No Matter What

by Michelle Betham

  “JJ! Where have you been? You’ve been neglecting me.”

  Layla’s voice rang out at the other end of the line and he closed his eyes again, wishing she’d go away but knowing she was a problem he was going to have to deal with. She’d killed the mood though, that was for sure.

  “I’ve been busy,” he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. “Look, we need to talk, Layla.”

  “I’ll come over if you like. Are you still in bed? I could bring you a breakfast you’ll never forget.”

  “No! Layla, no. Don’t come over. I’ve got to get to the studio soon ...”

  “I’ll come over there then. We can have some fun in your trailer.”

  “No, no, don’t come to the studio either ... look, I don’t think it’s a good idea that we see each other anymore. It was fun but ... but I can’t do it, Layla. I just ... I can’t do it.”

  She was silent for a second. “Have you met someone else?”

  He sat forward, drawing his knees up to his chest, sighing again. “Let’s just leave it, ok? It was nothing more than a bit of fun but it’s over now. It’s over.”

  “Who is she, JJ?”

  He was getting agitated now. She’d known as well as he had that their relationship was nothing more than the odd night out and he hadn’t wanted anything more than that. Not with her, and he wasn’t going to let her think that anyone else was involved in any way, least of all India.

  “There is nobody else, Layla. I just don’t want a relationship of any kind right now. With anyone.”

  But that was the biggest lie he could have told her because, after last night, there was definitely someone else, and he knew that. And he was going to do everything in his power to make sure India Walsh stayed in his life. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure of that.

  ***

  India tried to close her eyes once she got to her trailer. She still had half an hour before she was due in make-up, and she’d tried to grab just a few minutes sleep but it still wasn’t happening. She was still too worked up, still too high from the night before to settle down so she’d curled up in the corner of the sofa and went through her script instead. But when the words started merging together, swimming before her eyes, she gave in, throwing her head back against the cushions, staring at the ceiling. Until two short, sharp knocks at her trailer door made her jump up.

  “India ... it’s JJ.”

  She felt her chest tighten and her breath quicken just at the sound of his voice, and as he walked in, closing the door behind him and flicking the lock, she had to hold onto the counter behind her to steady herself. He looked incredible. So little sleep and he could still look like that.

  He walked over to her, reaching out to touch her face and she closed her eyes as his mouth lowered down onto hers in the most amazing kiss, her fingers still gripping the counter because she really needed to steady herself now. The kiss seemed to last forever, the intensity of it wearing her out, and when his mouth finally left hers she had to take a few seconds to catch her breath.

  “That’s for running out on me,” he smiled.

  She could only stare at him, memories of just a few hours ago still so fresh in her mind she could almost feel him still inside her.

  “If that’s what I get for running out on you I can’t wait to see what I get for standing you up.”

  He gave a deep, throaty laugh and she literally felt her knees give way as she looked at him.

  “Last night ... is that how you get to know all your friends?”

  “Only the beautiful ...” He kissed her mouth slowly, “... gorgeous ...” He kissed her neck, “... English actresses ...” He moved down to her collar bone, “...who turn me on like crazy.”

  Oh, Jesus, she was never going to get through today, not with him so close and not being able to touch him.

  “You’re killing me, Joe,” she groaned, leaning back against the counter as he unfastened her shirt a little more, enough to slide his hand inside and stroke her breasts as he kissed her again.

  She was burning up; she was actually burning up here. Never in her life had she experienced anything like this, not even with Kenny, and the lust that had been kicking around that relationship had been intense at times, to say the least. But this knocked all of that right out of the park. This was crazy. This was big. This was something India was going to enjoy, no matter where it led. If it led anywhere at all.

  “I’ve got to get to wardrobe,” he whispered, giving her one last, lingering kiss. And then he was gone, leaving India wondering just what the hell had happened.

  She was still standing there when Bobby came in. He put the coffee he was carrying down on the table and looked at her, cocking his head to one side.

  “Are you alright? You look a bit flustered.” He turned round and looked out of the window, noticing JJ talking to one of their co-stars. “Oh, ok …” He looked at India again, who was now getting herself a glass of water. “Have you had a visit?”

  India knocked back the water and started fanning herself with her script.

  “You could say that.”

  “A bit of repeat action was it?”

  “Not enough time.”

  “So, why’s your shirt unfastened then?” Bobby sat down on the arm of the sofa and picked up his coffee.

  She put her glass down and fastened her shirt back up, looking in the mirror and sorting out her hair before turning back round to look at Bobby.

  “It was like something out of a movie, Bobby. He walks in here all masterful and sexy as hell – so bloody sexy – and he kisses me, makes me literally go weak at the knees ...”

  “Feels you up ...”

  “Bobby!” She threw a cushion at him. “Stop making it sound cheap. It wasn’t like that.”

  “What was it like then?”

