I sat back, letting my mind wander to the story. An enchanted prince, a scholarly peasant girl, and a wicked case of Stockholm syndrome.
“The script has been modernized,” Frank assured me, and I cringed, running my fingers through my hair. “No horns and tails. This beast is more figurative, and this script is way darker. The movie will be rated R, Keaton. Just fucking look at it. Dominance won you an Oscar. Face it. You know how to film sex, and combining this tale with the scenes in this script... just read it.”
“I can’t recreate this story and add sex without coming off as tasteless.”
“You’re not recreating it, you’re updating it. You’re making it current. You’re giving it a fresh, new audience that wants to be turned on. Reach out to that younger crowd and show them what cinematography truly is.”
“I’ll read it,” I agreed finally. “Live action fairytales are popular right now,” I conceded, finally reaching for the script and flipping it open.
“Exactly. You can direct your ass off. Now you need to be in front of the camera. You convinced everyone when you broke up with Vivian on the set of Round-Up. Do this.”
I had agreed to consider it, but hadn’t talked to Vivian yet. I’d held onto the script for over a month, refusing to commit until I knew for certain that I would be up to the challenge.
Making a movie about a story that the entire world already knew was dangerous. I knew that Vivian would encourage me to do it, but I wasn’t sure that she was up for the part, either.
She told me that she’d been working with a coach and was improving, but I had yet to see her progress. I refused to cast her in such a character-driven part if she wasn’t ready, and I knew that, ultimately, that would be a point of contention for both of us.
“I was talking to Robin, and she said we could get a permit to have the wedding by the waterfall in Pennsylvania. If you still want to do that.” She moved around the room, absently collecting Charlie’s toys and refusing to meet my eyes. “Or we could just have a quiet ceremony here, whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want.” I lowered Charlie to my lap, and she kicked her feet against my thighs, eager to bounce again. “I want to marry you right now. I want to be married to you. But I want you to have your fairytale, Vivian.”
She smiled, dropping to the couch next to me and wrapping her arms around me and Charlie. “I want you to come home.”
I nodded at my release papers on the table next to me, grinning. “Done. Let’s get out of here.”
. . .
An hour later, Vivian unlocked the door to our apartment, carrying Charlie as I glanced around.
The apartment felt like it belonged to someone else. The furniture had been re-arranged, and Vivian’s feminine touch was everywhere that I looked.
“I was nesting toward the end of my pregnancy. I kind of… redecorated. I can make it the way that it was-”
“It looks great, kiddo. You made it feel like a home. I wish I could have been here to help you.”
She lowered Charlie to the play yard in the corner before moving into my arms. I held her tightly, pressing her head to my chest and kissing the top of her head.
“Luke said he’s going to stay with Heidi tonight. Give us some time alone,” she told me quietly.
I pulled away slightly, tipping her face up to mine. “I thought I’d never be standing here with you again. Do you know how grateful I am? For you and Charlie?”
Her eyes misted over, and I brushed my thumb against her cheek. “It seems too good to be true. I’m afraid to believe that this is really happening.”
Charlie cooed, forcing a smile to both of our faces.
“It’s happening. And tonight, I’m going to try to make love to you. It may be awkward and disappointing for you, and I apologize in advance.”
She giggled, shaking her head and rising to her tip-toes for a kiss. “Keaton, don’t push it. I’m happy just sleeping in bed with you, finally. In our home.”
“Oh,” I remembered, delving into her beautiful blue eyes. “I forgot to tell you. This isn’t our home anymore.”
She stiffened, narrowing her eyes and glancing around. “What do you mean, this isn’t our home?”
I reached for my phone, navigating through the link to get to the photo slideshow of the mansion. “This is our home.”
She stared at my phone screen, blinking twice before lifting her eyes to mine. “That is not our home. That is a mansion. In Malibu.”
“Views of the ocean included. I’m officially in debt, which leads me to my next surprise.”
