‘Can we… can we do this again?’
She looked into his eyes, and she couldn’t help smiling. ‘Breakfast?’
He smiled too, but not the movie star smile. It was most definitely a smile from Dominic. The man. ‘If you like.’
A reply loaded with meaning, and India got that, part of her almost glad to be getting away from Vegas for a couple of days because, the way she was feeling, she couldn’t promise she wouldn’t act on something out-of-the-blue and spontaneous with this insanely handsome man. A man who was slowly doing things to her she hadn’t really been prepared for. Even though another relationship was the last thing on her mind.
She was still smiling. ‘Okay, then. Maybe.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Maybe?’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
Should he take this chance now? Should he finally get this show on the road and make his move? ‘Okay. I’ll take maybe,’ he smiled, gripping her hand a little tighter as he slowly moved his mouth closer to hers. ‘I’ll take that.’
‘Good. Because that’s all you’re getting,’ she whispered, closing her eyes as his mouth lowered down onto hers, touching it ever-so-gently at first in a soft, light kiss and she had to cling onto his hand to steady herself.
She couldn’t say she hadn’t expected this to happen, they’d kind of been building up to it since last night. She was still slightly surprised, though – by what she was feeling more than anything – but she didn’t pull away. In fact, she did quite the opposite as she moved closer to him, her body touching his, and still touching his even when the kiss finally stopped.
‘You know what we’ve gone and done now, don’t you?’ she smiled, realising that they’d just kissed in full view of anyone who happened to be having breakfast there in the restaurant. ‘We’ve just given the press one whole load of gossip to play with.’
‘Let them play,’ he said quietly, gently stroking the small of her back, his mouth close to her ear, so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. ‘And when you get back from L.A., maybe we can play too, huh?’
She laughed, suddenly feeling as though a cloud had lifted from over her and the sun had just come out. ‘Yeah, maybe. Definitely maybe.’
***
Michael Walsh folded his paper and put it down on the table in front of him, draining his coffee cup and taking out his phone, his eyes never leaving the sight of his beautiful ex-wife and her handsome co-star as they kissed for all the world to see. And it was a feeling Michael never felt comfortable with, a familiar feeling of anxiety and frustration and pain, a jealousy he couldn’t control no matter how much he wanted to. A feeling he was tired of experiencing but knew he was never going to be able to live without.
The number he’d punched into his phone picked up after a few rings and Michael sat back in his chair, watching India as she smiled up at Dominic MacDonald. Leading man, Hollywood movie star; major stumbling block.
‘Yeah, it’s Michael.’ He moved back slightly, shielding himself behind the pillar of the huge canopy that covered the Terrace Restaurant, not wanting to take any chance that India might see him. He couldn’t afford for that to happen. ‘Get me everything you know on Dominic MacDonald. Everything you fucking know. And quick.’
Ending the call he sat forward, India now having left the restaurant, leaving Dominic alone but smiling, and who wouldn’t be, after what he’d just done? But his days with India were numbered, Michael would make sure of that. They were coming to an end, before anything had a chance to begin.
CHAPTER 13
Charley had just put Lily in her room for a nap in the huge Penthouse apartment she and Vince shared within The Amber Palace when Vince walked in, a smile immediately spreading across his face when he saw his wife.
Throwing his jacket over the back of a nearby chair, he held his arms open as Charley ran into them and he picked her up, swinging her round.
‘Hey, baby! It’s great to see you. I’ve missed you so much!’ he said, putting her down and tilting her chin up, kissing her mouth. ‘So fucking much.’
She couldn’t help but smile back. Just a few seconds with Vince and she already felt better, but it was a false sense of security, an uncertain feeling of calm, and she knew that. Deep down she knew that. And she also knew that, at some point, she’d have to tell Vince about Jimmy because he wouldn’t go away. Jimmy Cash never started anything without seeing it through to the end, but right now she just wanted to enjoy being with her husband, enjoy being a family again. Enjoy catching up with India before she had to face up to the nightmare that had now been forced upon her.
