Star Crossed (5 page)

“You don’t have to swear to anything. I know it seems like I don’t give a shit, but I am old enough to know what I can and cannot forgive. You have made me a laughingstock for the past month and now, because you think you have leverage, this cycle is going to start all over again.”

“If you want to save Chris’s ass, I want to have dinner with you one last time. We can talk. Final offer. Otherwise I will bury Chris Cavanaugh.”

She wanted so badly to tell him to go fuck himself, but she believed he would follow through with his threats against Chris.

“Friday night. Seven o’clock.”

“I’ll be there. Make sure Chris isn’t.”

Chapter Five

Chris was taking the curves so fast on his motorcycle he almost clipped two guardrails. When Kate told him about her dinner plans with Jack and his specific request that he not be at the house, his blood started a slow boil. She explained that this dinner was his way of getting closure so they could all move on with their lives. Something didn’t feel right. He pressed her some more, and she confessed that the only surefire way to make sure Jack didn’t sabotage his career was to have this dinner with him. He felt responsible for that. What exactly did Jack want in return for him releasing an imaginary stranglehold on his career? Images of Jack making Kate do things with him kept flashing in his mind.

After the third loose cannon turn, Chris pulled over to the shoulder. He got off his bike and climbed up a small dirt hill to see the ocean. Since living with Kate for such a short time, he’d come to love the sound of the ocean.

He’d even broken his golden rule for her and they had watched his older films together. It never did feel right to see himself on screen or television. But they watched, and he enjoyed listening to her praise him for his growth as an actor. They even played a drinking game during one of his movies. They had to take a shot each time he took off his shirt in some low-budget horror movie he did. Turns out, it was about eight times and they were both drunk by the end of it. They awoke with their bodies entwined on the couch, having slept the whole night in the warmth of each other’s arms. She got ready for work and he went for a jog on the beach. Neither said much about it.

It was killing him to know she was about to let that cheating bastard Jack paw on her for the sake of his career. He’d gotten out of other scrapes, and if the Hollywood deities were feeling kind, he’d make it through this one. Chris jumped on his motorcycle and headed back to Kate’s house.

* * *

It was nice that they were being civil to one another, but Jack had moved another inch closer to her in the last ten minutes. He’d been there for about an hour, and Kate was determined to keep their conversation on an even keel, hoping it could really be cathartic for both of them in some way. Her hope faded when she saw that horny look in his eyes.

“I miss you so much.” He touched a long lock that had fallen out of her ponytail.

“That will pass in time.” She backed away from him.

“There was a time when you loved it when I touched you.”

“That was a thousand years ago.”

“Chris lays the pipe that good?”

“You just don’t get it.”

Jack began to move closer to her. She edged nearer to the deck railing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris appear.

“Pierce!” He decked Jack.

Jack stumbled backward hard, fell through the railing and onto the beach below. Kate was in shock.

Chris ran down the stairs and grabbed Jack. Kate yelled for them to stop, but they went after one another. Kate hurried down the stairs to separate them when an arm reached out and grabbed her. It was her neighbor Clara. Kate was taken off guard; Clara’s grip was quite firm for a senior citizen. Marvin broke the two men apart.

“You are finished, Cavanaugh! Finished!”

“Kiss my ass, Pierce. If you think I’m going to let you coerce her into doing something so you won’t hurt me, you’re out of your mind.”

Jack lunged for Chris but Marvin stopped him. “Enough!”

“This is none of your business, Marvin.”

“That young lady is my business. You lost her. Nobody told you to sleep with some actress. You created all of this. You need to accept it and move on.”

“You can’t threaten him like this, Jack. It’s not fair.” Kate pulled away from Clara.

“Let him do his worst. That’s not going to keep me away from Kate. I love her and there is nothing you can do about it.” Chris paced.

“He’s not going to do a thing. You’re both going to make that film and that’s it.”

“And what makes you think you can tell me what to do, Marvin?”

