Star (35 page)

Crystal began to work on the movie and as her coach had promised, it was easier than she thought. The hours were long and rigorous, but everyone seemed anxious to help her. She studied her lines every day, and had intended to go to bed early every night, but she was amazed by the number of men who called her. Ernie had mentioned all of them, so she knew they had called her on command, but they were always polite and pleasant, and charming. They arrived in dinner jackets, driving expensive cars, actors and singers and well-known dancers. She had even seen some of them in movies. And they escorted her everywhere. To Chasen’s, and the Cocoanut Grove and the Mocambo. It was all like a fairy tale, and words failed her each time she tried to describe it to Pearl when she wrote her. She told her about the parties she was going to, and the people she had met there, and for a moment she wondered if she’d even believe her. It was the kind of story one read in movie magazines, but it was true. All of it. And she told her about the picture.

And halfway through the picture, Ernie called her himself. “Having fun?”

“I’m out every night.” She laughed breathlessly and he laughed in answer.

“Then how come you’re home now?”

“I was so tired, I canceled tonight. I didn’t think I could get dressed one more time.” There was a comment he was tempted to make, but he didn’t think she was ready for it. Instead he chose to answer her innocently and not scare her.

“Not even once? Just for me?”

“Oh, Mr. Salvatore …” Her voice drifted off. She was exhausted. She had to get up at four every day, and be on the set by five-thirty in the morning for makeup and costumes.

“What happened to ‘Ernie’? Have I done something wrong?”

“No, I’m sorry.” He sounded so nice and she owed so much to him, she knew she couldn’t turn him down. She just wished he hadn’t called her. She was truly exhausted.

“Don’t be sorry, just remember next time. How about a quiet dinner somewhere? You don’t even have to dress to be seen.”

She sighed in relief, and it was nice of him to call. She smiled as she glanced out her window. “Could I wear jeans?”

“I’d be honored. And bring a bathing suit, if you have one.”

“Where are we going?” She sounded intrigued and was only faintly worried.

“To Malibu. To a quiet place I know. You can relax, and I’ll get you home early.”

“I’d love it.” She dressed hastily, brushing her hair back into a tight knot, and slipping on her jeans and one of the old shirts she’d brought from home, and the cowboy
boots she’d had for years. As she looked in the mirror, she suddenly recognized herself again, and it felt so good not to be dressed up and wearing makeup.

He picked her up in his Rolls ten minutes later, and she saw that he was wearing jeans too. He laughed with pleasure at how she looked. “People are so dumb. I’d love to put you in a picture just like that, Crystal, but no one would ever understand it.” He saw that the boots were the real thing, and the jeans were, too, and he remembered her tales of the valley when they’d had dinner at the Brown Derby.

She was more comfortable with him than she had been before. The absence of expensive clothes, and not being in a fancy restaurant where she was stared at helped, and it never dawned on her to ask where they were going. They chatted on easily for a while, talking about her childhood, and his in New York, and then suddenly she saw that they had stopped in a driveway outside a house perched just above the ocean. “Where are we?”

“My place in Malibu. Did you bring a bathing suit? I have an indoor pool. The ocean is too cold here.” She felt a tremor of fear run up her spine, and yet he had given her no indication that she needed to worry. But the emotional scars left by Tom had never entirely faded, and she suddenly wondered what Spencer would think of her being here with Ernie. But it didn’t matter anymore. And he was married anyway. And this was her life and no one else’s. She forced Spencer from her mind, and followed Ernie to the front door, which he opened with a single key. There was no one there, and Crystal looked frightened. “Don’t be afraid, little one.” He smiled gently at her. “I won’t hurt you. I just thought you needed a night off.” He was right, she did, but she wasn’t sure she was safe here. Her instincts told her not to go inside, but she
felt foolish making a fuss, he was being so pleasant, and he had already been so kind to her.

She followed him through the door and saw that they were in a beautiful house, with glass walls and high ceilings, there were thick white rugs, and long white leather couches, and the room looked even larger with the clever use of mirrors. And outside the huge picture windows, the sun was setting slowly over the Pacific. It was beautiful, and it made everything seem more real as she watched it. It reminded her of sunsets on the ranch that she had watched in happier times with her father.

“Would you like a drink?” He walked to the bar and opened a refrigerator hidden behind a mirrored door, but she shook her head. She had every intention of staying sober.

“No, thanks.”

“A soda perhaps?” She asked for a Coke, and he smiled. She was really just a kid, hidden in that magnificent body. He had never seen a girl as beautiful, and he was still marveling to himself at how he had found her. “You don’t drink, or you don’t trust me?”

She hesitated and then laughed. “Both, I guess.”

“Smart girl.” He poured himself a vodka and tonic and invited her to sit on the couch. She was still trying to figure out where the pool was, but now that they were inside, the house looked much larger. It had seemed deceptively small before they entered.

“I ordered dinner for us. I’m sure it’s well hidden somewhere. I have a man who comes in every day. But I don’t use this place very often. I live in the Hills.” And he knew she was still living at the hotel. “You can use this place whenever you want, Crystal. Just come here to relax. After a hard day on a picture you’ll need it.” She was touched by how kind he was. He had done so much for her. It was hard to understand why he did it. To make
money, of course, but there was more to it than that. He did all the little things too, the flowers, the small gifts, the selection of her escorts, and now this, an evening at the beach in jeans. It was just exactly what she would have wanted. But he was good at that. It was what he did best. He had remarkable instincts for people.

She let her head fall back against the couch, as the sun set behind him, and she sighed happily. “I think this is the best day I’ve had here.”

“Good. Would you like to swim before dinner, or would you rather wait? A walk on the beach perhaps?”

