For the Night: Complete Box Set (34 page)

I couldn’t believe all the
fuss being made. I was still an unknown actress, in a film that could either be
a hit, or a serious miss and drag my career down the drain with it. Initial
screenings of the film to private critics had gone well, but it was the general
public who held my acting career in their hands. No one had come with any
offers since production wrapped, my entire dreams hinged on how well this went
tonight and the opening weekend takings. Along with my finances. I was running
on fumes, my advance hadn’t been massive and I’d used most of it to pay a chunk
off my parents’ mortgage and splashed out that crazy amount on one night with
Logan Steele. A night I’d never forgotten, a night I’d never forget. I know I’d
paid to lose my virginity, to try and give me some base reference to help me
with the erotic scenes in my film, but I’d not expected to feel the way I had
during the appointment, or when he dropped me home the next morning. Not about
sex, or about Logan.

I put my head in my hands, as I sat at the
dressing table.
Mr. Logan Steele
. Just thinking his name brought back
full surround sound and HD quality visuals of that amazing night and made my
heart beat a little faster.
What the hell was wrong with me?
He was an
escort, I paid him to be nice to me, to make love to me, to teach me how to be
sexier and to at least know how to touch a man sexually. So why did I keep
imagining I’d seen something hidden deep behind his gorgeous grey eyes,
something more, something that he tried to cover with his sexy mirrored shades
the next morning? Ever since my neighbour Anthony tried to rape me when I was
fifteen, I’d become a very astute judge of character, determined I wasn’t going
to be duped again. So how had I got it so wrong with Logan? While I still had enough
money, money I really hadn’t been in a position to waste, I’d tried to book him
again, but I’d never heard back from him. I’d come to realise, that everything
he’d said that night and the morning after,
was
a lie. I was so stupid.
I’d actually constantly checked my phone, in a state of excitement, every time
I heard an email ping in, hoping it was him. I’d physically cried, when after a
month I hadn’t had a response from him. How pathetic was I? Falling for a damn
man whore? I shook myself down as my phone rang.

‘Summer?’

‘I’m not so famous someone answers my phone for
me, Mum,’ I smiled.

‘I thought maybe you’d be having a spray tan or
something and an assistant might answer.’

‘No, no personal assistant and no spray tan, but I
do have a team here wanting to do my hair and makeup and to help me get
dressed.’

‘I just wanted to wish you luck, I know you’ll
probably be so busy tonight you won’t have a chance to talk to us, but we’re so
proud of you. Both of us. I really think this is going to be your big break.’

‘Thanks, you’re so sweet. Are you sure you can
handle seeing me like this?’

‘How bad’s the dress?’ she gasped.

‘I still haven’t seen which one they went with
yet,’ I laughed. ‘I meant me faking sex on screen.’

‘Well, we’ll handle it because it’s not real,’ she
confirmed, with a slight waver to her voice. ‘O God, it’s
not
real is
it?’

‘No,’ I uttered quick as a flash. ‘As if I’d sleep
with Daron, let alone in front of the crew, on camera, he’s repulsive.’ I
cringed as I suddenly realised the team were listening in, but they all nodded
their agreement. I wondered how many of them he’d tried it on with as well.

‘Well everyone already thinks you’re a couple
after that headline last week. How’s it going to look when you go with him
tonight?’

‘I’m not going with him on a date, Mum. I was
worried about the expense of them sending a limo just for me and he offered to
let me go with him. He’s not even in this hotel, he wanted to be picked up from
his own apartment. Besides it will look good for the cameras. Mum, I’m really
sorry, but the hair and makeup team want to make a start on me. Promise me
you’ll use the money I left you to get a taxi there? They’ll be free champagne
and food at the after party. You and Dad never go out.’

‘You should keep your money, you’ve already given
us too much,’ she scolded.

‘Don’t argue with me, please. I couldn’t have got
here without you both, I want you to have a fun night, where you don’t have to
worry about anything.’

‘We’ll see. Good luck, we both love you so much,
Summer.’

‘I love you too, Mum. I’ll come and see you as
soon as I get a chance later, ok?’

‘Ok, bye.’

‘Bye.’ I blew a kiss down the phone and smiled at
the two women waiting patiently. ‘Mandy you know I’m not a fan of over the top
makeup. Can you just try and make me look as natural as possible? Or better
still just let me do my own?’

‘I’ll keep it as natural as I can, but you need a
certain amount of coverage or you’ll look washed out under the spotlights and
the camera flashes. Just sit back in the chair and relax, it won’t take long,
then Rachel can do your hair and Zoe’s ready with your outfit.’

I gasped as Zoe unzipped the most stunning royal
purple long dress, with silver jewelled edging on the sweet heart bust line and
the halter-neck straps.

‘It’s beautiful isn’t it,’ she nodded.

‘Gorgeous, but it’s not one of the dresses I tried
on, it’s not the black and silver dress I said was my first choice.’ I actually
preferred this one, but it was odd they hadn’t had me try it on.

‘I was instructed that this was the dress that
they wanted you to wear, just doing my job. Your shoes and underwear are over
there in the boxes on the bed.’

‘Underwear?’ I looked at her surprised. ‘The film
company supplied underwear too?’

