Taking Chances (24 page)

‘Not now,’ she said. ‘You’re too tired.’

A few minutes ticked by. Even the sounds of the night seemed to be stilled by the heat.

‘If you don’t mind, I’m going to take my swimsuit off,’ Michelle said.

Her words were like an instant charge through his
body
, though he neither spoke nor moved. He knew this was a situation he shouldn’t be getting into, but instead of forcing himself to go inside he merely stared down at his glass and listened as she rolled the tight wet lycra down over her body.

Still he didn’t look at her, for he knew only too well how beautiful she was, and how easy it would be for him to give in to the demands of his own body.

It was only as she moved behind him and began to rub his back that he started to speak, but even then all he said was, ‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’

‘Sssh,’ she whispered, pressing her fingers into his shoulders and beginning gently to massage.

It felt so unbelievably good that he merely closed his eyes and allowed his head to fall forward. The pressure of her hands and proximity of her naked body was too potent to resist.

‘Lie down,’ she said, and taking the glass from his hand she put it on the table next to hers.

She was in front of him again and as he looked up at the slender beauty of her body, the erect buds of her nipples and careless fall of her hair, he lifted a hand and placed it on her hip. The scent of her was so powerful that he could feel the erection almost bursting from his shorts, and as she eased herself gently towards him he’d buried his face in the damp, curling thatch of her pubic hair almost without thinking.

The taste of her was so hot and familiar that he tightened his grip on her, and pushed his tongue deeper and faster into her. He could hear her panting and groaning, and felt the harsh dig of her fingers in his shoulders. She leaned over him and he reached up for her breasts, squeezing her nipples and sucking even harder with his mouth.

Then he was on his feet, lowering his shorts, and pushing her down on the lounger he lay over her and entered her as she enclosed him in the circle of her arms
and
legs. He had a brief vision of Chambers doing the same to Ellen, and Ellen receiving him as willingly as Michelle was receiving him now. A sudden anger fired his passion and as he rammed harder and harder into Michelle he thought of Ellen and hated himself for what he was doing, though he was unable to stop.

When it was over he excused himself and went inside. As he showered he tried to blot what he had done from his mind, but already the guilt was claiming him and all he could do was thank God Ellen hadn’t come back. Not even the fact that she could be making love with Chambers lessened his guilt, for he knew it was jealousy which caused him to imagine it.

Now, as he steered his car from La Cienega onto Sunset, he could only thank God that Michelle wasn’t the type given to hysterics, or any horrendous notions of blackmail. For sure, she’d been upset when he’d asked her to forget what had happened. She’d even asked him to delay the wedding to give them all some more time to think, but in the end she had accepted that it truly was Ellen he loved and that to do what Robbie wanted just wasn’t going to work.

Pulling into the parking lot behind Café Med, he waited for someone to vacate a space, then eased his car in. As he locked up and walked over to the restaurant he was wondering, not for the first time, what had happened to change Tom’s mind about the casting of Michelle. Or, more to the point, how Ellen had managed to talk him round, since she had to be behind the change of heart, especially as Tom was now considering Matty. Not that Michael had any objection to Matty, she was a damned good actress and was in truth much better suited to the part than Michelle. It was simply that Tom had been so decided, it was the only ‘final say’ he had insisted upon, and now he had done a complete about-turn.

Though Michael couldn’t help suspecting the worst,
he
wasn’t going to give rein to it, though he couldn’t help wondering who was going to break the news to Michelle, and how, once someone did, he was going to convince her that it had nothing to do with what had happened between them.

Still, his main concern right now was for Ellen, which was why he had invited Matty to lunch in the hope that she might be able to throw some light on the way Ellen had been this past week.

The restaurant, on the corner of Sunset Plaza Drive, with its shady terrace and red check tablecloths, was a lunch-time favourite for the industry, which was presumably why Matty had chosen it. She’d want to be seen with Michael, since he was definitely becoming one of the people to be seen with.

He found her sitting at a secluded outside table, olive oil and bread already served and a glass of iced tea in need of a top-up.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘Did you get my message?’

‘No, but it doesn’t matter,’ she answered, as he slid into the seat opposite her. ‘So, how are you? Three weeks to go. Not getting second thoughts, I hope.’

