Illusions of Love

chapter 37



Charley sank down into the bubble-filled bath, turning up the radio just that little bit louder to drown out the silence that emanated throughout the apartment.

She may have only been a few doors down from the private penthouse she shared with Vince within The Amber Palace, but it felt as though she were a million miles away.

The days since Vince had found her and Kenny together had been the hardest she’d ever experienced since this whole business with Jimmy Cash had begun and as she lay there, listening to the smooth vocals and hypnotic guitar-playing of Joe Bonamassa’s very own brand of the blues, she felt now-familiar hot tears flood down her cheeks.

She’d been stupid, there was no doubt about that. And every second she’d been with Kenny she’d known it was stupid and wrong but once again she hadn’t had the strength to leave behind that wonderful escape Kenny had given her. Even though it could have destroyed everything she lived for.

She closed her eyes and sank further into the warm water. As far as Jimmy Cash was concerned he appeared to have backed off or, at least, that’s what it looked like. There’d been nothing about her past, no photos, no articles, nothing for the past few days. Did this mean Vince really had sorted everything out? Or had Jimmy just got bored? Whatever, it was a welcome relief to wake up and find that she wasn’t front page news for a change. That accolade now went to Michael, India and Dominic as that complicated triangle of a relationship continued to dominate the Hollywood gossip grapevine. Word was that Dominic had asked India to marry him just minutes before she’d found out about Michael’s heart attack, and from what information Charley had managed to glean – mainly from Bobby – India had said no.

She opened her eyes as her cell phone rang, startling Charley out of those precious few minutes of thinking about someone else’s problems. Reaching over to the ledge by the side of the bath she grabbed the phone and answered it before she’d even checked to see who was calling, which she should have done, really. Because the voice on the other end sent an icy shiver right through her, despite the warm bath she was lying in.

‘Charley… did you think I’d forgotten about you, sugar?’

Jimmy’s Texan drawl filled her head, and whilst she knew she could just hang up, end the call, it was as though her fingers wouldn’t move, leaving her with no choice but to listen to him as he continued to speak, without even waiting for her to reply.

‘Well, I think you know that Jimmy Cash doesn’t really forget about anyone. Especially those who owe him, and you owe me big, honey. You owe me big.’

‘Jimmy…’

‘But it’s almost over, Charley. It’s almost over.’

She sat up sharply, sending water crashing over the sides of the bath, spilling out onto the floor in bubble-filled waves. ‘What do you mean, it’s almost over? What’s almost over, Jimmy?’

‘It’s almost over, darlin’. So, you and everyone else, y’all take care now, d’you hear? Y’all take care.’



***



‘Are you going to have that face on you all night?’ Bobby asked as he bustled around the kitchen of the villa, tidying away plates and glasses from dinner. ‘And the state you leave this place in…’

India looked up from her magazine, crossing her legs as she sat at the breakfast bar. ‘What face?’

He looked back at her, his hand on his hip, his lips pursed. It would have been highly amusing if India wasn’t in such a weird mood. ‘That face,’ Bobby said, pointing at her with a J-Cloth. ‘The miserable one.’

‘I’m not miserable,’ she muttered, looking back down at her magazine.

Bobby snorted. ‘Yeah, and I’m about to tour North America with Barbara Streisand.’

She looked up at him again, ignoring her cell phone. ‘Why should it bother you anyway?’

‘Why should it bother me? Why should it bother…? It bothers me, Angel, because I have to look at you all day! And it’s not an expression that suits you, Princess. Especially at your age. All that frowning really shows up the crow’s feet.’

She stuck her tongue out at him and he quickly returned the gesture.

‘I blame it all on the fact you haven’t had sex for five days,’ he sniffed as he started to scrub the cooker hob to within an inch of its life.

‘What on earth are you…? How the hell do you know I haven’t had sex for five days?’

Bobby looked at her over the top of his glasses, raising his eyebrows. ‘Well, the lack of Mr MacGorgeous around here is a big clue, Angel.’

India turned her attention back to her magazine, saying nothing. She knew Bobby would love to know what was going on with her and Dominic right now, but what could she tell him when she didn’t have a clue what was going on herself?

Just two days after his heart attack Michael had been back at work in the director’s chair, determined to finish filming his movie – despite everyone telling him he should be taking it easy – and he’d succeeded. Everyone had pulled together to make it work – including India and Dominic, despite the ultimatum he’d given her. The movie had finished shooting just a few days over schedule, and the only thing left to get through now was the wrap party, a party that meant everyone was still hanging around in Vegas because it was going to be a huge event, taking place in The Amber Palace’s biggest night club, Epic, in just a couple of days time. Not that India was anywhere close to finding her party mood right now.