“Jack, I am one of the principle owners of Pinnacle Studios. So technically I’m both your bosses. Don’t screw with me. I’ll put the kybosh on your career so fast you won’t be able to sell souvenirs on Hollywood Boulevard.”

* * *

Kate couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed. Jack left without uttering a word. Marvin and Clara left after Kate assured them she was fine.

She dragged Chris back in the house and examined him. He’d taken a few punches, but he was OK.

He had a small scratch near his temple. Kate got the first aid kit and gently tended to his wound. Chris let her fuss over him.

Before she put on the Band-Aid, she stopped and took a long look at him. “You know you are certifiable. You just got into a fight over a fake relationship.”

“All to defend your honor.”

“Was it worth it?”

“Yes, you are.” He winced at Kate prodding a raw spot on his face. “And now I’m living next door to my boss. Sort of.”

“Wow. I knew Marvin owned Blue Vinyl, but I didn’t know about Pinnacle.”

“And he adores you.”

“We are two musical kindred spirits.” She placed the Band-Aid on his temple.

“Thanks. Did I piss you off coming back like that?” His tone was soft.

“No. He was working on phase two of his seduction plan.” She laughed.

He frowned.

“I wouldn’t have slept with him.” She gave him a curious look.

“I know. But he shouldn’t have been thinking about it.”

She surveyed the damage on the patio. “Guess it was time for a new railing anyway.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Thank you for coming to my rescue.” Kate kissed him softly on the lips.

“Any time.” He kissed her back.

The kiss was meant as a thank you, but Kate found herself on the receiving end of a tonsillectomy. His beard was scruffy, but felt like silk against her skin.

She forced herself to pull back. “Hungry?”

“Not for food.” He caressed her breasts.

“Unfortunately I am.”

“You didn’t eat?”

“I was too anxious to eat. Want to go out?”

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Something greasy with a cold beer.”

“I know just the place.” Chris got up and stretched. “Wanna take the motorcycle?”

“Why don’t we take my safe convertible instead?”

“Don’t you want to feel the wind whipping around your body? It’s a hell of a rush.”

“Thrill seeker.” She giggled.

“Guilty as charged. I promise I’m a good driver. I won’t do anything scary. I just want you to get a taste of why I drive around on that thing.”

“Sure.”

* * *

As they zipped along the highway, air rushed down Kate’s lungs and she felt renewed. She didn’t ride often, but Chris’s ease of maneuvering quelled her nerves. Her arms were wrapped around his waist for safety. She loved the feel of his abs. She casually ran one of her hands down his thigh, appreciating how tight and corded his thigh muscles were. The more she caressed, the faster he seemed to go on the bike. They hadn’t known each other long, but it had been one adventure after another. There was still so much to figure out while pretending to be a couple who were really sleeping together. She suggested food because she knew if she stared into his eyes one minute longer, they would have done something horizontally foolish again. After all, the man did come barreling into the house to make sure her big, bad, soon-to-be ex-husband didn’t make her do anything slimy. It was a sweet and crazy gesture on his part, and it made her heart skip a beat. And then in his speech to Jack, he mentioned the word love again. She made a major mistake with Jack, and she didn’t want to do the same thing with Chris. Kate squeezed him tighter and relaxed against his body. For now, she was content enjoying the ride.

* * *

Chris did his best to keep his eyes glued to the road, but Kate’s hands roaming over his body was more than distracting. He knew she wanted to leave the house because she felt what he did. That current that flowed between them was intense. While she was tending his bruises all he could think about was taking her right there on the kitchen floor.

He was glad Jack wasn’t able to bully her; he didn’t know if he could stand it if Jack or any other man touched her again. Their meeting may have been under very unusual circumstances, but he knew this was right. No matter how chaotic it all seemed, something deep inside was telling him that no matter how they met, Kate Garrison was the one.

Chapter Six

“Can’t you go to New York next week?” Kate sighed. The last thing she wanted to hear on Monday following her crazy weekend was that she had to leave town for a week.

