Prince of the Playhouse (23 page)

Ru clapped his hands. “You’re all smashing. I’ve never been so nervous in my life, so stomp it out fiercely for me.”

Molly gave him a hug, which inspired a group smoosh, and then they were walking toward the party. Shaz’s assistants had set up a runway through the middle of the rooms, with special lighting.

Ru gulped air and stepped out onto the head of the runway. “Hi, everyone. I think you all know, but just in case, I’m Ru Maitland. What you’re about to see is a small preview of my new collection that will be fully unveiled at New York Fashion Week. As you know, I designed the costumes for the production of
Hamlet
which many of you just saw.” The room burst into applause, and he felt himself blushing. He glanced at Gray. The Russian witch hung on his arm like a charm bracelet, bored expression intact. As he watched, Gray shrugged enough to dislodge her hold and applauded like mad.
Well, okay.

“Thank you.” Ru held up a hand. “I’m so happy you liked them. Those designs have informed my collection, as I’m sure you’ll see. But don’t think for a moment that this is all. We’re barely peeking under the kimono of fabulousness here. Come see me in New York in September. Now here’s your nibble.” He flashed a smile for the cameras and walked back down the hall, where Clarisse stood ready to start the short fashion show.

He opened the door, she stepped out, and the place began to rattle with the clapping, whistling, and stomping coming from the room.

“HIS CLOTHES
are very beautiful.”

It sounded like she said, “Hiss close.” Every time Gray saw her, that accent seemed to get thicker. She probably came from Hoboken. He continued to stare out the limo windows. “Yes.” Where was Ru now? With Merle, right? Jesus, his stomach tightened.
Who the hell do I think I am, feeling jealous?

Benson leaned in from the backward-facing seat. “So you really did great, Gray. How shall we celebrate? I made reservations at Fig and Olive and Cecconi’s.”

Gray turned toward him. “Why would I want to go there? No one saw the play or the fashion show. Why is that fun?”

“Hey, we’ve got Ursula to show off to Hollywood. Who cares about the play?”

“I do.”

Ursula didn’t appear to have heard a word. “Do you think he would want Ursula to wear his clothes?” She frequently spoke of herself as if she wasn’t there.

Gray looked at her. “Who?”

“Rupert Maitland, of course.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

She frowned. “But he used Molly. I am more marvelous than Molly.”

“I doubt if Molly called him unnatural.”

She shrugged. “But is well-known.”

He sighed. “Only to you.” He turned back to the window. His heart beat in his ears. God, those clothes were fabulous. Ru was fabulous.
What the hell am I doing here?

Benson the cheerleader slapped Gray on the knee. “How about we go to downtown Laguna and get some of that good food at Rick’s. I could go for those french-fried green beans.”

Ursula folded her arms. “No more Laguna Beach. Town full of homosexual lovers.”

Gray slammed a hand on the leather upholstery. “Enough of this shit.” He looked at Benson. “You like her? You date her.” He leaned forward and pounded on the divider between the back and front seats. It slid down.

Chris said, “Yeah, boss?”

“Take Benson and Ursula wherever the hell they want to go.” He looked out the window at downtown Laguna. “And let me out here.”

Chris said, “You shouldn’t be alone, Gray.”

Benson took his arm. “You can’t do that.”

Gray shook off Benson’s hand. “Watch me.” He turned to Chris. “I’m fine. Or I will be as soon as you let me out of this fucking car.”

“Sure, boss.” Chris stopped, Gray jumped out, slammed the door, and jogged away from the car.
Okay, that was a big exit. Where to?
He smiled and started trotting toward the Ocean Bar. For two blocks he breathed the air like salty freedom and ignored the people who glanced up and stumbled over their feet when they recognized him.

One woman waved. “Hi, Gray!”

He waved back and kept trotting. At the bar, he pulled open the door on a wave of hope. The big weekend crowd surged back all the way to the door—heat, noise, the smell of alcohol. Before too many people recognized him, he shouldered his way farther into the crush and surveyed the larger tables and booths in the back. Sure enough, Artie’s hand appeared, waving wildly. Gray slipped between drinkers and got to the table. A big chunk of the cast and crew were there, but no Ru. Also no damned, fucking Merle.

Artie stood and gave him a hug and pat on the back. “Hey, man, I’ve barely seen you. Great opening night. I had producers talking to me about films I could make with you.” He laughed. “That’s a first.”