She smiled peacefully. “I’d love that.” He set down his drink and threw open the door to the terrace as a cool breeze swept in and he followed her down the stairs to the sand, as she began to run, feeling the wind on her face and in her hair, and for the first time in a long time, she was truly happy. She looked like a child again as she walked and ran, and took off her boots to put her toes in the ocean. It was growing dark, but he followed her quietly, watching her with pleasure, like a proud parent. And she returned to him finally, her face bright from the cool air and the wind on her cheeks.

“Are you cold?”

“I’m all right.” But he could see that she was, and he took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. It smelled of the cologne he wore, she hadn’t noticed it before, and she realized suddenly that she liked it. She wondered if he’d ever been married, or if he had children, who he was behind the facade, but he offered nothing of himself. He seemed to be there only to please her and eventually they walked back to the house and he went to look for their dinner. He found fresh lobster waiting for them, with a delicate mayonnaise, and a big spinach salad. There was a bottle of champagne left in a silver ice bucket, and hard-boiled eggs filled with caviar.

“Have you ever had caviar before?” She shook her head, she had only heard of it, and he smiled paternally at her. “You might not like it at first. Some things are like that.” But she tried it to please him, and decided that it wasn’t bad. But as they sat at a low table on comfortable chairs, she liked the lobster and champagne a lot better. She drank sparingly, and he didn’t press her to drink more than that. He had time, lots of it, and he didn’t want her till she wanted him. And he knew that she would in time. She was too indebted to him by then not to.

They talked about where she had lived, about her father when he was alive, about all the things that mattered to her, and he listened as though the world depended on what she said. And half an hour after dinner, he offered her a swim again, smiling warmly. “It might relax you.”

She laughed at his choice of words. “If I were any more relaxed I might go to sleep on the floor.” It had been a long, hard day, and it took its toll on her. And the fresh sea air had made her sleepy. “A swim might feel good, if I don’t drown from all that lobster.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you.”

She smiled up at him gratefully, unaware of the picture she made just sitting there easily in her blue jeans and her boots and her old shirt and her pale gold hair. “I think you already have.”

“I hope so.” Her benefactor smiled benignly at her and told her where to change, while he went to turn the lights on in the pool. And a moment later she emerged again in a white bathing suit that took his breath away. She had no idea how devastating she was, which was just as well. He liked that about her. And the audience would too. He never forgot that.

“I hope it’s warm enough.” He watched her slip into the water, and then went to change as she floated happily.
The pool was enormous and warm and she thought she had never been as comfortable in her life. She looked up at him happily when he returned, wrapped in a luxurious white towel. It was tied tightly around his waist, and as she watched, he untied it, and she gasped. He was naked. She discreetly turned away, afraid to embarrass him, and she heard him laugh. “Don’t worry, Crystal. I won’t rape you. I’ve never been accused of that.” But he had been accused of other things, of which she knew nothing. He slipped easily into the pool, and she began to swim quietly, afraid she might see something that she shouldn’t. And as he passed her, he smiled at her. “Why don’t you take your suit off too? It’s so warm it’s like being in a bathtub.” He seemed to have no ulterior motive, he was just at ease with himself, and with her, and he made no attempt to touch her as she smiled and tried to look unconcerned, but knowing that he was naked made her nervous.

“No, I’ll be all right. Thanks.”

“As you like, my dear.” He was very smooth, and very smart, and he never rushed the current object of his attentions. They all came to him in time, for one reason or another. And a moment later, he stepped out easily, standing casually beside the pool, and without wanting to, she had noticed that he had a beautiful body. He was long and lean and trim, and he swam every day. He had the body of a much younger man as he offered her more champagne, but she didn’t dare look at him, and suddenly he wondered again if she was a virgin. It would have been inconvenient certainly, but no obstacle was insuperable. He would have been willing to make the sacrifice for her, but as he looked at her, he had to smile. She was flapping around like a fish, trying desperately not to look nervous. “If I turn down the lights a little bit, will
you feel better? I’m afraid it’s a terrible idiosyncrasy of mine. I hate bathing suits. You’ll have to forgive me.”

“Not at all.” She tried to seem grown up and behave the way she thought a movie star would, but he was making her extremely nervous. And before she could answer, he turned the lights in the room down low. There were only dim lights in the pool, and lights near the ceiling that looked like candles.

“Better?”

“Much.” She lied.

He took a sip of champagne and slipped back into the water again, and this time he swam directly at her, and took her waist firmly in his hands under the water. She froze suddenly, looking into his eyes as he held her.

“What are you going to do to me?” She was terrified.

“Make you a movie star.” He whispered softly, but suddenly she wondered what he wanted in exchange for that. Maybe the stories about Hollywood were true, but she prayed silently that this time they wouldn’t be … please God … not this time … “I won’t hurt you, Crystal. Trust me.” She nodded, unable to speak as he held her, and slowly, ever so slowly he moved closer to her and kissed her. “You’re very beautiful … the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen probably.” He kissed her again and she started to cry.

“Please … don’t … please …” She was shaking so violently that it touched him.

“I’m sorry, little girl. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I only want you to be happy.” And then, as she stared at him, he swam to the edge, got out, and wrapped himself in the towel again, and she was openmouthed with amazement. He liked her, he admired her, he wasn’t going to rape her. She felt desperately foolish suddenly, and went to sit next to him at the edge as he sipped his champagne.

“I’m so sorry …” She knew she had to explain her behavior. “I was raped four years ago … I’m afraid I … I thought …” She started to cry and he gently put his arms around her, as he whispered, “I’m so sorry. Don’t be afraid of me. If you’re honest with me, I’ll never hurt you.” There was a veiled threat in that, but Crystal was too relieved to notice. She sank against him gratefully and let him hold the champagne glass while she sipped it.