‘Your dress has no back, so you don’t have a bra,
luckily your bust’s firm enough to go without, but there are some knickers for
you and the shoes,’ she smiled. I headed over to sit on the edge of the bed,
just wearing my dressing gown, and opened the smaller box to find a pair of
delicate electric blue lace, fitted boy shorts, with a heart shaped opening in
the back. Just the feel of them told me that they were expensive, without
seeing the designer name on box. It seemed a bit odd to send knickers that
didn’t match the dress, but I guess no one would be seeing them anyway.
Definitely not Daron, no matter what ideas he may have. Honestly, until I got
over this ridiculous crush on Logan Steele, no one measured up, in any respect.
The other box contained a stunning pair of crystal embellished, high heeled,
strappy shoes, which I quickly put on. I then shimmied the knickers up and
dropped my dressing gown, ready for Zoe to help slip the dress over my newly
done, low chignon hairdo. I was accustomed to being seen in just my knickers
now, that initial embarrassment on set had soon faded. Though I still blushed
if I caught anyone staring at my breasts for too long, which happened a lot
with the film crew.

‘You have an amazing figure,’ Zoe stated, as she
smoothed the dress into place over my hips.

‘Thank you,’ I smiled.

‘Do you work out?’

‘No, but I really need to. I’d just like to keep
my stomach and arms toned, in case I’m lucky enough to get another role.’

‘From what I’m hearing, you guys killed it. I bet
your agent will be inundated with offers from tomorrow.’

‘That would be really nice,’ I nodded, still not
wanting to get my hopes up.

‘You know what else is really nice? Havershams of
London have given you some diamond jewellery on loan as well. It’s in the safe,
I’ll get it out.’

‘O my God. Is this all normal?’ I exclaimed.

‘Yes,’ she laughed. ‘Start getting used to it,
you’ll be getting even more special treatment if the movie’s a hit.’

I went to look at myself in the full length mirror
in the dressing room and nearly started crying. I hardly recognised myself, I
looked like a proper woman, a sexy, beautiful woman. Definitely fit for the red
carpet. Mum and Dad were going to be stunned to see me looking like this. Zoe
came back in and reached around my neck to secure a dazzling tear drop diamond
necklace, handed me some matching earrings and when I was done she secured a
matching bracelet around my right wrist and slid a large diamond ring onto my
right hand as well.

‘What if I lose them?’ I asked, looking at her in
a state of panic. These had to be worth more than my parents’ small terraced
house.

‘They’re insured, but obviously try not to,’ she
laughed. I nodded as she went to get the door when someone knocked. I took a
moment to close my eyes to try and find my centre of calm. I was really
nervous, but if I wanted to be a big time actress I was going to have to fake
it and act like this was just a normal day. ‘Someone’s popular,’ Zoe grinned as
she stuck her head around the door. ‘You have a delivery on the bed and one in
the lounge.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well the one on the bed is a box from Parkers in
Covent Garden, only one of the most expensive florists in London.’

‘My parents,’ I sighed. ‘I threatened them that
I’d have words if they did anything like this. They can’t afford it.’ I
followed her through to the bedroom and carefully sat on the edge of the bed,
worried about creasing my outfit. The purple ribbon securing the box could have
been cut from my dress, it was a perfect match. I pulled out the card tucked
into it, read the message and just sat staring at it in disbelief.

‘Are you ok?’ Zoe frowned. ‘You look really
shocked, it’s nothing nasty is it?’

‘No, not at all. It’s just from someone I didn’t
expect.’

‘God, it’s not Daron trying to get in your
knickers again, is it?’ asked Rachel, as she tucked in a stray piece of my hair
and sprayed it.

‘No,’ I replied shaking my head, as I looked back
down at the card.

‘Who’s Logan?’ Zoe enquired.

‘O my God,’ gasped Mandy, my makeup artist. ‘It’s
from
him?
’ She looked at me stunned and I looked back at her horrified.
She knew who he was and the last thing I wanted was everyone knowing I’d had a
date with a male escort, let alone that for some bizarre reason he was sending
me flowers months later.
Why was he sending me flowers? And how had he known
I’d be here?

‘Who’s Logan? I didn’t know you were seeing
anyone?’ Zoe asked. I blinked up at her, not sure how to handle it.

‘Just someone she went on a date with, she wasn’t
sure if he really liked her, but from the look of this box, he really does,’
Mandy winked, sensing my discomfort. I gave her a grateful smile and
reluctantly opened the box with all of the girls watching. Once again, just
like that first night, he’d sent me a single beautiful calla lily, nestled in
blue satin. I took it out and smelled it as my heart began to flutter.

‘I’d say he likes you, Parkers isn’t cheap and to
send it in that luxury box as well?’ nodded Rachel.

‘I’ll get the hotel to bring up a vase for it,
you’d better go and look in the lounge as well,’ Zoe advised, as she stood up
and disappeared. I carefully put the flower back in the box and frowned. Blue
satin, like the blue dress Logan had purchased for me last time, because he
said it matched my eyes. Could he have sent my blue knickers too? I was so
confused. It was nearly ten months since I saw him, why would he suddenly be in
contact now? And wasn’t it one of his rules, that there would be no contact unless
it was for a booking? I walked into the lounge and my hands flew up to my mouth
in surprise. There was the most enormous free standing bouquet on the dressing
table, made up of more calla lilies with white roses, but nestled in the middle
was a single red rose. These had to be from my parents. I pulled out the card
to see that they were from Parkers as well and shook my head, feeling
completely confused to find another message from Logan.