Make Believe (17 page)

“Oh bless, my poor baby,” I say whilst rubbing my hand across his chest, trying to deflect what I think is the pain of jealousy.

“How did you end up still being friends with her then?”

“She somehow managed to get herself in some financial trouble, made a couple of bad films, people weren’t hiring her. I felt bad for her and helped out. And now she owes me her eternal gratitude.”  He laughs.

“There’s no chance you could get back together?” I ask, dying inside.

He laughs again.

“No, Jessica there isn’t. I’ve moved on.” He smiles, kissing my cheek. “Enough talking about past shit, let’s go party, babe.” He holds onto my hand and pulls me towards the dance floor.

I smiles as he leads me. But for the first time in my life I feel the pangs of jealousy. Oh my God, she broke his heart, his first true love, my poor Elliott. How will I ever compete with that? Deep down I do wonder if he’s still in love with her. The images of them together create a wave of pain through my heart.  Elliott pulls me, jolting me from my thoughts.  He’s bumping and grinding around me drawing me into him. He’s a good dancer, I don’t know what else I expected. I, on the other hand, can’t dance. I have two left feet. The music changes pace slightly and slows down. Elliott tugs me towards him and he places his hand on my hips. It’s like we’re slow dancing but with an edge. He looks down at me and whispers in my ear.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Jess. I really want you…now.” His words surprise me.

I laugh.

“What here, now, on the dance floor?” I tease, running my hands over his back.

He doesn’t laugh; he just eyes me up and down lustfully.

“No, not here, but there’s a private room out the back. We could go there.”

Shit, he’s serious.

“How do you know there’s a room out the back? do you make a habit of this?” I ask conspicuously.

“No, I don’t. I’m not like that anymore, Jessica. It’s where we used to score years back, I remember it from then,”  he answers perpetually.

I feel so guilty. I’m such a bitch!

I pull him closer and place my hands on his face.  My lips start trailing up his neck finding his mouth on the way. He kisses me back with such a want. I can’t help but return it with the same urgency. He is so sexy. I want him too, even more so now, but this is so unlike me. I’m torn between good Jess and bad Jess.  This is what he does to me.

I pull back from him and look up. “So where’s this room then?”  I smile.

“You drive me crazy, Miss Ing. What am I going to do with you? Stupid question really, I know exactly what I’m going to do,” he replies so salaciously, stripping bare any inhibitions I may have had. 

He leads the way and heads towards the back of the bar. He grabs a couple of cocktails on the way. Just as we arrive at the door, Kirsten approaches us again.

“I’m sorry I had to run off. So Jessica, let’s talk…” She smiles, placing her hand on my arm.

I look at Elliott and he immediately drops my hand.

“You can have her for ten minutes but then I want her back.” He smiles, kissing the top of my head, leaving just Kirsten and I alone. What the hell are we going to talk about? Compare notes on how good he is in bed?

“I finally get to meet the girl Hudson’s having kittens over.” She smiles.

I nod, unsure of what she means.

“You must realise Elliott’s a good guy, hey Jess? Maybe a little immature at times, but he has a good heart. And that’s really unusual in this business. He means a lot to me and if you hurt him, I will come after you.” She smiles.

Her words offend me. Why does every one think I’m out for myself?

“Not that it has anything to do with you, but I really care about Elliott. But it’s early days so we are just taking things slowly,” I snap.

“You have no idea do you, Jess, what you are dealing with? Elliott doesn’t do slowly. It’s all or nothing with him. Haven’t you learnt that?” She glares.

The last few days flood back through my mind - the watch, skating, weekends away. She’s right, he can’t do slowly. But then I’m glad he doesn’t, it just proves how much he wants this.

I smile at her. “You’re right, he’s not good at ‘slowly’.” I smile.

She laughs.  Thank God, relief flows over me.

“I know…and how are you finding Hudson?”

“Oh God, that’s another story. I hate him. He’s an awful man.” I can’t stop my alcohol fuelled rant.

“Yeah, I used to think that too, but then I slept with him.” She smiles.

Shit…it all starts to make sense, even in my drunken haze. That’s what Elliott meant by she got fed up with him and found herself an older man. Hudson did the dirty on him. What a complete and utter shit. Why the hell is Elliott still employing him?

“Oh my God, really?”  I can’t contain my astonishment.

She looks at me and smirks. “Yes, call it a debt that needed paying. He helped me out of a tight spot and I owed him. The only bad thing was Elliott got hurt. I’ll always regret that.”

“Right, I’m claiming her back. You’ve had ten minutes,” Elliott announces.

She laughs.

“You’re a lucky girl, Jessica. Don’t forget that,” she says, kissing me on the cheek.

Elliott leans down and whispers, “Thank God she’s gone. Do you still want to head out the back, babe?”

My heart flutters.

“Yes, most definitely,” I beam. lending him my lips.

He leads us out the door at the back of the bar, down some really grubby hall and up some stairs, which stinks of spilt beer. We arrive at the door. It says “Private”.

He looks at me and smiles.

“What?” I ask, a little nervous.

“Nothing, you’re just so beautiful.”

He pushes the door open and I’m greeted with a candlelit room, tea lights everywhere. There’s a massive rug in the middle of the floor with cushions around it and a bottle of champagne sitting in the middle of it with two glasses and a single red rose.

I look at him.

“So just come out the back, hey?  Thank you so much, it’s beautiful.” I feel so touched that he’s gone to all this trouble for me.

“I knew you would be feeling like shit after the premiere. I thought this might help.”

I grab his hand this time pulling him into the room. The door shuts behind us. And we are finally alone. I kneel down onto the cushions and tap the free space next to me.

