Authors: Michelle Betham
‘I think I’ll keep my services strictly private, if you don’t mind,’ she smiled back, gently rubbing her leg against his as the music changed to a slower, more soulful Usher track, taking over from the heavier Gavin DeGraw song that had previously been playing.
‘Well, maybe that’s for the best,’ Reece said, still smiling.
‘After all, I’m not too good at sharing.’
‘There we go.
A nice, relaxed Reece Brogan.
That’s what I like to see.’
He laughed, sitting back in his chair, taking a look around him as the party – which was now in full swing – continued to gather pace.
The atmosphere was heady with excitement and fun as everyone around them danced and drank and enjoyed themselves.
And all of a sudden that’s exactly what he felt like doing too.
Oh, not so much the dancing part, but the drinking and enjoying himself, he could do that.
‘I’m really glad you stuck around, Martha.
Because I know the way I acted…’
She leant forward, shutting him up with a kiss.
‘It’s over, Reece.
You know the truth now.
There are no more secrets, so, let’s just move forward, okay?’
He nodded, kissing her back, taking her hand in his and squeezing it tight.
‘Yeah.
I like that idea.
Moving forward with no looking back… Martha, do you think
India
…?’
‘
Sweetheart
,
India
is a real big girl now, she’s gonna be just fine.
You’ve just got to allow her to make her own mistakes but let her know she can come to us if she needs to.
For whatever reason.
Okay?’
‘Okay,’ Reece smiled.
‘Learn to let go, huh?’
‘Well, she’s forty-three-years-old now so I think it’s about time, yeah.
Come on, I need another drink.
Let’s find a waiter and order some champagne.
I’m in the mood to celebrate.’
‘Celebrate?’ Reece frowned.
‘Celebrate what?’
‘Us, Reece.
I want to celebrate us.’
And, as far as Reece was concerned, he couldn’t think of anything worth celebrating more.
***
‘Charley, will you stop it, please?
You’re making me feel nervous,’
India
said as Charley looked over her shoulder for about the tenth time in five minutes.
‘It’s almost like you’re expecting something to happen.’
‘Like what?’ Charley asked, biting down on her bottom lip, her voice dripping with nerves.
‘Do you think something
is
going to happen?’
‘Charley, what the hell are you talking about?
What do you
think
is going to happen?’
India
laughed, smiling her thanks at the barman as he handed her a fresh drink.
‘In case you hadn’t realised,
India
, Jimmy Cash is still out there, somewhere.
And I have no idea what his next move is going to be, so, excuse me if I’m slightly on edge right now.’
‘He’s not going to do anything here, tonight though, is he?’
India
replied, shuffling about in her chair because anything to do with Jimmy Cash made her more than a touch uncomfortable, considering what he’d done to her brother.
‘I mean, come on.
Even Jimmy Cash can’t be stupid enough to try anything here, not with the amount of security Vince has got in place.’
India
wasn’t actually sure who she was trying to convince now – Charley, or herself.
Jesus!
She really didn’t want to talk about Jimmy Cash tonight, and she didn’t think Charley should be dwelling on it either.
This wasn’t the time.
‘Yeah.
Yeah, you’re right.’
Charley breathed a heavy sigh of relief, running her fingers through her hair and shaking it out, almost as if that would rid her of any remaining tension.
‘Vince said not to think about all of that tonight.’
‘Maybe you should listen to him then,’
India
said, taking a sip of her Jack Daniels.
‘Vince knows what he’s talking about.’
Charley smiled, crossing her legs and hugging her knees.
‘I can’t believe I could have lost him,
India
.’
‘But you didn’t, did you?
I’m not denying what you and Kenny did wasn’t stupid but, Jesus, come on.
Who the hell am
I
to lecture anyone on stupid decisions?
I’m the bloody expert on all things stupid.’
India
looked at her friend, reaching out to take her hand, squeezing it gently.
‘Look, it’s over, Charley.
Vince is a good, good man.
The best.
And he loves you, so much, so just forget about you and Kenny and concentrate on you and Vince.
He’ll make sure this Jimmy business goes away…’
‘How though,
India
?
How is he going to do that?
How can he possibly deal with a man like Jimmy Cash?’
‘He just will, Charley.
Vince won’t let you down.
He won’t do that, I know he won’t.
And I also know he’ll move heaven and earth to sort this out so just listen to him, okay?
And trust him.
You do that, and before you know it everything will be back to normal.’
‘Do you think so?’ Charley asked hopefully.
‘Yeah,’
India
smiled.
‘I think so.’
‘I really hope you’re right,’ Charley sighed.
‘Because every morning I wake up hoping this has just been one long, unwelcome nightmare.
But when I see the way Vince looks at me sometimes, I know it isn’t.
And I just want it to be over.
