Glitter Baby (14 page)

A lot of things about her matched him. That smart-aleck mouth and quirky sense of humor. Her boundless energy. But not her innocence. That wasn’t a match at all. Not her innocence, and not her fragile little-girl’s heart.

Johnny Guy cleared
the set of all but the necessary few, then called everyone together while Fleur was in makeup. “The first person who cracks a joke or does anything to make Fleur uncomfortable today is out on his butt, and the union can go screw itself.”

Dick Spano winced.

Johnny Guy cornered Jake. “You watch those wisecracks today.”

“You worry about yourself,” Jake retorted.

They were glaring at each other as Fleur came on the set. She wore a yellow cotton dress and white sandals. A baby-blue eyelet ribbon held her hair back from her face. She’d worn this yellow dress most of the week as they shot the dialogue that led up to the love scene, but today was the day it came off, and she was miserable.

“Let’s run through what we’re going to do, honey lamb.” Johnny Guy led her into the old farmhouse room with its faded wallpaper and iron bed. “You’re going to stand on that mark and look over at Matt. Keep looking at him while you unbutton your dress and step out of it. After we get that, I’ll shoot you from behind while you take off your bra and panties. Real easy stuff. Don’t try to rush it. And, Jako,
when she’s taking off her underwear, I’ll start coming in on you. Questions?”

“I’m clear,” Jake said.

Fleur yawned and looked at her wrist. “Yeah. Me, too.” The set was unnaturally quiet. No one called out insults, and none of the normal chatter flew back and forth. The tomblike silence made her even more queasy.

“You okay, Flower?” Jake said.

“Peachy.” She pretended to adjust the shoulder strap on her sundress.

Jake gave her a crooked smile. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Easy for you to say. Your underpants don’t have teddy bears on them.”

“You’re kidding.”

“They thought it would add to Lizzie’s character.”

Jake’s smile turned into a glower. “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard.”

“Exactly what I told them.”

Jake strode past her. “Johnny Guy, some idiot put Flower in panties with teddy bears on them.”

“I’m the idiot, Jako. You got a problem?”

“Damned right. Lizzie should be in the sexiest underwear they make. Innocence on the outside and corruption underneath. You’re screwing with my metaphor.”

“Fuck your metaphor.”

The two men began to argue. Finally something felt normal. She hoped they kept at it all day. Unfortunately they remembered she was there and apologized.

Johnny Guy sent her back to wardrobe to change underwear. The red lace replacement set didn’t hide anything, and she yearned for the teddy bears. Johnny Guy called for action. Slowly she began unbuttoning the top of the dress.

“Cut! You need to look at Matt, honey.”

She ordered herself to think only of Lizzie. Lizzie had undressed for a dozen men. She’d been scheming for this moment ever since Matt had returned. But as the cameras
started to roll, she couldn’t make herself believe the man watching her was anyone other than Jake.

It took four more takes, but the yellow dress finally slid to the floor. She stood in front of Jake wearing nothing more than a few scraps of red lace. She told herself this was no more revealing than a lingerie ad, but it didn’t feel like that.

She slipped into a terry-cloth robe while the crew moved the camera. They were shooting her from the back as she took off the bra and panties. She was supposed to be slightly out of focus as the camera concentrated on Matt’s reaction. But she wouldn’t be out of focus to Jake.

She made them wait while she went to the bathroom, but she could only stall so long. The cameras rolled. During the next take, she fumbled with the clasp of the bra. After that Johnny Guy had to remind her to hold her head up. The set felt like a morgue, and the absence of chatter added to her agitation.

As they got ready for the fifth take, she gazed desperately at Jake. He’d spent all morning not looking at her unless he had to, but now, instead of helping her, he let his eyes sweep down over her. He shrugged. “Your body is nice and everything, kiddo, but I’d appreciate it if we could get out of here before the tip-off. The Sixers are playing the Nets tonight.”

The cameraman laughed. Johnny Guy gave Jake a murderous glare, but Fleur felt a little better. Some of the tension on the set eased, and the skeletal crew began talking in normal tones.

With the next take, she got her bra off. She tried to pretend it was Matt looking at her breasts. She leaned forward just as Johnny Guy wanted her to and slipped her thumbs into the sides of her panties. Her stomach pitched. She gave a little tug and pulled them down.

