by Susan Lewis
‘Hi.’
She looked up to see the woman who’d been speaking to Luke was holding out her hand.
‘I’m Jeannie, Cristos’s PA,’ she smiled, as Corrie took the hand. ‘You’re over from London, I hear?’
‘Yes, that’s right,’ Corrie answered, wondering just how personal an assistant this Jeannie was. ‘I’m Corrie, by the way. A researcher with Luke’s company.’
‘Producer,’ Luke corrected her. ‘She was just promoted,’ he explained to Jeannie.
‘Well, congratulations,’ Jeannie said. ‘So, what do you think of LA, Corrie?’
‘Um, uh, well, shall we just say it’s not what I expected,’ Corrie answered.
‘Don’t worry, I hate it myself,’ Jeannie laughed. ‘You off somewhere, Luke?’
‘The little boys’ room,’ he grinned.
Jeannie turned back to Corrie and Corrie smiled. ‘If you hate it here, then why do you live here?’ she asked.
Jeannie shrugged. ‘I guess I’m married to it. That’s my husband up there on the stage giving the effects boys a hard time. He’s the DP.’
‘DP?’
‘Director of Photography,’ Jeannie explained. ‘He always works with Cristos, that was how I came to get my job.’
‘I see.’ Corrie was much happier now she’d got that straight. ‘What are the effects for?’ she asked.
‘A love scene, would you credit? One of Cristos’s crazy arty shots that always work – almost always, anyhow.’
‘What’s the film actually about?’ Corrie asked.
‘Oh shit!’ Jeannie laughed. ‘That’s one hell of a question. In a nutshell, it’s this woman who lived all these lives before. It’s a true story, she wrote a book about it. Anyway, her past lives keep cropping up in her present life, there you have the title. I met her, Muriel Bond, the author, oh, ages ago now, she blew my mind. She knows things like you just wouldn’t credit. She’s been checked out by the historians over there at Oxford, all over the world in fact, and she’s ended up explaining things to them they didn’t even know. It’s kinda like she can see someone here, today, but she knows who they were before. Only if she knew them before though. And it’s like all the things that didn’t get resolved in one life, start getting resolved in the next one, and the next and so on … For instance, she was some English Countess in one life, back in the seventeenth century, fell in love with this cute Italian soldier, but she was already married. She knew everyone who was anyone in Britain at that time, you just gotta read what she writes about it! Anyway, in the next life her and her soldier, and other people they knew too, were all Italian, but still those two couldn’t be together. The second unit’s going over to Italy to shoot that stuff in a couple of weeks. Anyhow, after that life they turn up on the Jarrow march, you know, back in the thirties over there in l’il ol’ England, and they get married and go live in the west of the country where they meet all these people they knew before and all these incredible things start happening. The main unit’s going to England for that. Anyway, he’s dead now, the soldier, her husband, and Muriel Bond lives in New Hampshire …’ Jeannie shrugged, ‘It doesn’t sound too convincing the way I tell it, but boy, if you met her …’
‘And what’s this scene all about, that you’re setting up for now?’
‘It’s supposed to be in an opera house, back in the seventeenth century. You see David Easton over there, he’s the soldier, I guess that’s kind of obvious from his costume. Anyway, Paige Spencer is playing the part of Muriel Bond, Paige is over there somewhere … Looks like she’s disappeared … Anyway, the man Paige, Muriel, was married to in the seventeenth century, the count, loved the opera. In this scene, he’s in one of the boxes with his wife watching John Blow’s Venus and Adonis – we shot that this morning so the box has been struck now – when he gets kind of passionate and starts kissing her. And as she’s kissing him she starts thinking about her lover, and all the people on the stage are watching her, and then she finds herself in the middle of the stage with her husband and then with her lover, and everyone’s dancing around them. Then she’s like flying and all the walls cave in – it’s kind of difficult to explain, Cristos does it better in the script. Take a look if you like.’