Despite the fact Michael was fine – albeit slightly unnerved by the realisation that he wasn’t immortal – she still hadn’t spoken to Reece since she’d seen him at the hospital. It wasn’t even that she blamed him anymore for what had happened, she just didn’t know how to face him, now he knew the truth.

She looked up to find Bobby still staring at her. ‘What?’

‘Well? Are you going to make me ask the obvious?’

‘If it’s got anything to do with Dominic then I’m saying nothing.’

Bobby snorted again, pulling off the rubber gloves he was wearing and throwing them in the sink. ‘Spoilsport.’ He pulled himself up onto the breakfast bar and snatched the magazine away from her, putting it to one side.

‘Hey! I was reading that!’

‘No you weren’t. You were using it as a distraction to avoid talking to me about you and Mr Movie Star.’

‘There is no me and Mr Movie Star.’

Bobby raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

She ignored him, sliding down off her stool and running her hands through her hair, shaking it out so it fell all tousled and loose around her shoulders. ‘Okay. I’m off out.’

‘Out? Where are you going?’

‘Who are you? My mother?’

Bobby swung round on the breakfast bar so he was facing her, crossing his legs, watching as she fastened a large cuff watch round her left wrist. ‘I’m just concerned, Angel.’

‘For “concerned” read “nosy”,’ India smiled, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

‘As if,’ Bobby huffed, examining his nails.

‘I’m off out with Kenny, if you must know.’

‘Ah, partying with the philanderer now, are we?’

She ignored his comment. ‘If you want me, I’ll be at The Mirage… And, Bobby? Vince and Charley are trying to work things out y’know.’

‘So why’s she still living in a separate apartment then?’

‘I don’t know. These things take time, don’t they? There’s a lot to sort out.’

‘You’re telling me.’ He slid down off the breakfast bar, going over to her, fussing around her as he positioned her hair perfectly over her shoulders, straightening her strapless top, pulling it up slightly over her breasts.

‘Bobby!’

‘Now, come on, Angel. I have no idea what’s going on in your love life right now…’

‘Well, that makes two of us then.’

He looked at her, kissing her forehead. ‘But you walk out of here and into any bar, looking like you do right now – despite the miserable face – and you are going to have men falling at your beautiful feet. Let’s just not show them too much of that India Walsh charm too soon, okay?’

She couldn’t help laughing.

‘There! You look so much prettier when you smile, Angel.’

She looked at her wonderful P.A. ‘Why is my life so f*cking complicated, Bobby?’

‘Because you make it that way, Princess.’ He gently stroked her fringe from her eyes. ‘Look, just listen to your heart, okay? You just listen to your heart.’

‘Shouldn’t I be listening to my head though, Bobby? Shouldn’t I be doing the sensible thing?’

‘Oh, being sensible is overrated, Angel. Anyway, it’s a bit late for you to start being sensible now, isn’t it?’

She smiled again, hugging him tight. ‘I love you, Bobby Castle.’

‘Of course you do, Angel. And I love you too. Now, go on. You go enjoy yourself with that ridiculously handsome best friend of yours.’

‘Don’t wait up,’ she shouted over her shoulder as she ran out of the kitchen and into the hall, knowing all too well that he’d be doing exactly that. Because if there was one thing Bobby Castle couldn’t do it was sleep if there might be some gossip on the horizon. And who knew what tonight was going to bring?



***



Dominic had never felt so confused, so totally out of his comfort zone that he couldn’t even think straight. Him or his father – that was the ultimatum he’d given her. Her choice to make, but so far she hadn’t made any kind of decision at all.

The final few days of filming had been the hardest he’d ever experienced on a movie set. Being with her, so close to her, kissing her for the cameras when all he’d wanted to do was make love to her in private, it had messed with his head big time because she gave nothing away, no indication as to how she was feeling. She could be one very good actress when she wanted to be.

But what made everything even more confusing for Dominic was that Michael seemed to have backed off from a woman he’d always claimed to have been infatuated with. He seemed happy with Layla, a woman who was quite obviously head-over-heels in love with him, any idiot could see that. Had his father’s heart attack finally made him realise that he couldn’t spend the rest of his life chasing a woman who was nothing but a part of his past? And just why had Reece been at the villa that morning? Because Dominic sure as hell knew that India was still hiding something from him. She knew why Reece had been there. She just wasn’t telling him.

He had a head full of questions he needed answers to, but every call he made to India was rejected and every message he sent ignored. How had they got from her falling in love with him to completely blanking him? It didn’t make sense, and Dominic knew he couldn’t let this go on for much longer.

He needed to know where he stood, with or without her. And only one of those options was something he knew he could easily accept.