  She looked in the mirror again, gently touching her lips with her fingertips, lips that were still tingling from JJ’s kisses, and she smiled.

  “It was like magic, Bobby. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was just like magic.”

  CHAPTER 55

  Kenny knew his time was well and truly up. There was only one explanation as to why she was acting like she was, and although he didn’t want to face up to it, he had a feeling he was going to have to. All the signs were there. She was hardly home in the evenings, and at weekends, if she wasn’t working, she was out most of the time too. She was always singing along to the radio, always sending or receiving secret text messages and smiling to herself. It was written all over her face. He’d seen it before. Someone was doing this to her, someone was making her this happy and that someone wasn’t him. But the biggest tell tale sign of all was that she’d stopped asking him to stay over. She’d stopped needing him and that hurt like hell. Because he still needed her. He always would.

  In his heart he knew who the person was who’d stepped into his shoes and taken her away from him. It was obvious, maybe not to everyone else but he knew her too well. She couldn’t wait to get to work in the mornings, and whenever he visited her on the set of ‘Covert One’ she was bouncing around like some kid at a birthday party. She’d moved on from Michael, that was quite obvious now. He just wished she could have moved on with him. But it looked like JJ Foster had won that race, and Kenny hadn’t had any idea that he’d even been in the running. A younger, newer man had come in out of nowhere and swept her off her feet and maybe that was what she needed, maybe people that reminded her of the past weren’t good for her, but that didn’t mean Kenny had to accept it immediately.

  There was no proof that he was right, of course. She’d never told anyone she was seeing JJ and there’d been nothing in any of the papers or magazines about them being a couple, but Kenny just felt it. He could read her, he could sense things.

  “Do you know if India’s seeing anyone?” he asked Reece, who was over in Malibu to look after Ethan while India was spending a few days in New York. She was there to wrap up filming of a special ‘Covert One’ season
finale and attend a movie premiere.

  Reece looked up from tidying Ethan’s toys away. “No. She hasn’t said anything to me. What makes you think she’s seeing someone?”

  “Haven’t you noticed the way she’s acting at the minute? She’s always happy. She’s always bounding around the place, always smiling ...”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “No,” Kenny sighed, leaning back against the breakfast bar, pushing a hand through his hair. “No. Of course it isn’t.”

  Reece started spooning coffee into the machine, getting cups out of the cupboard. “You knew this would happen sometime, Kenny, and if it’s true then maybe we should be happy for her too, if it means she’s finally starting to move on.” He switched the machine on and turned round to face Kenny, folding his arms as he waited for the coffee. “Although, that doesn’t mean I still don’t want to know what it was that Michael did to her that still makes her feel the need to cut him out of her life completely. If she has found someone new then it’s taken her three and a half years and … well, she was too bitter and too angry for too long. And there was a reason for that.”

  Kenny dug his hands deep into his pockets, staring down at the floor.

  Reece looked at him. “Do you know for sure she’s seeing anyone else?”

  Kenny looked up, shaking his head. “No. No proof, but the signs are there, Reece. I know her, and I think I know who he is too, this man who’s making her so happy.”

  Ethan came running into the room dressed in his favourite outfit of jeans, baseball boots and rock band t-shirt – The Rolling Stones was his choice for today.

  “Are you talking about mommy’s new boyfriend?”

  They both looked at him.

  “Mommy has a boyfriend?” Reece asked, crouching down to Ethan’s level.

  Ethan nodded. “JJ. He’s mommy’s new boyfriend but she said I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone yet. Is she gonna be mad at me, granddad?”

  Reece smiled. “No, sweetheart, she isn’t.” He looked up at Kenny. “JJ Foster?”

  Kenny nodded.

  Reece stood up, giving Ethan a cookie and ruffling his hair. “Ok kiddo, off you go. Grandma’s out on the deck waiting for you.”

  Ethan ran off out of the huge glass doors that spread along the beach front side of the house, out onto the deck that led down onto the beach, grabbing his bucket on the way.

  Reece poured himself and Kenny a coffee. “You know JJ, don’t you?”

  Kenny shrugged, taking the cup from Reece. “Sort of, but I wouldn’t call him a friend, exactly. He had a small part in one of my movie’s a couple of years ago and we hung out for a bit. I never thought for one minute he’d be her type though.” He looked out of the windows, out at the view of the ocean, the sun beating down on the white sand. “It can only have started since she began work on ‘Covert One’. She’d never met him before that.”

  “Maybe it’s what she needs, Kenny. Someone new. Someone different.”

  “Maybe it is.”