Corrie leaned forward to look at the paragraphs of stage direction Jeannie was showing her, so engrossed by the story now that she was on the point of asking if she might have a copy of the screenplay to read when a voice behind her said,
‘Had any good sexual fantasies lately?’
Corrie spun round and found herself face to face with Cristos. In a split-second she knew so many emotions that she felt herself start to sway. She pulled herself together so quickly that no one could have noticed, but then felt so ridiculously elated that he actually remembered who she was that she only barely resisted the urge to hug him.
‘About you in particular?’ she heard herself counter.
‘Why not?’ he shrugged.
‘As a matter of fact I have,’ she told him.
‘Am I still making you laugh?’
‘Amongst other things.’
He raised his eyebrows humorously and, to Corrie’s mind, very definitely flirtatiously.
‘In fact, I almost came once,’ she added.
It was only when Cristos’s eyes rounded with astonishment that Corrie actually realized what she’d said.
‘I’m sorry,’ she gasped immediately. ‘That wasn’t what I meant to say … What I meant to say was …’
But Cristos wasn’t listening. Jeannie’s husband was talking to him now, wanting to go over something again and Richard had all of Cristos’s attention. Watching them walk away Corrie knew only the utter misery of wanting the floor to open up and swallow her.
She turned to Jeannie, wretchedness written all over her face.
Jeannie was still laughing.
‘I just don’t know what came over me,’ Corrie said. ‘I never say things like that normally.’
‘I wouldn’t feel too bad,’ Jeannie said, putting a comforting hand on Corrie’s arm. ‘He’s heard a lot worse.’
She started then as Cristos yelled out her name, and excusing herself ran off across the theatre.
Corrie could concentrate on nothing now, even though some very peculiar things were starting to happen on the set. All she could see were Cristos’s eyes when she’d said those hideously outrageous words.
It took what felt like ten years to find Felicity, but she did eventually, outside with the coffee.
‘We have to go,’ Corrie told her. ‘I’ve disgraced myself and I just want to leave. Let Luke find his own way back.’
Felicity couldn’t help laughing at such a doleful expression, but realizing that this time Corrie really meant it, she made her goodbyes and took Corrie off to the car. She screamed with laughter when Corrie told her what had happened. In fact she was still laughing when they pulled up outside the mansion, by which time even Corrie was starting to see the funny side.
‘Well, at least I won’t ever have to see him again,’ she said, as they walked in through the front door. ‘Now, just lead me to the bar, because I need one stiff drink.’
But she did see him again. That very night in fact, at Spagos. Luke was taking them out for a late dinner, and though Corrie really didn’t want to go, she didn’t much relish the idea of being left on her own.
She spotted Cristos the instant she walked into the restaurant. He was sitting alone at a table, not far from the door. Immediately Corrie made to head back outside, but when Felicity thwarted that, she tried to slink past him before he had chance to see her. However, to her intense annoyance, Luke not only stopped to speak to him, he actually sat down. And next thing he was waving her and Felicity back.
‘I’ll kill him!’ Corrie hissed to Felicity. ‘I’ll fucking kill him!’ Only once they were seated, did Luke inform them that he had invited Cristos to join them and Cristos had accepted.
‘Because,’ Cristos said quietly to Corrie, ‘I like to consi
der myself too much a gentleman to leave a woman on the doorstep of an orgasm.’
‘I would prefer it,’ Corrie replied, ‘if you didn’t remind me of the embarrassing things I keep saying to you. You probably won’t believe this, but I’m never like it with anyone else, and I’ve suffered a great deal since I first met you …’ He was smiling right into her eyes, listening to everything she was saying, and suddenly her mouth fell open as what he had said actually began to sink in. Too much a gentleman to leave a woman on the doorstep of an orgasm … Did that mean …? She turned away quickly, never more grateful for seeing a waiter in her life.
When they’d ordered Cristos turned his attention to Felicity and Luke. Corrie didn’t mind in the slightest, in fact she was relieved. Provided she didn’t have to talk to him there was little danger of her making a fool of herself.