John brushed the front of his suit coat and then straightened his tie. “I don’t think the magazine will go for a picture of me on the cover when they asked for you.”

“They just want to cash in on my misery.”

“Come on, it will be good press.”

“You are a media whore.”

“Hell, yeah. Some of my best performances have been in front of a camera.” He grinned.

“And most won’t see the light of day. Things have been a little hectic. Jack stopped by Friday night. He said he wanted to have dinner so we could get closure.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” John jumped out of his chair.

“Can I finish my story?”

“Go ahead.” He sat on the edge of his desk.

“He came over and the closure turned into another reconciliation ploy. Chris came in and decked him so hard, he crashed through the railing. They started fighting, and Marvin, of all people, breaks it up. The end result is Jack won’t be sabotaging Chris on the movie. Marvin apparently is a principal owner in Pinnacle Studios and told Jack where he could put it.”

“Wow. Marvin is still a big player in this town. Didn’t see that one coming.”

“I asked him what else I didn’t know about him. He said Pinnacle was just the tip of the iceberg for him.”

“Damn.” He chuckled. “Maybe a few days away will do you some good.”

“If I go to New York I’ll have to see my family.” She frowned.

“You don’t have to do anything. You are a grown woman.”

“Finally you realize this?”

“No, finally I accept it. I just want the best for you.” He touched her chin.

“Thanks.”

“So New York?”

“OK.”

* * *

When Chris suggested they give their relationship a public road test, Kate had no idea he would be taking her to the elusive Palm Breeze restaurant. When they walked in, there was a momentary silence. They were seated in a booth that was private with a good view of the dining room. Kate was a little nervous, but Chris’s cavalier demeanor made her relax.

“So you’re going to New York for a few days?” He perused the menu.

“Yes, I agreed to do an interview. This was all arranged pre-scandal.”

“Ah. So what magazine is this?”

“
Bella Donna
.” She was skeptical he’d heard of it.

“The premier magazine for fabulous haute couture.”

Kate raised her eyebrows at him.

“Four sisters.” He laughed.

“Is that how you know women so well? How you know how to romance them? You’ve been living with a crib sheet all your life.”

“I have a soft spot for some of the writers at
Bella Donna
. They are the least raunchy when they talk about me.”

“Does that bother you? That people think of you as a sex symbol?”

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “There’s more to me than the face, the abs, and a big penis.”

“And here I was admiring your acting abilities.” She laughed.

Chris kissed her hand. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not being shallow.”

“And thank you,” she replied.

“For what?”

“For wanting to help me with all this crap.”

“Gave me an excuse to get to know you. I suspect if we’d met under other circumstances you wouldn’t have given me the time of day.” He winked.

* * *

A pleasant waiter came to the table, and they ordered. Chris was normally a people watcher, but sitting there with Kate enjoying the conversation, he forgot to do his normal survey of the land.

“Why do you think that? If anything I’m not your type.” She sipped her water.

“What makes you so sure you’re not my type?”

“I remember a few of your red-carpet dates. It’s safe to say the women in your life get successively hotter.”

“You included.”

Kate laughed. “Mr. Cavanaugh, I am many things, but delusional has never been one of them. I could hardly audition for that Bond girl type you seem to keep your radar honed on.”

“Are we going to argue about how gorgeous you are?” He raised an eyebrow.

“You are gorgeous.” Kate smiled. “I am…”

“Breathtaking.”

“Pretty.”

“Beautiful.”

“Good-looking.”

“You’re prettier than Cindy Upton.”

“What?”

“I stumped you.” He laughed. “Cindy Upton was the first girl I ever had a crush on. She was beautiful even in the fourth grade. She had beautiful sparkling eyes, long blondish-brown hair that she kept in a bushy ponytail all the time, and few freckles scattered across her cheeks. I used to follow her around but was too afraid to talk to her. She was the gauge that I measure every woman who has come into my life since.”

