Authors: Val Tobin
John moved closer to Dani, and her heart leapt at the thought
he might touch her.
His arms hung at his sides and stayed there. Heat from his
body made her insides tingle. She stepped nearer and breathed in his scent. “Is
it true?”
He stood kissing-close to her now. Dani gazed into his deep,
brown eyes and smelled mint on his breath. Stubble roughened his chin and cheeks.
John hadn’t shaved. He must have jumped out of bed and raced over to her
without doing much more than getting dressed and brushing his teeth.
John placed a hand on each side of her face, sending
electrical pulses down her body. Blood roared in her ears, and her heart
pounded. His expression showed confusion, but his eyes betrayed his pain and
sorrow. “It’s true. They found his remains on the property your family rented.
There was enough evidence to charge Lilli with murder. Paul Grayson’s been dead
twenty years.”
Dani’s head throbbed, pounding in time to her heartbeat. It
couldn’t be true. “No.” Not knowing how else to take solace, she put her arms
around John.
He pressed her head to his chest and stroked her hair.
“Dani, I understand you’re overwhelmed. I’ll help you get through this. I love
you, and I care about you.”
John had always been there for her, guiding her career,
seeing her through the tough times and the good times. He’d picked up the
pieces when her relationships with the men she carried on with fell apart, and
he understood her better than anyone.
The times she was at her lowest, John had been there to
support and encourage her. Even her own mother had told her she was useless and
too fat and ugly to make it. John had dragged Dani back from the brink of
anorexia, from the thoughts of suicide, from the pills and the coke—able to
help her, because he was her trusted friend. Dani stopped crying and hugged him
tight.
One of his arms folded around her back and his hand cupped
the back of her head. “We’ll get through this, honey.”
“Okay. I’ll be fine. Thanks.” Dani looked up at him. “What
did the lawyer say?”
“Nothing good. She did it.” He led her to the couch in the
living room, and they sat.
“Lilli’s going away, isn’t she?”
“Yes. The trial will decide that, of course, but the lawyer
said Lilli’s saying it was
self-defense
.”
Dani leaned against John, and he drew her in close, making
her feel safe.
“Daddy didn’t leave me.” She said it out loud, practicing
it, trying it on. Head pounding, Dani closed her eyes and slept.
***
When Dani opened her eyes again, she was lying on the couch,
a blanket draped over her. Her head no longer throbbed. Golden light spilled in
through the windows, making her squint. She sat up and searched for John. When
she didn’t see him, she called out.
The door of her office opened, and he stepped out, cell
phone pressed to his ear. “Yeah, thanks. She’s up now. We’ll get back to you.”
Dani waited, brows arched, while John slipped his phone back
into the case on his hip.
“Hungry?”
She didn’t reply, expecting him to understand she wanted to
know what was going on.
Distracted, he headed toward the kitchen, scratching his
head.
“John,” she called. “Don’t you have something to tell me?”
He paused. “Yeah. But you should eat first.”
“Fuck that. What is it?” Her voice filled with anxiety.
“Sorry. I don’t want you to get upset.” He frowned. “That
was Jeanette.”
Her agent. Probably a proposal, but something must be wrong,
or John wouldn’t be so reluctant to discuss it.
John’s eyes narrowed. “The rep from Danger Play called.”
Dani’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the studio
that had funded
Injury
, and held her
contract. She knew what John would say next and held her breath.
“They’re doing a sequel and want you back. Henderson, too.
They’re offering you nine million and revenue share.” John strode to the couch
and sat next to her. “The public’s been clamoring for it. The studio got the
green light and wants to begin filming next month if you agree to the contract.
I can tell them you won’t do it if Henderson comes back.”
Dani stared at her hands, which rested in her lap. “The
picture would suffer. If I do this, Greg will have to be there. They’ll insist
on it.” She kept her head down, avoiding his eyes. John still didn’t know the
truth behind the breakup with Henderson, and she didn’t want to talk about it
now.
“You don’t have to tell me what happened. But if you want me
to agree to let you work with him again, you’ll have to give me something. You
act like you despise him. How do you think you’ll convince anyone that your
character loves him?”
“I’m the actress—let me worry about that. If it’s not
working, we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Think it through. Call me tomorrow morning with your
decision. If you’re up to it, Jeanette will get you the contract to sign.”