It wasn’t until their food arrived that Corrie realized the conversation around the table had somehow turned to her. Felicity was singing her praises for stepping into the breech, and Luke was adding to it by saying that he knew she was going to make a terrific producer. What made matters worse was that Cristos seemed bored. And Corrie was only slightly cheered when she realized that he didn’t seem any more interested in the numerous women – half-clad airheads! – who were coming up to their table to speak to him. It was only when the second course arrived, and the conversation had thankfully run on to other topics, that Corrie realized Cristos wasn’t bored at all, he was merely preoccupied. Of course he would be thinking about his film! She wished she could find something intelligent to ask him about it, but wasn’t too sure whether she should risk it. Nevertheless, she began turning it over in her mind, and was drawing breath to ask how today’s special effects shot had gone, when she suddenly realized he was watching her. The blood immediately rushed to her cheeks, and she was already half-turned to Felicity before she realized that she was being rude again. With a wry smile she turned back.
‘You’re pretty quiet,’ he said.
‘I think it’s safer that way,’ she answered.
It was a reply that succeeded in widening his smile, but before he could say anything Corrie tossed her hair back over her shoulder and changed the subject. ‘Do you come here often?’ she said.
Immediately the cliché was out she started to cringe, but when her eyes met his, they both started to laugh.
‘What is it with you?’ she said, shaking her head. ‘You seem to turn my tongue into a little boat which sails the most banal or most outrageous things right out of my mouth before I can stop them.’
Again he laughed and picking up his fork took a mouthful of food.
‘I’m afraid,’ Corrie said, a few minutes later, ‘that I didn’t get to see the shot you were setting up today. Did it work?’
‘Sure it worked,’ he answered, putting his fork down again and picking up his wine. ‘How come you didn’t stay?’
‘No, I’m not being drawn on that one,’ Corrie told him. ‘You know why I didn’t stay.’
‘I do?’
‘Yes, you do. But now’s my chance to apologize again. I really am sorry for what I said.’
‘What did you say?’ Luke asked.
Corrie looked across the table at him, unaware until then that he’d been listening. Without answering she turned back to Cristos. His eyes were dancing as he watched her discomfort, and knowing he was teasing her Corrie started to smile.
Someone else Cristos knew stopped at the table then, and when they’d gone Luke claimed Cristos’s attention by asking about the location manager he’d recommended. Corrie listened as Cristos talked, and eventually, as the subject changed again she found herself speaking. She was talking about the rape programme they were making, and the interviews they’d done so far. Cristos appeared to be listening quite intently, apparently interested in the fact that she didn’t blame Kennedy Smith for turning down an interview which would only put him back in the public eye for something he didn’t do. She felt quite passionately about the rights of men in this situation, she told them, and was glad to be making a programme designed to help the Amendment through. She was really warming to her subject when Luke suddenly interrupted her.
‘I wouldn’t be taken in by all this fervour if I were you, Cristos,’ he laughed. ‘We’re here in LA for one reason and one reason only. So that she could see you again, old chap.’
Corrie simply stared at him, knowing already that to say anything in her defence, right here in front of Cristos, would probably only make matters worse. So, with no more to say and no appetite either, she merely lowered her eyes to her plate, mumbling a thank you as Cristos poured her more wine and wishing that someone else would speak to break this unbearable silence. At last Felicity came to the rescue.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here,’ Cristos whispered a few minutes later.
Corrie’s fork clanged against her plate as she turned to him in amazement, but he was already standing up.
‘Corrie and I are leaving,’ he announced to the others.
Corrie threw a look at Felicity, whose eyes were out on stalks, and picking up her jacket and bag she followed Cristos out of the restaurant.
Neither of them spoke as they waited for his car to be brought round, and Corrie was so tense that she barely even registered surprise when she saw that it wasn’t a Mercedes, or a Porsche, or any other kind of vehicle intended to depict his wealth. It was an enormous black and silver Toyota Jeep. He handed her into it, then walked round to the driver’s side.