Jake’s eyes followed the panties, then returned to look at what they’d been covering up. This wasn’t the way she wanted Jake to see her, not with everyone else looking, not
with cameras rolling and anyone who could afford a movie ticket able to see this moment that should have been private.

She hated herself for selling out. This might be right for other actresses, but she was a fake actress and it wasn’t right for her. She wanted to give herself to Jake with love—not performing a piece of business she was getting paid for.

The camera couldn’t see her facial expression, but Jake could. “Cut,” he said. “Just cut it. Shit.”

It didn’t take long for Belinda’s contacts to call and tell her what was happening. They been working on a closed set today, but Belinda should have gone anyway. If she’d been there, she could have helped.

She smoked and paced the living room. Nothing was going right. She’d never imagined Fleur would stay angry with her for so long, but her daughter had barely spoken to her since Tuesday when she’d found out she couldn’t use a body double. And now this.

Belinda lit another cigarette and waited.

Fleur came home early and walked past Belinda without saying a word. Belinda followed her upstairs. “Baby, don’t be like this.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Fleur said with a quiet dignity that further unsettled Belinda.

“How much longer are you going to punish me?”

“I’m not punishing you.” Fleur went into her room and dropped her purse on the bed.

“I’d call three days of silence punishment,” Belinda retorted.

Fleur rounded on her. “What you did to me was wrong.”

Fleur’s intensity frightened Belinda. “I’m not perfect, baby. Sometimes my ambition for you gets the better of me.”

“No kidding.”

Fleur’s sarcasm was a relief. Belinda made her way to
her daughter’s side. “You’re special, baby, and I won’t ever let you forget that, no matter how much you try to. The rules for celebrities aren’t the same as the rules for ordinary people.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Belinda stroked her cheek. “I love you with all my heart, do you believe that?”

Fleur softened enough to nod.

Belinda’s eyes filled with tears. “I only want the best for you. Your destiny was carved out the instant you were conceived. Fame is in your blood.” She held out her arms. “Forgive me, baby. Please say you forgive me.”

Fleur let Belinda hug her. Gradually her stiff muscles relaxed. “I forgive you,” she whispered. “But please…Promise you won’t ever lie to me again.”

Belinda’s heart filled with love for her beautiful, naïve daughter. She stroked her hair. “I promise. I’ll never lie to you again.”

Just before dark, Belinda grabbed the keys to her Mercedes. If she didn’t do something quickly, everything she’d worked for would slip away. She parked in Fleur’s space at the studio and nodded to the guard as she went inside. None of the three men sitting in the dark projection room noticed her. They were too absorbed in the images on the screen.

“The entire fucking sympathy of the movie shifts to her.” Johnny Guy twisted the cap on what looked like a bottle of Maalox. “It’s as if we’re watching Snow White get raped. I swear to God, Jako, if you say ‘I told you so,’ I’ll kick your ass.”

“The film’s imploding on us,” Jake said tonelessly.

Belinda felt a chill.

“Let’s not jump the gun,” Dick Spano said. “Fleur had a bad day, that’s all.”

Johnny Guy popped an antacid. “You weren’t there, Dicky. She doesn’t have it in her to pull off that scene.”

Jake raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ll drive up to my place, turn off the phones for the weekend, and do some rewrites. We’ll have to cut some of her footage.”

Belinda dug her fingernails into her palms. Cut Fleur’s footage? She wouldn’t allow it.

“Do what you have to,” Johnny Guy said. “I’ll make some notes for you. I’m sorry about this, Jako. Really.”

Spano jabbed the air with his cigar. “I don’t get why she froze up like that. We all know some of the guys she’s dated. Big-time players. It’s not like she’s never taken her clothes off for a man.”

“But she hasn’t taken them off for Jake,” Johnny Guy said.

Spano cigar’s tip glowed. “What does that mean?”

Jake sighed. “Leave it alone, Johnny Guy.”

The director glanced over at Spano. “Fleur’s fallen hard for our boy.”

Belinda went absolutely still.

Johnny Guy popped another antacid. “I guess he can’t help being irresistible.”

“Go to hell,” Jake said without any rancor.

Johnny Guy rubbed the back of his head. “Do what you can over the weekend with the rewrites. It’s not the end of the world, but this is going to hurt.”

Belinda’s mind raced as she slipped out of the room. Fleur had fallen in love with Jake? Why hadn’t she noticed?

