Authors: Michelle Betham
India
leant back against the wall and exhaled, suddenly realising she’d been holding her breath.
‘Why?
I mean, is there a… a reason why?’
She turned to look at Layla.
‘You really have no idea, do you?’ Layla whispered, staring right into
India
’s eyes, challenging her to answer the question truthfully, or lie and pretend that she really didn’t know what she was talking about.
‘I don’t… Layla, I…’
India
really didn’t want Layla to be telling her this.
She didn’t want to know that Michael couldn’t make his relationship with her work; she didn’t want to hear that.
But Layla knew.
She knew that
India
had
every
idea why Michael would never commit to anyone else, she could see it in her eyes.
And she didn’t blame her, of course she didn’t.
What good would
that
do?
It was nobody’s fault, not really.
India
couldn’t help being who she was, and Michael couldn’t help feeling the way he did.
Nobody’s fault.
‘Do you really need me to spell it out?’ Layla went on, her eyes still fixed on the beautiful woman in front of her.
‘He’ll never commit to anyone,
India
.
Because he’s still in love with you.’
CHAPTER 5
Vince Maine missed his girls when he was in Vegas.
He missed his gorgeous wife and his beautiful daughter – he missed the life he had outside of this vibrant city.
But then, when he was away from Vegas he missed that too.
He missed the noise and the people and the way life seemed to move so fast.
But he was grateful he now had an escape, grateful he could just up and leave and head off to
L.A.
, give himself time away from a place that could, if you let it, suck you in and wear you out without you even realising it.
Before Charley had come on the scene Vince had been the epitome of a workaholic, on the go twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, because that was all he’d known.
Vince Maine was an extremely successful businessman with three Vegas Hotels, a Beverly Hills Restaurant, a Californian vineyard, and a movie production company he co-owned with his close friend, Michael Walsh, not to mention the salons and spas that he and Charley ran together, although
she
was very much in charge as far as those were concerned.
But, being with Charley had made him realise that there was actually
more to life than just work.
And Vince was finally learning to kick back and relax.
Sometimes.
He smiled at the thought of Charley, his northern English princess, the woman who’d given him a life he’d never thought he’d wanted but now couldn’t exist without.
She’d been through so much in the past, and he knew she never liked to talk about it because it had been a past that had affected so many other people in incredibly painful ways, but she’d come through everything stronger and more determined to make something of herself.
And she was doing just fine.
Vince was nothing but proud of her.
He’d first met Charley very briefly when she’d visited
L.A.
for
India
’s debut movie premiere back in the summer of 1992.
Back then she’d been an aspiring glamour model and the girlfriend of
India
’s late brother, professional soccer player Terry Steven.
It wasn’t until nine years later that he saw her again, in Las Vegas,
when he’d found her working as a showgirl at one of his hotels, The Maine Resort.
Getting together hadn’t been easy; there’d been many obstacles to overcome, many people’s feelings to think about due to the past that Charley was determined to put behind her.
But she’d finally given in to his charm and good looks because, despite now approaching his mid-fifties, Vince Maine was still a
very
good looking man, tall and dark with the kindest green eyes and a natural warmth that made him so approachable.
And the rest, as they say, was history.
He just wished she was here with him now, but he needed to be in Vegas to see this movie begin shooting.
They were using his newest and most exclusive hotel – The Amber Palace – as one of its major locations and, as one of the movie’s executive producers as well as the hotel owner, he wanted to oversee everything.
That was just the way he was.
Some things he could delegate, but there were others he needed to be in charge of, because the last time one of his hotels had been used as a location shoot a whole lot of things had gone on that he was determined to avoid this time around.
Charley had to stay in
L.A.
– for the time being, anyway – to work on a movie premiere for one of her A-list celebrity clients, but once that was over he hoped she’d come and spend some time in her Vegas salon.
He felt as though they hadn’t had any real quality time together for so long now, but that was just the nature of their work.
He’d make sure he got that time with her and Lily soon.
He’d make it a priority.
But, right now, he had a movie to produce and shooting was imminent.
Once more Vince Maine’s life was on a roll, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
***
Michael had wanted to get to Vegas slightly ahead of everyone else, just to make sure everything was in order.
The days leading up to the start of shooting were always the hardest in his eyes, because if something didn’t feel right he needed time to make sure he eventually felt comfortable with it.
Whatever it was.
And the one thing that was making Michael feel less than comfortable at the minute was the studio’s choice of male lead.
Dominic MacDonald.
A man with a big reputation for getting involved with his leading ladies, and somebody Michael had never worked with before.
He was well aware of how talented an actor Dominic was, but this time his leading lady was
India
and that, as far as Michael was concerned, meant keeping a very close eye on him.
