Authors: Val Tobin
Injury (6 page)
The limo pulled up to the building on the studio lot that
housed the administrative offices for Danger Play. Dani waited for Mark, the
new driver, to open her door, and then stepped out into the sultry afternoon
heat. Four-inch heels making her taller than Mark, Dani looked him in the eyes
and smiled at him, letting him take her hand to help steady her.
She walked through the revolving doors and into the lobby.
The receptionist greeted Dani by name, smiling and making nice. The employees
here were always welcoming and cheerful, but professional. They didn’t act
star-struck, and Dani appreciated that.
When she reached the conference room on the tenth floor, she
noted that Greg Henderson wasn’t there. She threw a puzzled glance at the
executives, who sat across the room on the other side of the large round table.
Danger Play’s three owners, the film’s producers, sat clustered together. The
two men and one woman stood when she entered.
“Welcome, Dani. Good to be working with you again,”
Priscilla Houston said.
Dani clasped the hand Priscilla offered and shook it. Ten
years older than Dani, Priscilla oozed confidence, the hand holding Dani’s firm
and smooth. Dani had enjoyed working on
Injury
and learning from Priscilla how to maneuver her way around a male-dominated
world. Priscilla had even helped Dani extricate herself from the relationship
with Greg when it went south. On the heels of that thought came Dani’s
realization of the reason for Greg’s absence.
“Thank you. Nice to see you again.” Dani shook hands with
the two men, Kevin Patterson and Jack Kellerman. In their early fifties, both
looked like they indulged in everything that could be considered an indulgence.
Kevin’s slight tan might signal liver damage rather than sun worship. Dani
didn’t think he’d looked that tan before, though this was California, the land
of sun and sand.
They motioned her to sit, and she took a chair next to
Priscilla. Jack Kellerman got right to the point. “We wanted to speak to you in
private. John mentioned to us that your prior relationship to Henderson made
you hesitate accepting this contract. The first we heard of this was after
you’d signed onto the picture. We’re worried that problems between you and Greg
might jeopardize scheduling. If you had concerns about working with him, why
didn’t you bring this to our attention before signing the contract?”
“It won’t be an issue, Jack. I’m able to leave my personal
life off the camera. When shooting starts, I’ll be Felicity Sanderson, not
Daniella Grayson. Felicity loves Charles Boyle, and that’s who Greg will be. I
signed because I don’t see a problem here.”
The executives exchanged glances, and Kevin spoke next.
“What about Henderson? How’s he feel about this?”
“Did he sign a contract with you?”
“Yes.”
“Did he say he had any issues about working with me on this
project?”
“No.” Kevin raised his brows, looking progressively more
amused as she continued firing questions at him.
“Did you talk to Greg at all about working with me?”
“No, Dani. We came to you first to ensure the star who’s
carrying the picture can perform when we need her to.”
“Then relax because I’ll be fine.
Pris
,
you helped me during the last picture. You knew the problems Greg and I were
having by the time the filming wrapped and the tour started. You traveled with
us on some of those junkets. Did I let my personal life seep out into the
public view?” Dani gazed into Priscilla’s eyes.
“No, Dani, though the two of you made us nervous, and, as I
recall, were hauled into the office for a reality check,” she said. “That was
then. Now, we want to hash things out before filming starts. The contracts have
been signed, but if we thought you two couldn’t work together, we’d tear up at
least one of them—both if necessary. This is a business. It doesn’t matter how
much the public wants a sequel. Without you and Greg on board, I don’t think
it’ll work, and funding it would be a waste of our money.”
Priscilla threw a pointed glance at Kevin, then turned back
to Dani. “Others might have a different opinion about whether it could go
forward with one of you missing, but I think we need you both. That’s why we
had to be sure you can work with him, particularly the love scenes.”
The sound of a man clearing his throat made them look up.
John stood just inside the door, watching them. Zeroing in on Kevin, he said,
“You ganged up on my client?”
“Not at all,” Jack replied. Priscilla and Kevin remained
silent. Jack continued. “We had to talk to her in private, feel her out about
the Greg Henderson situation.”
