“I told you I gave that up.” His tone was almost indignant.
She blew smoke to the ceiling, then leveled her eyes back to his. “You’re a liar, Drake. And unless you want me to go to the police with my suspicions, you’ll stop being a liar as of this instant. How much are you down?”
He collapsed, folding like a house of cards under a child’s whistling breath “Eighty-three thousand, and interest.”
Eve’s lips thinned. “Idiot. To whom?”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Delrickio.”
She sprang up, snatching a shoe off the bed and heaving it at him. Whimpering, Drake crossed his arms over his face to protect it. “You goddamn simpering fool. I told you, I warned you. Fifteen years ago I pulled you out from under that slime. And again, ten years ago.”
“I had a bad run.”
“Asshole. You haven’t had a good run in your life. Delrickio! Jesus Christ! He eats sniveling little wimps like you for breakfast.” Furious, she tossed her cigarette on the carpet and ground it out before snatching Drake by the shirtfront. “You were after the tapes for him, weren’t you? You fucking traitor, you were going to feed them to him to save your own skin.”
“He’ll kill me.” His eyes and nose were running as he babbled up at her. “He’ll do it, Eve. He’s already had one of his goons give me a beating. He wants to listen to the tapes, that’s all. I didn’t figure it would hurt anything, and maybe he’d forgive part of the debt. I only—”
She slapped him, hard enough to snap his head back. “Pull yourself together. You’re pathetic.” She released him to pace the room while he dragged out a handkerchief to mop up his face.
“I panicked. Christ almighty, Eve, you don’t understand what it’s like, living with what he can do to me. All for eighty fucking thousand.”
“Eighty fucking thousand you don’t happen to have.” Calmer, she turned back. “You betrayed me, Drake, my trust, my affection. I know your childhood was crap, but that’s no excuse for turning on someone who tried to give you a chance.”
“I’m scared.” He started to weep again. “If I don’t give him the money in two days, he’ll kill me. I know it.”
“And the tapes were to plug the dike. Well, too bad, darling, no dice.”
“They don’t have to be real.” He struggled to his feet. “We could fake some, pass them off.”
“And he’d kill you later for lying to him. Lies always surface, Drake. Believe me.”
While he choked on the truth of that, his eyes darted around the room, afraid to settle anywhere. “I’m going to go away. Get out of the country—”
“You’re going to stay right here and face the music like a man. For once in your pitiful life, you’re going to deal with the consequences.”
“I’ll be dead,” he said, lips quivering.
She pulled open her bag and took out a checkbook. She had come prepared, but that didn’t diminished the anger, or the sadness. “One hundred thousand,” she said as she sat and wrote. “That should take care of your debt, your interest.”
“Oh. Oh, Christ, Eve.” He fell at her feet, burying his face in her knees. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Simply listen. You will take this check. You will not use one penny of it for gambling, but take the money to Delrickio.”
“I will.” Sheer delight transfigured his wet face. It gleamed like a converted saint. “I swear it.”
“And this will be your final transaction with that man. If I ever hear of you doing business with him again, I’ll kill you myself—in a way that even Delrickio would respect and admire.”
His head bounced on his neck in enthusiastic nods. He’d promise anything, anything at all, and mean it—at least temporarily—-for salvation.
“I would suggest that you seek therapy for your addiction.”
“It’s no problem. I’m through with it. I swear.”
“As you have sworn before, but that’s your business.” Revolted, she pushed him aside and rose. The affection and hope she’d once had for this child of her sister was gone. She knew they would not be back. Once the disgust and anger faded, there might be pity. But nothing more. “I don’t really give a shit if you waste your life, Drake, I’ve saved it for the last time. You’re fired.”
“Eve, you can’t mean that.” He struggled to his feet, using his most charming smile. “I fucked up, I admit it. It was stupid, and it won’t happen again.”
“Fucked up?” Nearly amused, she tapped her fingers against her bag. “What a convenient expression, it covers so much ground. You broke into my home, you stole from me, you destroyed things I was fond of, and you invaded the privacy of a woman I am more than fond of, a woman I respect and admire, and who is a guest in my home.” She threw up a hand before he could speak. “I’m not telling you you won’t work in this town again, Drake. That’s much too melodramatic and clichéd. But you won’t work for me again.”
His sense of relief and delight had faded. A lecture would have been one thing—a few threats he could have handled. But this kind of punishment was worse, and more permanent than a few licks with a belt behind the barn. He’d be damned if he’d stand for being whipped by a woman again.
“You’ve got no right to treat me this way, to toss me aside like I was nothing.”
“I’ve got every right to fire an employee I find unsuitable.”
“I’ve done good things for you.”
Her brow arched at the minor audacity. “Then we’ll consider the scales balanced. That check is all the money you’ll ever see from me. Think of it as your inheritance.”
