Why Romeo Hates Juliet (18 page)

His demanding lips gave up the fight and she felt him release the pressure he’d been exerting over her. His hand and arm that had been imprisoning her slackened and she felt him silently admitting defeat. But at that instant, something strange happened. When she’d sensed him giving up and his lips had softened against hers, Juliet suddenly felt as if thousands of tiny, little stars began twinkling on her lips - at least that’s what it felt like to her - and the feeling was so wonderful that it enveloped her entire body in bliss. She wanted to feel more of it - and more - and more, and she became greedy for it to continue. Her body capitulated of its own volition, and not caring that the nurse was still watching them, she brought both of her hands up to cradle either side of his face and her insistent lips started moving on his as if they had a mind of their own. Her brain stopped working and in that moment in time, all she cared about was that she wanted to keep feeling those delicious stars twinkling on her swol en lips forever.

She felt his surprised lips stop their movement for a split second, before he slanted his hot mouth over hers again and began to kiss her fiercely and in earnest this time. His hungry, searching mouth began demanding even more of a response from her and she felt his fingers sliding gently into her soft, thick hair at her nape. A shudder ran through him as she willingly returned his kiss and with a sudden moan of total surrender, Juliet gave herself up to one of the hottest, sexiest kisses she had ever tasted. And all the while those tiny little stars kept twinkling on her desperate lips.

She began to moan even louder and he began to respond in kind.

Suddenly, the nurse started coughing loudly and the spell was broken for Juliet. She came back down to reality with an overwhelming and humiliating thud. Realizing whose lips she’d actually been kissing, she jerked away from him and gasped, bringing her hand up to her swol en lips which were still tingling. Oh God, she thought, she’d just kissed Romeo Boyd - and she’d loved it. In fact, it had been the best kiss of her entire life and it had been his lips that had brought that response out of her. But he was a spoiled, hygienically-deficient caveman who’d probably slept with thousands of women since his meteoric, movie star career had taken off. How could she feel like that about him? It didn’t make sense.

Her shocked eyes landed on his grinning face. He was watching her intently and smiling like a reptile who’d just made a meal out of a tiny mouse. She saw his tongue snake out of his mouth and lick his own lips. “Sweet as a peach,” he intoned at her, as his hungry eyes searched her face again for a response.

Juliet was practically speechless at what had just happened and remembering that there was someone else in the room, whipped her head around to gawk at the nurse who was wearing an amused expression on her face. Humiliated, she turned back to Romeo. “I - I - it’s peach lipgloss,” she stupidly uttered, not knowing what else to say.

Romeo kept grinning at her in a satisfied, smug way. Feeling overwhelmed by his powerful presence and by the hot, passionate kiss they’d just shared together, and by all of the worry and trauma she’d gone through that day since she’d first shot him, Juliet finally reached her limit. It was all too much for her to deal with and she needed to get out of this room immediately before she suffocated.

“I - I have - to go,” she stiltedly mumbled, as she moved quickly to the door.

“You will come back tomorrow, won’t you Juliet? After all, you’re my wife and a wife’s place is beside her husband,” Romeo asked, smiling the whole time he was speaking.

Not able to utter one more word, Juliet quickly nodded to him and opened the door to leave.

“Juliet?” She heard him call out for her and she turned back, noticing another smile flashing across his mouth. He then pointed to himself and mouthed the words ‘Romeo Loves’ before pointing to her and mouthing her name, ‘Juliet’.

Flustered, Juliet gave him a quick smile and mumbled an embarrassed “good-bye” to the nurse before escaping out the door to safety.

~ ~ ~

Tommy had hung back outside Romeo’s room waiting for the nurse to leave. After Juliet had come out, she’d mumbled a quick good-bye to them all and she and her sister had left the hospital quickly.

Carrie Ann and Kristen had insisted on seeing Romeo one more time before they left too, but Tommy had persuaded them both to go home and come back in the morning when, in all probability, Romeo would have regained his memory anyway. Besides, he’d told them, they both looked like hell because they’d been at the hospital since the early morning when Romeo had been admitted. Maybe they should come back tomorrow when they’d had a chance to fix themselves up for him.

