Illusions of Love

chapter 12



Kenny turned over and slowly opened his eyes, reaching out to gently brush the hair from her sleeping face, leaning over to kiss her cheek. She gave a tiny sigh and turned onto her back, still fast asleep, throwing one tanned arm up above her pretty head. Layla Boyd and Kenny Ross. Who’d have thought that that pairing would ever happen again, but in reality it wasn’t actually a surprise. After all, they were both in the throes of disintegrating relationships, both working closely together on the same movie – it was almost inevitable that they’d find comfort in each other.

He slid quietly out of bed and walked into the bathroom, looking out of the window at the ocean view before splashing cold water over his face, staring into the mirror. He felt good today, even if spending last night with Layla wasn’t something he’d planned – something either of them had planned – but when filming had finished for the day and both of them realised they were heading back to empty houses with neither of them really in the mood to be alone, it seemed to make sense to do something together.

They’d had dinner at a small and friendly burger place on the outskirts of Malibu, then driven to his beach house where they’d watched some TV, drank whisky, and made love. Why not? It had been nice. No, it had been more than nice, it had been fun. And they’d both needed it; he knew he certainly had, because he’d woken up today with a smile on his face and the feeling that he could do anything now.

Or maybe he was just happy because India was arriving back in L.A. for a couple of days and the thought of seeing his best friend always made him smile. They were due to shoot a music video together for some friends of theirs – the rock band Black Rock Diamond – and Kenny couldn’t wait to get to work on it. It was going to be one hell of a sexy, edgy video because, even at forty-three, India could do sexy and edgy better than anyone else. They both could.

‘Hey, mister, what you doing getting up and leaving me all on my own?’ Layla yawned, walking sleepily into the bathroom, sliding her arms around his waist from behind. ‘I quite fancied a little lie-in.’

He turned round and pulled her close, smiling as he kissed her gently. ‘A lie-in, huh?’

‘She smiled too, her fingers absent-mindedly stroking his rough chin. ‘Yeah, why? What did you think I meant?’

He started nuzzling her neck, tickling her ear and she laughed out loud, squirming in his arms until he kissed her mouth and she gave in to him, falling against him.

‘Last night was good, Kenny,’ she whispered, looking into his dark eyes, getting serious for a second. ‘Thank you.’

‘Hey, you don’t have to thank me, honey. We needed each other, there’s no crime in that.’

‘No. There isn’t.’ She ran her fingers lightly over his collarbone, looking back up at him. ‘So, do you… do you still need me now?’

He tucked a strand of her blond hair behind her ear, leaning over to kiss her mouth again; her beautiful, soft and welcoming mouth. And it had certainly welcomed him last night, in ways he wouldn’t mind repeating now. Jesus, he was more than ready for her as her tongue touched his, the kiss getting deeper by the second, and he didn’t have to say anything to her. He didn’t have to reply. She already knew the answer to her own question.



***



Dinner with Dominic had been an experience. He came across as this sometimes arrogant, almost overly self-assured man at times but in reality that wasn’t how he was at all. Or maybe he was just a very good actor in the presence of his leading ladies, India didn’t know. She only knew that she’d enjoyed herself. He’d been the perfect gentleman, and this morning she was joining him at the Terrace Breakfast Restaurant for some eggs and coffee, or, in her case, tea. Almost twenty years in the U.S. and she still couldn’t face coffee before 10am.

He was already there when she arrived, looking handsome and relaxed in jeans and a white shirt that showed off his tan, his dark hair messed up and untidy in a way that only made him look all the more sexy. He was talking into his phone, laughing at something the caller was saying, throwing his head back as he spoke and India just stood there for a few seconds, watching him. He really was something else when you got up close – as handsome in real life as he was in his movies. Almost too good-looking to be true.

She pushed her dark glasses up onto her head and walked over to him, his eyes meeting hers as she approached the table. He ended his call, standing up and taking her hand, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. Like she’d said, the perfect gentleman.

‘You look stunning,’ he smiled, sitting back down.

‘Yeah, yeah, quit with the charm offensive. I’m here, you don’t have to try any more.’

He sat forward, clasping his hands together in front of him as he continued to smile at her. ‘I had a great time last night.’

‘We only had dinner, Dominic.’

‘I still had a great time.’

She leant forward too, copying his stance. ‘You know, you can drop the act with me, I get it now. I’ve seen Mr Movie Star, now I’d quite like to get to know the real Dominic MacDonald, if that’s alright with you.’

He looked down at his clasped hands for a second before meeting her eyes. ‘That’s fine with me.’

She smiled, and once more he felt his stomach somersault. ‘Good.’ India sat back in her chair, pushing her hands through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. ‘You gonna pour me a cup of tea then?’

He laughed, watching her as she quickly fastened her ponytail with a coloured band, her face devoid of any heavy make-up – just a touch of mascara and some lip gloss. It was all she needed, enough to make her look much younger than her years. She was extraordinarily beautiful, Dominic thought as he poured her tea. No wonder Michael Walsh would do anything he could to have her back in his life, but, as far as Dominic was concerned, he’d had his chance. It was time for a younger man, a different man to move on in there. Time for more surprises than Michael Walsh was ready for.

‘You alright?’ India asked, taking a sip of tea as she fixed Dominic with a questioning look.

He shook himself back to the here and now and flashed her that movie star smile again. ‘Just thinking.’

‘Oh yeah? About anything I might be interested in?’

He sat back, keeping his eyes on her all the time, the smile never leaving his face. ‘Well, that’d be telling.’

She couldn’t help laughing. ‘Jesus, Dominic MacDonald Movie Star really doesn’t know how to lie down and take a break, does he?’

Dominic threw his head back and laughed too, feeling like every second he spent in this woman’s company was a second nearer to achieving his goal. Although, he was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable about thinking of her as a “goal”. But that’s what she was; or what she represented, anyway.

‘So, why the sudden trip back to L.A.?’ he asked, still looking at her as she rummaged round in her bag for her phone, immediately rejecting the call coming through.

She looked up at him, taking another sip of tea. ‘I’m shooting a music video, with Kenny Ross.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘A music video?’

‘Do you know the rock band Black Rock Diamond?’

He nodded. ‘Yeah. I’m a bit of a fan. You’re shooting a video for them?’

‘Kenny and I are friends of theirs. We’ve known Mark Cassidy, their front man, for a while. And we’ve been promising the band we’d be in one of their videos for a long time. Call it a favour I’m happy to do.’

‘I can’t wait to see it,’ Dominic smiled, and India suddenly felt shy, looking down at her hands, her fingers fiddling with a napkin. ‘You always carry that rock chick look so well. It’s very, very sexy.’

She started pulling away at the corner of the napkin, ripping pieces off until she realised what she was doing and stopped, looking back up at him. ‘I’ve got to go catch a plane in a few minutes.’

‘I know.’

All of a sudden she had no idea what to say to him. It was almost as if someone had cast some kind of spell over her, striking her mute so no words would come out.

‘India…’

She stood up and he followed her, walking round the table until he was beside her, gently taking her hand in his.

‘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 f*cking 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.