***



Layla stood quietly in the corner of the living room, watching Michael as he spoke to Ethan via Skype, his beautiful little boy laughing at whatever it was his father was saying to him.

Laying a hand over her stomach she rubbed it gently, trying to ease the queasy feeling she’d had for a while now. At first she’d put it down to the worry she’d experienced over Michael’s heart attack, but she knew she’d been feeling that way long before all that had happened, and she was still feeling that way now.

She looked over at Michael again, a man so happy to be talking to his youngest son. A man who, quite possibly – if things had been any worse – may not have had the chance to see his little boy again. Layla closed her eyes at the memory of that day, when something so horrible had made her realise, for sure this time, how she really felt about this man.

The way she’d felt during that short but horrific time when they hadn’t known what was wrong, when all she could remember was blind panic, that had told her all she’d needed to know – that she loved this man, and she always would.

What he’d done to India – that had shocked her, she couldn’t deny that. And she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t something that preyed on her mind, but she loved him, simple as that. And she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, after all, India had forgiven him, hadn’t she? India couldn’t push him away, even after all of that. India hadn’t pushed him away, and neither could she. She wasn’t willing to. That time in their lives had been a tough one, for many of them, and maybe now – and hopefully for the final time – they could start to put the past behind them and look forward to some kind of future.

But could Michael ever really love her the way he’d loved India? That crazy, mixed-up, complicated love that those two had always shared; could he ever love her that way? That was a question Layla knew she could never answer, and neither could Michael. But it finally looked as though – this time – she was winning the fight. And that was just as well, because Layla had news that she couldn’t wait to share with this man who’d become such a big part of her life. Fate had taken a hand in making sure that she kept him by her side this time.

Layla Boyd was having Michael Walsh’s baby, and she couldn’t be more excited.



***



‘She’ll come round, honey. You just have to give her time,’ Martha said, joining Reece on the terrace of their AmberPalace apartment, the view of Las Vegas stretching out before them.

‘It’s been five days now, Martha, and she hasn’t even spoken to me. She blames me for what happened to Michael; she said so, didn’t she? I’m the bad guy… how the hell did that happen, huh? I’m her father, I’m the one who wants to keep her safe and yet she feels more sympathy for a man who caused her nothing but heartache.’

‘You know that’s not true, sweetheart. India and Michael, they were happy once, you know they were.’

Reece stood up, pushing his sunglasses down over his eyes as he leant back against the terrace wall, turning his back on the view of Vegas. ‘Were they really though, Martha? Were they ever really happy?’

‘I think you already know the answer to that one.’

Reece sighed heavily, throwing his head back. ‘Jesus! I just want to talk to her, y’know? Tell her I’m sorry; tell her that, yes, okay, I handled this all really badly…’

‘You admit that then, do you?’ Martha smiled, pouring them both a coffee.

He looked at her, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head. ‘I could have handled it better. But what the hell was I supposed to do with that news, huh? For seven years she kept that from me…’

Martha stood up and walked over to him, laying a hand gently on his shoulder, kissing his cheek. ‘It’s over now, honey. Okay? We have to let them deal with it in whichever way they think is best, and India – she will come round. You’ll see. She’s just a bit too much like you.’

Reece frowned slightly as he looked at his wife.

Martha smiled, sitting back down at the table, taking a sip of coffee. ‘Stubborn, Reece. She’s stubborn. Just like her father.’



***



‘You’re a bloody idiot, Kenny.’

‘There are only so many times you can say that, India. I kinda get it now.’

She swung round on her stool at the bar, taking in the usual crowd of people who hung out here in a place that India adored because of its obvious rock ‘n’ roll vibe including several tattoo booths located within the club, incredible, almost gothic architecture, and a mix of rock and blues music that pounded from every wall. The lighting was dark and low and cast a red hue over the whole bar giving it a somewhat sleazy yet ultra-cool feel – everything about the place made India want to kick back and let go, go crazy and party Las Vegas style, and that’s exactly what she intended to do tonight. It was what she always did when she was in Vegas when she had some complicated relationship problem going on, and she certainly had one hell of a complicated relationship problem hanging over her head right now. Sometimes she thought she should maybe stop coming to Vegas altogether because every time she turned up here something seemed to happen. And it wasn’t always good.

‘You’re not eyeing those tattoo booths again, are you?’ Kenny asked, sliding another bottle of beer over towards her, which she immediately grabbed, taking a good long drink. ‘I’d have thought you’d have learnt your lesson after the one you’ve already got.’

India ignored his reference to the JJ tattoo she had on the underside of her left wrist, the initials of her latest ex-husband. It was something she’d once been so sure had signified their seemingly strong relationship – a permanent mark to represent a partnership that she’d hoped would stay the same way. But now it was just something she kept hidden behind wrist-cuffs and watches, something that more often than not had to be blocked out with make-up on movie sets. Something that shouldn’t be there anymore.