Gray stared at Artie.
What an idea.
“Hell, I’ll do any film you’re interested in, man. I love working with you.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Not even slightly. Let’s talk about it before my week is up.”

“Shit yeah.” Artie patted his back.

“Where’s Ru?”

“Not sure. We invited Merle to join us while Ru was still doing his party and fashion show, but he said he wanted to wait for Ru. Not sure if they’ll show up.” He looked around at the nearby tables. “Let’s find a chair so you can sit down.”

Instant decision. “Uh, actually I can’t.” He looked at the group at the table and smiled. “I just took a chance you’d be here so I could buy champagne for everyone and say how much I’m enjoying working with you. You’re the best. Sorry I can’t join you, but they’ve got some shit I have to do.”
There, was that vague enough?

The cast and crew all gave him handshakes, kisses, and pats. He did another guy hug with Artie, told the waitress to give the table anything they wanted, and left them his credit card good to two thousand dollars. With that, he escaped out the door and took off at a run up the hill. He liked Merle Justice a lot. In fact, he’d like to have him as a friend. But he’d be damned if Merle was taking his place with Ru.

Doing his own stunts meant he reached the top of the slope without even breathing hard. He ran full speed down the streets with pictures of Merle getting his ass fucked blazing in his mind, and reached Ru’s block panting from frustration more than exercise.
Okay, slow down and breathe.
One step, two steps, three steps—
fuck that!
He took off like a rabbit and bounded onto Ru’s porch, his fist landing on the door before he could stop himself.

RU GLANCED
at Merle, set down his glass of champagne, and walked to the door. He peeked through the peephole.
Son of a
—the pounding came again.

Okay, puppy.
He threw open the door, stepped back, and swept a bow. “Prince Hamlet, I presume.”

Gray stepped straight into the entry and positioned himself so he could look into the living room, which he did conspicuously. When he saw Merle, he frowned. “Hello, Justice.”

Merle kind of snorted, but replied, “Hello, Anson.”

Ru closed the door, walked into the living room, and sat himself beside Merle, in front of his champagne. “I believe you knew I had a date.” He looked around disingenuously. “By the way, where’s your date?”

Gray crossed his arms. “She wasn’t a date, and you damned well know it.” He breathed a long, disgusted stream of air.

“Do I? Do I know what in the hell you’re doing with Ms. Homophobic Honey any more than I know what you’re doing with half the fucking stuntmen in Hollywood?”

Merle leaned back on the sofa cushion and grinned. “My oh my, I never expected I’d get to observe this kind of lovers’ quarrel.”

Gray scowled. “Fuck off, Merle.”

Merle laughed. “I appear to be the one sitting on the couch drinking champagne.”

“That can be changed.” Gray took a menacing step forward.

“Oh come on, man.” Merle looked half-scared and half-disgusted.

Ru put his hands on his hips and slid to the edge of the couch. “Hell no. You don’t come in here and tell my guests what they can and cannot do.”

Gray made a scary face, crossed to the chairs opposite the couch, and flopped into one. “Look, Merle, I like you. A lot, actually, otherwise I’d never be sitting here giving you this kind of ammunition over me.”

Merle nodded, very man-to-man. “I kind of wondered about that. So the message I’m getting is that you’re gay and in love with Ru, right?”

“Right. And my situation is crappy for romance. So, bottom line, I don’t need you fucking up my chances every chance you get.”

Ru sat with his mouth hanging open.
What the bloody hell did Gray just say? Did he say “right” to a question asking if he was in love with me?
“Uh, hang on. Hang on! What exactly is going on here?”

Merle looked at him like he was being dense. “Simple. Gray’s asking me to step aside so he can be your unchallenged suitor.”

“Suitor?” He leaped to his feet. “What makes you think, Mr. Anson, that I don’t have a line of your so-called suitors waiting for me to say yes?”

Gray’s lips stayed firm, but his eyes danced. “Well, I think you should have a line of admirers, but I don’t think you do, because for some reason you’re not interested in anybody. Hell, I watch guys gazing at you like the sun rose all over your pretty face, and you don’t even notice. Nope, I think it’s between me and Merle.”

Merle turned to Ru. “Is it? Is it between the two of us?”

Ru let out a long, slow sigh. “No.”

Gray’s face fell. “Oh. Who’s the other guy?”

