My career was important to me—I’d worked hard for many years to arrive where I was. Could I contemplate a professional compromise that allowed me a future with one of the world’s most famous faces?
As if I’d conjured him, he emerged from the back of the building, spotting me and striding in my direction. A smile tugged at his mouth and my body gave an answering jolt of awareness. The arousal I’d succumbed to while watching him work returned with a vengeance, liquefying my limbs as I rose to greet him.
‘I’m sorry that took so long.’ He pressed his lips to my forehead, his hand reaching for mine, entwining our fingers.
‘Nathan, that was astounding.’
The grin he shot me would light up Sunset Boulevard at night and still have enough energy to power Las Vegas. ‘It was?’
His joy was infectious, evoking my own and banishing all of my work-related worries. ‘You love your job and it shows. You are seriously talented.’
His smile dropped a few watts and his eyes clouded with insecurity. ‘It’s just a cartoon, but I’m glad you weren’t too bored.’
A dull throb twisted in my stomach, and I knew his father’s disapproval tugged at him, diminishing his enjoyment for a career he clearly loved and excelled at. ‘I could watch you work all day.’
He guided me towards his Range Rover Sport across the parking lot. ‘You are good for my ego, beautiful.’
I smiled. ‘You don’t need another woman telling you how fantastic you are.’
He opened the passenger door and I slid inside. ‘Maybe not. But a woman as intelligent and beautiful as you … a man could get used to that.’ He braced his arm on the roof, leaning inside the car to brush his lips over mine. ‘I think I might have to keep you forever.’
I froze, the vulnerability in his eyes scattering my sanity to the warm Santa Ana winds.
‘Stay? A few more days? Come to the Emmys with me?’
Jess and I had two days left in LA. I had a pressing issue concerning my future career and the w
ord ‘yes’ fought to escape my mouth with a force I felt insubstantial to withstand. I choked it back.
When my answer wasn’t forthcoming, Nathan shot me a wistful smile and pushed away from the car, closing my door. Within seconds he’d buckled up and pulled out into the light lunchtime traffic.
I needed to get home, to meet with my employers and reassure them my personal life wouldn’t jeopardise patient care. But I was seriously considering his invitation.
‘I’ve received a letter from the hospital seeking reassurance my recent notoriety won’t interfere with patient safety when I start my new job in a couple of weeks. They want me to make an appointment to discuss it.’
Concern pinched his eyebrows together. ‘Will you lose your job?’
I shrugged and looked away, the tightness in my throat evidence of my emotional investment in this man.
‘Do you want me to help?’ He reached for my hand, entwining our fingers.
I raised a sardonic brow at him. ‘But thanks, anyway.’
The silence in the car on the journey back to Los Feliz was cloying, pulling at my resolve and rocking my very foundations. Now that the end was in sight, it seemed I’d fallen for him after all.
Chapter Fifteen
THE Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was situated at the corner of Vermont Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in downtown Los Feliz. The impressive stone and glass-fronted building housed the non-profit hospital, which was considered to be the best on the West Coast and was home to the Saban Research Institute—one of the largest and most productive paediatric research facilities in the USA.
I’d spent the morning observing the early intervention program at the autism centre and the afternoon with Dr Sewell in his early-diagnosis clinic.
As a developmental and behavioural paediatrician, he ran the clinic, which was a diagnostic centre for autism and other neuro-developmental disorders. He was currently leading research into the early identification of autism and intervention programs.
The day passed quickly and my head buzzed with all I’d seen and learned. Dr Sewell recommended some conferences to be held in the US later in the year and welcomed me to visit again if I was ever in LA.
I practically glided along the corridor as I made my way back through the clinic en route to the exit. My well-timed visit to this centre of excellence confirmed I’d chosen the right career path and I couldn’t wait to feed back what I’d seen today to the autism charity I volunteered for in London.
I rounded the corner and came to a halt. A group of parents and staff, many wearing brightly patterned scrubs, clustered around a viewing window into one of the clinic’s playrooms. Catching a smile from one of the nurses, I joined the group, craning my neck to see what had attracted such a crowd.
I gasped, covering my grin with my hand. Nathan was inside the room, which was filled with light boxes, bubble walls and other sensory equipment. I counted half a dozen children and two staff members inside, and all eyes were fixed on Nathan.
An interactive flooring system covered half of the floor transforming it with an image projected from the ceiling, currently a giant spider’s web. Stepping onto the mat induced hundreds of digital spiders to scuttle from the edges and coalesce around the feet of the stepper.
Most of the children watched from the edge as Nathan hopped from one foot to the other, trying to outwit the spiders. To the delight of the onlookers he dropped to his knees then rolled onto his back as the spiders converged around the outline of his body. One boy jumped up and down in obvious rapture as Nathan moved his arms and legs as if he was making a snow angel, scattering spiders everywhere.
My chest pinched as he interacted with these children, who because of their disability were sometimes hard to reach. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation. He gave himself freely and without reservation, his natural instincts bridging the communication barriers between him and the children, many of whom I knew would be non-verbal.