  Reece looked at him. He knew how much this must be hurting him, given the way he felt about India. But, if it was true, then he was going to have to get used to it. Kenny wasn’t a problem anymore though, Reece knew that. He might find it hard to accept any new relationship India might have, but, eventually, he would accept it. Because he cared about India. No, it wasn’t Kenny Reece was worried about. What really worried him was Michael’s reaction. Reece still spoke to him; he still saw the way he was whenever India’s name was mentioned. Reece knew, in his heart, that her ex-husband had never gotten over his daughter and whatever it was that had happened between them, and if her finding a new, younger man triggered off something that nobody was expecting then they needed to be ready. Nobody really knew what was around the corner, but given the last sixteen years of their lives, Reece had learnt to expect anything. He’d learnt to expect it all. And this time would be no different.

  ***

  They’d been filming the season finale of ‘Covert One’ in New York, and India was quite sad that it was all coming to an end. She’d been working on the hit TV show for almost two and a half months now and it had been one of the best experiences of her life. She’d loved every second of it. This show would stay with her forever, not least because it had given her JJ. There was already talk of reprising her character in the new season and she knew that, if she was asked to come back, it would take her about three seconds to say yes.

  She and JJ had only been together for just over a month but it had been a month of incredible sex at any spare moment and she was the happiest she’d been in years. How they’d managed to keep their relationship a secret for so long when they could barely keep their hands off each other was anyone’s guess but they had and that was the way they’d wanted it whilst filming was taking place.

  They’d had numerous scenes together over the course of filming, including one where they’d had to kiss, and that had been hard because they’d had to make sure no-one could tell that that wasn’t the first time they’d kissed each other. Just one look, one tiny little thing could have given their relationship away and neither of them had wanted that to happen at that time. The secrecy had been a turn on; it had made everything so much more exciting. Stealing kisses around corners and having sex in their trailers between scenes; it had all been the most incredible time for India. Like waking up from a bad dream and suddenly realising there was a whole new world out there to be a part of.

  She couldn’t say she was in love. Not yet. Not when she knew a part of her was still with her ex-husband. She was never going to throw herself open to those feelings quite so quickly again after Michael, but she loved being with JJ. She needed to be with him, and if that all led to something else eventually then that was fine.

  But this weekend was special, not only because filming was at an end, but it was the weekend that India and JJ had chosen to finally make their relationship public knowledge. They couldn’t keep it a secret forever. They were running out of ways to hide their feelings in public and they now wanted to bring everything out in the open. It was time.

  They were going to a premiere in Times Square that evening, and turning up as a couple was the way they’d chosen to break the news. No pre-empting, no statements given out beforehand. They were just going to turn up and make sure nobody was under any doubt that they were an item. They’d make sure everyone knew they were now together. Very much together. India’s P.R. people would probably throw a major fit at the way she was handling this but she didn’t want it announced in some clinical way, not this time. JJ was different, and India was so sure of her relationship with him that she’d had JJ tattooed on the inside of her left wrist. Two tiny black J’s that meant she felt something for this man. Even if she wasn’t quite sure what that was just yet. She’d kept it hidden underneath wrist cuffs and her watch until now but, well, now she could let everyone see it.

  Part of her wondered whether she should have told her father, or even Kenny, before tonight but she’d eventually decided against it. She didn’t want anyone’s approval, she didn’t need it. She knew what she wanted. She wanted JJ. She’d told Bobby, of course, and Ethan, and whether a four year old had managed to keep it to himself was anyone’s guess but no-one had said anything to her so she assumed he’d told nobody. Bobby had been an angel in managing to keep their secret, and he was the only one who knew they were going public tonight, and she’d told him because she knew he wouldn’t try and talk her out of doing it in this spontaneous way. Bobby was used to anything after almost ten years of working with her. He could handle any situation she threw his way.

  She’d introduced Ethan to JJ when Bobby had brought him to visit her on set one day, because it had been essential that her son got on with JJ and he had, almost immediately. JJ was a natural with Ethan, knowing just what to say to him, how to make him laugh and Ethan had opened up to him straightaway, chattering away ten to the dozen about school, his friends, his favourite music. That had sealed the de
al for India. Once that was sorted there was nothing else stopping them from letting the world know.

  She was just putting the finishing touches to her hair when there was a knock at the door of her hotel room.

  “It’s open!” she shouted, checking her reflection in the mirror.

  JJ walked in, shutting the door behind him. “Room service,” he smiled.

  India turned to look at him. He looked so handsome, so sexy, in a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie. Her beautiful man, and in just a couple of hours time everyone would know she’d finally put Michael Walsh behind her and moved on. Including Michael himself.

  She walked over to JJ, straightening his tie. “I’m not sure I ordered you actually,” she smiled.

  He pulled her close. “Call me a freebie. You look amazing.”

  She was wearing a white strapless sheath dress and high silver strappy heels, her hair piled up on top of her head.

  “It takes work, you know. Thank my fabulous hair and make-up team.”

  JJ kissed her gently, his hand resting in the small of her back. “Rubbish! You look beautiful no matter what, but especially when you’re lying naked, underneath me, and I’m deep inside you ...”

  “Don’t, Joe, come on … we haven’t got time.”