‘Why not?’ she said, totally side-stepping his comment. He may have expected a reaction, but he wasn’t getting one. ‘I’ve always fancied one that goes right over the shoulder and down my back.’

Kenny looked at her. ‘Well, one like that sure as hell ain’t gonna to be finished in one night, kiddo.’

She shrugged, taking another drink. ‘Anyway, quit changing the subject. What the hell were you playing at?’

Kenny sighed. ‘We’ve been over this…’

‘And we’ll go over it again and again until I begin to understand just what was going on in either of your tiny minds. Jesus, Kenny… sleeping with Charley? Why? How could you let that happen?’

He looked straight at her. ‘You know why I did it, India.’

She turned away from him, staring straight ahead of her, focusing on the bottles lined up at the back of the bar.

‘So, what’s Charley’s excuse?’ She turned to look at him again, banging her bottle of beer down hard on the bar. ‘Y’know, we’re all acting like demented f*cking teenagers. What the hell is wrong with us?’

‘She was scared, India.’

‘We’re all scared, Kenny. Doesn’t mean we should all go round f*cking everyone at random in some vain hope that it’ll make us feel better. I for one have learnt that really isn’t the way to go.’

Kenny looked at her, raising an eyebrow, but saying nothing.

‘I mean, Charley she… she’s married to the most incredible man. Vince is one in a million and she’s crazy to have even thought about putting that relationship in jeopardy, after everything she’s been through. If she loses him over this…’

‘I thought you said they were working things out?’

‘They are. But you don’t expect Vince to forgive and forget just like that, do you? And quite honestly, Kenny, I’m more than surprised that he hasn’t laid you out. It’s not like you don’t deserve it.’

‘Thanks.’

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, finishing the last of her beer, smiling at the rather attractive bartender as he handed her a fresh one.

‘But that’s the kind of man he is, you see. The most grown-up, level-headed one out of the lot of us.’

Kenny watched as she took another long drink. ‘Are you gonna start taking it easy?’

‘Are you gonna stop acting like my chaperone? What’s the matter with you?’

‘You’re in one of those moods.’

‘Oh, don’t you start. I’ve just got Bobby off my back.’

‘And don’t you think you should, y’know, maybe, talk to your dad? I know he could’ve handled that whole situation a lot better, I mean, it’s not what Reece does, is it? Acting without really thinking. But he only did it ‘cos he loves you, India. And let’s face it, the way Michael’s been carrying on lately, that heart attack was probably something that was just sitting around waiting to happen.’

India looked at him, resting her elbow on the bar and her head in her hand. ‘He shouldn’t have gone there, Kenny. He should have talked to me first.’

‘I think he probably knows that now, baby.’

India closed her eyes for a second, trying to banish a sudden wave of tiredness from taking over. She was determined to party ‘til dawn tonight, and nothing was going to stop her from doing that.

‘So, what exactly’s going on with you and Dominic then?’

India opened her eyes, reaching out for her beer and taking a sip. ‘He gave me an ultimatum.’

Kenny’s eyes widened. ‘An ultimatum? What kind of ultimatum?’

‘Him or Michael.’

Kenny was confused now. ‘Michael?’

‘Dominic thinks I still have feelings for Michael.’

‘And, do you?’

‘I’ll always have feelings for Michael, Kenny. You know that as well as I do. But that doesn’t mean I want to be with him.’

‘Does Dominic know what happened?’

India looked at him, frowning.

‘Does he know what happened between you and Michael?’

She shook her head, still fighting that unwelcome tired feeling.

‘Are you gonna tell him? Because, right now, he’s about the only person round here who doesn’t know. And he is Michael’s son.’

‘What’s that got to do with anything? That doesn’t give him a God given right to know everything about his father’s life, does it? For Christ’s sake, they’ve only known each other a matter of weeks.’

‘Is it fair, though?’

India was beginning to tire of this conversation. It felt more like an interrogation than anything else, and that was something she really wasn’t in the mood for.

‘Kenny, I really haven’t got the energy to get into this... Telling Dominic would be a really bad idea, okay? Right now, it would be a really bad idea.’

‘You should tell him.’ Kenny looked straight ahead, taking a long drink of beer himself. ‘If you want a future together.’

‘Who said anything about wanting a future together? We’ve only just met.’

Kenny said nothing, just drained the last of his beer and slid down from his stool.

‘Where are you going?’ India asked, needing him to talk to just to keep her awake.

‘Toilet. You wanna come with me?’