‘I’ve missed you too,’ she smiled, looking into his eyes. She loved him so much, she really did. He’d saved her had Vince Maine. He’d come into her life at a time when she’d really needed someone like him. And he’d given her a life she could only have dreamed of before so it scared the hell out of her to think that Jimmy Cash could destroy all of that, in ways she didn’t even dare think about.
‘Is everything okay?’ Vince asked, stroking the hair from her eyes and she tried to look happy, tried to look as though nothing was on her mind because she couldn’t face that conversation just yet. Not yet. ‘You look a little pre-occupied. Is the show still on your mind?’
She almost breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t even thought of hiding behind the fashion show for a few days, pretending she was recovering from the stress of all that. It was the perfect smoke screen. But a flimsy and weak one, and something she wouldn’t be able to hide behind forever.
She smiled again, standing up on tip-toes to kiss him, loving the feel of his arms around her, the safety that could give her. But she wasn’t sure they could keep her safe from what was happening now, from a threat she couldn’t even begin to contemplate.
‘I’m just tired, sweetheart. It’s been a busy week, and I guess I really needed this break. I really needed to see you.’
‘Well, you got me now, kiddo. And I’ll make sure you have the best time, I promise. Now, where’s that gorgeous daughter of mine. I’ve got presents for her.’
‘She’s in her room. And she’s dying to see you.’
Charley stood back and folded her arms, watching as Vince grabbed a handful of wrapped boxes and headed off to Lily’s room. She waited until he was safely inside before she leant back against the wall, closing her eyes, breathing a heavy sigh.
Her little family was perfect. But how long was it going to stay that way?
***
‘You and Layla Boyd? Again?’ India gasped, staring at Kenny as they shared a beer outside in the grounds of the stunning Bel Air home where the video shoot for Black Rock Diamond’s new track Dangerous Day was taking place.
‘Yeah. Who’d have thought, huh?’
India looked down into her drink, a sudden feeling of confusion washing over her. Was Layla with Kenny purely because she thought Michael didn’t want her? Because she thought that her and Michael were back together?
It was almost as though Kenny could read her mind and as she looked back up at him, her head wasn’t exactly feeling any clearer about anything as he asked her a question she knew he’d wanted to ask the second she’d arrived there that morning.
‘Are you going back to him?’
She didn’t have to ask who he meant. It was obvious he meant Michael. ‘No. I’m not.’
‘So, why split from JJ?’
‘Joe and I aren’t divorcing because I’m seeing someone else, Kenny. Michael is totally irrelevant to that whole situation…’
‘You sure about that? So, you’re telling me that being there in Vegas with him… You’re telling me that nothing’s happened? He hasn’t tried to go near you?’
‘He’s my director.’
‘You know what I mean, India.’
She wasn’t really in the mood for this kind of inquisition from anyone, least of all her best friend, who was starting to sound suspiciously like her father now.
‘I can’t deal with this, Kenny, okay? Not
from you. I came to L.A. to get away from what’s going on in Vegas so I don’t appreciate the interrogation.’
‘I care about you, India.’
‘I know you do,’ she sighed, reaching out to take his hand. ‘I know you do, and quite honestly, Kenny, I can’t believe you still put up with me after all these years because I really don’t deserve a friend like you. I really don’t. But, you don’t need to worry about me and Michael, okay? There’s nothing going on… nothing. Not with Michael, anyway…’
She stopped talking, realising she was now voicing thoughts she’d never meant to say out loud as the memory of Dominic’s kiss filled her head; how he’d felt when he’d held her against him – how he’d tasted.
‘Are we talking about Dominic MacDonald here?’
Kenny’s voice broke into those thoughts and she stared at him, unable to get the words together to say anything, so she was grateful for her phone ringing and a much-needed diversion from a conversation she didn’t really want to get into. Even though she knew she was going to have to, at some point. She couldn’t avoid it forever, Kenny wouldn’t let her. Not now.
