Читать книгу: «The Royal Romantics», страница 3

Chapter Three

The angle of the light was all wrong. Nina forced open eyelids that seemed stuck together. Her mind was awake, but her body resisted. She snuggled deeper into the warm, soft duvet with its alien scent and peered out.

Her emotions were less easy to appease than her body. As the memories of the night came crashing back, so did the disappointment, excitement, humiliation, and turmoil. But her most overwhelming sensation was relief.

She’d done the right thing.

She was so not going to be one of those celebrities who racked up marriages and divorces faster than they racked up air miles.

What had Paul been thinking? They hadn’t even met each other’s families yet. How would her family feel hearing the news of her engagement from whichever reporter first managed to track them down for a comment?

She could imagine what Gran would have to say, and none of it would be printable.

Even so, she’d probably committed career suicide last night. But she couldn’t lie in bed all day and pretend it hadn’t happened. She’d have to get out there and face the music.

She stretched in the luxurious warmth of the bed and lifted herself up on her elbows. A large room, all in white but somehow not clinical. Golden sunlight slanted through the gap in the gauzy white curtains, across the white hardwood floor and onto the four-poster where she had slept. On one wall hung a dozen pictures in matching dark-wood frames. She climbed out of bed and moved to take a closer look.

Miniature movie posters; the kind they gave away free at movie theatres on opening nights. It was a moment before she registered they were probably all movies Dominic had worked on. Not all Christian Taylor movies, though she’d assumed they always worked as a team.

On the antique bench at the foot of the bed lay a pile of neatly folded clothes with a note. Hope something fits. She lifted the clothes gingerly. A pair of ladies’ sweatpants, jeans, a couple of t-shirts, and a hoodie. She didn’t want to think too closely who they might once have belonged to. She didn’t want to think too closely about what their owners had worn to go home in either. But at least they would be more comfortable than a way-too-revealing, torn evening gown.

She showered and dressed in the grey sweatpants, a plain-white t-shirt, and the hoodie. The fact that the jeans were at least two sizes too small didn’t help her mood.

When she emerged from the bedroom, the house was eerily quiet. She tiptoed down the passage and into the open-plan living area, careful not to disturb her host if he still slept.

The living rooms were warm and homely, with scatter cushions and vases, an unexpected window of stained glass in the dining area, and a wall of framed family photos Nina didn’t look at too closely. This was nothing like the carefully styled “I’m a sensitive man” look Paul’s decorator had created, with native American art on the walls but not a personal picture in sight.

Dom’s house had a haphazard warmth and feminine touches that suggested the action man with a reputation for going through women quicker than most men went through underwear had at least one home-making woman in his life.

Nina clenched her jaw and headed for the kitchen. It took her a couple of impatient minutes to figure out how to work the state-of-the-art coffee machine in the corner of the kitchen, then she set to ransacking the cupboards for something to eat.

Dom had a surprisingly well-stocked refrigerator for a bachelor. Fruit, vegetables, pro-biotic yogurt and freshly squeezed organic juice. After last night’s decadence, she should stick to All-Bran and water, but instead, she grabbed a banana muffin and a tub of yogurt, then sat at the kitchen counter with her espresso. The house didn’t have much of a view, but the back yard was certainly pretty, enticing her to enjoy its delights. A wooden patio set stood on the small redwood deck, with a wall of lush greenery beyond. A grapevine grew across the trellis that shaded the deck, and a wind chime hummed a melody as it stirred in the breeze.

She rose to head to the sliding doors and caught sight of the wall clock. She only just managed to stifle a groan. Mid-afternoon already. Everyone she knew had to be worried sick and wondering where she was by now. At the very least her PA, Wendy, would have expected her to report in a few hours ago.

Now, where the hell was her cell phone? Nina clapped a hand over her mouth, suppressing another groan. She’d left her purse at the coat check. At the one-of-a-kind, once-off party venue, which was no doubt already being dismantled.

She could only hope some journo wasn’t going through her cell phone photos right now. Was there anything incriminating on there? Aside from a couple of no make-up selfies, she hoped not.