“Keaton, you bought this? Without even discussing it with me?” she cried, covering her mouth with her hand and inhaling sharply as the video tour of the interior began.
“Are you pissed off?” I asked, and she shook her head, gripping my phone in her hand.
“It cost seven million dollars. Seven.”
“So we should probably get to work,” I chided, moving to Charlie as she began to fuss. “I have a script. I’m not sold on it yet, but I wanted to talk to you about it.”
“Oh, now you want to talk to me about it. Holy shit, is that… look at that pool… and the staircase…”
“Beauty and the Beast.”
She lifted her eyes from the phone, meeting mine. “What?”
“A hotter than hell reboot. Starring me and you.”
A slow smile spread over her lips, and she reached for Charlie’s hand. “A modern-day story?”
“No. Still the classic setting, mid-seventeen-hundreds, France. You think you’re up for a part like that?”
She widened her eyes, shaking her head with a shrug. “Keaton, I don’t know. Do you think I am?”
“I think you are capable of more than you think you are.”
She smiled in response to my compliment. Finally, my words seemed to sink in, and she reached for her ponytail, twirling excitedly. “Wait- did you say starring me… and you? You’re going to act?”
“Sure, why not. Looks easy.” I lifted Charlie up so that I could blow raspberries on her belly, and she giggled.
“Oh, my God, Keaton,” she whispered. “Star in a movie with you?”
“Your first movie. My first movie. We debut together.”
“And you’ll direct, too? Do you feel strong enough for this?”
“I don’t know, do I?” I teased, flexing my newly formed bicep her way. She laughed softly, covering her mouth again and grinning.
“We’re moving? Into a mansion? And we’re doing a movie together?” she squealed.
I shrugged nonchalantly, bouncing Charlie in my arms with a grin. “Sure, why not?”
“I love you,” she burst excitedly, throwing her arms around us. “I’m so afraid to believe this is real,” she cried.
“Well, things could still go wrong. We could destroy this movie, be the laughing stock of the box office, and Clint Eastwood could contact me personally to tell me what an egotistical little shit I am. Other than that, we should be fine.”
She moved to cover Charlie’s ears, lifting her lips to mine. “Who do you love more, me or Clint Eastwood?” she demanded.
I pressed forward, my tongue tangling with hers. “I don’t want to fuck him, if that makes you feel any better,” I assured her.
She released Charlie’s ears, smirking into my kiss. “A little,” she replied sweetly, pressing her lips to mine again.
Falling Down
V
The next two weeks seemed to disappear before I had a chance to catch my breath.
Keaton was getting stronger every day, though I knew that he wasn’t quite himself again. That first night home, despite his teasing promise to make love to me, he’d ended up taking two pain pills and going to bed before seven. I knew that he was disappointed, but I assured him that neither of us were ready for that yet.
It didn’t matter. I curled into his arms every night, listening to him breathe. That was all that I would ever ask for.
We moved into the mansio
n on a weekend that Robin had flown in to help with Charlie. I’d rolled up my sleeves, prepared to unpack and organize, but the moving company that Keaton had hired did most of the work for us.
Robin took Charlie for a walk around the property, and I found Keaton in his new office. He stared at his computer screen intently, and as I rounded his desk, I watched the live, streaming video of Robin smiling down at Charlie near the pool.
“I have cameras on every corner of the house, and hidden cameras scattered throughout the house and the property,” he assured me, leaning back in his chair. “The police can be here in minutes, if we need them.”
I met his eyes, recognizing a flicker of fatigue in the hazel shadows. “I feel safe. I want you to feel safe, too.”
He tapped the ENTER key twice on the keyboard, nodding. “I do now. I have two guns in our house, too. One in our bedroom, and one down here in the kitchen. I’ll show you where they are and how to fire them.”
I lowered to his lap, tucking my face against his neck. “No one will hurt us anymore, Keaton.”
He said nothing, simply tilting my face to his. “No they won’t. And I’ll make sure of that, V. Okay?”
