Second Chances (22 page)

“Cutting it rather close, weren’t you?”

“The hair and makeup team are completely incompetent.” Her lustful blue eyes gazed longingly at him. He knew that look and his insides grew cold. “You look rather nice. I have many fond memories of you in a tux.”

David’s finger dipped into his collar, the cloth strangled him. “This bloody tie is killing me. I hope I can make it through this thing.”

Sophie patted his arm. “You’re just nervous. Calm down, you twit.”

David blew out a breath as their names were called from the stage. He plastered on a smile and glanced over at Sophie. Her face wore the same expression.

“Showtime, love.” Sophie’s voice dripped with false sweetness as her grip tightened and she walked with him across the stage, arm in arm.

Excitement from being on the stage flowed through David’s body like an electric current, tightening his chest and quickening his pulse. The lights blinded him as they made their way to the podium. Applause from the crowd lightened his steps.

Adrenaline rushed through his body like a drug that he needed a hit from time and time again. Why he became an actor was tied to this sensation. There really wasn’t anything else like it in the world.

With Sophie on his left, David finally reached the podium. He smiled widely and waited for the crowd’s applause to die down. At rehearsal, the director of the event told him to lean in and kiss Sophie’s cheek. David obliged grudgingly, keeping the fact that this was the last time tucked into his mind for reassurance. He turned his head to get this kiss over with.

He leaned toward her cheek, but Sophie swiveled toward him, and his mouth landed on her lips instead. He stiffened in shock and pulled back, but her hand came up behind his head and pressed him to her mouth firmly. The crowd erupted in louder applause. Flashbulbs danced through the crowd as cameras clicked from every corner.

Sophie released him, and a wicked smile blossomed over her mouth. David was too stunned to speak, which caused her satisfied grin to grow even wider. He should have been more prepared for her to orchestrate a stunt like this. Her timing was perfect, as she knew David wouldn’t do anything rash in reaction, not in front of an audience or cameras. His gaze narrowed but he quickly wiped the frown off of his face. This woman was downright evil.

