No Matter What (118 page)

Oh, Jesus, what was happening here?
 
She’d thought she was over this – over him.
 
But she’d never be over him.
 
Not really.

“Like I said, Vince, he should have thought about that before.”

He gave her one last hug.
 
“I’ll leave you alone now, sweetheart.
 
Let you settle in.”

“Vince ... tell Charley I’ll call her later, ok?”

He smiled.
 
“Yeah.
 
I’ll tell her.
 
Look, are you …?”

She smiled back, even though she didn’t much feel like smiling now.
 
“I’m fine.”

She watched him leave then sat down at the table, putting her head in her hands.
 
Michael was here and all of a sudden
she
didn’t want to be.
 
She didn’t want to be anywhere that he was.
 
She couldn’t be.
 
But what could she do?
 
She was here for Charley and she’d have to at least wait until the baby was born before she even thought about leaving.
 
But the first chance she got she’d be out of there.
 
Putting the distance between her and Michael that she so desperately needed.

***

Michael knew that what he was doing wasn’t a good idea, but it was something he needed to do.
 
If it meant he could get just one glance, one tiny glimpse at his ex-wife then it would all be worth it.
 
He shouldn’t have come to Vegas, he knew that, but he’d known she’d be there, she’d definitely be there and he just wanted to see her.
 
Even if
she
didn’t want to see
him.

He sat at the casino bar and ordered another bourbon, even though he didn’t really feel like drinking it.
 
Vince had told him
India
didn’t want to talk to him, and in the back of his mind he’d known it was a pointless thing to ask Vince to try and do, but he was at the point now where anything was worth a shot.
 
In almost four years Michael had never seen his ex-wife in the flesh, he’d never seen her in person, even from afar.
 
They’d never bumped into each other at award ceremonies or charity functions and he knew that was because she looked at guest lists and if he was on them then she wouldn’t attend.
 
That’s how much she’d meant it when she’d said she hadn’t wanted to see him anymore.
 
So he’d had to make do with looking at her on TV or in magazines or watching her movies, and every time he did that it hurt a little bit more, because all of it was his own doing.
 
There was nobody to blame but himself.
 
All of those years he’d wanted her, waited for her, took his opportunity and finally won her over and in just a few seconds, a few painful, horrifying seconds he’d lost her.
 
Almost four years and he’d never gotten over it.
 
He probably never would.

He took a long drink of bourbon and looked around the casino.
 
There were people everywhere, the noise of the slot machines and the constant hum of voices filled his head.
 
She was upstairs, in the Penthouse Suite, he knew that, and whilst every inch of him just wanted to go on up there and face her, he knew he never would. He respected her too much, and anyway, she had her new boyfriend with her.
 
JJ Foster.
 
Bigger competition than Kenny Ross had ever been.

He took another drink.
 
He wished Ethan was here.
 
Their little boy was the only thing that kept him going sometimes, but he was back in
L.A.
with Reece.
 

“All on your own, Michael?”

He turned to look at the voice behind him, watching as she sat herself down beside him at the bar.

“Yeah, I’m all on my own,” Michael replied.
 
“What are
you
doing here?”

Layla smiled as she ordered a glass of champagne from the over-attentive barman.
 
“Well, call it coincidence, Michael, but I’m actually working here this weekend.
 
I’ve got a photo shoot.”

“Tasteful as usual I expect,” Michael said, a touch sarcastically.

“Now now, Michael.
 
Let’s not forget your ex-wife took it all off for magazines too, once upon a time.”

He looked at Layla, still all bleached blonde hair and wide eyes but he was pleasantly surprised to see that the heavy make-up had been toned down somewhat and she was wearing a casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt rather than a skirt up to her waist and the usual low-cut tops she’d seemed to favour before.

“Don’t talk about
India
, Layla.
 
Just, don’t.”

She took a sip of her champagne.
 
“Still missing her are you?”

He finished his drink and stood up to leave.
 
“I don’t want to talk about it. Least of all with you.”

“I just thought you might like a little bit of company.”
 
She took another sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving him.
 
“Seeing as
India
’s enjoying herself with her younger man, and why should
she
have all the fun?
 
Because, let me tell you, Michael, I’ve
had
JJ Foster, and he is one
hell
of a lot of fun.
 
If you get what I mean.”

She smiled a knowing smile and he felt his stomach turn over.
 
He’d got what she meant alright, and just the thought of India with another man, just the thought of someone else making love to her, waking up beside her, it never ceased to hit him right where it hurt, like someone grabbing his heart with freezing cold fingers and squeezing it tight like a vice, so acute was the physical pain it caused him.

“Why should she have it all, Michael?
 
When you could have some fun too.
 
What harm would it do?”

He looked at her.
 
She seemed different in some ways, softer, less false now she’d stripped back some of that make-up that she’d never really needed in the first place.
 
She’d hit thirty now and maybe she’d just realised how pretty she really was beneath that mask she’d used to wear.