“Will you be joining me, Mr Tate?” I ask, unbuttoning my dress.

“Gladly,” he smoulders.

***

“Oh my God, Elliott, we must have been gone at least forty-five minutes or so. You won’t be in trouble, will you?” I ask him as we barge our way through the back door of the bar.

He shakes his head. “I’m always in trouble when it concerns you Jess!”  I tighten my grip on his hand.

“Thank you so much, Elliott, for making it a perfect evening.”

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Ing. Anytime.”  He smiles, kissing my hand.

“I need to go to the ladies,”  I blurt out.

He laughs. “Thanks for sharing that. It’s good to see we are past all the formalities.”

“After what we just did, I hope so,” I tease.

“Shh!  You naughty girl. I will be over at the bar getting us cocktails and mingling.”

It’s so loud in the bar again. I follow the dark corridor to the loos, there’s a queue. God, I so need to pee!

I think back to earlier with Elliott, he really is something amazing. The thought and effort he makes for me, the way he makes me feel when he touches me, it sends my body endorphins into overdrive. I thought I had it good with Henry but he doesn’t even figure in this new world.

Chapter12

As I walk out of the toilet into the dark corridor I notice a figure waiting in the door way. I wonder if Elliott’s come looking for me? I was only ten minutes or so, he’s such a protector. As I head towards him I realise it’s not him. Fuck, it’s Hudson. I try and walk straight past but he grabs my arm and pulls me into the doorway. His hand is so tight around my wrist.

“What the fuck do you want?” I shout at him, pulling at his hand which is holding onto my wrist. But the music is so loud it sounds like a whisper.

“Now that’s not a nice way to greet your hero is it?”

“Get your hands off me.”

He drops my wrist but places his leg a cross the door way so I can’t get past him.

Two girls walk past, I try to grab one but he pushes my hands up above my head, he has me fully restrained.

“Don’t be so stupid, Jessica. I just want to talk, that’s all.”

I glare at him, trying to plan my escape route in my head.

“I’m worried about Elliott. He seems to be very preoccupied at the moment with you and we are losing work because of it.”

My ears prick up. I don’t want him to miss out because of me.

“Hopefully, Rosa will help bring his profile up. That will show that he’s still on the market, free and single, rather than wasting his time with a nobody like you.”

“Whatever, Hudson! Elliott will be looking for me. Please move out my way!”

“No, no he won’t. I’ve just left him with Kirsten jabbing in his ear.”  He smirks.

I roll my eyes. Of course he would have made sure Elliott was preoccupied.

I try to push his leg out the way with my thigh.

He grabs my wrists again.

“I said stop it, bitch! I won’t hurt you if you just let me kiss you.”

Huh, not again. I thrash my head from side to side so he’s unable to reach my lips.

“Obviously, Jessica, you didn’t learn from before. I always get what I want whether you give it to me or I just take it,” he leers in my ear.

He grabs both my wrists with one hand and lets his other fall down to my legs. He starts to rub up towards my skirt, his bony fingers tracing their way up to my panties.

I struggle, pulling my hands but he has them in such a tight grip. I clench my legs together trying to stop him going any further.

I try to regain my thoughts. I will not be his victim again. I thrash around trying to get away but the only thing that is free is my head - it will have to do. I lean back and with my forehead I aim for his nose hitting it straight on. Blood spurts everywhere again.

“Shit, you fucking whore.” He grabs his nose. Looking down he sees the blood pooling in his hands.

The anger on his face is haunting. He lifts one of his hands and slaps me straight across the face, the force knocking me to the floor.

“What the fuck are you doing, Hudson?” I hear Elliott shout. He rushes to help me up. Once I’m standing up he turns and pushes Hudson back into the doorway, his face inches from Hudson’s. “What the fuck are you doing, Hudson, hitting her?”

“The stupid bitch head-butted me. Look at my nose. She misinterpreted what I said, stupid whore. You need to stop this, Elliott. She’s bad fucking news. Now that you’ve fucked her, dump her!” His words are so cutting.

“Shut up, Hudson, this has nothing to do with you. We will discuss this shit later. Go clean yourself up…in fact, go home. I bet there is some poor suffering bitch waiting to look after you.”

Hudson pushes past him and walks away. 

“Are you OK, Jess? You’ve got a slight cut above your eyebrow. You’ve got a matching pair now.” He smiles, tracing his fingers over them.

I nod. Relief running through my body. Finally I’ve managed to stop him.

“What the hell happened, Jess? Why did you head-butt him?”

“It’s a really long story, Elliott. I want to tell you but I’m scared you’ll be angry with me.”

“Why would I be angry with you?”

“I have so much to tell you, but I warn you it’s not what you want to hear though, trust me.”

“I have the time, Jess, and you have the answers so let’s go find somewhere to talk.”

I watch his face as I tell him the whole story about how Hudson had attacked me in the alley- way and then claimed how he’d helped me, and how he had tried to attack me again earlier and how he had planned to ruin everything for us.

The expression on Elliott’s face was unforgettable. He was so angry, he kept rubbing his hair and pulling at his shirt collar - it’s as if this would help him digest the situation better.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Jessica? Did you think I would let him do this to you?” he snaps.

“No, no, of course not, it was just…you thought he’d helped me. How could I defy that?”

“By telling me the truth! I may be a lot of things, Jessica, but I’m not a monster. I would never condone something like this. I feel like such an idiot. We’ve been out with him loads, and you both sat there knowing what he’s done to you.  It disgusts me. I should have done something about it.  How could you not have told me, Jess, for fuck sake?” The anger in his voice is terrifying.

“You don’t need to do anything about it; it’s all sorted out now. I just want to forget about it.”