by Tobin, Val
Unable to help it, Dani smiled, with the unfortunate timing of doing it just as Sandra touched the lip liner to Dani’s upper lip.
“Oops. Well, we’ll fix that.” Sandra set the lip pencil on the table and snatched up a cotton pad with makeup remover on it.
“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No harm, Miss Grayson. I’ll just clean it off, and we’ll start again.”
Dani stayed silent this time, lips slightly parted, and Sandra continued her work.
Happy to have a captive audience, Trina continued to chat. “Those clips of you two coming out of the restaurant looked gorgeous, and what a kiss. Saw that on the entertainment news. I guess Mr. Copeland knows what it’s like to be followed around by the paparazzi now. I hear women are chasing him. You’d think they’d understand he’s taken.”
Trina’s words, innocent enough, caused a sinking sensation in Dani’s stomach. Women were stalking Cope, pestering him, and maybe throwing themselves at him. Dani realized she was speculating, but Trina was right—Cope was hot. A feeling of being unworthy seeped into her. Stop it. Cope wants to be with you and no one else.
Yes, but for how long—especially if reporters and groupies made it difficult for him to go about his daily routine? Even after two years of it, Dani still wasn’t used to having her every move monitored by the public, but it went with the career she’d chosen.
She’d understood from the start that if she succeeded in film, her life would be under a klieg light. But Cope was a businessman, not an entertainer. He might not tolerate the intrusion, and sooner or later, he might decide he’d had enough.
***
Patrick Mullaly, Felicity Sanderson’s new partner, stroked Dani’s cheek. “We all miss Charles. We must learn to carry on without him. He’d want you to be happy, Felicity. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
Dani clasped the hand and held it for a moment, then released it. She turned on her heel and moved away from Patrick, a tall, lanky man whose real name was Mike Erwin. Dani hung her head, allowing a tear to drip down her cheek. “How will I live without him? Charles was my life.”
“Felicity, you’re grief-stricken, and that’s understandable, but you’re getting careless. Charles would have my head if he saw you do the shit you’ve been doing. You’re risking your neck because you’re so hell-bent on catching the bastard who killed him. But if you don’t take care, that maniac will catch you first.”
“I’m not being careless, Mike. Pat. Oh, shit, sorry.”
“Cut.” Ferguson waved his hand, and the cameras stopped rolling.
“I’m sorry, Pat.” Dani smiled at Mike, who mock punched her shoulder.
“It’s okay, shweetheart.”
Dani laughed. “Is that supposed to be Bogie?”
“What if it is?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not old enough to remember Bogie.”
“Neither are you. You’re only twelve years older than I am. I know my film history, and I’ve watched his films. Casablanca. Love it.”
“Okay, you two. I’m thrilled you’re getting along, but can we get this rolling? We’ve already lost over two days.” Ferguson paused, shot Dani an apologetic glance, and asked them to start from the top.
It took a dozen takes to get the scene right, and Dani relaxed as the day continued. Mike was a pleasure to work with, and she realized that, in the past, she’d have fallen hard for him. He was married, though, and gave Dani the impression he was faithful to his wife of five years, who was pregnant with their first child.
On their lunch break, Dani asked him about it. The two sat in Mike’s dressing room, Dani sipping on a mug of broth and picking at a salad, Mike eating a burger and fries.
“How has your fame affected your marriage? Is it hard on your wife?”
“Not terribly. She sometimes gets followed around by reporters if I’m doing a picture that’s made the news. This one will give her more of that than any of the others I’ve done. She takes it in stride.”
“It might be more of a problem when the baby’s born, don’t you think?” Dani shuddered at the thought of reporters following her around if she had a new baby. She’d be so worried about the crush of people, the mics, and the constant invasion of privacy.
“I guess. We’ll hire a bodyguard if it gets worse.”
“Talk to my boyfriend, Cope. He’s starting up a limo service that will offer drivers who double as bodyguards.”