“Can we change the subject?” She spoke politely.

“Sure.”

“How many people do you know in here?” She looked around.

Chris started pointing around the room. “Let’s see. I used to date the woman in the blue dress. We worked on the soap opera together. Broke up because she was more a groupie than girlfriend material. Had a three-way with the chick at the table by the window with her roommate one night. That was interesting. Got a hand job from that one in the yellow top at an awards show. Was propositioned by him in my trailer on a movie we did together. And the woman waiting for her coat at the coat check tried to fake a pregnancy so I would propose to her. Had an imaginary miscarriage when I said I’d wait for the paternity test before paying one dime in child support.”

“Damn. You do get around.” She sounded horrified.

“This is over a six-year span. And that guy over there is my old agent, Alec Majors.” He pointed to a guy in a blue suit sitting in the middle of the restaurant with three people and talking on his phone.

“Why did you two part ways?”

“Alec is a self-serving megalomaniac.”

“But you didn’t really say hello to anyone when you came in.”

“I’m with you. Why would I stop and chat with some chick just because she gave me a hand job at an awards show. Not that I didn’t appreciate it, but you are the most important person in this room to me.” He leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

Kate knew for all intents and purposes that the kiss was designed to keep the public fire stoked about their love affair. So when Chris ran his lips over hers, she sat there as calmly as possible, trying to keep it all in perspective. This is what a hot couple in a love affair did, right? They canoodled in intimate booths in fine restaurants and kissed and pawed each other. She’d never been much of a PDA kind of person, but then again, she didn’t have much experience with men. In between building her music empire there had been a few guys. She never dated anyone she worked with, so that left very few people she came in contact with on a daily basis. And that wasn’t originally her rule. John imposed that rule one day when a member of a perspective boy band tried to hit on her. John tried to wring his neck. They had to sign the band just to keep the peace about the incident. Kate sometimes felt that Rapunzel had a better social life than she did.

Chris was the kind of guy John would have definitely kept away from her, but unusual circumstances had everyone standing back and respecting her wishes. This nice, charming man who was sharing her beach house with her was a womanizer who’d declared on national television that he’d sooner get bitten by a shark than be married for a day.

While pondering the interesting state of affairs Chris had moved his mouth and was nuzzling her neck. She wanted to swat him away, but there seemed to be a throbbing along her neck where he was kissing her.

“I want to make love to you again.” He breathed into her neck.

She reached for her water. She needed something to cool her down. “I don’t think what we did against the wall in my studio was making love.”

“What would you call it?”

“I don’t know, but I think I saw something similar late one night on Cinemax.” She blushed.

“I think I deserve a do-over. My reputation has come under fire.”

“It’s not your reputation I’m worried about. It’s status quo actually. I’m the person who keeps making major missteps.”

“Hey.” He chuckled. “The last thing I want you to do is think that the two of us meeting was a mistake. But I’m not gonna lie and say this was a passing thing. I want you, and I hope, despite what you read about me, you will allow yourself to get to know me. Not the person the media perceives me to be.”

“So while playing imaginary house with me, you’re going to clean up your image?”

“I don’t mind being reformed for a little while.”

* * *

Chris’s late night on the set was the perfect excuse to invite Charlotte over to catch up before she left for New York. It had been ages since she’d seen her friend, and they hadn’t spoken since that phone call when Charlotte returned to town.

“I brought wine.” Charlotte squealed as Kate let her into the beach house.

“Ah, you always know the right thing to say.” Kate hugged her.

“And some of those fancy ass biscuits for Merlot.” Charlotte patted Merlot on head and put the treat in his mouth.

Kate closed the door and trailed behind Charlotte as they made their way into the living room. She loved watching her friend walk. Being a dancer all her life, Charlotte had a natural whip and swing to her hips that would have given a runway model a run for her money. Tonight she embodied a flamingo, wearing a soft pink, off the shoulder sweatshirt. The pale pink open-toe Jimmy Choo’s she wore barely made a sound on the tile floor despite the sharp champagne stem heel attached to them. Her hair was tucked under a pink plaid Kangol cap, a few strands of her red hair sprouting out the sides.