She poked her tongue out at him and swung back round on her stool, facing the bar, checking how much beer she had left. She fancied a change after this drink. Cocktails, maybe? No, there was something about this bar that somehow didn’t make her want to hit the cocktails. Whisky, maybe – it was time to hit the shorts, on the rocks, of course. The only way she ever drank the stuff.

She felt someone slide onto the stool beside her and she turned to see who it was, knowing it couldn’t be Kenny because he’d only just left.

‘Shouldn’t you be over at The Amber Palace trying to make your marriage work?’ she said, not taking a beat as she looked at Charley. ‘Want a drink? Stupid question…’

She turned back to face the bar, signalling to the bartender to come over, ordering two whiskies on the rocks.

‘I don’t know what to do, India. I really don’t. I’m at a complete loss, and Vince, he… it’s like he just can’t bring himself to be near me, y’know? And that hurts.’

‘Well, I suppose him finding you in the arms of Kenny Ross kinda stung a bit too, don’t you think?’

Charley looked down into her drink, swirling the whisky round over the shards of ice in the glass. ‘You know I don’t drink whisky.’

‘You do tonight. Get it down you, it’ll do you good.’ India looked at her friend as she continued to swirl her drink round the large, ice-filled tumbler. She looked thinner, but she supposed the stress of the whole Jimmy Cash thing and then this situation with Vince and Kenny, well, maybe it had just got to her more than anyone realised. ‘You do know I’m here with Kenny, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, Bobby told me,’ Charley replied, looking up to meet India’s eyes.

‘So? Should you be here? What if Vince finds out?’

‘I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?’

‘He might not see it that way, Charley. Given what’s gone on.’

Charley sighed, taking a large gulp of whisky, screwing her face up as the warm liquid hit the back of her throat. ‘Jesus, India, how do you drink that stuff? You never used to touch it.’

‘Yeah, well, sometimes life has a habit of changing things.’ She knocked back half of her glass in one go, without the hint of a flinch. ‘So, are you here to talk…?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m here, I just know that I couldn’t face another night of sitting there in that strange apartment, all on my own, thinking about how stupid I’ve been.’

‘And what if Vince finds you here? How’s that gonna look?’

Charley stared down into her drink again. ‘Why would he come looking for me?’

‘Because he loves you, you bloody idiot. Despite everything.’ India turned her attention to Kenny as he arrived back at the bar. ‘And talking of bloody idiots…’

‘Jesus, India, can you leave it alone for just five minutes?’

‘No, Kenny, I can’t leave it alone. You should’ve been more responsible – she was vulnerable, and you latched onto that…’

‘India…’ Charley began, but India swung round to face her.

‘And you… well, you should have come to me, okay? If you couldn’t talk to Vince, then you should have come to me.’

‘You had enough problems, India.’

‘Oh, sod my problems, Charley. I’ve always got f*cking problems, you know that. And most of them I bring on myself.’

‘You including me in that?’ They all turned round to see Dominic standing behind them, hands in his pockets, his handsome face dominated by a frown. ‘Am I one of your problems?’

India looked at him for a few seconds. ‘Have they given out invitations or something?’ She didn’t take her eyes off Dominic as she downed the last of her whisky, slamming the empty glass back down on the bar.

‘She always resorts to flippancy when she’s confronted with something she doesn’t want to face,’ Kenny chipped in, signalling to the bartender to bring him another beer.

India threw him a look as he grabbed his beer and indicated to Charley to join him. ‘Come on, Charley. Let’s leave them to it.’

‘Is that wise?’ India asked, watching as Charley walked over to Kenny, a little reluctantly she thought. ‘I mean, if Vince finds out…’

‘Vince is the least of your worries, kiddo,’ Kenny said, looking from her to Dominic, then back at India again. ‘And if you must know, I’m going to try and persuade Charley to go back to The Amber Palace and talk to Vince. Okay?’

‘You are?’ Charley asked, a touch surprised.

‘Yeah, I am,’ Kenny replied. ‘Hanging round here isn’t going to do you any good, especially as Ms Movie Queen over there appears to be busy now.’

‘Who said I was busy?’

Kenny looked at her, raising an eyebrow. ‘You’re busy, okay? Come on, Charley.’

India watched as Kenny and Charley headed towards the outside terrace area, more than a touch uncomfortable about letting them disappear anywhere together, but she had other things to deal with now.

‘So?’ Dominic asked, sliding up onto the stool Charley had just vacated.

‘So, what?’ India asked, holding up her empty glass and signalling for a refill.

‘Have you made your choice?’

She looked at Dominic. ‘This is bullshit, Dominic. You really expect me to humour you over this?’

‘Humour me?’ Dominic laughed. ‘Is that what you’re doing? Humouring me?’

‘I’m not doing anything, Dominic. I came out for a drink, to party, to forget for a few hours. I wasn’t banking on you turning up throwing ultimatums in my face again.’