Using the landline in Dom’s kitchen (who even still had one in this day and age?) she called the only number she could remember off the top of her head. She hoped Dom wouldn’t object to the long-distance call.

“Hello?” Jessie’s voice sounded tentative down the line.

“Hi, Jess.”

Her sister screeched so loud, Nina had to hold the phone away from her ear. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling and calling, and finally some intern from Vanity Fair answered your phone. She didn’t believe it was yours either. She was convinced an A-list celebrity would own something fancier.”

Nina rolled her eyes. “I left it at the after-party.”

“That good, was it? Did the party cheer you up, then? You sounded so down after the awards ceremony.”

So her sister hadn’t heard the biggest news of the night yet. “The Governor’s Ball was really wonderful. How did your appointment go this morning? Did it take – are you pregnant?”

Jess’s hesitation was all the answer she needed. Nina’s heart sank. How many IVFs had her sister already tried and failed?

Jess cleared her throat. “Give me all the details. How was the VF party? Who was there? Drop some names. Was it really as glamorous as it looks?”

Allowing herself to be diverted, Nina sipped a mouthful of espresso and launched into a description of the after-party as best she could. But her stomach pulled tighter as she talked. She had to get this over with. Jessie couldn’t hear from some other source. She steeled herself. “Paul proposed.”

“Shut up! Why didn’t you tell me you guys were that serious? ”

“Because we weren’t. I didn’t see it coming.” She stumbled for words. “I didn’t know what to do. He asked me in front of everyone. And I mean everyone. I said ‘no’.”

“Are you mad?” Her sister screeched again, and Nina held the phone away from her ear. Not Jessie too.

“I don’t want to marry him. I mean he’s nice and everything, but he’s not…I can’t see myself with him for the rest of my life.” She couldn’t see herself with anyone for the rest of her life. She had little enough privacy as it was. But if she was going to spend her life with someone, it would be someone who set her alight, not someone who’d eventually wear her down.

As the words of her favorite country song went, she was “better in a black dress” than in a white veil.

“You mean he’s not your One.” Jessie sighed. For someone who was constantly telling Nina how out of touch she was with reality, her sister was such a hopeless romantic.

“By saying no I think I’ve undone any good the nomination did for my career.”

“So what do you do next?”

Good question. Nina bit her lip. “I have a plan, but it’s not going to be easy and I’m a little scared.”

“You’ll be fine.” Jessie used her professional voice, the reassuring tone she used on her patients. “I know you. You’ll do whatever it takes and you’ll be great. Things always work out for you.”

If only she had the same faith in herself that Jessie did. But Jessie was the strong one, not her. Her sister was the glass-half-full kind. Nina, on the other hand, had yet to see any evidence for Jessie’s belief that everything happened for a reason. Sometimes shitty things just happened.

“Thanks, Jess. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Her next call took two other phone calls just to track down the right number. “Are you mad?” her PA, Wendy, demanded. “How could you turn down Paul de Angelo?”

This was going to be a very long day.

Nina set Wendy to track down her purse, gave her a list of things she needed and Dominic’s address, then hung up.

The last call was the one she’d been dreading most. Dane was still as cold to her as he’d been the night before, but at least he took her call. “Paul’s been busy this morning,” he said. “The press are not painting a flattering picture of you. There’s a lot of speculation that you’ve been two-timing him. You’re not going to be able to get a Hallmark movie after this.”

Well there was the upside. No more rom-coms. Maybe she could start to prove herself as a serious actress now, with roles worthy of the Alexander name.

“I’m sending Chrissie over to you. You’re going to need her help more than mine to get you out of this.” Dane hung up.

Great. So Paul had started the media machine moving while she slept. Well, there was nothing she could do about it stuck in Venice Beach, so all she could do was wait.

There was still no sign of Dominic. Either he was a very sound sleeper, or he’d gone out. Either way, she was hardly going to go upstairs to find out.

She pushed open the glass sliding door and stepped onto the deck. Beyond the wall of green she discovered another little yard, a paved suntrap patio edged with raised beds of bright-colored spring flowers. She stretched out on the sun lounger in the little garden. The golden late-afternoon sun warmed her and, unable to fight exhaustion any longer, her eyes drifted closed.