“You can’t!” He grabbed her arm before she could walk from the room. “I’m family, all you’ve got. You can’t cut me out.”
“Be assured I can. I’ve earned every nickel of what I have—something you couldn’t possibly understand. What I have will go where I chose it to go.” She yanked her arm free. “I don’t reward betrayal, Drake, and in this case, I’m not even going to punish it. I’ve just given you back your life. Make something of it.”
He rushed after her as she started out and down the steps. “You’re not going to leave it all to that bastard Winthrop. I’ll see you in hell first.”
She whirled around at the base of the stairs. The look in her eyes had him freezing in mid-step. “You very likely will see me there. Until then, you and I are finished.”
It wasn’t going to happen. He sat down on the steps, holding his head in his hands as the slamming of the door reverberated. It couldn’t happen. He’d make her see he couldn’t be bought off with a lousy hundred grand.
Brandon sat on the fourposter in the big, airy bedroom in the main house and watched his mother finish packing. “How come when ladies pack for the weekend and stuff, they have more junk than guys do?”
“That, my son, is one of the mysteries of the universe.” She added another blouse, guiltily, to the garment bag. “Are you really sure you’re not upset that you’re not coming to London with me?”
“Heck no. I’m going to have lots more fun at the McKennas than you are talking to some old actor. They’ve got Nintendo.”
“Well, Rory Winthrop can’t compete with that.” She zipped the bag, then checked her tote to see that all her toiletries and cosmetics were there. She shook her head as she tested the weight. Not a mystery at all, she thought. It was straight vanity. “CeeCee’s going to be here any minute. Did we pack your toothbrush?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He rolled his eyes. “You checked my bag twice already.”
Because she was checking it again, she missed the look. “Maybe you should take an extra jacket. In case it rains.” Or in case L.A. was suddenly swept by a snowstorm, floods, tornadoes. Earthquakes. Oh, Christ, what if there was an earthquake while she was gone? Struck with the fear and guilt that hit her whenever she left Brandon, she turned to look at him. He was bouncing gently on the bed and humming, his prized Lakers cap low on his head. “I’m going to miss you,
baby.”
He winced, as any self-respecting ten-year-old would when referred to as baby. At least they weren’t in public. “I’ll be okay and everything. You don’t have to worry.”
“Yes, I do. That’s my job.” She walked over to hug him, pleased when his arms came around her for a tight squeeze. “I’ll be back by Tuesday.”
“Are you going to bring me something?”
She tipped his head back. “Maybe I will.” She kissed both his cheeks. “Don’t grow too much while I’m gone.”
He grinned. “Maybe I will.”
“I’ll still be bigger. Come on, let’s get this show on the road.” She picked up her briefcase—trying to remember if she’d checked to be sure she’d put her passport and tickets in the right compartment—slung the tote over one shoulder, the garment bag over the other. Brandon hoisted his well-stuffed gym bag, all the modern boy needed for a few days with friends.
It didn’t occur to either of them to ring for a servant and have the bags carried down.
“I’m going to call every night, seven o’clock your time. That’ll be right after dinner. I already put the name of the hotel and the phone number in your bag.”
“I know, Mom.”
She recognized impatience when she heard it, but didn’t give a damn. A mother was entitled to behave this way. “You can call me there anytime if you need me. If I’m not in, the desk will take a message.”
“I know what to do. It’s just like when you go on tour.”
“Yeah.” But this time there would be an ocean between them.
“Julia.” Nina hurried down the hall as they stopped at the base of the steps. “You shouldn’t be carrying all that.” “I’m used to it. Really.”
“It’s fine.” She was already pulling the garment bag from Julia’s shoulder and setting it aside. “I’ll have Lyle put your things in the limo.”
“I appreciate it. You know, it’s not really necessary for him to drive me to the airport.” And it gave her the creeps. “I can—”
“You’re Miss B.’s guest,” Nina said primly. “And you’re going to London on Miss B.’s business.” That more than settled the affair in Nina’s mind. She smiled down at Brandon. “It’s going to be awfully quiet and boring around here the next few days, but I’m sure you’ll have a great time with the McKennas.”
“They’re neat.” He didn’t think it was wise to add that Dustin McKenna had promised to teach him how to make rude noises with his armpit. Women just didn’t understand that kind of thing. At the sound of the doorbell, he was streaking down the hall. “You’re here!” he shouted at CeeCee.
“You bet. All aboard for three days of fun, excitement, and crowded bathrooms. Hi, Miss Soloman. Thanks for the day off.”
“You deserve it.” Her smile was absent as her mind leapt forward into what had to be done. “In any case, with everyone haring off here and there, there’s little enough for you to do. Enjoy yourself, Brandon. Safe trip, Julia. I’ll call Lyle and have him bring the car around.”
“You behave.” Julia walked forward to give Brandon a last crushing hug. “Don’t fight with Dustin.”