Sophie turned her attention to the audience and started her dialogue, a pro at keeping the show moving like normal. David squashed the anger down inside that had crept up from his gut. He had to be a professional as well. But as he stared out over the audience, all he wanted was for this evening to be over.

~~~

Kristin’s pulse raced as she strolled briskly along the hallway of the third floor of the Glasgow Radisson. She and Ingrid had lucked out in finding a flight, proving once again that her friend really was good at dazzling people to get what she wanted. Ingrid had even gotten them a room on the fourth floor of the same hotel, though Kristin was pretty sure that Ingrid would be staying there quite alone.

Nervousness fluttered in Kristin’s belly as she drew closer to David’s room. Here she was, acting very much out of character again. The passion that David had awakened inside her soul had not only allowed her to love again, but it also enabled her to do the things she so often thought about, but was afraid to attempt. Like impetuously flying to Glasgow to shag him mad all night long.

Giggles tickled her insides. Kristin was even starting to think like a Brit now. Hearing Ingrid talk all the time probably didn’t help, either. Pretty soon Kristin would be all “bloody” this or “bugger” that. Oh well. Kristin considered London her home now, so why shouldn’t she act and think that way?

Kristin’s lips curved into a smile as she stopped in front of room three-twenty-four. After she sweet talked the elderly man at the front desk out of David’s room number, Ingrid, the good friend, pretended she had a few things to do and excused herself.

Kristin glanced at her watch. The awards ceremony should definitely be over by now. Even if David was tired, he would welcome the visit. Inhaling deeply, she knocked.

Sophie Miller opened the door, and Kristin knew her smile vanished. The butterflies fluttering inside her stomach changed to fear, skittering through her body like tiny ants. The actress wore a blue satin robe, and not much else, from what Kristin could gather from the outline of the woman’s body through the thin cloth.

The psycho crossed her arms and smiled with gratification at Kristin’s apparent discomfort. “Well, Kristin Shepherd. I really didn’t expect to see you here. And I’m assuming David didn’t expect to either.”

Kristin swallowed against the lump that had formed in her throat. “What are you doing here, Sophie?”

The actress gestured behind her, inside the room. “Why, I’m waiting for David, so we can have a romantic evening together. What are you doing here?”

Kristin glanced past the woman, into the room. The lights were low, and there were candles flickering in various places. Champagne chilled in a bucket on a small table. Kristin’s heart crashed. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought she’d have to pick it up off the floor.

“Where is David?” Maybe Kristin had the wrong room. Maybe Sophie was just winding her up again.

The door opened a little wider. “He’s still at the Royal Concert Hall. There were a few things the director needed him to stay and take care of. He sent me off to get everything ready for our evening together.”

She looked past Sophie into the room once again. David’s clothes were thrown over a chair, his bag on the floor by the bed. This was his room all right. What was going on?

Sophie leaned casually against the doorframe as Kristin inhaled and exhaled slowly to steady herself. She noticed that Sophie’s blond hair had little crystals scattered throughout. They glimmered in the light as the actress narrowed her steel blue eyes.

“I told you David belonged to me, and that he would never choose you. You are nothing but a distraction, a bump in the road of our relationship. It would be wise for you to finally accept that fact.” The words and smug smile pierced through Kristin like a lightning bolt.

Abandoned by the man she trusted with her deep places, the walls closed around her heart again. How
could
Kristin ever hope to compete with this beautiful, successful woman? The insecurities of her childhood rushed to claim her again, the waves suffocating.

Sophie possessed supermodel beauty. Kristin was merely everyday pretty. Obviously David agreed, or the woman wouldn’t be in his hotel room, barely dressed.

Kristin shook her head in denial and backed away from the door. She had been played like a fool, a mere conquest for a successful man. All of David’s declarations of love, all of his promises fell flat inside her mind. He’d ripped her secrets out of her to just throw them away. How could she have been so naïve?

She turned and plodded toward the staircase, as hot tears welled behind her eyes.

“So nice to have seen you again, Kristin. I’ll tell David you stopped by.” Sophie’s sarcastic voice carried down the hall.

Her pace quickened as she ran to the stairs, bounding up the steps as quickly as she could. The tears blurred her vision, just as her heart had been blurred when it came to David. She should have been more careful. Why didn’t she give herself more time to experience more before falling head over heels the first time out?

With shaking fingers, she fumbled for the room key, but paired with the tears impeding her vision, it was no use. Kristin rapped her knuckles loudly on the heavy wood of the door, pounding frantically to be let inside.

“Blimey, what’s the big—” Ingrid opened the door, her words frozen in her throat. “Kristin, love. What’s wrong?”

Kristin opened her mouth, but no words would form. The tears streamed down her cheeks, and she faltered, her knees buckling.

Her friend reached out and pulled Kristin into her arms. “Oh, honey.” Ingrid smoothed Kristin’s hair and pulled her gently inside the room, closing the door behind them.

~~~

David loosened his tie, the ends hung freely, releasing his neck so he could finally breathe. He’d spent entirely too long in a tuxedo this evening. It had to be after midnight. The lateness of the hour tugged at him, filling his mind with images of stretching out in his large hotel bed for hours of uninterrupted sleep.

He’d had to stay after the ceremony to do some voice over promos and take some publicity shots. Since Sophie had already been in Glasgow, she had taken care of hers already, so she had been able to leave immediately at the conclusion of the event. David hadn’t had the chance to speak with her about her little kissing stunt. Right now, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to. All he really wanted was to get some sleep, then head back to London tomorrow so he could see Kristin.

David slipped out of his jacket and casually tossed it over one shoulder as he strolled down the hallway to his room. Hopefully, the statement the agents had been working on would be ready to be released by next week. Then this whole debacle would be over. It didn’t really matter because he was already fully committed to his relationship with Kristin. It just would be nice to have Sophie officially out of his hair.

A yawn overtook him while he searched for his room key. David opened the door, entered and shut it behind him.

