No Matter What (11 page)

But Charley was good for him in some respects.
 
She brought out the wilder side of him, a side he never really let out that often.
 
She was showing him what it was like to have a bit of fun now and again, although it was tough keeping up with her sometimes.
 
And he couldn’t ignore the stick he was getting from the other lads on the football team.
 
If it wasn’t enough having your sister all over magazines and newspapers he now had his girlfriend getting her tits out for money and sometimes that really bothered him, with the comments he got.
 
Charley was a beautiful girl; did she really need to be doing that?
 
But what was he supposed to do?
 
Tell her to pack it all in?
 
That’d go down well.

He decided to go and find
India
, see how she was getting on, so, leaving Charley to finish putting on what little clothing she was going to wear, he left the hotel room and went in search of his sister.
 

***

India
looked at herself in the mirror.
 
She felt almost invincible, totally calm, and that was all thanks to Kenny.
 
Kenny Ross – her best friend with amazing benefits.
 
She smiled to herself as she thought about the night ahead.
 
They now had a very special secret, a part of their relationship that nobody else needed to know about, and that’s the way they both wanted it.
 
Something just between
them
.

Kenny whistled as he came out of the bathroom, looking at her standing there, and she swung around to face him, smiling.
 
“You like?”

He smiled back, sliding an arm round her waist, kissing her slowly.
 
“Oh yes.”

She was wearing the short, black, strapless baby doll dress that the stylists had chosen for her, but instead of heels she’d teamed it with knee-high biker boots, thick leather cuff bracelets round her wrists and a bandana tied around her long blonde hair.
 
It sounded unorthodox for a Hollywood red carpet event, probably an outfit more suited to a rock concert but, thanks to the fabulous hair and make-up people, and her natural ability to carry off such a different style, she looked incredible.
 
They’d gone with what she’d wanted, creating India Steven the movie star, and she felt amazing.

“We should be going,” she whispered, stroking Kenny’s face.
 
Sometimes she still couldn’t believe she was here with him.
 
Just months ago she’d been watching him on the cinema screen back home in Britain and now he was here, holding her, kissing her, making her feel like a million dollars.

She let her fingers stroke his cheek, moving down to his rough chin – he almost had a beard at the minute and it only made him look all the more handsome.
 
And incredibly sexy.
 
Kenny Ross wasn’t one to go with the norm, even on nights like this.
 
What you saw was what you got and that’s what she loved about him.

“Come on.
 
They’ll be looking for us soon if we don’t get a move on,” she smiled, letting him kiss her one more time, almost falling against him like a rag doll as he held her and she wished they had a little more time.
 
She really did.
 

A knock at the door made them jump apart.

“
India
?
 
It’s Terry.
 
Are you in there?”

Kenny gave her one last, lingering kiss before walking over to the door, opening it and smiling at Terry, winking at
India
as he left them to it.

Terry watched him leave, kicking the door shut behind him.
 
“What was
he
doing in here?”

“Wishing me luck.”

Terry looked at his sister.
 
Kenny’s influence was written all over her but he couldn’t deny she looked beautiful.
 
Not your average red-carpet outfit but she carried it off effortlessly.
 
There was nothing of their mother in her at all and he could only assume that her father had been one hell of a good looking bloke.

“Come here, you.”
 
He smiled at her as she came over for a hug.
 
“I’m so proud of you
India
, you know that, don’t you?”

“Even if I
have
given you endless sleepless nights and tons of worry?”

“I’m starting to learn it comes with the territory.
 
I just want you to be happy.”

“I
am
happy, Terry.
 
I’m very happy.”

He kissed her forehead.
 
“Don’t you forget, though, I’m your brother and anytime you need me, anytime at all you just call me, ok?”

“Ok.”

He gave her one more hug.
 
“So, what
was
he doing in here?”

“You just can’t stop yourself, can you?”
 
India
checked herself one last time in the mirror.
 
“He was just wishing me luck, like I said.”
 
Just not in a way her brother needed to know about.
 
“I really wish you’d just talk to him, Terry.”

He didn’t say anything to that and she turned around to look at him, watching him fiddle with his watch.
 
She’d always took that as a sign he was nervous about something.
 
“Everything ok with you and Charley?”

She still found it hard to believe that her brother and Charley were an item now.
 
But then, she herself had proved that things you think will never happen sometimes just do.
 

Charley seemed to have changed though.
 
She didn’t seem like the same girl
India
had left behind in
Newcastle
and this foray into the world of glamour modelling concerned her.
 
Charley might think she knew what she was doing but did she really have anyone looking out for her?
 

“Everything’s fine,” Terry replied, sticking his hands in his pockets.

India
wasn’t 100% convinced by her brother’s answer but she decided not to dig any further.
 
There wasn’t time anyway; they really had to be going.