She woke with a start when a shadow fell over her. Wiping her mouth and praying she hadn’t drooled in her sleep, she sat bolt upright. It wasn’t Dominic.

A petite blonde woman stood over her, hands on her hips as she stared down at Nina. She wore her wavy, sun-streaked hair in a high ponytail. The woman pushed her sunglasses up onto her head to reveal a pair of curious, assessing gray eyes.

“Hi,” she said, sounding neither cool nor friendly. “Is Dom around?”

“I don’t know.” Nina scrambled up. “I haven’t seen him for a while.”

The blonde moved out of the sun and Nina noticed that she wasn’t as young as she’d first appeared. Tiny lines fanned out from her eyes. But she still had the figure of a teenager, and long, shapely legs that made Nina feel the rush of inadequacy that seemed to be her default setting here in LA.

“He probably went for a run on the beach with Sandy.” The woman’s mouth pursed in disapproval. “I’m going to pack away his laundry.” Casting another assessing glance over Nina, the other woman headed back indoors.

Nina followed, equally curious.

Either Dom had an unusually sexy housekeeper, or he inspired serious devotion in his girlfriends. In which case it was no wonder he seemed so disinterested in her. She was less than useless at doing laundry.

And who was Sandy – another girlfriend?

For the nearly four weeks they’d worked together in Westerwald, Nina had been cursed with the hotel suite across the hall from Dominic’s. She’d witnessed the procession of visitors he’d had. Hotel staff, women from the film crew, girls he picked up in nightclubs, dressed in skirts so short they could have caught hypothermia in the winter weather. Even her own make-up stylist had once slipped out of his hotel room at some ungodly hour, lipstick smudged and straightening her clothes.

Nina had been amazed they all seemed happy to move on with a smile, and never had a bad word for him afterwards.

She couldn’t fathom why. She’d suffered from the most irrational envy since the day they met. Most likely because she saw so little of his attention.

Last night he’d said he desired her. So why did he chase every other woman yet ignore her? What was it about her that Dom found so easy to resist, even when she’d been single and available? Was it because she wasn’t as anorexically thin as everyone else in LA?

There were shopping bags of fresh groceries in the kitchen. How the blonde was going to find place in Dom’s already well-stocked kitchen to pack them away, Nina had no idea.

She found the other woman folding freshly ironed sheets into the linen cupboard in the passage. The woman turned and smiled. “Those fit you well,” she commented, eyeing Nina’s borrowed clothes.

Oh, heavens above – were they hers?

Nina felt the beginning of a hot flush creep up her neck. She didn’t usually blush – she was a good enough actress to cover when anyone fazed her – but this petite blonde with her cool, gray eyes was seriously unnerving.

The other woman laughed. “Relax! I don’t bite. Would you like a cup of coffee while we wait for Dom and Sandy to get back?”

Nina pulled herself together. She’d been nominated for an Oscar, after all. She could play cool every bit as convincingly as anyone else. She smiled and tossed back her hair. “Thank you. That would be lovely. I could do with another espresso.”

Hopefully the caffeine would banish the grogginess of her afternoon nap.

The blonde began banging open doors in the kitchen. “Damn,” she said. “Kathy must have been here already. I can’t find any space in this kitchen.”

Nina resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows. Did Dominic have a harem thing going on? Or was there some sort of competition between the women in his life to keep him fed?

The blonde made cappuccinos for them both and, without asking, added a large dollop of cream and sugar to Nina’s cup.

Nina hesitated a moment before deciding that rejecting the cup held out to her would be rude, so she took it and perched on one of the high stools at the kitchen counter to take a tentative sip. The other woman moved to sit across from her.

“You’re Nina Alexander, right?” the blonde asked.

“I am. And you are?”

“Juliet.” Juliet offered her hand across the table and Nina shook it primly.

“You turned down Paul de Angelo to come home with Dom?” The blonde asked conversationally.

Nina choked on a mouthful of cream. “Good news travels fast.”

“Your very public rejection of Paul made the morning news. You know, I always thought he was gay.”

