Authors: Val Tobin
Injury (8 page)
Dani checked the time. Henderson was ten minutes late. She
sat in her dressing room, a trailer on the location set lot. He’d texted that
he wanted to meet with her before they started the first day of shooting. If he
didn’t show up soon, they wouldn’t talk, and there’d be no chance to hash out
whatever he thought needed resolving.
At least the scene they were about to film wasn’t one of the
romantic ones. Her heart jackhammered in her chest at the prospect of seeing
him alone for the first time. The anticipation was excruciating. It was so like
him to keep her waiting. No doubt he was aware how much anxiety he was
creating.
Footsteps approached, and there was a tap on the door.
Dani’s heart fluttered, and she swallowed, and her dry throat clicked. She
didn’t get up, unsure if her legs would hold her up. A mental picture of
herself falling to the floor in front of him made her cringe. “Come in.”
The door opened and Greg Henderson stepped inside. He looked
like a golden god, the fucking asshole. Dani’s breath caught in her throat. She
forced herself to look away, feigning indifference, and picked up the bottle of
water on her dressing table.
“Water, Dani? Or vodka in a water bottle?” Henderson didn’t
sound like he was mocking her, but she wasn’t sure.
Dani let it roll off her. “I’m not drinking, Greg. What do
you want?”
“I didn’t want our first time together to be on camera. That
meeting at DP didn’t count. You barely said two words to me.” The hurt behind
the words stabbed at her, and she flinched. Henderson continued, not noticing
or not caring. “I thought it might be difficult for you.”
Again, she listened for mockery and found none. Dani let her
gaze drift back to his body, then his face. He wore jeans, a plain, black
T-shirt, and a crooked smile. She’d always loved that smile.
Henderson closed the door, and Dani gasped when he locked
it. His presence stifled her, and she felt the air leave the room. Her hand
trembled, and she had to set down the bottle of water.
“I was afraid you’d boycott the picture if I was involved.”
He tilted his head down and looked at her through half-lidded eyes.
I’ve never seen his
humble side. Could be he’s up to something.
Henderson cleared his throat. “Thank you for that.”
“If I’d forced them to choose between us, I suppose they
might have picked me. But, let’s be honest: the picture would suck without you,
and the public wants us together—at least on screen, anyway.”
“Maybe off screen, too, baby.” He moved closer to her. “I’ve
missed you.”
“Stay away.” She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but his
proximity was triggering memories she’d rather leave buried. Dani had a flash
of herself face down on the floor, Henderson on his knees behind her, both of
them naked and rutting like pigs.
She pushed it away. He’d used her. He’d discarded her.
Another surrogate father though he’d been younger than the others—only ten
years older than she was. Dani licked dry lips.
Henderson exhaled, loudly. “Baby, it makes me crazy when you
do that.”
“Go to hell. Do you really think you can come in here and
pick up where you left off? Just because we’re co-stars doesn’t mean I’ll let
you use me again.”
“I didn’t use you, Dani.”
“What else would you call it? You fucked me, and when your
next picture started filming, you moved on to the next starlet. Typical. I
don’t know why I thought I’d be the exception. Oh, wait. Because you told me I
was different—that I was the exception—that I was
the one
. You played me, you used me, and you cheated on me. I’m not
interested in a fuck buddy for this movie.”
“I didn’t intend for things to get so out of control. Sorry,
baby. That other girl meant nothing to me. We weren’t even dating. Yes, we
slept together during filming, but only after you blew up and threw me out.”
“You hurt me, Greg—physically hurt me. You hit me. I had
enough of that growing up.”
“Jesus, Dani. How many times do I have to apologize for the
same thing? It was an accident. I wasn’t even aiming for you. You never let me
explain. I’d never hit a woman—especially not you.”
Dani hesitated. Eyes closed, she recalled that night. They’d
both been drinking. In those days, they’d hardly spent a sober moment together.
They drank, and they fucked. Sometimes they ate something.
Henderson had conned Dani into having a threesome with a
waitress they’d met at the restaurant where they’d had a mostly liquid dinner.