“Okay.” Probably better not to give them an answer now—she
had more pressing things on her mind. Mouth dry, Dani licked her lips. She
wanted a drink. The small bar next to the loveseat beckoned, and she went to
it, gaze focused on the bottles standing at attention behind the glass door.
“What are you doing?” John’s tone was brusque.
Dani paused. She’d been about to make a martini, and she
hadn’t had—what time was it, anyway? Dani checked the clock, which showed 6:03.
She’d slept the day away? Again? “You’ve been here all day and let me sleep?”
“You needed it. No doubt, you were up all night. You haven’t
eaten anything, and you’re reaching for a cocktail. I’m worried about your
drinking. If I have to, I’ll send you back to rehab.”
Fury made her turn on him. “You don’t get to tell me what to
do. You’re my manager, not my parent. I don’t have any parents.” Dani’s voice
was shrill. Tears threatened.
John covered the distance between them in two long strides.
Dani thought he’d hug her then, but he didn’t. Her body
shook, and she wished he’d put his arms around her. She hungered for a
touch—any touch. A flashback to five years ago when she’d tried to seduce him
and he’d rejected her seared through her head. “I’m going in the shower. When I
get out, you’d better be gone.” She didn’t need him—she didn’t need anyone. She
was Daniella fucking Grayson. If she needed company, she could find it.
John’s eyes narrowed, and when she tried to break past him,
he grabbed her by the arm. “No. I’m not going anywhere until I know you won’t
tie one on when I leave. I understand you’re going through a difficult time.
That’s why I’m here. Yell at me all you want. I’m not letting you ruin yourself
no matter what that harpy of a mother did twenty years ago. Is that clear?”
Dani nodded, but he wasn’t satisfied.
“Say it.”
“I won’t get drunk.” But oh, Christ, she wanted a drink.
This time, when John suggested making Dani something to eat, she agreed.
A veggie omelet, a piece of toast, juice, and hot coffee filled
her belly, and Dani fought the urge to run into the bathroom and throw it up.
To keep her thoughts off the toilet, she collected their dishes and focused on
cleaning up the meal.
The fear of getting fat and losing her career was a constant
throb in her stomach and made eating difficult. Rehab and a therapist had
helped to get it under control, but Dani found that when the stress backed up
on her, the anxiety became almost impossible to manage.
“Thanks for breakfast. Dinner. Whatever.” Head tilted toward
her shoulder, Dani smiled at John, who sat on the couch in the living room.
“Glad to see you eating.” He frowned, probably worrying
she’d relapse. “Will you be okay?”
Dani eyed the bathroom door, an involuntary motion, and as
soon as she realized what she’d done, she snapped her attention back to John.
Would she ever be able to eat without that rising stress? “I don’t starve
myself anymore, and I don’t throw up. I watch what I eat and I exercise. ‘Kay?”
John stood and joined her in the kitchen. “I’m worried about
how you’re coping. When’s your next therapy appointment? If it’s not tomorrow,
make one with Doctor Hadley. Talk it through.”
“I’m fine.” Dani continued to rinse the dishes and stack
them in the dishwasher.
“I saw the interview with Henderson. He told you to call
him. If you agree to do the picture, you’ll be working with him—and there’ll be
love scenes. Between that and everything that’s happened this morning, you’ll
need a professional to talk to. Call Hadley. It’s not showing weakness to see a
therapist—it’s a way to stay strong.”
Dani didn’t reply, just dumped soap into the dishwasher,
snapped it closed, and turned it on. It ran silently, the humming fridge the
loudest sound in the room. A glance at John showed him waiting for her
response.
“Last night, I had a few drinks with friends. I’m not an
alcoholic.”
“Said every alcoholic in the history of alcoholics.”
Dani shot him dagger eyes. “The drinking is under control. I
stopped, no problem, before, and I can do it again. You know I don’t drink when
I’m working on a picture. Even Hadley said I’m not an alcoholic. I don’t have
all the signs, but I do have to be aware of what I’m doing to deal with my
problems.”
“As soon as you woke up this evening, you wanted a drink.
You’ve already had one DUI. When do you get your license back?” Hands fisted on
his waist, John leaned toward her, face flushed.
Dani sighed. “Three months. All right, I get it. When the
news about my mother broke, it shook me up. Most people dealing with that would
want a drink. Give me a break, okay? And I’m paying for what I did when I was
dating Greg Henderson.”
“What are your plans for tonight?”
“Liz is coming over. Don’t worry. If we go out, we’ll
behave.”