Luckily this time there was nothing left in her mouth to choke on. “He’s not,” she managed. Vanilla, but not gay.

“Oh good. And now he’s single, too. I don’t suppose you could introduce me?” The gray eyes sparkled. “No, I suppose not after last night. So what was wrong with him that you didn’t want him?”

Sheesh, this woman sure knew how to go straight for the jugular.

“There’s nothing wrong with Paul. He’s a real gentleman. The word ‘suave’ was practically invented for him. He’s polite and attentive, very focused on his career, and doesn’t live wildly like so many other big movie actors.”

He always got the best table in any restaurant, and he knew everybody who was anybody in this town. The perfect boyfriend, as long as you didn’t expect fireworks in the bedroom. And until he’d ruined it all by proposing.

Juliet wrinkled her nose. “He sounds terribly dull.”

Nina bit back a smile. That too. Paul was surprisingly boring for a star. All the way down to his predictable Prius. She shrugged. “He’ll make a wonderful husband to the right woman.” It just wouldn’t be her.

Juliet winked. “Dom is never dull, but you probably know that already.” She dipped her spoon into her mug and stirred thoughtfully. “I’m guessing he rode to your rescue last night?”

Nina nodded. “He saved me from complete humiliation.”

“That’s our Dom. He has a Knight in Shining Armor complex. He’s always getting into scrapes over women. Ask him to tell you the story about the time he….”

A bell pealed and Juliet jumped to her feet. “Who on earth would ring the gate bell? Everyone Dom knows would walk straight in.”

Nina cursed under her breath. She’d have loved to hear Juliet’s story. “It’ll be my PA.”

While Juliet headed off to let the newcomer in, Nina poured the rest of the creamy cappuccino down the kitchen sink. Much as she loved the taste of real cream in her coffee, she really didn’t need yet another spread in OK! magazine pointing out the cellulite on her thighs.

When Juliet returned it wasn’t only Wendy who followed her into the kitchen, but Chrissie, too.

“Your entourage has arrived,” Juliet announced.

Chrissie frowned at her. Either the botox was wearing off or her publicist was seriously unhappy today. “Why haven’t you taken any of my calls?” she demanded, sliding into the seat Juliet had vacated across from Nina. The confrontation seat, Nina was discovering.

“I’m sorry. I left my phone at the party,” Nina explained. Chrissie terrified her, but she was good at what she did and Nina was even more terrified of losing her. Especially now that she needed all the good PR that money could buy.

“I have it. I checked. Everything’s still in there.” Wendy handed over Nina’s purse, cell phone and a large Louis Vuitton hold-all. “And I brought the things you asked for.”

Nina sent her a grateful smile.

Chrissie looked a little mollified. “I’ll have an espresso. Black, one sugar,” she instructed Juliet before turning her back on the blonde. Juliet stuck a tongue out behind her back and Nina had to bite her tongue to stop herself laughing.

Wendy wasn’t as restrained. Her giggle earned a quelling glare from Chrissie.

“I have a Plan,” Chrissie announced. “I think we should work with the story Paul’s putting out there, but turn it around. We’re going to say you’ve met someone else and fallen head over heels in love. You didn’t plan to, but it just happened.”

Not quite the plan she’d had in mind. Nina shook her head. “Remember the fallout when Kristen Stewart was caught cheating on Robert Pattinson? I don’t think that would work in my favor.”

Chrissie smiled. “It’s risky, but here’s the cincher.” She paused for dramatic effect. “He’s going to be a completely ordinary man. Not a star. Just a Regular Joe. It’ll be like the reverse of George Clooney dating the waitress. People already see you as down to earth, so we’ll play on that and win you sympathy.”

“Who’s the lucky guy – anyone I know?”

“Dane has some out-of-work actors on his books. I’m sure one of them will jump at the role for the right amount.”

This was what she’d come to – having to pay someone to pretend to be her boyfriend? Sheesh! And people thought the life of an actress was all glamour.

“How is an actor a regular guy?” Juliet asked from the coffee machine. Chrissie ignored her.