“Well, you’re awfully late.”

David spun to find Sophie sprawled out seductively on the massive bed, her blond hair still twinkling. The blue satin dressing gown hugged every curve of her body.

“I’m tired, Sophie.” David tossed his jacket over the back of a chair. “What are you doing here?”

“One of the maids happens to be a fan, and she was kind enough to let me in so I could surprise you.” Sophie sat up, turned to the table that held the champagne and popped the cork.

“I thought we could use the time to discuss things regarding our situation.” She poured two glasses and held one out to him.

David took the glass, but set it on a nearby table. Alcohol fogging his brain while she was in his hotel room didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment. “I thought that’s what our agents were doing, because we couldn’t seem to agree on anything ourselves.”

Sophie crossed her arm in front of her pushing up her breasts, as she held her champagne-filled glass. “But we’re adults. Surely we can come to an agreement between us.”

“Like how adult you acted with your little kissing escapade tonight?” He just wanted her out of his room so he could sleep. He moved further into the room but kept away from the bed.

“I was just giving them the show they wanted. You heard the applause.” Sophie smirked and tilted the glass to her lips.

David shook his head in disbelief. He unfastened his cufflinks and tossed them on the table furthest away from the bed. “I am tired of this game, Sophie. So, so tired. We are over, you and I, and I’m making it official with the press.”

Sophie stared at him over her champagne glass, then stood and walked toward him. “I decide when we are over, not you.” Her low voice held a sinister tone he’d never heard before.

He’d had enough of her control issues. “Grow up, Sophie. You can’t control every little thing in your life, and you definitely can’t control me any more.”

“Bastard,” she hissed and threw what was left of her champagne in his face.

The woman’s actions stunned David into silence, as the champagne dripped off his nose. But should he be surprised, really? Didn’t some part of him expect her to act like an immature child through this?
So much for reason and sanity.

“I can see your interpretation of acting like an adult varies greatly from mine. You need to leave.”

Sophie’s blue eyes widened and he thought he detectedfear. “Oh, David. David. I’m so sorry. Forgive me, please forgive me.” She pleaded with him as she dropped her glass and closed the short distance between them.

“Here, let me clean you up.” Sophie retrieved a towel from the bathroom and patted parts of his body that weren’t wet. He roughly grabbed the towel from her and wiped his face. Her hands wrung nervously as he dried off his face and shirt. “I don’t know what got into me, David. I really don’t. You must think me mad. I miss you so much. I’m miserable without you.”

David blotted what liquid he could and then laid the towel beside his untouched glass of champagne. “Maybe a little mad. I don’t miss you. It’s over, please leave,” he waved toward the door.

“Don’t do this to me, David. I can’t handle things without you. You’ve no idea the pressure I’ve been under, lately.” She paced the room, the desperation evident in her voice.

“You work like this all of the time. You’ve even been known to thrive on it.”

Sophie ceased her pacing and stood directly in front of him. “But that was when I had you and our love to rely on.” The tenderness in her voice confused David even further.

She lifted her head and her eyes shone like dark sapphires in the low light. This was the Sophie that David had fallen for years ago. The strong woman who could let her guard down once in awhile, who’d made him feel needed.

David gently took one of her hands. “You’ll still be able to rely on me, Sophie. Just because we’re not together romantically, doesn’t mean we can’t try and be friends.”

Sophie beamed and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I’ve been so scared of losing you all together. That’s why I’ve been acting like a nutter.”

David allowed a faint smile to cross his lips and hugged her back. But they could never go back to the way it was before, and he had Kristin now.

“This feels good, doesn’t it? Being in each other’s arms, just like old times?” Sophie leaned her head on his shoulder and pulled her arms tighter around him.

Warning bells shot off in his brain. The banshee had duped him again by playing a different game.

“Like old times,” she murmured into his shoulder, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

David’s body tensed when her lips brushed his neck. He had to put a stop to this. “Sophie, please.” David grabbed her shoulders and moved her gently backwards. “Don’t do this.”