Dani couldn’t control her jealousy after, and Henderson couldn’t control his
rage. He took a swing at her during their fight. Wasn’t aiming for her? She
laughed. “There wasn’t anyone else in the room, Greg.”
“I didn’t mean to hit you. Sure, I was angry and wanted to
hit something, but not you.”
“Yet that’s what you did. We’re lucky that girl didn’t go to
the tabloids with the whole sordid story.”
Henderson flinched and looked away. He was hiding
something—she knew him well enough to see that.
“What did you do?” It hit her. “You paid her off?”
He nodded. “I had to make sure it didn’t bite us in the
ass.”
Dani realized she was standing, but couldn’t remember
getting up. She’d almost taken a step toward him. She sighed. They were
dynamite and poison together: explosive and toxic. “We can’t go back there.”
Dani didn’t sound as convinced this time.
His handsome face and electric blue eyes drew her to him.
Dani caught herself before the moan escaped and turned her back on him. “Leave,
Greg.” She faced him again. “Please. We’ll be okay on set. But I can’t see you
outside of work. Besides, I’m sort of seeing someone else.”
“Who?”
“No one you know.” As soon as the words left her lips, she
remembered that wasn’t true. How many times had Cope chauffeured her and
Henderson around on one of their all-night benders? She winced when she thought
about her past behavior, what Cope had borne witness to.
“Then it doesn’t matter if you tell me his name.”
“Sorry, Greg. I’d rather not say. We’ve just started dating.
If it’s going somewhere, I don’t want anyone to interfere.”
I don’t want you to interfere.
The
unspoken words hung in the air between them.
“Babe, give us a chance. If you’re not serious about this
guy, then have dinner with me tonight. I’ll take you somewhere private or back
to my place. We’ll have a romantic dinner and see where the mood takes us.”
Dani shook her head. “You’re not hearing me, Greg. I’m
seeing someone. It’s serious enough that I don’t want to jeopardize it. Let it
go. We ended badly, and we can’t make that mistake again. Focus on the film.
That’s what’s important.”
Henderson looked like he was going to step toward her, but
he turned away instead and unlocked the door. He put his hand on the doorknob
though he didn’t turn it. “Sorry about your father, Dani. When I heard what
happened, I wanted to call you, but didn’t know if you’d want to hear from me.”
“I saw the interview, Greg.”
To her surprise, he blushed.
“Christ. That wasn’t one of my most shining moments.”
Henderson dropped his hand from the doorknob and turned back to her. “Sorry,
Dani. For everything.” His expression told her he wanted to say more, but he
shook his head, opened the door, and walked out.
Dani sighed, relieved, and didn’t stop him.
“Cut.” The director, Jake Ferguson, stepped over to Dani and
moved a lock of hair off her shoulder.
“When you turn around next time, keep the hair out of your
face. Let’s do this again.” Ferguson returned to his chair, and when the actors
returned to their marks, he called action.
Dani walked across the room, prop gun raised and aimed at
the guy playing her brother. “I don’t want to shoot you, Ralph. Get up slowly
and step away from the body.”
Ralph, kneeling on the floor next to the “corpse,” rose to
his feet and said, “It’s not what it looks like, sis.”
“I think it’s exactly what it looks like.” Dani took a step
back when Ralph turned toward her. “Stay where you are. Charles. In here.”
Footsteps behind her alerted her to Henderson’s presence,
her cue to turn her head. She pivoted, but her hair slid onto her face again.
“Cut.” Ferguson stood, but before he could come near her,
Henderson stepped over and smoothed the hair aside, his finger brushing her
cheek.
“Take a break,” Ferguson said. “Someone get the stylist in
here. I don’t want hair dropping into her face every time she moves.” Most of
the time, Ferguson talked around the actors, not to them, unless to give a curt
command or instruction. It was his weird way of focusing on the story, Dani had
learned.
At first, she’d felt hurt and had worried that Ferguson
disliked her, but when she saw it wasn’t a slight, she found it reassuring. His
directions were minimal, his conversation non-existent. It allowed her to
immerse herself in her character.