Preying on their vanity had worked. Both girls had quickly left vowing to come back bright and early the next day all dolled up for him. Tommy had also told them he was going to hang around for a bit more just to make sure Romeo didn’t need anything and then he’d take a cab home.

The door to Romeo’s room opened and the nurse left. Making sure no one was watching him, since visiting hours had ended a half hour earlier, Tommy snuck in. Romeo was awake and his eyes wandered over to Tommy as he approached the bed.

“Romeo, I know you don’t know who I am, but my name is Tommy,” he explained, “I’m one of your oldest and best friends and I want you to know that I’m here for you, buddy. Anything you need, just say the word, okay?”

“Tommy?” Romeo asked.

“Yes, Romeo, that’s me.”

“Get the fuck serious!”

Tommy was shocked. “Excuse me?”

Romeo rolled his eyes up to the ceiling before coming back to his friend’s confused face. “Your name is Thomas Anthony James Smith and we’ve been best friends since we were ten and I caught you kissing my sister behind Mrs. Patterson’s garden shed. You’re one of the hottest and most highly paid bartenders in all of ll.A. and I’m Romeo Boyd, actor and star of countless forgettable, but highly successful formulaic action flicks who is currently going through a major career slump. And we’re here, on PEI to party our brains out at my beach house.” Tommy’s jaw dropped. “But - but - you mean, you don’t have amnesia?”

Romeo rolled his eyes again. “Amnesia? I don’t even have a headache!”

“But - but - you said you didn’t know any of us except for Juliet, who you said was your wife?” A diabolical, clever, evil smile flitted across his lips. “That big bitch is NOT my wife, but she’ll soon become my slave.” Tommy was stunned speechless. “But - I don’t get it?” He shook his head in confusion as he stared down at Romeo who had just propped himself up into a better upright, sitting position on the bed, all by his own efforts. “What’s going on?” A lightning bolt of anger flashed in Romeo’s eyes. “She shot me, man! That bitch shot me!” he yelled, as he pointed to his bandaged shoulder.

“Can you fucking believe it? And she’s going down for what she did!”

“But - it was an accident. The cops said so.”

“Accident my ass! She shot me in the back when I was walking away for God’s sake. I was conscious for a few seconds before I blacked out on the beach, but I knew what she’d done. And now she’s going to pay. Are the cops pressing charges against her?” Tommy shook his head no. “The instructor who witnessed the whole thing said it was an accident and the police aren’t charging her with anything.”

“Damn it!” Romeo exploded. “She’s getting off scot-free again? Well, if the law isn’t going to do anything about it, I will.”

“I don’t like where you’re heading with this, dude.”

“I’m going to be the judge and jury, Tommy, and I find Juliet Soma guilty of all charges. Now, all that’s left is for me to hand out her punishment.”

“Which is?”

“She’s going to become my slave and I’m going to make her life hell,” he gloated, smiling at his little plan.

Tommy shook his head again, as if he was trying to shake some sense into his brain. “I still don’t get it. Did you ever have amnesia?”

“No!”

“But you were unconscious, right?” Romeo nodded and Tommy continued. “When did you come out of it?”

“Earlier tonight when the doctor was outside talking to all of you. I woke up and remembered everything. And then when you all came back in here and I saw her standing by the door, obviously not locked away in a jail cell where she belongs, I went crazy inside. After everything she’d done to me she’d managed to weasel her way out of paying her debts once again. You know who she is, Tommy? The devil! She’s the devil!” Tommy laughed at his friend’s outlandish description of Juliet. “Come on man, she’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? Who’s lying in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound to his body? And what’s next for me, huh? A pine box and six feet of dirt on top of me? I’m telling you… she’s the devil!” Romeo nodded proudly, having made his point.

“So what’s your plan for her?”

“Juliet Soma is going to become my wife and do whatever her husband tells her to do,” he laughed. “I could see it in her face tonight - the guilt at what she’d done to me was eating her up alive so it’ll be as easy as bright sunshine to get her to do what I want. Will you help me?”

“Depends. Is any of this ill egal?”

“What’s ill egal about faking amnesia?”

Tommy shrugged. “Well, nothing, I guess.”

“Right! Now the first thing I need you to do is to take the jet back to ll.A. with Carrie Ann and Kristen on it. I need them out of here if my plan’s going to have a chance to work.”