“I have a better plan,” Nina said. “I don’t need a new boyfriend, just a new job. This is the perfect opportunity to reinvent myself as an actress with a little edge. I’m done with rom-coms. I still want to go after the role of Sonia, and I’ve asked Dominic to train me.”

“Who’s Dominic?” Chrissie asked.

“The man whose hospitality you’re enjoying.” Juliet plonked an espresso cup in front of her so hard she splashed coffee on the counter. She’d added cream to Chrissie’s cup, too.

“Oh, the stunt man.”

“Stunt coordinator. What would be in it for Dom?”

Chrissie finally looked at her. The two blondes eyed each other.

“Who are you?” Chrissie asked, looking down her nose at Juliet.

Juliet crossed her arms over her chest. “Consider me Dom’s manager.”

Though Juliet had to be at least a head shorter than Chrissie, Nina thought they were pretty evenly matched in the formidability stakes.

“If we go with this idea, we’d pay him, of course.” Chrissie said. “With a bonus thrown in if Nina gets the role.” She glanced around the open-plan living area, which was probably half the size of Nina’s bedroom. “He could get a bigger place, perhaps something up in the hills.”

Juliet shook her head. “Not everyone wants to live in the hills, and not everything is about money.”

Nina shuddered. As much as she agreed with the last sentiment, not everyone wanted to live by the sea either.

“He’s a stunt man and getting on in years. His career won’t last forever,” Chrissie said.

Nina flinched at her publicist’s callous tone. Besides, Dominic wasn’t any ordinary stunt man. He was bright and energetic and magnetic, and he clearly had friends in high places. He didn’t want Nina, or her fame or money, or he’d have made a move on her a long time ago. The way most men did.

“So what does Dom want?” she found herself asking.

Juliet’s cool, gray eyes met hers, and Nina had the oddest sensation that this formidable blonde knew exactly how much that question had been burning inside her, and that she wasn’t only asking how to get Dom to agree to train her.

Juliet smiled as her gaze flicked past them. “Ask him yourself.”

“Ask me what?”

As one, the four women turned to the kitchen door where Dom stood, holding a panting, creamy-colored Labrador on a leash. He wore trainers, baggy board shorts that hung low on his hips, and a sleeveless shirt that clung to his chest with sweat. Though Nina didn’t notice them in that order.

Another blush began to burn her skin.

Dom stepped in through the open door. “What are you doing here, Jules?”

“I brought you some groceries.”

“Kathy’s already been.” He scowled at her. “I’ve told you I don’t need anyone to do my shopping.”

“Of course you do.” Ignoring his glowering expression, Juliet moved to give him a quick peck on the cheek. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach. “And how else are you going to have clean sheets for your guests?” She fired a quick, mischievous glance in Nina’s direction.

“I have a housekeeper.”

Juliet dropped to her knees to scratch the dog’s ears. It tried to lick Juliet’s face and she laughed, pushing the dog’s head away. “Down, Sandy. Sit!”

So this was Sandy! Nina’s chest suddenly felt lighter and she wanted to laugh. Not quite the harem she’d imagined, nor did Dominic appear to appreciate Juliet’s attentions.

Nevertheless, he didn’t send the blonde away, nor did he bat an eyelid when, quite at home in his kitchen, Juliet filled the dog’s water bowl and set it down for Sandy.

Nina cleared her throat. “We were talking about what sort of payment to offer you to train me up for the role of Sonia.”

“I haven’t agreed to that yet.”

“I still think my idea is better,” Chrissie muttered.

Nina shook her head and kept her attention focused on Dom. Not that he wouldn’t have had her attention anyway. His presence filled the small, sunny kitchen. “Please?” she asked, making her eyes big and begging.

One corner of his mouth quirked up in a near-smile and her heart dropped. She knew what was coming. He gave her that look every time he was about to turn away from her, usually in some other woman’s direction. It was that night in the Landmark Café bar in Westerwald all over again. She’d practically thrown herself at him, and he’d left with a thin, pouty brunette instead. “We need to talk about that. Just you and me.”

She didn’t need his pointed glance at Chrissie to know what he meant.

“I’ll wait for you in the car,” Wendy said, taking the hint.