The actors relaxed. The actress playing the victim remained
on the ground, trying not to disturb her makeup or smear the fake blood. Dani
sat on the sofa, and Henderson took a seat next to her.
Ralph—for the life of her Dani couldn’t remember his real
name—sat on the floor next to his victim, and the two chatted. Dani thought
they might be sleeping together already, and filming had only started a week
ago.
So far, Henderson had behaved though Dani thought he acted
too familiar with her sometimes. Perhaps, it was because, in the film, they
were lovers, and she could accept that. But other times, she worried that he
was trying to winnow his way back into her personal life.
Henderson’s knee rested against hers now, and Dani wondered
if she should tell him to back off. Afraid to cause problems on set, she
decided against it, and, as casually as she could, disconnected herself from
him by crossing her legs.
“You avoiding me, babe?”
“Not more than usual. Don’t call me babe, Greg. I’m not your
babe.”
“A little touchy, aren’t you? I don’t mean anything by it.
You wouldn’t take it so personally if you felt nothing for me.” He leaned in
close and lowered his voice. “Admit it, babe: you miss me as much as I miss
you. Loverboy isn’t cutting it in the bedroom. Am I right? I’ve spoiled you for
other men, haven’t I?”
Dani thought she caught a whiff of alcohol and looked him in
the eyes. She squinted, trying to gauge if he was drunk. Henderson was being
more arrogant than usual, and he was never a happy drunk. If he’d started
drinking on the job, there’d be trouble. Sooner or later, he’d do something
stupid and obnoxious, and it would cause problems. If she were lucky, the
fallout would only affect him, but she suspected she’d be collateral damage.
“Have you been drinking?” Dani kept her voice to a whisper.
“I had one shot before I came out to do the scene. I’m not
drunk.”
Uneasy, she wondered what else he might be taking.
The stylist arrived then, and Dani occupied herself with
getting her hair fixed.
Henderson lounged beside her, legs stretched out in front,
one arm draped across the back of the sofa behind Dani.
Back ramrod straight, Dani sat forward, away from the
possessive reach of his arm, hoping he assumed she did it to make things easier
for the stylist. Unable to resist commenting, Dani said, “You going to make
this a regular thing?”
“The shot? Nah. What do you care? It’s not affecting my
work.”
“It will if you keep doing it. Be professional. Don’t drink
on the job.”
“You telling me what to do? Sorry, babe. You don’t have that
right.” Now Henderson sat ramrod straight, casual air shattered.
“I’m trying to help you. Remember how the last picture
ended? Both of us were drinking every day, you more than me. Please don’t start
that again. There’ll be problems.”
“Remember our love scene last time? It was fun to shoot,
wasn’t it? I watched it again last night and thought about us. Amazing, babe,
truly amazing.”
Dani shot a quick glance at the stylist, who bore a neutral
expression. A consummate professional, she wouldn’t react to anything the two
stars said. She also didn’t know quite what Henderson meant when he’d reminded
Dani of the sex scene from
Injury
.
Henderson and Dani had been a couple then, and both had been
drinking before filming, loosening themselves up for the kind of scene that
typically made actors nervous. The strategy had worked. They’d gotten so loose
and unselfconscious the sex hadn’t been simulated. When the director had yelled
action, the lovemaking had been real, and they’d got it in one take. Dani was
sure the entire onset crew had known the two stars were doing it in front of
them.
The love scene for this film was scheduled for two weeks
away, and Dani wondered how the hell they’d get through it.
Dani gazed at herself in the full-length mirror on the inside
of her closet door and tried to like what she saw. She’d already changed four
times. This time, she wore a long, black cocktail dress, simple lines, elegant,
with a plunging V-neck and a slit up the side. Dani chose a pair of cream,
open-toed pumps and a cream clutch to go with it.
A glance at the time reminded her she’d better hurry. Cope
would be here in twenty minutes, and she still had to do her hair and makeup.
The butterflies in her stomach kept fluttering while she worked to complete the
look. What if his family didn’t like her? What if she embarrassed him? What if
someone told him she owned Star Power?