“Carrie Ann is not going to leave you in your condition.”

“I know that. That’s why I need you to call my agent, Knox and ask him to get her a guest part on one of the TV shows shooting in ll.A. right now.

Tell him that she’s impeding my recovery or something like that and for my own health, she needs to leave PEI immediately.”

“She still won’t leave you, Romeo.”

“Wanna bet?” Romeo smirked. “If it means she’ll get a guest acting gig before her own TV show starts filming, she’ll jump at the chance. And Kristen will follow her out there too.” He glanced apologetically at his friend, “Sorry about that, man. I know that’s cutting your party plans short.” Tommy shrugged again. “It’s okay. Kristen and I are kind of on the outs anyway.” Romeo nodded. “Then I need you to get a hold of Nick Mathison and bring him back here.”

“The soap opera actor?”

“Yeah, he owes me a big favor and he’s in-between acting jobs right now.”

“Why do you need him?”

“Because I’m going to need a phony psychiatrist who’s going to help Juliet help me recover from my amnesia, and who better to play a phony doctor than someone who played a phony one on Sunsets of My Life a few years back?”

“But what if she recognizes him?”

Romeo frowned. “Come on, he had a bit part on that show and it only lasted six months. Who’s going to remember him? And he owes me big time. I introduced him to his wife.”

“I know I shouldn’t be helping you but you know I will.” Tommy sighed, not quite believing he was agreeing to this incredible scheme. “I still don’t see how you can keep this up and have her fall for it.”

A smug smile rolled across Romeo’s lips. “I’m an actor, for chrissakes, Tommy. Faking is what I do for a living and I’m one of the best at it. I’ll have Juliet Soma wrapped around my little Holl ywood finger in no time flat.”

“Be careful she doesn’t wrap you around her finger first.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Answer me one thing, Romeo. Do you intend on sleeping with her?”

Romeo shrugged his good shoulder. “I’d never force her, if that’s what you mean, but if she’s willing - hell, yeah.”

“Just be careful with this one, okay? She’s not like the others; she’s dangerous.”

“God, don’t I know it! Look where I am.”

“That’s not what I mean. She’s - different and I don’t want you getting hurt.” Romeo studied the look of concern stamped on his friend’s face. He knew exactly what Tommy meant. He didn’t want him to get hurt emotionally by her. “Don’t worry, Tommy. I can handle a thousand Juliet Somas,” he confidently grinned.

“Okay, if you say so. Hey, it’s good to have you back, man,” Tommy smiled at his best friend, relieved now that he knew Romeo was going to be alright. Approaching closer, he gave him a strong, back-slapping hug.

“It’s good to be alive, Tommy!” Romeo laughed, returning the heartfelt embrace.

After his friend had left the room, Romeo’s mind wandered back over the day’s events. His glance lowered to his wounded left shoulder and he tried to move it gingerly. Shards of pain immediately shot up his arm and into his neck. Man, that hurt like a mother! Gently, he put his shoulder back down. They’d told him to keep it still for the next few days until it could begin its healing process and he was definitely going to follow the good doctor’s advice. When he thought about what could have happened and how he could have died today, he felt the blood draining out of him. Shit, that was close, too close - and it had all been
her
fault!

His hand moved up to his lips, as he remembered their sizzling kiss together. Hot damn, his own lips were still vibrating even now, an hour later.

God, could that woman ever kiss! Even though he’d had countless numbers of women over the years and he’d even kissed many of the major actresses of the day in the films he’d starred in, the best kiss Romeo Boyd had ever had in his entire life was his very first one behind the schoolyard when he’d been eleven. It had been with Mary Ell en Roberts, the girl who’d sat in front of him in class. He’d been awkward and she’d been shy, but when their lips had touched, it had been magical and had taken his breath away. The one tonight with Juliet had been better than even that one!

He licked his tingling lips again as he remembered the way she’d tasted and how her sweet lips had moved against his, making promises of more pleasure to come. In that heated moment he’d lost all self-control and had even forgotten about his plan to get even with her, and if it hadn’t been for the nurse coughing in the background he’d have begged Juliet to forgive him for giving her a reason to shoot him. How insane was that?

He must have been out of his mind! No - Juliet Soma was going down - in every sense of the word.

God, that kiss was something though…

~ ~ ~