I nodded, my heart hurting at the pain in his voice. “You did everything that you could to protect us. You know that, right?”
He said nothing, only patting my back softly to indicate that he wanted to get up. I stood, and he followed, moving to the wall near the back window.
“I got the revised script back. I have a couple of meetings with Max today, and then we start casting.”
He opened two wide cabinets in the wall, and I exhaled slowly to see a small bar lit up behind the doors.
As he reached for a glass, I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, glancing down at the video of Robin and Charlie. “You aren’t supposed to drink with the narcotics that they gave you,” I said quickly.
I barely registered my discomfort as I said the words, unsure of why I was nervous about warning him.
He continued to reach for the bottle. “Not the first time I’ve chased these pills, V. It helps. I have more physical therapy tomorrow and my shoulder is already dreading it.”
He tilted his head back and downed the contents of the glass.
I nodded, immediately wishing my words back. I knew that the amount of nerve damage in his shoulder was irreparable, and that he’d have to suffer with it for the rest of our lives.
He closed the cabinet, turning to me with an ornery smile.
I reached for my ponytail, twisting and returning his grin. “What?”
“What?” he drawled. “Are you going to wear a ponytail to the Oscars?”
I released my long, dark hair, backing against his desk as he strode my way. I perched on the edge of the oversized, mahogany desktop, and he dropped his hands to my thighs, pushing my legs apart.
“If I’m nominated for an Oscar, I’ll wear whatever I want,” I replied haughtily, lifting my legs to wrap around his waist. “Even flip-flops.”
His newly formed muscles tightened in his upper arms, and his eyes raked over me hungrily. “Close your eyes and lie back.”
I slowly bent back over his desk, swallowing hard and lifting my eyes to the gorgeous ceiling. “Is your door locked?”
He reached for the side of his desk, and I heard a faint clicking sound. “It is now.”
Biting my lip, I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. He tucked his hands under the waist of my jeans, unbuttoning them in seconds.
It’d been almost a year since we’d made love, and I couldn’t resist the warm rush of wanting that pooled in my stomach and settled into a throb between my thighs. He tucked his arm under my lower back, lifting just enough to tug my jeans down to my knees.
I tried to kick them away, but he grasped my chin, and I opened my eyes suddenly.
“Leave them on. At your knees.”
My eyes fluttered closed as I nodded again. “Keaton, if you’re not ready-”
He replied by yanking my panties down and shoving my t-shirt up to my breasts.
The scar on my abdomen was deeper than it had been before, and I winced as his mouth dropped to the ugly line on my skin. I tried to cover my stomach, but he caught my hands, ignoring my protests.
“This is how my daughter came into my world. This scar.”
His deep voice rumbled against my skin, and I exhaled in excited little pants as his mouth moved even lower.
I tried to open my legs, but my jeans pinned my knees together.
Torturously he kissed, teasing with little laps of his hot tongue. He knew that he was driving me insane and yet continued to kiss, his fingers only dancing near all of my most sensitive places.
“Please,” I begged, reaching over my head to grip the edge of his desk.
“We have a problem,” he murmured against my thigh. “You’re not on the pill, and I have no idea which box the condoms are packed in.”
“What? No,” I moaned, pressing my hands to my face. “Oh my God, Keaton, there’s nothing in your wallet?”
He chuckled between my thighs, and I nearly came off of the desk.
“Didn’t really need them in rehab. If I did, you should be concerned.”
“Our first time together after all of this is not going to be just about me.” I sat up, pushing him away. “I’m not that selfish. Sit down.”
He backed to his desk chair and lowered to the seat as I fumbled with my jeans, tugging them over my hips. “You’ll do whatever I want you to do. If I want you to come, you come,” he replied, wrapping his arms around my hips to grip my ass. “Maybe I need to make you come. Did you ever think about that?”
My fingers froze at my zipper. I met his eyes, swallowing hard at his sensitive words.