He found himself standing there, thinking maybe she was right.
 
He
was
lonely.
 
He had been for a long time now.
 
What harm could dinner do?

She was still looking at him and he felt himself weakening by the second.
 
India
had JJ.
 
For now.
 
He might as well at least try and enjoy himself while he was here instead of brooding about what he couldn’t have. Yet.
 
Because that fight was far from over.
 
Infact, it was only just beginning.
 
India
would come round, in time, he was sure of that.
 
She’d come round and see that what they’d had was worth fighting for but that wasn’t going to be this weekend.
 
The situation wasn’t right, the time for that to happen wasn’t now but he was working on it.
 
He had a plan and he was working on it, and sometime in the future there would come a time when
India
had no choice left but to face him again.
 
She’d have no choice left at all.

***

JJ wanted to be alone with
India
.
 
Really alone.
 
Being in Vegas with her was all very well but here they were surrounded by her friends and more people than JJ cared to have around them right now.
 
They’d never really had any time to themselves since they’d got together.
 
Everything had been so crazy.
 
She never stopped working for starters.
 
If it wasn’t movies it was photo shoots or promotional work and when he
did
get to see her she was almost always tired and it was a case of have sex and fall asleep.
 
He wanted more than that.
 
But he sensed a slight reluctance from her, as if she’d put up some kind of barrier, some kind of wall that was stopping him from getting to her completely.

Maybe it was to do with her ex-husband.
 
He knew, just like the rest of the world, that she and Michael Walsh had had an extremely close relationship and for it all to end so suddenly the way it had must have been hard for her.
 
But they’d been together almost six months now, and as far as JJ was concerned he knew exactly how he felt about her.
 
He just needed to know how
she
felt about
him
, and if he had to try and get that out of her whilst they were here in
Las Vegas
then that’s what he’d do, because he wasn’t willing to wait any longer.

India
was upstairs in the Penthouse Suite and he knew she was alone because he’d just seen Bobby, and now JJ wanted to get to her even faster.
 
She was always so busy, always on the go, she was very rarely alone and any time he could grab with her would be worth it.

“Off to see the older woman, are we?”

JJ stopped and turned around at the sound of Layla’s voice.
 
“What the hell are
you
doing here?
 
And she’s six years older, Layla.
 
That’s all.”

“Still makes her older.”

“Are you here for a reason or are you just stalking some other poor bastard now?”

“I’ve got a photo shoot this weekend so I’m here working.”

“Legs open, tits out as usual, huh?”

“Oh, you have such a high opinion of me, JJ, but no.
 
Clothes on, actually, and you might be interested to hear that I’m so over you anyway.
 
Infact, I’ve got myself a new man.”

JJ looked at her, narrowing his eyes.
 
“Why would I be interested in that, Layla?”

She smiled at him.
 
“Because it’s Michael Walsh.”

JJ stared at her.
 
“
You’re
seeing Michael Walsh?”

“Well, not quite ‘seeing’ as such, not yet.
 
But he’s just asked me out to dinner so it’s only a matter of time.”

“He’s here?
 
In Vegas?”

She nodded, twirling her long hair round her forefinger.

JJ narrowed his eyes again.
 
“What game are you playing, Layla?”

She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.
 
“Game?
 
I’m not playing any games, JJ.”

“Whatever.
 
I’m not interested in what you’re doing or who you’re seeing, ok?
 
I’m not interested in the slightest,” he said, turning to go.

“Ok.
 
You
might not be interested, but I’m sure your girlfriend will be.”

He turned back around and stared at her.
 
“You want me to tell her, is that it?
 
You want me to tell
India
that you’re seeing her ex-husband?”

Layla just shrugged.

“Because I’m not going to.
 
She doesn’t care what he does anymore ...”

“You know that for sure, do you?”

JJ wasn’t going to get rattled by her, no way.
 
He could see what she was doing and it wasn’t working on him.

“She doesn’t care what he does, and she sure as hell doesn’t care what
you
do so you enjoy your night together.
 
Both of you.
 
Just as I intend to enjoy mine.”

He walked away, leaving her standing there.
 
No matter what Layla said she was playing a game, otherwise why announce her “date” with Michael Walsh?
 
Everything she did was for a reason but right now he didn’t care.
 
He didn’t care what Layla was up to; he cared about
India
and he cared about their future, because he wanted a future with her.
 
He just needed to find out if she wanted that too.

***

Why did Michael have to be here?
 
Why did he have to be so close and make it so much harder for her to avoid him?
 
He knew she’d be in Vegas this weekend, and yet he’d still come here.

As she looked out of the window, at life going on around her in this amazing, vibrant town, she realised she was probably being slightly unfair.
 
Michael was Vince’s best friend so of course he wanted to be around when he became a dad for the first time, just as she wanted to be there for Charley.
 
It was just going to make things so much more complicated, that’s all.
 
Still, on the plus side it meant she could hide away up here with JJ for longer.
 
She had the perfect excuse now.