‘I need to know, India. Can you understand that? I need to know where I stand.’

She got up, walking away from him but he followed her, grabbing her arm and swinging her round.

She stared at him, although she made no attempt to shake him off. ‘You want to know where you stand, huh?’

‘I want to know where I stand. Yes.’

‘There was no need for any f*cking ultimatum, Dominic, okay? Because I was never going back to Michael. Did you hear that? I was never going back to him.’

‘So, what was with all the concern, all that at the hospital?’

‘Jesus, come on! He was a part of my life for a long time, I loved him like crazy, once. I loved him like crazy. Once. And to see him like that, knowing that it could have been so much worse… He’s Ethan’s dad. He’s my baby’s dad, and I guess I’ll never stop caring, I’ll never stop hoping that he sticks around for a long while yet because his little boy adores him, he worships the ground his father walks on…’

‘And you don’t?’

Dominic loosened his grip on her arm and she leant back against the wall, pushing a hand through her long blond curls, looking away from him, focusing on the exit ahead of her that led out onto the terrace.

‘No. Not anymore. Maybe I thought I still did, y’know? Just for a second.’ She turned to face him again, his eyes never leaving hers. ‘Maybe I thought I did. But that’s the kind of person he is. He makes you think that he’s everything you need, and that’s the way I lived for a long time. But not anymore. I’ll always love him, in some way that I’ll never really be able to explain, but I can’t ever go back to him.’

‘Why not?’

She stared at Dominic, into those piercing blue eyes that were so much like Michael’s. ‘Because I… I just can’t.’

Dominic really wanted to push it further, to find out more because it wasn’t as simple as her just saying she couldn’t go back to Michael – and she’d used the word ‘can’t’ rather than ‘won’t’. Should that make a difference? As far as Dominic was concerned, yes. It should. Because she was hiding something, that was for certain.

Pushing a hand through his hair he looked down at the ground for a few seconds, trying to work out what to do next. This hadn’t really made anything any clearer; he was still confused, still uncertain as to what was going on.

‘Dominic…?’

He slowly looked up at her, into a face so beautiful, but a face as confused as he was. And suddenly only one thing seemed the right thing to do. Leaning forward, he reached out and touched her warm cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb, moving closer until his mouth was just millimetres from hers, his breath warm on her face.

She said nothing, just closed her eyes and gave in to his kiss, trying so hard not to fall against him as his mouth moved slowly against hers, sending every mixed-up emotion she was already feeling into even deeper confusion.

‘Shit! Dominic, what the hell are we doing?’

He said nothing, just continued to gently stroke her cheek, running his thumb lightly over her slightly open lips.

‘I want you, so badly,’ Dominic whispered, his mouth close to her ear, his warm breath on her skin making India’s heart flutter like some love-sick teenager. She hadn’t wanted this tonight. She hadn’t wanted to think about this at all, not tonight. Tonight she’d wanted to kick back and relax, party with Kenny, forget all about Dominic, but how could she forget about him now when he was standing here, touching her, telling her he wanted her? And she wanted him too. Boy, did she want him too.

As the music pounding out of hidden speakers in the walls seemed to get louder, almost shaking the floor underneath India, that familiar feeling of knowing exactly where this was going to end rose up in her, and there was probably no point in trying to fight it. He had her cornered. In every possible way.

‘Let’s pretend,’ he said quietly, his fingers now stroking her shoulder, running up and down her arm, sending shivers right through her. ‘Let’s pretend we aren’t who we are. Let’s pretend that we’ve never met before, okay? We don’t know each other; we know nothing about each other. Let’s pretend we’re two people – strangers – that just need that one thing from each other tonight. We can worry about all the rest of the shit tomorrow. Okay? So, right now, I’m just some guy who saw you from across the other side of the room, some guy who’s just looking for some no-holds-barred fun. Let’s just pretend…’

She looked up into those eyes, her heart hammering hard against her ribs, a ridiculous feeling of excitement welling up in her.

‘It shouldn’t be too hard, after all, should it?’ Dominic whispered, his mouth almost touching hers as he spoke. ‘I mean, we’re actors, aren’t we? We should be able to do this – effortlessly.’

Her head was spinning with the thought of what was going to happen next, that beautiful feeling of anticipation sweeping over her as he continued to stare into her eyes. And even though it wasn’t what she’d planned to happen tonight, she had no choice left but to run with it because, right now, she wanted this man more than she’d wanted anyone in a long time.

She smiled at him, running a hand through her hair, arching her back and pushing her breasts out towards him. Okay. If he wanted a game then she was more than willing to play along. ‘So, you liked what you saw, huh?’