Walking into the casino of The Amber Palace he stood still for a few seconds, taking in everything that was going on around him – the noise, the people, the sheer air of excitement and anticipation that hung heavy in the air.
It was an incredible place.
Vince had a knack of creating the most amazing hotels and Michael was more than grateful that he’d handed this one over as a location shoot for the movie because it was brand new, his latest baby, only just opened.
But, then again, what better publicity could there be than a
Hollywood
movie that would doubtless be seen by millions?
‘You came early too, then?’
Michael swung round at the sound of that familiar English accent, and his heart almost stopped dead when he saw her standing there in front of him because he just hadn’t expected to see her quite so soon.
She looked stunning in a simple white strapless dress and heels, her long hair tousled and loose around her bare, tanned shoulders.
So different to the jean-wearing tomboy who’d walked into his life almost two decades ago.
‘I… I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow,’ he said, pushing a hand through his hair, a sudden wave of nerves throwing him slightly off balance for a second.
‘Well, there wasn’t really anything keeping me in
L.A.
so, I thought I might as well head to Vegas a few hours ahead of schedule.’
‘Is… is Ethan with you?’
‘Reece is bringing him.
They’re arriving tomorrow.
I wanted a bit of time on my own, y’know, get settled in first before that hurricane of untidiness that is our son lands at the villa.’
Michael smiled, part of him upset because he hadn’t seen his son in weeks and the thought of having to wait another twenty-four hours felt like an eternity, but part of him was also relieved because it gave him some much needed time with his mom, alone.
If she
was
alone, that is.
‘Are you… are you here on your own?’
Why was he so tongue-tied around her?
All those years they’d spent together, all that time they’d shared, they weren’t strangers, for Christ’s sake.
But, due to their history, maybe that meant that nothing was ever really going to be the same between them again.
‘If you mean is JJ with me, then no.
He isn’t.
He’s at home, with Ellie.’
‘Home?’
India
looked at him, watched the way his eyes never left hers, the questions he so obviously wanted to ask her all too evident.
‘At
his
home.
We
don’t
have
a home anymore.
And you know that, Michael.’
He broke the stare and looked down at the ground, running a hand nervously along the back of his neck as he looked back up at her.
She seemed to grow more beautiful the older she got, yet it also seemed as though, every time he saw her, she was becoming more and more untouchable.
More distant.
But maybe that was just him.
Maybe that was just how she wanted to be around him.
‘I could do with a drink,’ she said, breaking the sudden silence.
‘Are you coming with me or are you just going to stand there?’
He followed her to the bar situated in the centre of the busy casino, standing beside her as she slid up onto a stool, tossing her blond hair back over her shoulder and he couldn’t help but remember her as that somewhat naive young woman he’d fallen in love with all those years ago.
She was so much more self-assured now, so much stronger, but then, she’d had to be, because of what he’d done to her.
A sudden sharp pain hit him right across the chest as he remembered those things he’d tried to put behind him – things which would really never go away.
Because he didn’t deserve to forget.
‘Are you okay?’
India
asked, noticing him clutch his chest and breathe in deep.
‘I’m fine,’ he said, closing his eyes for a second as the pain subsided.
‘So…’
He opened his eyes and looked at her.
She seemed concerned, and the hope that gave him was ridiculous because it probably meant nothing.
‘Is it still a beer?’
She couldn’t help but smile, and he smiled too, the whole atmosphere changing in an instant.
‘A beer’ll be great, thank you.
You still on the bourbon?’
‘Oh, you know me, honey.
A creature of habit.’
She turned slightly on her stool and looked at him, resting her chin in her hand as she watched him order the drinks, watched the way he smiled at the female bartender, instantly putting her at ease.
It was what he was good at, putting people at ease with that movie star smile and those amazing blue eyes.
But they were also eyes that had terrified her at one point, and no matter how hard she tried to forget what had happened, it would never really go away.
It was always going to be there between them, like some insurmountable barrier that neither would ever really be able to get over.
‘Layla tells me it’s all but finished between you two.
Is that right?’
He looked at her, his face suddenly serious, that movie star smile fading.
‘Yes.
That’s right.’
‘Why?
I thought you two were making a go of things?’
He continued to look at her, trying to find something in her expression that gave him even the tiniest bit of hope, but there was nothing there.
She was almost impassive, expressionless even, as she watched him.
‘We tried,
India
…’
‘Her rather more than you, I gather.’
‘What else has Layla said to you?’
India
shrugged, taking a swig of beer straight from the bottle and Michael couldn’t help but find it incredibly sexy as tomboy once more collided with
Hollywood
beauty.
‘We haven’t had some long, girly heart-to-heart, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
He leant back against the bar, looking out over the casino.
‘We’ve just grown apart, that’s all.
Nothing more to it than that.
Layla she… she’s so much younger… We just want different things.’