Looking down at the caller ID she smiled – Dominic. She couldn’t even remember giving him her number but she must have done, and she surprised herself with how happy she felt at the fact he was calling her. A dangerous sign maybe, but she was beginning to think Dominic might be just what she needed right now. An all-important distraction.
‘Someone you’re keen to talk to?’ Kenny asked, letting go of her hand, not missing the look on her face – a look he’d seen so many times before. A look that signalled she’d found that distraction, that someone new. Someone that was going to take up all her time and use up all her energy. Someone that meant that he was going to miss her more than he already did. And once again Kenny just wished that, if she really did want a distraction, then why couldn’t she just choose him?
India looked up, putting the phone to her ear, that smile still on her face but she said nothing, just turned and walked away from him. Leaving Kenny with that all-too-familiar feeling of dread.
***
‘Hey! Everything okay?’ India asked, sitting down on the edge of the huge turquoise-blue swimming pool they were filming around, watching as the crew set up for the next shot.
‘Everything’s fine.’ Dominic’s soft voice came clear down the line and India couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face. ‘I just wanted to hear you… I wanted… What the hell. I’m here, okay?’
‘Here? In L.A.?’ India wrinkled her nose in confusion. What was he doing in L.A.? Wasn’t he needed in Vegas?
‘Yeah. Here, in L.A. They’re shooting scenes with Reece for the next couple of days so I’m surplus to requirements, and I hate hanging around. Hate being at a loose end. Boredom kills me.’
‘You’re telling me that a man your age was bored? In Vegas? With free time on your hands?’
She heard him laugh, a deep throaty laugh that reminded her so much of JJ. And how much she’d loved his laugh. How much she’d loved him, and look where they were now.
‘Well, you weren’t in Vegas so, yeah. I was bored.’
She was smiling again, a ridiculous fluttering feeling going on in her chest – this was crazy! She wasn’t fifteen, and she should really know better. Especially after everything she’d been through in the past, the mistakes she’d made because of feelings like this. But there was something about Dominic MacDonald – something that made her want to get to know him better. She was drawn to him in some strange way, there was some kind of a connection there, she felt it. She couldn’t say what it was; she couldn’t explain why she felt it, she just did. And anyway, surely now she knew the pitfalls of jumping into relationships so quickly, didn’t she? Especially when she was on this almost permanent rebound from Michael. So, she could avoid them happening all over again, couldn’t she? God knows she could do with a bit of fun. Nothing serious, that wasn’t on her agenda for the foreseeable future. But fun? Yeah. She could do with a bit of that.
‘So, where are you?’ she asked, her eyes fixed on Kenny as he talked to Black Rock Diamond’s front man Mark Cassidy across the other side of the pool. She hadn’t missed Dominic as such since she’d left for her short stay in L.A., but now she knew he was here she suddenly just wanted to see him. Something had happened back in Vegas – that kiss, it was the beginning of something she couldn’t ignore, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to. Even though she knew she should.
‘I’m on the Strip. At the Sunset Tower, do you know it?’
‘Yeah, I know it. Me and Kenny have stayed there quite a few times.’
‘I thought, maybe, we could meet. Later. I mean, I know you want to see your daughter, and…’
‘Ellie’s here.’ India dipped her fingertips in the cool water of the pool, idly moving her hand backwards and forwards, watching the ripples it created as though they were the most fascinating sight in the world. ‘Emma – her nanny – she’s brought her here to the shoot…’ She suddenly sat up straight, pulling her hand out of the water. ‘Does Michael know you’re here?’
‘He’s my director, India, not my security guard. He told me I wasn’t needed for a couple of days but I have absolutely no idea if he’s aware I’m in L.A.’
He’d be aware. India had no doubt about that. It was Michael’s job to be aware of the movements of any man that came near her, she knew that only too well.