Mike dragged a French fry through a puddle of ketchup and stuck it in his mouth. “Leave me his contact info and I’ll call him. I saw the footage of you getting mobbed at the restaurant. You could’ve used a bodyguard yourself then.”
Dani finished chewing a bite of lettuce. “You sound like Cope. He’s got someone for me. The guy seems nice though he doesn’t laugh much. What will your wife say about a bodyguard following her around?”
“If it protects our baby, she’ll be on board with it.”
Dani considered. “I guess when you have a baby, you’ll do anything to protect it.” As the implications of what she’d just said sunk in, Dani’s mouth twisted. That had never been the case with her own mother.
A longing for a normal, caring mother swept over her. What would it be like to experience unconditional love? The possibility existed that with Cope, she’d discovered the answer, if she could just manage not to ruin it.
Chapter 23
After filming wrapped for the day, Dani arrived home, showered off the heavy makeup and her character, and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Feet bare and hair tied back in a ponytail, she padded out to the kitchen to start dinner. While she set the ingredients for a veggie stir fry on the counter, she let her mind wander back to the publicity Cope was getting from their relationship.
Perhaps it wasn’t so bad and worked in his favor, giving the limo business a boost. On the heels of that thought came the worry he’d have multitudes of gorgeous women seeking his services.
Dani sighed. Infidelity had been a feature in her parents’ relationship. Even at five, she’d sensed the unusual way her mother had behaved around other men, and the way other women had been around her father. She didn’t think her dad had messed around. Dani frowned. Maybe she was making him out to be a better person than he was because he was dead and her mother had been so awful.
She picked up a zucchini and the chopping knife when a buzzing caught her attention. Dropping everything onto the cutting board, she went to grab the cell phone from her purse.
A glance at the call display showed Greg Henderson. Dani scowled and let it go to voice-mail. When the beep sounded, she called the service to retrieve the message.
“Dani, I’m sorry. Please, let me return to the film. Call me, babe. Let’s talk about it.”
She stared at the phone, unsure what to do and tempted to delete the message and forget about it. Finger poised to do just that, Dani stopped. If she ignored him, would he show up at her apartment again? Not wanting to take that chance, she punched in Henderson’s number.
“Baby, I’m s’ glad ya called.” Slurred.
“What do you want, Greg?”
Heavy breathing flowed out of the receiver. Dani wrinkled her nose in distaste and glanced at the clock—not even six yet and he was already drunk. “Leave me alone. Get help for your drinking problem.”
“I don’t need help drinking. It’s not a problem.” A bray of laughter. “I need help with my Dani problem. I’ve got a hard-on for you, babe, and it’s making me ache. You’re giving me blue balls. Wanna see? I can be there in a minute.”
“Sleep it off and go join AA or see a therapist. I don’t want you back on the set, and this behavior validates my decision. Damn it, Greg, you raped me.”
“No, babe, you’re wrong. I thought you wanted to fuck, you know, like before. It was a mistake.”
“That’s your story, then? You know damn well that’s not what happened. Stay away from me and don’t call again, or I’ll press charges.” Dani disconnected, hands shaking.
She dropped to the couch, trying to compose herself. Breath coming in shallow gasps, her whole body shook. A sob caught in her throat. One phone call. It took one phone call from that bastard, and she was unnerved beyond the ability to function.
A few minutes later, the doorbell chimed. Cope. Thank God. Dani glanced at the clock. A few minutes early, too. Happy, she ran to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open, realizing as the door swung toward her she’d again opened it without checking the peephole.
“Ack, Cope, sorry I—”
It was as far as she got. Greg Henderson staggered inside, pushing the door closed behind him as he shoved Dani aside.
“How’d you get into the building? Get out. Now.” Dani tried not to let her voice quiver and failed.
Henderson advanced on her, and Dani staggered back a few paces, almost reaching the coffee table in the living room. “I mean it, Greg. Get out of here.”
“I just want to talk to you, babe. You hurt me. I need you. I’ve always loved you. We should be together. I’m sorry for everything. Let me fix it.”