Since the night at Cope’s place, Dani had wanted to find an
opportunity to tell him Star Power was her company, but the moment hadn’t
presented itself. She’d intended to tell him that evening, but his lovemaking
had pushed all thoughts of business out of her head. Lips curling into a smile
at the memory of it, Dani put the finishing touches on her makeup and then
verified the hair straightener was hot enough to use.
With a deft hand, she ran her hair through the styling tool
in minutes, and by the time the buzzer on the intercom sounded, Dani was ready
to go. Cope met her in the lobby and, offering her his arm, guided her to the
car, an Audi.
“It’s weird to see you driving something other than a limo.”
Dani smiled at him, and Cope returned it, eyes shining.
“I’ve gotten so used to driving the limo, it sometimes feels
weird to me, too. I’m hoping to be able to change this one up in a few years.
But I can wait. I like this car.” He opened the passenger door for her, and she
slid into the seat, tucking her dress in around her legs.
Forty minutes later, Dani stared out the window and watched
the coast slide by, aware they were almost at their destination and dreading
it.
“Not nervous, are you?”
Dani turned away from the window and stared at him. “How do
you do that?”
“Do what?” He glanced at her, brows raised.
“Guess my mood and figure out what I’m thinking.”
Cope laughed, a deep chuckle that brought a smile to Dani’s
face and made her relax enough to breathe normally again.
“My beauty, don’t ever play poker.” He chuckled again, and
this time, she joined in.
“Okay. I’m nervous. I want to make a good impression.”
Cope took her hand and squeezed it a moment before returning
his hand to the steering wheel. “Don’t worry. You’re gorgeous, smart, talented,
and charming. Just be you, and they’ll love you.”
“Will your whole family be there?”
“If you mean the siblings and the parents, then yes, they
will. Don’t worry. I’ll help you through it.”
Cope turned off the highway and in another fifteen minutes
pulled into the long, winding drive that led to the mansion Dani had glimpsed
that night on the beach. A large fountain, lit up with white lights, sparkled
in the midst of a cobblestone walkway along the front of the house.
The ten-car garage loomed up, and the door to one of the
bays slid open when Cope pressed a button inside the Audi. The car eased into
the garage and he cut the engine.
Dani waited while he came around the vehicle and opened the
door. Nerves at full throttle, she clung to his arm, afraid she’d trip walking
up the stone staircase to the expansive marble-columned porch. The front door
opened before they reached the top of the stairs, and a young woman, younger
than Dani by about five years, stepped out.
“Bobby!” The woman rushed out and grabbed Cope in a bear
hug, smiling bright brown eyes at Dani while she did. “Mom told me you were
bringing a date. I’m Heather.”
Heather offered Dani her hand, then pulled her in for a hug
as soon as their hands clasped. “Oh, I’m so excited to see you. Bobby doesn’t
usually bring dates home. You must be special.” Heather winked, and Dani
grinned, unable to help herself.
“I’m Dani Grayson.”
The young woman stepped back and did a double take. “Oh, my
God. Daniella Grayson. Bobby, you didn’t tell me you were dating Daniella
Grayson. I’ve got to tell Nichole. Oh, God, she’ll pee herself. We’ve seen all
your movies.” Heather rushed back into the house.
Dani glanced at Cope and saw the indulgent smile.
“She’s still kind of a kid. I choose to find her charming.”
Cope rested a hand on the small of Dani’s back and guided
her inside. Dani tossed her head back in his direction, lips curling up into a
sly grin. “Bobby?”
“Only my kid sister gets away with that.” He shot her a
scowl that looked more comic than threatening.
An older woman entered the room, dark hair swept back in an
elegant up-do. She wore a Grecian-style evening dress, in cream, and Dani
wondered if the woman had deliberately tried to match the color of the stucco
outside. To steel her nerves at meeting Cope’s mother, Dani pretended she was
Felicity Sanderson, cloaking herself in her character’s self-confidence.
“Mother, meet Daniella Grayson. Dani, Margaret.” Cope put an
arm around Dani’s waist.