‘So, he actually told you you weren’t needed for a couple of days?’ She pulled herself up from the cool concrete and started walking back to the shade of the table she’d been sitting at.
‘Yeah… What’s the problem, India?’
She sat down, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked over towards Kenny who was indicating to her to come over. ‘There isn’t one.’ Whether that was the truth or not she didn’t know, and she obviously didn’t have the time to explain anything to Dominic. Not when she didn’t really know what was going on herself. ‘Look, I should be finished here around eight, so, I’ll meet you at the hotel? In the bar?’
‘I’ll get the beers in, huh?’
She leant back in her chair and smiled, laughing quietly. ‘You know me so well.’
***
It was Dominic’s intention, to know her well. To know everything about her, to make sure he had everything he needed before he moved on to his endgame. But even he had to admit that it was harder than he’d ever imagined it would be, playing this game.
It had started out as nothing more than him wanting to prove something to Michael Walsh; to show him that he couldn’t control everything, that he wasn’t the only man who could make India love him, and that plan was going just the way Dominic had wanted it to. And soon it would be time for him to reveal exactly why he’d been playing this game – and why he had anything to prove to Michael Walsh at all, because he had reasons. Oh, he had reasons.
But what Dominic hadn’t really planned for – and this was a speed bump he really didn’t need – were the feelings he was starting to experience. They’d been there, in the background, for a while but he’d tried to shake them off, tried to forget they were there because acknowledging their presence represented a weakness, and he didn’t need that. There wasn’t time for that. But they were getting stronger, they were gathering speed, and it was getting harder to ignore them. Had following her to L.A. been the best move? Probably not. But that one kiss, just touching her like that, it had set something going – a trail of events that was to lead to a revelation that India couldn’t even begin to imagine.
CHAPTER 14
Jimmy Cash had contacts in Vegas, and plenty of them. He had places to stay that meant he could keep well out of Charley’s way, yet still make sure he kept track of her every move. She didn’t need to know he was here just yet. No, she could have a couple of days with her family, he wasn’t that much of a heartless bastard. But after that, he had work to do. She’d destroyed him, taken away years of his life by making sure he’d stayed behi
nd bars. But even before that she’d all but humiliated him, and because of that, because of what she’d done, there’d been no way of avoiding innocent victims. It had just been a shame that that victim had had to be India Walsh’s brother. Charley should have been a lot more careful about who she got involved with. When all was said and done, everything was her fault. And she still needed to pay.
Jimmy Cash didn’t forgive easily, and he certainly never forgot. And Charley Maine was about to realise that.
***
Michael had known exactly where Dominic would go the second he’d told him he wasn’t needed on set for a few days. It had taken some juggling of the schedule to make sure he had the same time off as India, because that had never been the original intention. But Michael was running this show, it was his movie and he could do what the hell he liked – and he needed to know. He needed to know if his suspicions were true. He needed to know if something was going on between India and her co-star. Was Dominic MacDonald the reason she wasn’t coming back to him? Had he taken his eye off the ball for one second too long and let another, younger man come in and take over?
Sure, he’d seen that kiss they’d shared in the hotel’s Terrace Restaurant the morning she’d left for L.A. Who hadn’t? One kiss and the gossip was rife already – Dominic MacDonald had done it again. Another movie, another leading lady. But this time the movie was Michael Walsh’s, and the leading lady was his ex-wife. And whatever was going on – and there had to be something, why else had he jumped straight on a plane back to L.A.? – Michael was determined it wouldn’t last.
He walked over to the window of his villa and looked outside, the burning sun of a new Vegas day already casting its glow across the small splash pool in his private yard. He had a busy day ahead. A movie to shoot, his seven-year-old son to keep an eye on whilst his mom and Bobby were back in L.A. – and a visit from a man who’d told him he had information on Dominic MacDonald that Michael really needed to hear. But, for a man who was usually prepared for anything, even Michael couldn’t have been prepared for just what it was he was about to find out.
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