Chrissie was less easy to move. Between them, Nina and Wendy had to each take an elbow to propel her towards the door. “I really appreciate that you came all the way here, and I’ll call you later,” Nina said.

“Who puts cream in an espresso anyway?” Chrissie huffed, finally accepting Wendy’s lead. Nina shut the kitchen door behind them and faced the room. Juliet hadn’t moved.

Dom poured himself a glass of water from the fridge dispenser. “Feel free to leave any time, Sis,” he said.

His sister! It took all Nina’s effort not to grin.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You want to be alone.” Juliet wrinkled her nose. “You might want to have a shower first, though!” She shoved his shoulder playfully. “I’ll be happy to keep Nina company while you change.”

He glanced at Nina and she shrugged.

“Go ahead. I need to change too, anyway,” she said.

He scowled at Juliet again. “Any embarrassing stories and you’re out.”

She stuck out her tongue at him and Dom rolled his eyes. “If you’ll excuse me?” he asked Nina.

She nodded, unable to speak. The image of Dom in the shower had grown roots in her brain. Damn this blush. Was it ever going to go away?

When she looked back at Juliet, the other woman had a wicked glint in her eyes. “So you and he haven’t yet…?”

The blush burned even hotter. How the hell could his sister tell whether she and Dom had slept together or not?

“Why not?” his sister demanded. “Most women can’t resist our Dom. Are you really that picky when it comes to men?” Her eyes narrowed with speculation. “Or is it not men you’re interested in?”

Nina stiffened her back and stared right back at Juliet. “What happens between me and your brother is none of your damn business. If you want to know why he and I haven’t had sex, then you ask him.” She would love to know, too.

Juliet grinned, and her cheeky look very closely matched her brother’s. “You can’t blame a girl for being a little protective of her baby brother.”

Nina collected her bags off the counter and headed to the guest bedroom. Any relief she might have felt at Juliet being his sister rather than his lover had evaporated in a moment. She could only thank the heavens her own sister wasn’t as meddling.

“You still here?”

Only Jules remained in the kitchen when Dom returned, freshly showered and dressed. She looked up from the magazine she was flicking through. “Now that’s better. You’re more likely to seduce a famous actress dressed like that.”

“I don’t want to seduce her. She’s a potential client. And I really don’t need dating advice from you, thank you very much.”

Not that he hadn’t already learned everything he needed to know about women from his sisters. Like just how much drama they could be.

Jules frowned. “You can’t seriously be considering her request? You have surgery scheduled. It’s not as if you need her money, and she sure as hell doesn’t need you. That uppity publicist has a Plan B to set her up with some poor schmuck who doesn’t mind running around at the beck and call of a celebrity, so let them get on with it.”

He rummaged in the refrigerator and didn’t make eye contact. Why had the thought of Nina with someone else, even if it was nothing more than a set-up, made him lose his appetite? “I can reschedule the surgery.”

“Please think about this carefully, Dom. You can’t afford to leap first then look.”

When had he ever done anything so rash? “Risk assessment is what I do for a living. So trust me to know and understand the risks.”

“And healing broken bodies is what I do for a living, so you should trust me. You know what the doctor said. You need to stop pushing yourself or you’re going to damage your body beyond repair. Fix the damage that’s already been done before you can barely walk! And until then, you need to stop running.”

“The moment they start cutting through muscle and putting metal body parts inside me, my career is over. What am I going to do with the rest of my life?”

There it was, that specter that had hung over him for months now. His job was who he was. It was the reason he got up every morning. Without it, he’d be lost.

He was still a few years shy of forty; too old to re-train, too young to retire.

He’d be the first to admit that agreeing to prepare Nina for this role was a convenient way to buy himself more time to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life.

He shook his head. “My hip, my pain. I can manage it.”

“But you don’t have to live with the pain. A hip replacement is nothing to be ashamed of, and you’ll still have a full range of movement afterwards. Without pain.”

“Will you please keep your voice down?” He glanced past Juliet to the closed door of the guest bedroom. “Have you ever heard of a stunt man with a hip replacement? It’ll take months before I’m back to normal. Months of sitting around, unable to work. And if word gets out that I’m no longer fit, no one will hire me.”