Dani extended a hand to Margaret, who smiled through gritted
teeth and clasped the hand in a moist, floppy grip.
“How charming. You’re dating a movie star. What’s it like,
Daniella, to have strange men throwing themselves at your feet? You must never
want for male companionship.”
Unsure what to make of that remark, Dani managed a polite
smile. “Nice to meet you, Margaret.”
“Please, dear, call me Mrs. Copeland.”
A warm flush crept up Dani’s face despite her resolve to act
confident and as Felicity-like as she could manage. No writers to provide her
with dialog here, though, and she had trouble coming up with her own charming
banter.
Cope’s arm tightened around her, and she found that a comfort.
“Be nice, Mother. Dani’s my guest.”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, darling, but Katherine’s
here.” Margaret spoke to Cope, but kept her gaze on Dani. “Robert and Katherine
used to be quite close before they each went off to college. I think she was
his first love.”
Cope sighed, then looked relieved when he caught the eye of
a strikingly handsome older man walking down the stairs toward the group. “Dad.
Come and meet Dani, my girlfriend.”
Dani didn’t flinch though she came close. So she’d graduated
from date to girlfriend. How did she feel about that? She gazed up at Cope’s
face and wanted to kiss him all over. Apparently she was okay with it.
Cope’s father reached the trio, and he offered Dani his
hand. She accepted it with a genuine smile and felt herself blush again when he
raised her hand to his mouth and lightly kissed it.
“Rupert Copeland. Everyone calls me Big Cope. It’s nice to
meet you, dear. I’ve seen most of your movies. Robert’s a lucky man.”
“Shall we go to the party room?” Margaret interrupted. She
spun on her heel and headed to a corridor on the left.
Big Cope released Dani’s hand and motioned for them to
follow. He led them into a banquet hall, decorated as though for a wedding
reception. Instead of banquet tables, bar tables with bar stools ringed the
room’s perimeter. An enormous stone fireplace consumed the west wall, a pyramid
of candles inside it providing ambience. A bar, manned by two bartenders,
spanned the far wall. A band played in the southeast corner. Couples swirled
and swayed on the dance floor in the middle of the room.
“What would you like to drink, dear?” Big Cope offered Dani
his arm, and she linked her hand through it and smiled.
“Mineral water with lime will be fine, thank you.” Worried
he might find that insulting, Dani braced herself for a negative reaction, but
it didn’t come. She didn’t want a drink tonight. Her guard would go down, and
based on Margaret’s reaction, Dani thought she’d need both brain and body
unscrambled by alcohol.
“Robert, why don’t you hunt up Dani that drink while I get
to know her better?”
Cope gave Dani a reassuring smile and a quick squeeze around
the waist, then headed toward the bar. Big Cope drew Dani toward a nearby
table, and they sat, perching on the barstools. “How did you meet my son?”
Surprised that Cope didn’t talk to his family about the job,
Dani leaned in so she didn’t have to shout too much over the music. “He was my
limo driver.” She almost mentioned her role in getting him fired when it
occurred to her Cope might not want her to discuss it. She’d have to be careful
what she said and to whom she said it. To calm her nerves, she drew in a deep
breath and smiled.
Dani chatted with Big Cope, mostly about his son, which made
her like the younger Cope even more. Big Cope’s tone and words betrayed his
pride in his youngest son. The older Copeland confided to Dani that the family
had argued that young Cope needed them to partner with him. But Big Cope was
secretly delighted that his son had secured the funding on his own.
“When he called me with the news, I couldn’t have been more
proud.” Big Cope’s eyes shone, and his gaze wandered over toward the bar.
Dani followed the glance, uneasy that she still hadn’t told
Cope the money came from a company she owned. She’d tell him tomorrow for sure.
He was coming over for dinner, and she’d tell him then. She had to. It was
getting to the point where he’d be unable to back out of the deal without a lot
of headaches. But tonight wasn’t the time to dump that on him.