Because she’d been too caught up in her own fascination with him. She thought she knew her daughter so well, but she hadn’t seen what should have been perfectly obvious. Of course Fleur had fallen for him. What woman wouldn’t? If she looked back, she could see the signs. But watching her dreams come true had made her oblivious. A thrill shot through her. She located Jake’s pickup in the parking lot and waited for him. She wouldn’t let them cut Fleur’s scenes.

He approached a little before midnight. She stepped out into the pool of light behind his truck. Ever since Iowa, he’d
been avoiding her, and he didn’t look happy to see her now. She accepted his rejection with the same fatalistic resignation she’d accepted Flynn’s abandonment. She wasn’t important enough to hold him. But when he’d kissed her that day, she’d felt as though she’d gotten a little piece of Jimmie back, and she could be satisfied with that.

“Don’t do the rewrites,” she said as he reached her. “It’s a waste of your time. Fleur can do those scenes.”

“Somebody’s been eavesdropping.”

She shrugged. “I saw the rushes, and I heard all of you talking. But there’s no need to change anything.”

He pulled a set of keys from his jeans pocket. “If you saw the rushes, you know we can’t use anything we shot today. Believe me, I don’t want to do this, but unless a miracle happens, we don’t have any choice.”

“Make the miracle, Jake,” she said softly. “You can do it.”

He locked eyes with her. “What are you talking about?”

She stepped closer to him, her mouth dry. “We both know why Fleur can’t let herself go in that scene. She’s afraid you’ll see the way she feels about you. But you can fix that.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

How could a man who wrote so brilliantly about human complexity be so obtuse? She smiled at him. “Break down that wall. Take her away with you this weekend and break down the wall she’s put up.”

He seemed to freeze, and then his voice grew cold. “Maybe you’d better explain exactly what you mean by that.”

She gave a small, nervous laugh. “Fleur will be twenty next month. She’s well past the age of consent.”

His lips barely moved. “I still don’t understand what you’re getting at. Spell it out, Belinda. Spell it out so I’m sure I’ve got it right.”

She wouldn’t retreat, and she lifted her chin. “I think you should make love to her.”

“Jesus.”

“Don’t look so shocked. It’s the obvious solution.”

“Only in your twisted mind.” His voice whipped her, and his eyes raked her with contempt. “Making love is what people do for pleasure. It’s not a business deal. You’re pimping your own daughter.”

“Jake…”

“What you’re talking about is fucking. Fuck my daughter, Koranda, so she won’t blow her movie career. Fuck her so she won’t blow
my
career.”

“It’s not like that!” she cried. “You make it sound so ugly.”

“Then make it pretty for me.”

“You have to be attracted to her. She’s one of the most beautiful women in the world. And she’s in love with you.” Of course, she was, Belinda thought. Fleur had always been a creature of grand passions. She had to love Jake.

His contempt turned to disgust. “Have you forgotten that morning in Iowa?”

“Nothing happened. It doesn’t count.”

“It counts in my mind.”

“Fleur wants you, Jake. And her feelings for you are all that stand in the way of finishing this film exactly the way you want it to be. Only you can break through her reserve.” Belinda had waited her whole life for this, and she wouldn’t let his squeamishness dissuade her. “What’s the harm?” She ignored her uneasiness and looked him straight in the eye. “It’s not like she’s never been with a man.”

Jake flinched.

Belinda hurried on. “She hasn’t been promiscuous, don’t think that. I sheltered her as much as I could. But a mother can only do so much. And this way her feelings for you will be able to run their natural course. She’ll be better for it. The movie will be better. Everybody wins.”

“You don’t win, Belinda.” He gazed down at her with eyes so cold they chilled her to the bone. “You’re the biggest loser I’ve ever met.”

He climbed in his truck, and the engine growled to life.
The tires screamed as he whipped out of his parking place. She watched until the taillights disappeared.

When she got home, she slipped inside Fleur’s dark bedroom. Her daughter was asleep. Tenderly she brushed away a long lock of blond hair that curled over her cheek.

Fleur stirred. “Belinda?”

“It’s all right, darling. Go back to sleep.”

“Smelled your perfume,” Fleur murmured, and then she was quiet.

Belinda sat awake for the rest of the night. She’d never been more right about anything than she was about this. Fleur and Jake could become one of Hollywood’s great couples, like Gable and Lombard, or Liz Taylor and Mike Todd. Jake needed a woman who was larger than life, just like him.