John frowned again. “Will you tell her about the sequel?”
“Yes. She’ll want to audition, and I’ll help her get a
part.”
Elizabeth Logan and Dani had met five years before on an
audition that, for Dani, had been a disaster. Sick with the flu, she’d shown up
to the audition anyway because rent was due and she had no money.
The waiting did her in.
Crowded into a holding area with fifty other hopefuls, Dani
forced herself to sit straight. She tried to look like the character she wanted
to play: a confident, powerful young leader of a youth group who would one day
become president. Liz, seated next to Dani, chatted with her to help take
Dani’s mind off her nausea.
All their efforts shot to hell when the casting director
called Dani into the room. She threw up on the floor in front of him, the
meager contents of her stomach splashing onto his shoes. Dani left the room in
tears and huddled in the bathroom for the next two hours.
After her audition, Elizabeth coaxed Dani away from the
toilet, helped her get home, and then lent her rent money.
They’d run into each other at subsequent auditions and
struck up a close friendship even though they competed for the same parts. When
Dani’s career took off after the success of
Injury
,
Liz admitted a touch of envy, but Dani vowed Liz would benefit from the good
fortune.
Dani unabashedly used her star power to help her friend get
ahead. Since then, Liz had landed great roles and carried them well. In the
meantime, the two young women enjoyed the attendant party life.
John picked up his jacket and put it on. “You going to call
her, then?” To make sure, he waited.
She didn’t know whether to be grateful or resentful.
Grateful. He cared about her even if he wasn’t in love with her. Dani picked up
the phone and called Liz, who said she was on her way.
That settled, John said his goodbyes, and Dani walked him to
the door. “What if they’re still out there?”
“The reporters? They won’t be in the hallway. I had security
take care of that. But no doubt they’ll be hanging around outside the
building.” He paused. “Warn Liz. She’ll get swarmed.”
Dani hugged John, brushing her lips against his cheek for a
chaste kiss. When he’d left, she wandered back to the TV. Should she turn it
on? She wasn’t sure what had happened with her mother. No one had called her.
Yet. She fully expected the police investigating the murder to contact her.
While she contemplated, the phone rang. John must have
plugged it back in. Voice-mail picked up, and she listened to herself telling
the caller she wasn’t available. After the beep, a woman spoke. Jeanette. Dani
snatched up the receiver. “I’m here. Just screening.”
Jeannette’s sexy voice, deep and throaty from years of
smoking, floated through the receiver. “Dani, I’m so glad to hear your voice.
Are you okay? So sorry about your mother. It’s such a shock.”
“I’m fine.” Dani folded herself onto the couch, legs curled
under her.
“Did John mention the sequel?”
“Yes. I’m considering it.”
“What’s to consider? Darling, nine million dollars. And a
share in the revenues. This is a sure thing.”
“Henderson and I have issues. John suggested I think it
over—maybe demand to have him written out of the picture.”
“You’ll be fine. You’re both professionals. Why didn’t you
tell me you two were having problems? Was it that bad?” Jeannette’s voice held
fear.
Dani couldn’t tell if it was fear of Dani backing out of the
series or fear for Dani if Greg came back into her life. “He was toxic. That’s
all I’ll say.”
“The studio wants both of you. They won’t be okay with
writing him out of it. You’ll risk everything. You know these guys: they can
make or break you. Piss them off, and your career, which is in the
stratosphere, will tank. They’ll offer you shitty, dumb blonde parts.”
“I’m not blonde.” Dani smiled.
“That’s not funny, darling. They’d make you dye it and give
you vacuous parts that damage your career.”
“There are other studios.”
“You’re still under contract with this one for at least four
more films. Don’t fuck with them.” Jeanette sounded desperate now, and a shiver
of fear bolted through Dani.
“He has bizarre tastes. I can’t get involved with him
again.” Dani didn’t want to talk about him anymore. It brought back too many
unsavory memories. What would seeing him every day for months
do
to her?
“Are you saying you’re pulling out? Because that won’t fly.
What would make it easier for you to say yes?”
Dani considered how to respond. Silence hung heavy.
Jeannette’s breath puffed into Dani’s ear, and Dani realized the agent was
smoking. “Do they know there’s a problem?”
Of
course, the studio knows.
The execs had watched the relationship implode
during the promotional tour for
Injury
.