“What situation?” The voice floated in from the hallway, and
Henderson followed it in.
“Your messy breakup, Greg. Nothing personal,” Jack said.
“All is well, according to Dani, so now we discuss the schedule for the next
few months. If everything goes smoothly, the preliminaries will be completed in
a few weeks, and filming will start right after. Do you have your scripts with
you?”
Dani reached into her bag and pulled out the large manila
envelope containing the script to
Injury:
Band-Aid Solution
. She looked Greg directly in his blazing blue eyes,
purged the repulsion out of her soul, and said, “Shall we get started, Mr.
Boyle?”
***
After the meeting, Dani stuffed her notes and script into her
bag and said her goodbyes the moment John indicated he was leaving.
“Walk with me, John.” She linked arms with him and steered
him into the hallway. Aware that Henderson’s gaze followed the two of them out
the door, Dani moved as quickly as she could, considering her four-inch heels.
“Greg, wait, I want to talk to you.” When Kevin spoke, Dani
glanced over at Henderson, who’d stood and was stuffing his things back into
his briefcase, face anxious.
He wants to talk.
Grateful for Kevin’s intervention, Dani picked up the pace, tugging John away
from the conference room.
John waited until they were at the elevator before he spoke.
“I have a bad feeling about this, Dani. You shouldn’t have told them everything
was fine.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You know what’s wrong. I see the way Henderson looks at
you. Tell me what happened between you two. Why’d you leave him? Did he hit
you?”
Dani managed not to flinch or give any sign John had guessed
part of the truth. “We’re okay. I won’t date him. We’re filming a movie
together, and we’re both professionals.”
“You are, Dani, but I’ve seen Henderson on multiple benders
during a shoot. I’m hoping their handlers stay on top of it and keep him sober.
Henderson showed up drunk more than once on
Injury
and dragged you down with him by the end of it. You’re lucky you got away with
your life. For Christ’s sake, you ended up in
rehab addicted to coke
.”
“Don’t worry, John. I’m not getting involved with him. How
many times do I have to tell you?”
“As many times as needed to remind you not to get involved
with him.”
“Okay—” She stopped. She’d almost said “Dad”—joking, of
course, but it wasn’t funny to her anymore. Dani sighed.
John pressed the button to summon the elevator and said, “I
hear Cope is shopping around a business proposal for a new limo company.”
The mention of Cope’s name brought Dani a stab of guilt and
a longing to see him. “He told me that, yes. I wanted to lend him the money,
but he refused.”
“Too bad. I was sorry he got fired. That would be one way to
make up for it.”
The elevator doors opened, and Dani and John stepped inside.
As the doors closed, she spotted Henderson rushing from the conference room.
Dani pretended not to see him, and the doors whisked shut.
“I’ve got something in the works,” Dani said as she pressed
‘G.’
“What’s that?”
“Nothing I want to talk about yet, but I’m hoping it’ll get
Star Power on Cope’s radar. I’m a silent partner, so he won’t see I’m involved
at all. If he applies on his own, I can push through his proposal and get him
an interview. After that, it’s up to him.”
Back in the limo, Dani checked for messages and found one
from Cynthia, Will
Haz’s
assistant. She called Star
Power without listening to the message, and Cynthia put her through to the
company president.
“Dani, how are you? Good to hear your voice. We haven’t seen
much of you at the office lately.”
“I’ve been busy. Thank you for the flowers and the card you
sent after the news about my father broke. That was sweet.”
Will was thoughtful and a shrewd investor. Dani was grateful
she’d found the perfect partner to run the company.
“You’re welcome. Copeland submitted a proposal to Star Power
yesterday. It looks good. Honestly, if you hadn’t asked me to watch for it, I
still would’ve considered it worthy of a meeting.”
“That’s wonderful. Tell me when he’s due to present. I’d
like to observe.”
Will agreed, they said their goodbyes, and Dani disconnected
the call. Soon, Cope would have a company of his own to run. It felt great to
help out a friend.