“Okay.” He slung his gym bag over his shoulder. “Bye, Mom.”
“Bye.” She bit her lip as he marched outside.
“We’ll take good care of him, Julia.”
“I know.” She managed a smile. “That’s the easy part.” Through the open door she saw the big black limo slide up behind CeeCee’s Sprint. “I guess that’s my cue.”
While Julia headed for the airport in the bright Los Angeles sunshine, Eve stretched in bed and listened to the heavy drum of rain on the roof of the bungalow. There’d been no filming today, she thought, just a lot of long, lazy hours inside the cozy little cottage the producers had arranged to rent for the duration of location shooting.
She didn’t mind a day off—under the circumstances. She stretched again, purring as a strong, wide-palmed hand stroked down her body.
“Doesn’t sound like it’s going to let up anytime soon,” Peter commented, shifting so that he could roll her on top of him. It amazed him—and aroused him—how good she looked in the morning. Older, certainly, without her careful makeup. But the bones, the eyes, the pale skin, made age a minimal matter. “At this rate, we may be stuck inside all day.”
Because she felt him pressed hard and hot against her, she slid up, then back to take him inside. “I think we can manage to keep busy.”
“Yeah.” His hands dug into her hips, urging her on as she began to rock. “I bet we can.”
Eve arched up and back to let her body absorb all those delicious shock waves of pleasure. She’d been right about him being an intriguing lover. He was young, firm, energetic, and as innately aware of a woman’s needs as his own. She appreciated sexual generosity in a man. It had been a bonus that by the time she had taken that last step and invited him to her bed, she had grown to like him.
And in bed … What woman her age wouldn’t be gratified that she could excite so completely a man not yet forty? She knew he was lost in her—the ragged pace of his breathing, the glisten of sweat on his chest, the tremors that racked him as he streaked closer to climax.
Smiling, her head thrown back, she rode him hard, taking them both over that keen edge of pleasure.
“Christ!” Exhausted, Peter fell back on the bed. His heart was pumping like a jackhammer. He’d had other women, younger women, but never one so skilled. “You’re incredible.”
She slid out of bed to pluck a robe from the chair.
“And you’re good. Very good. With luck you might get to incredible by the time you’re my age.”
“Honey, if I spent much time fucking like that, I’d be dead long before I got to be your age.” He stretched like a long, lean tomcat. “And it would have been a short and happy life.”
She laughed, pleased with him, and moved to the dresser to run a brush through her hair. He didn’t, as so many younger men felt obligated to, dismiss her age. He didn’t flavor sex with all those lies and flattery. She’d come to understand that what Peter Jackson said, he meant.
“Why don’t you tell me how you feel about your short and happy life so far?”
“I’m doing what I want to do.” He folded his arms under his head. “I guess I wanted to be an actor since I was about sixteen—got hooked on high school plays. Took drama in college and broke my mother’s heart. She wanted me to be a doctor.”
Her eyes met his in the mirror, then roamed lazily down his body. “Well, you’ve got the hands for it.”
He grinned. “Yeah, but I really hate blood. And my golf game sucks.”
Entertained, she set the brush aside and began to pat cream under her eyes. It soothed her, the sound of the rain, the sound of his voice. “So, shouldering aside the medical profession, you came to Hollywood.”
“At twenty-two. I starved a little, snagged a few commercials.” Because he could feel his strength coming back, he propped onto his elbows. “Hey, did you ever see me sell Blueberry Crunch Granola?”
Her eyes met his laughing ones in the mirror. “I’m afraid I missed it.”
He took one of her cigarettes from the nightstand. “A stellar performance. It had grit, it had style, it had passion. And that was just the cereal.”
She walked to the bed to share the cigarette with him. “I’ll make sure the cook stocks it immediately.”
“To tell you the truth, it tastes like something you dig off the floor in the forest. Speaking of food, why don’t I fix us breakfast?”
“You?”
“Sure.” He took the cigarette from between her fingers, put it between his lips. “Before I got my break in soaps, I moonlighted as a short-order cook. Swing shift.”
“So you’re offering to cook me bacon and eggs?”
“Maybe—if that keeps you interested.”
Carefully, she took another drag. He was falling a little in love with her, she realized. It was sweet, and flattering, and if circumstances had
been different, she might have let him. As it was, she needed to keep it simple. “I think I’ve shown I’m interested.”
“But.”
Her lips lightly brushed his. “But,” she repeated. And that was all.
It was more difficult than he expected to accept those unspoken limitations. Difficult and surprising. “I guess a few days in Georgia’s not such a bad deal.”
Grateful, she kissed him again. “It’s a great deal. For both of us. How about that breakfast?”
“Tell you what …” He bent forward to kiss her shoulder, enjoying not only the scent, the texture of her skin, but the sturdiness. “Why don’t we take a shower, then you can watch me cook. After that I’ve got a great idea on how we can pass some time