“There’s nothing to fix. I don’t want to be with you. We have no relationship anymore. You killed it. Your drinking, your abuse, and your womanizing destroyed what we had—which wasn’t anything healthy to begin with.”
For a drunk, he moved quickly, landing in front of her, oozing alcohol from every pore and wafting it out of his mouth into her upturned face. Hands gripped Dani’s upper arms, and she struggled to push him away, but he remained rooted. “Kiss me. You’ll see the spark’s still there. You want me—I know you want me. That fucking boy you’re seeing isn’t man enough for you.”
“You’re repeating yourself, Greg. Get out now!” The last bit came out a scream of frustration. Dani twisted, struggled, but Henderson held on tight, the pressure of his fingers on her arms squeezing until a sob of pain escaped her lips. “Please. Let go. You’re hurting me.” For the first time, fear entered her voice. She glanced at the clock again. Cope wasn’t due for another ten minutes. “Please.” Whispered begging.
But he pulled her into the circle of his arms. Henderson’s mouth covered Dani’s, probing, hungry, and breath sour with whatever he’d been drinking. When he released one of her arms, she tried to push him away, but his iron chest remained pressed to her. Something tore and Dani realized it was her T-shirt.
“You little slut—not wearing a bra. For lover boy? You’re mine, Dani. That fucking Copeland can settle for sloppy seconds.” Henderson’s large hand moved to her exposed breasts while his other hand continued to grip her arm.
Forced to the ground, his body crushing her, Dani’s fear escalated to terror. Tears streamed from her eyes. “Please. Stop. You’re hurting me. No! I don’t want to be raped again. Please.”
“Rape? You fucking slut. You stupid bitch.” Henderson held her head motionless between his palms and spit in her face once and then again. One hand fumbled with the button of her jeans while she struggled, choking on sobs, the spittle smearing on her face.
“Tell me you want me, bitch. I know you want me. You’ll scream for me now.”
Dani’s peripheral vision caught the swing of the door, and then Cope was there, ripping Henderson off her.
“Call nine-one-one, Dani, now.” Cope dragged Henderson up by the back of the shirt, whirled him around, and punched him in the face.
Dani crawled to her purse and grabbed the cell phone. She made the call, forcing her fingers to press the right numbers and screaming at the dispatcher to hurry, please hurry. The woman’s assurance that the police were on the way pushed through the numbness. Dani dragged herself to the intercom, ready to let the police into the building.
Henderson had hit the floor, but now struggled to get up, and blood from his nose dripped onto her carpet.
“Don’t fucking move!” Cope screamed at him. “Sit there until the cops get here. You won’t worm your way out of this one. She’s got an honest-to-God witness now.”
Outside, sirens screamed. The police. In a haze, Dani buzzed the cops into the building and then sat huddled on the floor while Cope ushered them into the unit. Henderson made another move to get up, and this time, the police dealt with him.
Cope rushed to Dani’s side, hugged her, and covered the top of her head with kisses. “Okay, my beauty, we’ll clean you up. Let’s take a few pictures first. We’ll need the evidence.” The last came out in a venomous punch of air.
Dazed, Dani let Cope take the photos with his cell phone, her hands fluttering over her breasts in an attempt to hide her nakedness. An officer removed Henderson from the apartment while his partner asked Dani to relate what had happened. The cop’s face was serious but kind, and he introduced himself as Officer Bradley.
Cope put an arm around Dani and helped her settle on the couch. “I’ll get a wet cloth to wipe your face and a clean shirt. I’ll be right back, darling.”
Dani remained silent, arms still hugging her chest, but nodded to let him know she was okay enough to let him go. The cop stood and waited, back turned, while Cope helped her clean up and put on a shirt.
Curled up in the corner of the couch, Dani listened to Cope describe the scene he’d stumbled onto when he’d arrived in Dani’s apartment. The story made her cringe and brought tears to her eyes once more.
“Dani begged him to stop. He’d have raped her if I hadn’t shown up right then,” Cope concluded.
The officer turned to Dani. “Have you had any alcohol, Miss Grayson?”