Suddenly the projection changed and the floor became a giant shimmering puddle. The more they moved the greater the ripples, and soon Nathan and a group of the children were splashing and jumping, their faces wreathed in smiles.
His enthusiasm was infectious and a titter of giggles erupted in the group spying through the one-way window. Nathan was hypnotic—his joyous abandon and unselfconscious antics enthralling both the youngsters and the adults.
I watched enraptured by this open and giving version of him. There were no cameras to capture his performance, no publicity angle to promote his next movie, and no screaming fans boosting his ego.
A group of parents left the huddle gathered around the viewing window and seconds later entered the playroom. Clearly the session had come to an end but I continued to observe as Nathan welcomed introductions and posed for photos with the children.
When he finally emerged, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, I approached him, my face trained to mild surprise as if I hadn’t spent the last twenty minutes watching his every move.
His smile lit up when he saw me and he slipped his hand to the small of my back as his lips pressed to my forehead.
‘Have you been waiting for me?’ I slipped my arms around his waist, closing my eyes as his body heat warmed the space between us.
‘No, I managed to score myself a tour of the clinic—the administrator is a fan.’ He winked, and my insides flipped. Draping his arm around my shoulder, he led me to the exit. ‘I thought we could meet Tyler and Jess for happy hour. Jess can’t wait to hear how your visit went and she’s been pestering me all afternoon about celebrity hangouts—obviously I’m not famous enough to impress your friend.’
I laughed, knowing how forthright and persistent Jess could be. ‘Don’t worry, she’s plenty impressed—Jess lives life to the max, squeezing every drop of experience she can from every moment.’
‘She spent the afternoon quizzing me about the mechanics of sex scenes.’ He reached for the back of his neck, before dropping his hand to push open the glass door leading to the parking lot.
‘She’s tenacious.’
His eyebrow quirked—clearly he’d experienced the full force of a Jess-style inquisition, yet he was still here and he hadn’t kicked us out.
‘How did you get rid of her?’ My friend could be dogged when she wanted something.
Nathan opened my car door. ‘I called Tyler and invited him to meet us for drinks.’
As he settled into the driver’s seat, a call came through on the hands-free.
‘Jake?’
‘Nate, I’ve set up that donation as you requested. The transfer will go through this evening at midnight Pacific time.’
‘Thanks, Jake—anonymous?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, that’s all. Oh Jake, organise a car for tonight and have mine collected from Drai’s—I’m taking Jess and Sophia dancing.’ He turned his sexy, confident smile on me as he disconnected the call and pulled out of the parking lot.
My limbs liquefied, his smile devastating me. He was scorching superstar Nathan again and if I ventured too close, I’d singe, floating away like ash.
‘I’m not dressed for clubbing.’ If I left tomorrow with Jess, this would be our last night in LA. Part of me yearned to snuggle on the terrace with the Nathan from the autism clinic, drinking in the views and immersing myself in this complex and enticing man I was falling for. But I knew Jess would want to party and I struggled to deny her.
‘You’re perfect.’ His gaze swept from my face down my body to my stocking-clad legs beneath the smart pencil skirt I’d worn to the clinic. ‘But if you want to change, I’ll take you home first.’
I glanced at Nathan, still wearing the faded jeans and grey T-shirt he’d worn all day, and shook my head. I wasn’t one of those women who couldn’t leave the house with a hair out of place. Changing the subject, I unleashed my curiosity. ‘What was Jake talking about?’
Nathan’s smile was enigmatic, ramping up my interest. ‘Just a charitable donation.’ He focused on
the traffic, his face impassive.
‘To the autism clinic?’
His smile was tight as he pulled up to the valet parking and handed his keys to the attendant. It was early evening and the queues waiting for admittance were light, but as Nathan rounded the front of the car to open my door, they spotted him, calling his name and pulling out their phones to snap pictures.
We hurried inside, quickly locating Jess and Tyler in one of the VIP booths that overlooked the dance floor. Conversation and bonhomie swirled around me, but I was too caught up in my own head to fully participate.
Jess shot worried glances in my direction, but I deflected them with a false cheery smile and a gulp of my drink.
Nathan leaned close, his breath heating the side of my neck. ‘Let’s dance.’ He stood, pulling me to my feet.
‘I thought we were talking?’
He pressed his lips to the space between my eyebrows, smoothing away my frown. ‘We can do that while we dance. I miss having my hands on you and as you haven’t accepted my invitation to the Emmys, this might be my last chance.’ His jaw clenched with determination, but a hint of vulnerability clouded his eyes.
Compassion tightened my chest and burned the back of my throat. I wouldn’t let him down like his parents had. He’d always have my unconditional support. But I needed to get home to safeguard my own career and return to my long-neglected charity work. This fairytale was coming to an end.
On the edge of the dance floor Nathan pulled me close, his hands settling on my hips as he moved us in time to the music.
The familiar draw to him infected my body, softening the stiffness in my limbs and slowing my blood to a sluggish pound, thick with need. Need for him. Still my mind wouldn’t settle, choosing to prod at the fragile scab of our tenuous and seemingly impossible relationship. ‘What’s happening here?’