As they pulled out onto the busy highway Cristos was broodingly silent, and Corrie, who kept stealing glances at his hands on the wheel, was trying hard to keep her nerves under control.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked some time later as he turned the car off Sunset Boulevard towards the Holmby Hills – though Corrie had no idea where they were.
When he still hadn’t answered a few minutes later Corrie presumed he hadn’t heard, and was about to repeat the question when he slowed up in front of a set of huge wrought iron gates – which, she noticed with a sickening thud to her heart, were beginning to slide open.
The drive up to the house was a relatively short one and in the beam of headlights Corrie, who was in no doubt where she was now, could see a long, low, white building with shuttered windows, lots of arches and a red tiled roof. It was surrounded by palm trees, and the garden, from what she could see of it, sloped in semi-circular tiers down towards the boundary walls. This was obviously his home, and Corrie was stunned by the fact that he had brought her here.
As he drew the car to a halt outside the front door, the courtyard was flooded with light. Still he was silent as he got out, closed the door and came round to help her down. As she put her hand into his she could feel the strength in his fingers, and knew that she was shaking, that he could probably feel it, but there was nothing she could do to control it. As she stepped down in front of him she deliberately avoided his eyes, and still he didn’t speak as he started to lead her towards the front door.
It wasn’t until he let go of her hand to take out his keys that the sheer magnitude of what was about to happen hit her and for one insane moment she wanted to run away.
‘Cristos,’ she whispered.
He turned to look at her.
‘I don’t want you to think,’ she began hesitantly, staring down at her hands, ‘that I do this sort of thing with just anyone.’
Hooking his fingers under her chin he brought her face up to look at him. She could see the laughter in his eyes and her head started to swim.
‘You don’t?’ he teased gently.
Her breath caught on a sob as what felt like a tidal wave of nerves crashed through her chest. He’d be so used to experienced women and she’d rather die than be found lacking …
He was still looking at her, and seeing how badly she was shaking he ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. She gazed back at him, tears of utter hopelessness shining in her eyes.
‘It’ll be all right,�
� he whispered, and pulling her to him he kissed her, gently sucking her lips with his own, until he felt her start to relax. And as her arms went round him and he felt her heart hammering into his chest, he pushed his tongue deep into her mouth.
Still kissing her he managed to unlock the door but as he pulled her inside, he lifted his head to look at her. ‘Well, there’s one threshold you’ve already crossed tonight,’ he smiled, his lips still very close to hers.
Oh please don’t let me panic! Please, please! Corrie was crying inside. She could feel his arms around her, she could feel the hardness of his body and she knew she wanted him in a way she had never wanted anyone before. But she just didn’t know what to do.
He was kissing her again and unbuttoning the front of her dress. She could feel her nipples throbbing with the need to be touched and as he slid the shoulder straps down over her arms and unhooked her bra he stood back to look at her. Corrie watched his face, panic rising in her again. He doesn’t like big breasts! He’s used to skinny women!
He lowered his head to take a nipple in his mouth. With his fingers he was massaging the other. Corrie was leaning back against the table behind her, desperately trying to reassure herself that there was nothing wrong with her body. She looked down at him, at his mop of jet black hair and his dark hand over her pale skin, and there was only one thought in her mind. This is Cristos Bennati. The Cristos Bennati!
She let her head fall back and started to moan loudly, the way she’d seen in films. She twisted her fingers through his hair, tugging at it and shaking her head back and forth. Then she started to oooh and aaah as though her life depended on it. ‘Take me now!’ she gasped, suddenly. ‘Please, take me now.’
Listening to her Cristos could hardly stop himself laughing. He’d known other women whose nerves had made them turn on a performance like this, it was one of the hazards of being who he was. Normally it irritated him, but for some reason, with her, it didn’t. Probably, he smiled to himself, because she was such a lousy actress. Well, he decided, he’d just have to give her something to oooh and aaah about.