He laughed. ‘Not me,’ he answered, signalling to a waiter. ‘Bring me an espresso,’ he said, ‘and more iced tea.’ He looked at Matty again. She was a strikingly attractive woman with more than a passing resemblance to Rachel, which made him wonder if maybe she and Chambers had something going. It could account for Chambers’s change of heart on the casting. But if there were anything romantic going on Ellen would have been sure to mention it.

‘Have you seen much of Ellen lately?’ he asked.

Matty looked at him in amazement. ‘Are you kidding?’ she answered. ‘You’ve got to have an appointment weeks in advance to get near my cousin these days; even the dressmaker’s complaining.’

Michael smiled. ‘It’s a pretty hectic time,’ he said. ‘What about Tom? Have you seen him at all?’

‘A couple of times,’ she said, and felt her cheeks starting to colour as she tore off a piece of bread and dipped it in oil. She didn’t eat, instead she forced her eyes back to Michael’s. ‘You obviously know he’s considering me for the part of Rachel,’ she said. ‘So are you trying to tell me you have a problem with that? Is that what this lunch is about?’

He shook his head, and hid his irritation. It was so typical of an actress to think everything was about her, but he was fond of Matty, and knowing what a break this would be for her, he realized he was being too harsh. ‘No, I don’t have a problem with it at all,’ he assured her. ‘I’ve got to admit, I was surprised when Ellen told me, but it’ll be good to have you on board.’

‘Thanks.’ Matty’s dark eyes showed her appreciation. ‘So,’ she said, after a while, ‘I could flatter myself that it’s my scintillating company that got me this invite, but I know you’re too busy for such personal luxuries.’

Michael’s espresso arrived with a waiter who was keen to take their order, so after scanning the menu quickly, Michael ordered a seared tuna for himself and a chicken Caesar for Matty, then handed the menu back. ‘I’m worried about Ellen,’ he said frankly.

Matty looked at him, showing no surprise or concern as she waited for him to continue.

He glanced awkwardly around, feeling the midsummer heat burn through his shirt and the noise of the other diners drum through his ears. ‘She’s not herself,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what it is, I just know that something’s not right.’

‘In what way?’ Matty asked.

He looked more awkward than ever. ‘In the way she is with me,’ he said.

‘You mean …?’

‘I mean in every way.’

Matty thoughtfully sucked in her lips. ‘Did you talk to her about it?’ she said.

He nodded. ‘She says there’s nothing. I asked her if she was sure she still wanted to go ahead with the wedding, and she accused me of being the one who wanted to back out. I think we got past that, but I’ve caught her crying several times since, and she’s so uptight and hostile towards me that I …’ He looked down at his coffee, clearly having a difficult time putting all this into words. ‘Is there anything I should know?’ he said, returning his eyes to Matty’s. ‘I mean, did something happen she isn’t telling me about?’

‘Like what?’ Matty asked.

Michael looked at her and wondered if there really was any chance of learning the truth here. She was Ellen’s cousin and would stand by her no matter what. So if Ellen did know about him and Michelle, but didn’t want to discuss it, there wasn’t much hope of Matty breaking her trust. Nevertheless he had to try, though exactly what he was going to do if Ellen had managed to find out, he had no clear idea. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘Like anything. Does she seem upset to you, when you speak to her?’

Matty smiled. ‘No more than any other bride three weeks before her wedding,’ she told him.

Michael smiled too. ‘Do you think that’s all it is?’ he said. ‘Stress?’

‘I’m positive that’s all it is,’ she answered. ‘I didn’t know she was crying a lot, but from what I hear that’s pretty normal too.’ She hesitated a moment, then said, ‘How are things with Robbie? Is he accepting her more now?’

Michael sighed and shook his head. ‘He’s being pretty obnoxious,’ he confessed. ‘He’s trying hard not to be, but just the way he’s counting the days to Michelle’s return has got to be tough on Ellen. She’s great with him, which is more than he deserves, but the poor kid’s only five, we
can’t
expect him to understand what goes on in the world of grown-ups. I smacked him last night. It was the first time and I don’t know who was more shocked, me or him, but he backchatted Ellen in a way I wasn’t going to accept.’ He forced a smile, then, swallowing hard, he turned to look out at the passing traffic. ‘Of course, he wants to leave home now and go to live with his mother,’ he said.