On impulse and a sudden desire to see Cope again, Dani
called him and asked him to meet her for lunch. When he cheerfully agreed, she
found her heart beating faster at the prospect of seeing him again. She
directed Mark to drive her home so she could get ready for the date.
***
Dani stepped into the dim, intimate dining room of Genius,
the upscale restaurant she’d chosen for her lunch date with Cope. Outside, the
paparazzi hovered with their cameras, but she didn’t give them a second
thought.
The maître d’ approached and greeted her. “Welcome to
Genius, Miss Grayson. Your party is waiting.”
Dani smiled as he led her past full tables and occupied
booths. Voices mingled in a soft buzz, and a whiff of spice and roasted meat
made her stomach growl. The host guided her to a secluded, candle-lit table at
the back of the restaurant.
Cope smiled when he saw her and stood. He took both her
hands in his, and grazed each cheek with a kiss, sending a shiver down her
spine.
Dani stepped back and eyed his gray suit, noting the perfect
fit, the notched collar, and the navy tie. “You look great.”
He flashed her a grin and pulled a chair out for her. “You
look gorgeous yourself,” he replied as she lowered into the seat. “Did you do
that for me?”
“Did you dress up for me?” Dani teased back.
Cope rested a hand on her shoulder. “Of course. I want to
make you fall madly in love with me.”
They both laughed self-consciously, but when the hand left
her shoulder, she instantly craved his touch again.
A waiter appeared to take the drink order. Cope’s frown and
troubled gaze tipped Dani to his concern about her drinking.
Without hesitation, Dani said, “Sparkling water, please.”
“I’ll have the same. A bottle of your best.” He grinned at
the waiter and eased back into his chair. “You okay, Dani?”
“Me?” She waved away his question. “I should ask you. What’s
happening? Have you found funding for your business?”
“I’ve got a few meetings lined up, and one of them will get
me the money I need.”
“Call me when you’re up and running. I’ll be your first
client.”
“I’d be honored.”
They chatted until the waiter returned with their drinks,
and Dani realized she’d forgotten to review the menu. Cope asked the waiter for
more time, and they scoured the options.
Since filming on the new picture would start soon, Dani had
doubled her daily exercise quota and planned her meals carefully. She went with
the roasted pumpkin salad. Cope chose the salmon with roasted cauliflower,
squash puree, and roasted apples and kale.
When the waiter left, Dani reached across the table and
placed her hand over Cope’s. Their gazes locked, and Dani licked her suddenly
dry lips. “Thank you for the other night.” She lowered her eyes. “You’ve always
looked out for me, and I took you for granted. Newt shouldn’t have fired you—I
never expected that. I can get so full of myself. Please forgive me. I got used
to doing whatever I want, breaking the rules when I want, and it cost you your
job. Why aren’t you furious with me?”
Cope turned her hand over and held it in one of his while a
finger lightly traced circles around her sensitive palm. Dani stifled a gasp at
the jolt the touch speared through her body.
“I disobeyed the rules, Dani. I didn’t argue with you much,
and you didn’t know what a breach of protocol it was.”
“Yeah, but I was so drunk I didn’t care, which was selfish.”
Dani gave him her brightest smile. “Forgive me?”
“Always. Let’s not talk about this anymore. It’s all good. I
consider it an opportunity. If it wasn’t for that, I’d still be preparing to
start my own business instead of getting into massive action. I should thank
you for what you did.” His answering smile spread warmth through her body.
The food arrived, and they ate in silence, Dani studying his
face. She was more familiar with the back of his head from sitting behind him
in the limo. He had the hint of a mustache and a light stubble on his face that
gave him a classy bad-boy appearance. Young. He looked so young, but the
attraction between them was evident even if he wasn’t her usual type.
A buzz sounded, and Cope set his fork down to pick up his
cell phone. “Sorry, I meant to put it on silent.” He glanced at the call display,
and his face lit up. “The investment company. The meeting’s confirmed for three
o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”
Dani’s cell chimed then, and she reached into the front
pocket of her handbag to see who’d texted. Star Power.
Meeting with Robert Copeland tomorrow at 3:00
pm
.
Dani smiled and switched the phone to silent.