“Chris is working late?”

“Yes.” Kate sighed as she plopped on the couch.

Charlotte ran into the kitchen and retrieved two wine glasses.

“So how are things?” Kate yelled into the kitchen.

“Oh, please, busy as hell. I am working on Lana McNeal’s new video, and that girl’s got two left feet.”

“Really? I’ve never watched any of her videos.”

“I had less trouble getting those preschool kids to do the hokey pokey the day I went to my niece’s show and tell.”

“Yikes!” Kate howled.

“But don’t worry, by the time you get your hands on her I’ll have her performing La Bayadere in her sleep. What’s the point of being a songbird if you’re going to dance like a lame duck?”

“I appreciate you watching out for me, but I’m still undecided about Ms. McNeal.”

Charlotte poked out her soft pink lips as she poured wine into the glasses. “I hear you. That girl is considering doing a reality show. I heard her mother telling her someone was interested in doing one on her. Have you met Lila McNeal? Stage mother from hell.”

“John is really excited about this.” Kate took a sip of wine.

“Of course he is. That man attracts beautiful, damaged women.” Charlotte swirled her wine glass. “So how are things with Mr. Cavanaugh?”

“Things are going pretty good. He is an interesting man.” Kate motioned to the deck.

“What the fuck happened?” Charlotte walked onto the deck and surveyed the damage. Merlot happily trotted behind her.

“WrestleMania came to Malibu, and someone forgot to tell me I was hosting it.” Kate gulped down her wine and poured another glass.

“Come again?”

“Jack stopped by and Chris showed him the way out.”

Charlotte rose her perfectly waxed eyebrows so high up on her forehead she could have used them as a headband. “What have you done with my mild-mannered friend named Kate? Until six months ago, I didn’t think you liked men. Now you have them tearing up your fabulous beach house that I totally hope you are leaving to me in your will.”

“First of all, when I die I have left specific instructions for the beach house to be burned down. It’s going with me. Why did you think I didn’t like men?”

“I don’t know. You just have a quiet way about you. Very innocent. Now you’re divorcing your Vegas romance and hooking up with the hottest man in Hollywood.”

Kate picked at the fringes on a pillow. “People change.”

Charlotte slumped down on the couch. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m getting there. I even let him take me for a ride on that wretched motorcycle of his.”

“You know, I caught one of his movies on cable the other night. I was halfway into it, feeling randy as hell watching that gorgeous man when I realized you were fucking him!”

“Charlotte!”

“Fornicating with? If I were living with Chris Cavanaugh I’d want to yell from the highest mountaintop that I was screwing that man.”

Kate smiled. She loved the scent of him and how her stomach flipped when he flashed his easy, gorgeous smile at her. She could still feel his lips against her skin, his hands caressing her back. The passion that radiated from the man could have been an alternate solar power source. “Living with him does have its benefits.”

“So how is he in bed?”

Kate chuckled. “Listen, I don’t care if you’ve got this bad-girl ballerina look going on tonight, I am not talking trash about my sex life with Chris.”

“You gotta tell me something. Anything. He supposedly has this legendary schlong.”

“OK.” Kate bit her lip. “I’ll tell you one thing.”

Charlotte moved close to Kate. Kate gave Merlot another treat and then refilled her wine glass. Charlotte started rotating her ankle—her classic tell that she was dying to hear what Kate had to say.

“Do you remember that night Sabrina was in one of her country western moods and took us to that chic honky-tonk bar?”

“Yeah. How can I forget that? Sabrina had a fight with one of the waitresses.”

“And do you remember that mechanical bull they had and we each rode three times?”

“We named him Woody.” Charlotte exploded in laughter. “Who could forget Woody the mechanical bull? We had to pull Sabrina off that thing. I still call that honky-tonk to see how he’s doing.”