“No.” To emphasize the point, Dani shook her head. “I don’t drink when I’m in the middle of a film shoot. It harms my performance.”
“Okay. Tell me what happened.”
So she told him, reliving the horror of Henderson, who she’d once loved and would’ve considered marrying, attacking her. How fucked up on booze and drugs had she been to not recognize what a douche he was? At least she’d come to her senses and backed out of the relationship.
Afraid that Cope would get mad at her, she admitted opening the door without checking to see who was there. “I was expecting Cope—Robert.” Dani turned to look at Cope, worried.
“It’s okay, honey.” Cope smiled encouragement and patted her hand.
Reassured, she continued the story until the point where Cope arrived and hauled Henderson away before he could rape her.
The interview over, Officer Bradley left Dani his card and told her to call him if she remembered anything she wanted to add to the statement. She thanked the officer, and when he left, she allowed herself to collapse into Cope’s arms.
“Okay. It’s okay. I’m here. No one will hurt you now.” Cope’s voice soothed her, permitted her to release more tears.
“I’m so sorry. I should have used the peephole.”
“Dani, you made a mistake. It’s too late now to worry about what you should have done. Next time, check. Promise me? No matter how excited you are I’ve arrived, please look out the peephole first?”
The weight of it eased a little at his kindness. “Yes, I promise.”
Cope suggested she take a shower while he worked on dinner, and, relieved that everything would be all right, Dani left the room. The TV clicked as it powered on, and the drone of the television followed her down the hall and into her bedroom.
The scent of flowery shampoo filled her nostrils, and Dani scrubbed and lathered, the thought of Henderson’s saliva in her hair compelling her to repeat the process three times. It turned out to be the longest shower she’d had in her life. By the time she was clean, dried, and dressed in a comfortable T-dress, the tension had left her.
Silence greeted Dani from the open bedroom door, and she figured Cope had turned off the TV. But she didn’t hear the clatter of pots and pans, or the sizzle of stir fry, and didn’t smell food cooking. Stomach queasy, she rushed out into the living room.
Cope sat on the armchair, face white, the muted television showing the current weather report. Chopped vegetables sat on the kitchen counter. The pot of water on the stove
sat stone cold on the front left element, and the package of pasta lay on the counter unopened.
Fear knotting her stomach, Dani whispered, “Robert, what is it?”
Chapter 24
Cope stood and strode across the living room, stopping when he reached Dani. “Why didn’t you tell me you own Star Power Investments?”
Stomach dropping, Dani gasped. “Where did you hear that?”
“The news, Dani. It’s all over the fucking news that my girlfriend is setting me up in business.”
Frightened of his raised voice, Dani backed away from him. “Cope, I didn’t think it should matter. I had minimal influence on the deal.”
“But you were involved, and you knew I was dealing with them, yet you didn’t say a word to me. Don’t you have any respect for me?”
“Of course, I do,” she whispered.
Cope turned away from her. “Do you have a girlfriend you can call?”
Dani put a hand on his shoulder, fear making her nauseated. “Why? Where are you going?”
His shoulders shrugged, throwing her hand off, and he returned to the living room couch. “Call your girlfriend so you’re not alone. I need time to think. I’ll call my lawyer to see if I can back out of the contract.”
“You can’t.” Voice still a whisper, Dani’s face flushed with shame.
“I can’t?” Cope’s eyes narrowed, and his mouth twisted into a scowl. “Why not?”
“The process is in motion. Since Star Power transferred the funds to your account, you’d lose a lot of money if you tried to back out. Please, don’t go. We’ll discuss it.”
“Call your friend, Dani. Now.” Cope stood and paced between the coffee table and the door. “I don’t want to leave you alone—not after what happened to you earlier. But I can’t stay. So I’ll wait for your friend to get here, and then I’m leaving. Do you understand?”
Numb, Dani picked up her cell phone and called Liz, who promised to be right over, no questions asked. Dani’s throat threatened to close, and knees shaking, she sank to the couch.