George Manning, Danger Play head, had hauled both Dani and
Greg into his office during a break in their marketing travels. He ordered them
to get over it, or he’d sue them both. Dani had done as ordered, avoiding
Henderson whenever possible, and linking arms and canoodling with him in public
when the job demanded.
But she’d been more naïve then, lacking confidence, and did
whatever the older and, she assumed, wiser adults around her told her to do. It
had never occurred to her to consult with a lawyer.
Why hadn’t John stepped in and defended her? But she brushed
that aside as soon as she thought it. John hadn’t accompanied her on that tour,
and she hadn’t confided in him. He still didn’t know the truth, and Dani liked
it that way.
When the silence had dragged on too long, Dani broke it.
“What did they say?”
“They insist on the two of you. John should have told you
how critical it is to accept this role as offered, including Henderson’s
presence. You’re both adults, Dani. Rise above your personal issues and do your
job. The pool of big-name celebrities right for that role is small. They can’t
replace Henderson with another actor—Greg owns that role. And they sure as hell
don’t want to write him out.”
Jeanette took a long drag on her cigarette and continued.
“I’m not saying you can’t carry the film, but the magic happened because of the
chemistry between you and Greg. I don’t suppose you could date him just for the
duration of the filming and the tour? How bizarre could his tastes be? A little
BDSM? It’s all the rage now. Most women would kill to be with him.”
“No, I can’t. He’s an asshole, and I don’t want to date him,
not even for nine million dollars. I can’t believe you’re asking me to do
this.” Yet when John had suggested she back out of it, Dani had argued. Why was
she now fighting against doing it?
John was right. Dealing with that narcissist daily would be
stressful. She recalled Henderson’s expression when he stared into the camera
and spoke directly to Dani during the interview she’d seen on TV earlier, and
her stomach clenched.
Call me, sweetheart.
I’m here for you, baby.
The public thought he was a romantic figure she’d jilted.
Damn him. Call him?
No, Greg, I don’t
fucking think so. Sweetheart.
“Darling? Are you there?” Jeanette’s voice cut through
Dani’s musings.
“I’m here.”
“Want to tell me what happened?” She sounded serious now.
Dani detected a note of compassion, and it calmed her.
“No. I’ll say he was a jerk and leave it at that. He’s not
dangerous.”
He’s not dangerous.
That
was something she’d told herself daily after they’d gone their separate ways.
She wanted to believe it, because if it wasn’t true, she was a coward for not
reporting him, and another woman might suffer for it.
“He’s not dangerous,” she repeated, convincing herself. “But
he’s bad for me. He’s controlling, jealous.”
“Oh, well, he was smitten with you, darling. The whole world
could tell he had goo-goo eyes for you. Did he hurt you?”
“Not so I should press charges.” She paused again. She’d
just given Jeanette a big broad hint at the truth and hoped the agent would
miss it. To Dani’s relief, Jeanette did—or she chose to overlook it.
“Well, that’s fine, then. If you two can play nice while the
picture shoots and during the marketing tour, then we’ll all get a nice chunk
of money from it. Shall I tell the studio to send the contract over? You can
sign it tomorrow. They want to start production next month.”
“Can I give you an answer in the morning?”
Dani heard a loud sigh, and it wasn’t Jeanette taking
another puff of her smoke.
“Darling, this should just be a formality. The studio is
under pressure to get this film off the ground. If you drag your heels on it,
they’ll be upset with you. Four movies, remember? Who pays your bills, Dani?
Who made you a star? Do you want to be labeled difficult?”
The threat behind Jeannette’s words wasn’t an empty one, and
Dani knew it. She could handle Henderson—she wasn’t a naïve girl anymore. Dani
couldn’t afford to make a misstep in her career, and she had to keep the studio
happy. When she’d fulfilled her obligations, and her contract came up for
renewal, she could consider going elsewhere. “Okay, Jeanette. Tell them I’m in.
Has Greg’s agent replied?” Maybe Henderson would turn it down though Dani
suspected he’d jump at it.
“I haven’t heard. But that’s great news. I’ll call the
studio right away. Talk later, darling.”
Dani hung up the phone and eyed the liquor cabinet. She
wasn’t working on a film; she could have one drink. It’s not like she’d get
snockered
. Besides, Liz was on her way over, and they’d go
out to a club. Of course, they’d have a drink while they hung out. Dani fixed
her gaze on the liquor bottles and decided to have the martini John had denied
her earlier.