He smiled too, that full-on movie star smile. ‘Oh, you gotta believe it, honey. I liked what I saw. You are one red-hot walking fantasy.’

She felt an overwhelming ache for him. The need for him to touch her was almost taking her breath away – that tingling feeling between her legs, those butterflies in her stomach that had just flown loose again, it was all happening.

‘You want to see me naked?’ she smiled, taking a deep breath, willing him to touch her yet wanting him to wait until they were safely behind closed doors, because she knew that once they finally got round to making love, it was going to be one hell of a crazy ride.

He felt himself dangerously close to one killer erection as he looked at her. Her breasts were pushed up against his chest, her hips digging into him and all he wanted to do was touch her down there, feel how ready she was for him, because he knew she was. He could see it, sense it. In seconds he’d turned this situation round and he suspected he had daddy to thank for that. Maybe he had inherited some of the Michael Walsh charm after all. He just had to make sure he used it to his advantage a lot better than his father had managed to.

‘Take a shower in front of me,’ he whispered. ‘I want to watch you do that. I want to watch you naked and wet, soaped up and sexy… Jesus, I want – I need to watch you do that.’

She searched his face, her stomach doing a million somersaults all at once, which made her feel slightly light-headed. ‘And then what? You going to join me?’

‘Hey, I’ve only just met you,’ he smiled – that sexy-as-hell killer smile. ‘Should we be showering together?’

She reached out and touched his rough chin, running her fingertips over the stubble, resting them on his mouth. ‘So, two strangers meet, f*ck in the shower, what harm are we doing? Who are we hurting?’

He took her hand, kissing her mouth slowly and gently, her fingers tightening around his. ‘We ain’t hurting nobody, baby. We ain’t hurting nobody.’

‘We need a room,’ she said, realising that, if they didn’t make a move soon, things could quite easily get out of hand, and given their history of rather-too-public displays of affection, they really did need to move fast. ‘Come on, stranger. We’re out of here.’



***



Jimmy watched from the dark and secluded corner of the bar as Charley followed Kenny Ross outside and India talked to Dominic MacDonald. Everyone was still here, everyone was still in one place, but that wasn’t going to be for much longer.

He knew the wrap party was just around the corner, his final chance to play his trump card, to carry out what had always been his intention – to hurt Charley Maine in the only way he knew how.

Finishing off his drink he pulled his hat further down over his eyes, sinking back into his seat from his position near the bar, close enough to have heard almost everything that had been said, yet far enough away to make sure nobody had seen him.

He hadn’t expected Charley and Kenny to grow so close, in fact, that had almost thrown a curve ball at Jimmy. For a very brief moment it had made him think twice about revising his carefully laid out plan. But it now seemed that Charley really did still love Vince Maine, and Vince Maine really did still love Charley. And that was good. It was imperative that things stayed that way. It would be ideal if they could resolve their differences and be back to that sickeningly perfect couple they’d been before, but, even if that wasn’t the case, even if things still weren’t perfect, Jimmy knew that the impact of what he was about to do would still leave everyone reeling.

Making sure every drop of liquid had been drained from his tumbler he stood up, quickly checking to make sure he wouldn’t be seen as he left the bar. Things were going to plan for Jimmy Cash. Everything was working out just as he’d hoped it would. He was on track for the finale he’d waited so long for and this time, he was going to be the one who had the happy ending.



***



Dominic leant back against the bathroom wall, running a hand round the back of his neck, pulling at the collar of his shirt. The heat of the shower and the sight of India’s naked body soaped up and doing everything in its power to turn him on like he’d never been turned on before was making him feel light-headed and dizzy.

She was putting on one hell of a show; this woman really was a walking wet dream, a living fantasy, and he defied any man to stand where he was standing now, watching what he was watching now, and not get a hard-on from heaven. It was all he could do not to go down there and bring himself to that climax that was aching to be released. But that would be a waste, wouldn’t it? He needed to be with her, inside her, making himself a part of her but, Jesus, she was making the waiting hard.

He watched as she slowly rubbed soap all over her skin, the water cascading down over her incredible naked body, running down between her legs, making everything soaking wet and sexy-as-hell, sending every imaginable fantasy crashing through his head like some speeded-up porn movie.

When she closed her eyes and began rubbing the soapy bubbles into her breasts in slow, circular movements he could take no more. His willpower had run out and he ripped off his clothes like a teenage kid about to indulge in his first proper f*ck, joining her under the warm jets of water, pushing her up against the shower wall, kissing her hard and fast. She responded with kisses just as deep and rough, clinging onto him as the water continued to cascade over them, making them both slippery and wet.

She felt him hard against her thigh, and she put up no fight when he lifted her up, pushing her back against the wall, her legs wrapping around him as he pushed into her with a force that made her cry out loud, throwing her head back as he thrust into her.