Matty studied his pale, handsome face and her heart went out to him in his pain, for it was so clear how much he was suffering, not only because of Robbie, or because of his guilt for sleeping with Michelle, but with all the stress that he too was undergoing in the build-up to the wedding. But his concern wasn’t in any way for himself, it was wholly for Ellen, which only went to prove how deeply he loved her, and how vital it was that he never found out about Tom, or that Ellen knew about Michelle. They didn’t need to deal with history when they had so much to look forward to. All that mattered now was how much they loved each other, and it would be just plain crazy to let the madness of a single night in any way damage that.

At least that was what she was telling herself, for no matter how much she wanted to help Michael through this, there was just no way she could be the one to tell him what had gone on the night he had flown in from London. It simply wasn’t her place, nor, in the end, would he thank her for it. ‘You know what I think?’ she said.

Michael turned back to look at her.

‘I think that honeymoon is just what you two need right now. It’s been a tough call for you both, you know, since you came to LA and Ellen moved in with you. I mean, you didn’t have much practice at being together like that before, and she’s not used to being a mom, nor are you to being a dad. And with the way the movie’s really taking off now, and all the pressure you’re both
under
because of that, to be frank, I find it amazing either of you are still sane.’

Michael smiled.

‘And what’s more,’ she continued, ‘there’s nothing like a wedding to bring out the worst in people, even those who are about to get married. What am I saying,
especially
those who are about to get married,’ she corrected with a laugh. ‘And if you’re looking for reassurance that she still loves you, I can give it unreservedly, wholeheartedly, with passion, conviction and total knowledge that it’s absolutely true.’

Michael laughed. ‘I guess that’s what I was looking for,’ he said, glancing up as a waiter hovered with their food.

Matty waited for their plates to be put down, then, picking up a fork, she said, ‘Just tell me something, when Michelle comes back for the wedding, is your brother coming too?’

Michael looked surprised. ‘Of course,’ he answered. ‘He’s the best man.’

Matty smiled. ‘Good, because I’m going to be honest with you, it was hard on Ellen having Michelle around. I think she needs to see her and your brother together to be convinced that everything between you and Michelle is really over.’ She paused. ‘I guess it is, isn’t it?’

Michael’s eyes darkened with intensity. If she knew, this was probably the closest he was going to get to her admitting it, so it was his only chance of letting Ellen know how truly sorry he was. ‘Matty,’ he said, ‘I love Ellen more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. I always thought, after Michelle, that nothing could ever be that strong again. But I was wrong, because what I feel for Ellen goes beyond anything I can put into words.’ He stopped, but Matty could see he wasn’t finished. ‘I’ll be honest with you,’ he said, ‘it’s taken some mistakes on my part to find out just how much she means to me, but they’re not mistakes I’ll ever make
again
.’ His eyes were suddenly boring into hers. ‘I don’t want to lose her, Matty,’ he said. ‘I really don’t.’

Matty smiled, and reaching across the table she covered his hand with hers. ‘Believe me,’ she said, ‘she doesn’t want to lose you either. Which is precisely why it isn’t going to happen.’

Sandy had checked into the Four Seasons Hotel on Doheny, made a couple of phone calls back to the UK, then gone straight on to a meeting with Michael and a group of executives from CBS. Though
Rachel’s Story
was taking up most of their time now, there was still other World Wide business to attend to, like the twenty-six-part TV series, based on the Shirley Whitfield novel
Too Many Barriers
, that Michael had commissioned while still in London.

So officially she had flown to LA a week earlier than everyone else in order to join Michael for the big sell on
Barriers
. Unofficially, she was here to get the lie of the land before the wedding actually took place.

Since Michael’s recent trip to London she’d been waiting for the repercussions of her revelation that Ellen had betrayed him over World Wide. As their relationship had appeared to be going through a rocky phase anyway, Sandy had been extremely hopeful that her news would help drive an even bigger wedge between them, but so far that didn’t seem to have happened. But having not yet seen them together it was impossible to know exactly how things were progressing this close to the wedding, though common sense was telling her that there was every chance she was going to be turning up at that church on Saturday 15th along with everyone else.