Merle looked at Ru with a sad smile. “There isn’t any other guy, is there? There’s just Gray.”

Ru stared at his hands.

Gray said, “What?”

“Ru and I are just friends, Gray. We’ve never even kissed—well, once briefly, but it didn’t work out—because he’s not interested in me. Only you.” Merle reached out and stroked Ru’s arm. “Not for lack of trying on my part, but he’s always made it clear, somebody else was it. I kind of figured it was you the first time I ever saw him look in your direction.”

Gray leaned forward. “Is it true?”

Ru wiggled his fingers. “I told you that.”

“Yeah, but a lot of water’s gone over the dam since then.”

Ru looked up. “I’ve been stuck on you since the first time I saw you on the screen—but that doesn’t mean I can endure your lifestyle. Watching you get blown up about killed me, and seeing you with that witch makes me ill. I don’t care how good she is for your career. Her opinions demean me, Merle, and you. There’s no excuse for it.”

Gray nodded. “That’s why Benson is taking her back to her hotel now. I don’t ever plan to see her again.”

Ru stared at that beautiful face. “That’s good.” He looked down at his fingernails like they held the secrets of the universe. “If I had any self-respect, I’d tell you that you don’t deserve me. If you won’t admit who and what you are—if you won’t admit what I am to you—why should I be your secret boyfriend? I’m sure there are thousands of guys who’d be willing to bend over for you.”

Gray kind of collapsed in his chair. “You’re right, of course.”

Merle looked back and forth between them. “Hang on. What you’re saying would be fine in a perfect world, Ru, but shit, think about what you’re asking. There aren’t any bigger stars than Gray Anson. Even the most stupendous among us only get a certain number of years at the top. You’re asking Gray to throw that over by coming out.”

Ru looked up. “You did it.”

“Okay, yes, but I’m no Gray Anson. I’m not even an action star. Plus I only got a little famous last year. Gray hit it big more like five or six years ago. It wasn’t okay to be gay then. Hell, it’s not okay for big, sexy stars to be gay now. It’s just a different thing.”

Ru rested his chin on his hand. “I know.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I know what’s best for Gray. But I have to consider if that’s the best for me.”
Jesus, you sound so reasonable.

Gray said, “First of all, what if I give up doing my own stunts? At least the really dangerous ones. It costs the production company a couple of first-born children to buy insurance on me anyway. Yeah, the director loves it, but he doesn’t pay the tab. So I can do that. Second, what if I hire a woman to be my so-called girlfriend? She can go everywhere with me and expect nothing.”

Ru’s heart beat like a hammer. “How do you keep her from blackmailing you?”

“I pay her a lot.”

Merle shook his head. “Sounds expensive to be in the closet. But what if I volunteer to be Ru’s boyfriend?” Gray gave him a vicious look, and Merle laughed. “I mean in name only. Hell, we’re already friends, and I’m a boy, right?”

“Why would you do that? What do you get out of it?”

Ru looked at Merle too. “Good question.”

“I get to hang out with Ru—and you. I don’t have a boyfriend right now, so no skin off anything. When I meet somebody I like, I’ll move on. But I feel the same as you, Gray. I like you. I wouldn’t mind being your friend. It probably doesn’t hurt my career to hang with you. So what the fuck?” He flashed the boyish grin.

Gray looked at Ru. “What do you think?”

Oh shit. Oh shit.
Gray Anson had just said he’d rearrange his life for Ru. He’d even said he loved Ru, although that was likely just a figure of speech. Dreams-come-true probably never looked exactly like you expected anyway, right? He nodded. “Yes, okay.”

Things got real quiet. Ru looked at his hands and Gray stared at the floor. Suddenly Merle burst out laughing. “Okay, I know when I’m not needed.” He drank down the last of his champagne and stood. “Let me know when my performance as a stand-in boyfriend is required. I’ll see you, Gray, at tomorrow’s matinee. Ru, it was fun hanging with you, baby.” He leaned down and kissed Ru’s cheek.

Damn, what a sweetie.
Ru stood and gave Merle the tightest hug he could imagine. Gray tapped Merle’s shoulder, and when he looked up, Gray gave him a hug. Merle leaned back. “Okay, we have to teach you how to hug like a gay guy.” He wrapped both arms around Gray, kissed his cheek, and hugged him tight. Gray kind of blushed, but he hugged back.