The water raining down on them, coupled with him deep inside her, only heightened every feeling she was experiencing, every inch of her body tingling every time he moved, every touch of his lips on her skin making her moan and scream and she never wanted it to end, never wanted to let him go.

It was the most incredible, mind-blowing sex he’d had in a long while, and Dominic MacDonald had slept with some of Hollywood’s most beautiful leading ladies. But none of them even came close to India Walsh. None of them had made him feel as though every inch of him was on fire, none of them had made him want to take a vow to never even think of another woman if he could have this girl for the rest of his life. She f*cked with his head, she made him crazy, she had baggage that – under normal circumstances – would have meant he would never have even looked twice but then, so did he, didn’t he? Now. Now he had baggage too. Baggage they shared, complications they could identify with. And he never wanted to have to say goodbye to this woman.

She buried her fingers in his hair as he pushed hard and deep into her, so hard she was thrown back against the wall but it was the final thrust, and she cried out loud as he exploded inside her, that rush of warmth as he released himself flooding through her, sending her stomach reeling as she reached her own climax, that beautiful white-hot tingle taking over, until both their bodies had no other option left but to give in to the exhaustion.

Unwrapping her legs from around him she closed her eyes as he left her body, holding her close as their breathing returned to normal, her heart still beating hard as his fingers gently stroked her back.

‘Baby, baby, baby… you kill me. You f*cking kill me,’ Dominic breathed, resting his forehead against hers, stroking her cheek with his thumb as the water continued to rain down on them.

‘So, stranger. What do we do now?’ she smiled, reaching out to turn the shower off. But she didn’t want this game to end just yet. The night was young, and she wasn’t ready to re-enter real-life.

He smiled, kissing her slowly, his tongue flicking over the roof of her mouth as it touched hers, bringing her damp skin out in goosebumps as he pulled her close. ‘We party. You up for that?’

She smiled too, running her hands up and down his strong, toned arms. ‘Yeah. I’m up for that.’

Another kiss, another million flips of her stomach as his mouth moved against hers, warm and hard and beautiful.

‘India…’

She shook her head, putting her fingers to his lips to silence him. ‘Strangers, remember? Tonight we don’t know each other, that’s what you said. Tonight we’re forgetting. Okay?’

He nodded, letting his hand run down her back, resting it in that oh-so-sexy place at the very base of her spine. ‘Tonight, we’re forgetting.’

She smiled again, taking him in her hand as she moved her mouth close to his. ‘But, before we go anywhere, handsome, I want to give you something that I don’t want you to forget.’

And as she slowly sank to her knees, Dominic closed his eyes, stopped worrying about the future, and concentrated very hard on the fact that the most beautiful woman in Hollywood was about to take him to heaven and back. Again.



***



‘Jimmy called me, Kenny. Earlier tonight. He called me.’ Charley proceeded to tell Kenny what Jimmy had said, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders just by being able to tell someone, because what he’d told her had all but terrified her. ‘What does he mean by that, Kenny? You all take care?’

Kenny downed a large mouthful of beer, an urge to get completely wasted suddenly sounding like a really good idea, because, not only was this news something that he didn’t particularly want to have to deal with, but he knew that – right now – India and Dominic would be f*cking each other senseless somewhere. He’d seen them, watched them, even from outside on the terrace. He’d seen them run off, hand-in-hand, laughing like kids on one hot prom date.

‘Kenny?’

‘Sorry, Charley… I was just thinking.’

Charley looked at him. ‘About India?’

Kenny sat back in his chair, pushing a hand through his black hair as he looked around at the people and the couples and the partying. Yeah, partying seemed like a really good idea right now.

‘It’s always about f*cking India,’ Kenny sighed, sitting upright again as he caught sight of Dominic and India walking over to the bar, arms wrapped around each other. She leant into him as he smiled at the bartender, laughing at something Dominic said, and Kenny felt his stomach do that dip it always did whenever he saw her with somebody new. He’d never stop that from happening now, he knew that. He was just learning to live with it. He turned his attention back to Charley. ‘You should go home, Charley. You should go talk to Vince.’

‘What is there to talk about, Kenny?’

‘Jesus, Charley! Will you just go and fight for him? Huh? You’ve got something I would f*cking kill for, do you know that? Okay, we made another stupid mistake, but this time it doesn’t have to mean the end of a relationship. Vince still loves you, and you still love him, don’t you?’

She looked at Kenny, a little taken aback by his reaction. ‘Yeah. Of course I do.’

‘Then go home and start trying to make it work. Don’t make the same mistake I did all those years ago, Charley. Don’t let the only person you’ve ever really loved slip away, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’