I want it to be over soon.’
And it would be.
Sooner than anyone expected.
***
Jimmy pushed his Stetson down further over his eyes, walking at a brisk pace towards the sounds of the party.
The lights and lasers still lit up the night sky and the pounding music grew closer as he slowed down slightly to light up a cigar, stopping briefly to take a deep draw, blowing smoke into the star-filled sky.
He looked up at the blackness for a few seconds, feeling not one ounce of regret for what he was about to do.
Charley had to know that she would never be free of him, she had to know that.
Oh, he’d given her a bit of respite, some time to see what a normal life could be like but that was over now.
He’d been way too generous as it was.
She needed to know now.
She needed to know that this world she lived in, she didn’t deserve it.
She’d ruined his life and now it was his turn to ruin hers.
Charley Miles – porn star.
That’s all she ever deserved to be.
That’s all she ever
would
be.
Taking one last deep draw of his cigar he exhaled the smoke and threw the rest of it down on the ground, stubbing it into the concrete path with his boot, probably with a touch more venom than was really necessary, but Jimmy was fired up now.
He was ready.
Shoving his hands into his jacket pockets he took a quick look around, but the few people who were walking through the gardens were too engrossed in their own worlds to take any notice of him.
They didn’t know or care who he was; nobody did, really – except Charley.
Smiling to himself he picked up the pace again and strode towards the main body of the hotel.
They wanted a wrap party to remember?
Jimmy Cash was about to give them exactly that.
And blow the consequences.
***
‘What’s the matter?’
India
asked, reaching out to gently stroke Dominic’s face, cocking her head on one side as she looked at him.
‘Nothing.’
She pulled her hand away, still looking at him.
‘Y’know, I really hate it when people say “nothing”, especially when it’s quite obvious
something’s
up.’
‘Where are we going,
India
?’
She frowned, her head still cocked on one side.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You won’t marry me…’
‘No, because you asked that question without even stopping to think about this whole situation in a realistic way, Dominic.
Come on.
I can’t marry you.
With
my
track record?
I think you’re crazy for even contemplating it.
We’ve only known each other five minutes; you should run a mile, in my opinion.’
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.
‘Why would I want to do that?’
She sighed, leaning back against the wall.
‘I’m bad news, Dominic.
Every man who comes near me gets hurt in some way or another.
Why would you want to put yourself through that?’
‘Because I love you.’
‘Because you think
you
can be the man to change the pattern, huh?’
‘Why not?’
She took a sip of Jack Daniels, looking around the still-crowded terrace area, the music still thumping, the lights still flashing.
‘You can’t, alright?
That man will never exist.’
‘You never struck me as a quitter,
India
.’
She looked at him over the top of her tumbler as she downed the last of her drink.
‘Who said I was quitting anything?
I just need you to know how things stand, Dominic.
I’m a mess – I always have been, always will be.
And you need to be certain that you can deal with that.’
‘We could get married here, in Vegas.
Before we go back to
L.A.
’
‘Oh no,’
India
laughed, putting her empty glass down on a table behind her.
‘No.
No way.
Just leave it, Dominic.
Okay?
Nobody is marrying anybody, least of all here in Vegas.
You got that?
It’s a bloody ridiculous idea.’
He smiled that killer smile and India couldn’t help but smile back, letting him pull her against him, closing her eyes as he kissed her deep and slow, her resolve weakening with every movement of his mouth on hers.
She shouldn’t be doing this.
And she shouldn’t be doing this because she now knew she was doing it for all the wrong reasons, but he was giving her no choice here.
Would it be such a bad thing to just kick back and have fun tonight?
Maybe things would look different in the morning.
‘Yeah.
I got it.’
She pulled away slightly, running her fingertips over his mouth, staring deep into those almost cobalt-blue eyes of his.
‘I mean it, Dominic.
I can’t marry you, and that’s for your own good rather than mine.
I’ll only hurt you, just like I’ve hurt every other man who’s got involved with me.’
‘Self-pity doesn’t suit you,
India
.
And credit me with some sense, okay?
I’m a big boy now.
I think I’m quite capable of making my own mistakes.’
‘Oh, so I’m a mistake now, am I?’ she asked, a smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.
‘You said so yourself, baby.
And, like I said, I’m a big boy now.’
‘Yeah,’ she whispered, her mouth resting on his as she spoke, ‘I know you are.’
‘Wanna go start a private party of our own?’
‘You’re such a bad influence on me, Dominic MacDonald.’
‘Takes two to tango, beautiful.
Come on.
Let’s get out of here.’
***
‘What do you want to do when we get back to
L.A.
?’ Layla asked Michael as they sat outside on the terrace, glad of the slight breeze that had just appeared, taking the edge off the stuffy Vegas night air.