He stood, towering over me as his mouth crashed to mine. I tasted the vodka as his tongue dove. His fingers kneaded into my ass, lifting me against him, and I looped my arms around his neck.
“Keaton-”
“I need you to beg for me. I need control again,” he growled against my neck, nipping before tracing a line with his tongue along my collar bone. “I’m sick and fucking tired of being told what to do, how to do it. I don’t work that way.”
I stiffened at the raw anger in his voice.
Is he talking about me? Is this because I told him not to drink with the pills?
Jolting at the sound of Charlie’s cries from somewhere in the hall, I turned to the door.
He released me suddenly, glancing at the screen on his monitor before reaching for the lock button on his desk. “She’s hungry.”
“I’ll feed her,” I managed, hurriedly zipping my jeans as I turned for the door.
I had no idea what to say to him.
My stomach knotted in anxiety as I met Robin in grand hallway. I forced a smile to my face, reaching for Charlie. “Who’s hungry? Hi pretty baby,” I cooed, pressing protective kisses over her dark hair.
“Viv, this place is a palace. I may never leave my sister-in-law suite.”
“You never have to,” I promised, smiling thankfully her way. “Speaking of that, I was going to work on some of the wedding plans tonight. Do you feel up to it?”
She stuck her finger into her open mouth, pretending to gag.
I elbowed her playfully, and she grinned. “Yes, of course I will. But after planning Luke and Madeline’s wedding, are you sure you want my help? I may be cursed.”
“Just because Madeline is a horrible bitc-” I stopped short, glancing down at Charlie. “Is a horrible, mean, rotten human being, that doesn’t make you cursed.”
She cringed, nodding at Charlie. “Wait, can we not swear around her? You need to tell me these things,” she called, her exasperated voice forcing a smile to my face as she turned to head for the stairs.
Charlie let out another irritated cry, reminding me that I had about three minutes until she would start wailing impatiently.
I felt like crying.
I was left so disoriented by Keaton’s words, and had
done the one thing I did best- I ran from him. Granted, Charlie needed to be fed, but I knew that I should go back into his office and urge him to talk to me, to tell me what was going on in his mind.
I need control again.
His tone had changed to one that I didn’t recognize. Control over what? Over me? I knew that he had always been directive and firm, and it was in his nature to be authoritative. That was one of the things about him that turned me on so much.
Was I being too vocal in my concerns? I loved him and I wanted him to be strong again. Reminding him not to drink with his medication wasn’t controlling, it was caring.
Right?
I nearly got lost on my way to the kitchen. Charlie would only have so much of me rocking her in my arm as I hurried to prepare her bottle one-handed. I knew that I had at least two bottles ready to go in the refrigerator, but they needed to be warmed up to at least room temperature.
“I thought I heard my girl in here.”
Luke sauntered into the kitchen, holding his arms out for Charlie. I handed her over thankfully, hurrying to warm her bottle. “Thank you. Time got away from me, and she really doesn’t want to wait another second.”
“Sure she does. She wants to bounce with Uncle Luke. Doesn’t she? Don’t you?” he coaxed, quickly falling into the natural sway that he’d learned over the past couple of weeks. “Especially since Uncle Luke’s friend Heidi turned out to be a giant slut, and was only sleeping with Uncle Luke to get closer to your daddy for a part in a movie.”
My hands stilled, and I lifted my eyes to his, my face falling. “Oh, Luke. I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“Doesn’t matter. Better to find out earlier than later,” he said, holding his hand out for the bottle. “Want me to feed her?”
“I can,” I assured him, but he gripped her to his chest.
“Let me rephrase that. Can I feed her? She seems to make everything in life make sense, at least for as long as I hold her.”
I listened to his heartfelt words, nodding gently and wrapping my arms around them both. “You deserve so much better. Someone who makes life make sense when you hold her,” I added, reaching to press a kiss to his cheek.
Beyond Hereafter (The Movie Trilogy Book 3) Page 3