A frown crossed Dani’s face when she noticed Cope continued
to stand at the bar, drinks already in hand, and the reason for the holdup was
a woman. The woman talking to him—who kept him talking—beamed at him, laughing
and touching his shoulder in a familiar way. Blonde, thin, dressed elegantly in
a long white evening gown with spaghetti straps and a corset that accentuated
her cleavage, she tossed back her head, obviously flirting.
“Katherine Bloomington,” Big Cope said, helpfully. “Friend
of the family. Bobby and Kate grew up and went to school together.”
Margaret joined the couple at the bar and embraced Katherine
with enthusiasm. Dani turned away and focused on Big Cope, asking him about his
business, though when he responded, she barely heard anything he said. A knot
of anxiety twisted in her solar plexus. Dani smiled at all the right moments,
even managed a giggle at something funny Big Cope said, and forced herself to
avoid checking on the scene at the bar.
The first indication Cope had returned was the glass of
mineral water and lime appearing in front of her on the table. Dani breathed a
quick sigh of relief and glanced at him, mouth curling up in appreciation. The
smile faltered, but then continued to spread out of stubborn pride, when she
saw Katherine stood beside Cope, an arm around his shoulder.
“Katherine Bloomington,” the blonde predator said.
“Daniella Grayson.” Dani held her hand out, trying not to
hiss and determined to squelch the jealousy flooding through her.
Katherine’s arm slid from Cope’s shoulders and the women
shook hands. “I’m so thrilled to meet you. My condolences on your father’s
death. What you’re going through must be difficult.”
Dani saw Cope shoot a dagger look at Katherine, who ignored
it. Surprised, and oddly enough, touched, Dani shook her head at Cope, and
said, “Thank you. I’m managing.”
It occurred to Dani that Katherine was the first stranger to
talk to her about what had happened who wasn’t trying to get a scoop or comment
from her. “I loved my dad, and it’s been difficult to hear how he died. My
mother will be in prison for a long time.”
“You volunteer with abused children at Child Rescue.”
Katherine leaned in close. “My sister mans the phones for them, and she told me
she’s seen you around. Hillary.”
Dani smiled, and her eyes widened. “Yes. I know Hillary.
She’s wonderful with the children who call in needing help. Bloomington. I
didn’t make the connection.” It was hard to dislike Katherine. If she was
anything like her sister, Dani could understand why Cope would be attracted to
her and why Margaret would want to throw them together.
Cope put an arm around Dani’s shoulders and leaned in close
to whisper in her ear. “If you want to escape, let me know. We’ll go for a walk
and some fresh air.”
He kissed her cheek, and she smiled up at him. Maybe the
evening wouldn’t be so bad after all. After a few sips of mineral water, Dani
realized she needed to use the ladies’ room, asked for directions, and excused
herself. She headed out into the hallway and looked to the left, where Cope had
told her a bathroom existed.
Though Dani was well off, she wasn’t used to extravagant
living, and walking into a house that had a ballroom and lavish, multi-stall
bathrooms overwhelmed her. Cope lived in this. No, that wasn’t true. He lived
in a one-bedroom apartment and was happy about it. Dani entered the bathroom
and headed for a stall.
As she stepped to the sink to wash her hands, Margaret
entered the bathroom and stood next to Dani. The only other woman in the room
dried her hands, patted her hair, and walked out.
“Mrs. Copeland. You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you, dear, but it won’t help you.” Margaret folded
her arms across her chest and met Dani’s gaze in the mirror.
“Excuse me?”
“Bobby might sow some wild oats with you, but now that
Katherine’s back, I’m sure he’ll come to his senses. It’s nothing personal—it’s
just that they’ve known each other for such a long time. Nice as I’m sure you
are, you ought to know that his heart belongs to someone else.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” Dani washed her hands,
trying to keep them steady. Margaret’s cruelty stung, and all she wanted to do
was escape.
“Your mother murdered your father. We want no part of people
like that in this family. How much do you want?”
Her mouth dropping open, Dani gasped, and her eyes went
wide. Silently, she turned off the water and picked up one of the cloth hand
towels rolled up in the basket on the counter. When her hands were dry, she
tossed the towel into the bin on the floor and faced Margaret.