“Come on then,” she said, taking a deep breath as she walked over to him, taking one of his hands and giving it a quick squeeze.
 
“Go get Charley and let’s get this show on the road.”

CHAPTER 9

The noise was deafening.
 
She’d never heard anything like it.
 
As they turned the corner leading up to the theatre
India
could hear the shouts and screams getting even louder, the clicking of the cameras, the lights and the people - the immense amount of people - suddenly coming into view.
 

She looked out of the limo window at the huge movie poster that seemed to fill the sky - a poster of her and Kenny - and it seemed so unreal that that was her up there.
 
But she felt no nerves, nerves were pointless.
 
Whatever happened would happen and she might as well enjoy this night.
 
She may never get another one like it.

Kenny gave her hand a squeeze, bringing it up to his mouth, kissing it gently. “It’s gonna be ok, babe,” he smiled.

She smiled back.
 
“Yeah.
 
I know.”

The limo slowly drew to a halt and, before she had time to think about anything, the door opened, the lights of the camera flashes almost blinding her.

Kenny got out first, holding out his hand for her to take and she gripped it tight as she stepped out of the car, clinging onto him as a wall of sound hit her head on, a cacophony of people yelling out their names.
 
They were being shouted at from all angles, asked to turn this way and that way until it made her head spin.
 
It was crazy, total madness but it was exhilarating!
 
Everyone seemed to want a glimpse of her, to see who this new, young movie-star-in-waiting was.
 
Every photographer wanted her picture, but they wanted her picture with Kenny even more.

They were being told where to go, where to stand as people guided them towards the photographers and reporters that were lining the red carpet and she never let go of Kenny once.
 
She wasn’t brave enough just yet, but with him beside her she could do this.
 
She knew she could.
 
She could do it.
 
India Steven was living the dream and she never wanted to wake up.

***

Reece was close behind
India
and Kenny, watching the way everyone fell over themselves to get close to this brand new dream Hollywood pairing and none of it was a surprise to him.
 
Their reactions were just what he’d expected because
India
looked amazing, although he’d been slightly taken aback at first at her choice of outfit, but nobody could deny she looked stunning.
 
She wasn’t the scared and nervous girl he’d brought over from
England
anymore, but he had a feeling that this was the real
India
.
 
This journey was bringing out who she really was, and if Kenny Ross was helping her find her true self then he couldn’t be all that bad, could he?
 
Reece had to try and accept that.
 
But he also needed to keep
India
within reach, that was imperative.
 
He needed to keep her close, make sure she was safe, make sure she came to no harm.
 
He didn’t want to interfere with her life; he didn’t want to take over.
 
He just wanted to make sure she was ok.

Photographers were shouting at him to have his picture taken with
India
and he watched as she reluctantly let go of Kenny and walked over to him.
 
Was that just a hint of nerves creeping over her beautiful face just then?

Reece pulled her close and felt her relax as he held her, telling her everything was fine, she was doing great, it was all going perfectly and she smiled up at him.
 
This was the start of her new life, right here, right now; this was where it all began.
 
And he’d be there with her every step of the way.
 
Every single step.

***

Michael felt sick.
 
Did Kenny Ross
have
to hold her so close?
 
Surely she was big enough to walk the red carpet on her own?
 
Maybe he should have insisted he walk it with her, he was the director after all.
 
Kenny Ross may be the star of this movie but Michael was the director, he was just as important, if not more so.

He was finding it hard to concentrate if he was honest.
 
Trying to focus his attention on the interviews he was supposed to be giving to various reporters along the red carpet was proving difficult when he didn’t want to take his eyes off
India
.
 
She looked like something straight off the cover of a magazine; young and beautiful and different.
 
That’s what was so special about her, she was different.
 
Different to anyone else he’d ever wanted to be close to and that’s why he was desperate for her not to disappear from his life when all this was over.
 
He couldn’t let that happen.
 
He didn’t know if he’d be able to deal with her not being there.
 
But if he had no reason to contact her, no reason to be around her then how could he make sure she’d always be there?

That familiar punch to the stomach he felt every time he saw Kenny Ross touch her happened again as he watched India leave the side of Reece and go back to her young, handsome co-star.
 
Kenny’s arm immediately fell back around her waist, his hand resting lightly on her hip, and Michael felt as though the pain was becoming unbearable. It was literally making his chest hurt.
 
Was there something going on there?
 
He didn’t know.
 
He wished he did but he didn’t know.
 
He knew they had an extremely close friendship, that was no secret, and even that bothered him.
 
Why wasn’t he ten years younger?
 
Why couldn’t
he
be to her what Kenny Ross was?
 
But then, if she and Kenny were nothing but friends what was stopping him from making a move?
 
Because she didn’t look at him that way, that’s why.