Strangers (16 page)

“Ethan?” Charlie said hesitantly.

“You fucking wanker,” Ethan yelled.

Charlie winced and held the phone away from his ear.

“Where have you been?
I’ve been trying to contact you all week.
Your answer machine has had a bloody apoplectic fit.
It won’t take any more messages.
Your mobile is dead.
I’ve been round to your house.
No one’s seen you.
I thought you’d been abducted by fucking aliens.”

“I’ve been sorting my head out,” Charlie said.

“You’ve been doing my head in,” Ethan snapped back.

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t fucking deserve it, but you’ve had two lucky breaks.
Malcolm Ward says if you perform in his charity concert in September, he’ll forget taking out a contract on you for destroying his family.
I think he was planning to string you up by the balls.”

Charlie shuddered.

“And for some fucked-up reason you’re being given another chance on
The Green
.
God, I can only presume the others who auditioned must have farted in the director’s face or thrown up in his lap for him to want
you
back, but he does.
Kesner’s in Scotland and tomorrow’s his last day before he flies to Europe.
I’ll book you a ticket to Edinburgh.
You can fly up first thing.
Don’t fuck this up, Charlie.”

“So, are you still my agent?”

“I’ll tell you when you get the part.”

“I’ve given up smoking,” Charlie blurted and saw the smile on Kate’s face.

“Good.
Given up fucking as well?
I’ve had Jody Morton ringing daily wanting to know where you are.
Did you fuck her too?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, the smoking is a start,” Ethan said.

“Anything more happen over India Westerby?” Charlie couldn’t look at Kate now.

Ethan’s voice changed.
“The police have charged Brian Jackson with supplying.
He’s out on bail.”

“They’re not looking for anyone else?”

Silence at the end of the phone.

“Is there something you’re not telling me, Charlie?” Ethan’s voice was cool.

“No.”

“Did you give her coke?”

“No.” Charlie couldn’t look at Kate.

“Right, I’ll send a driver to get you tomorrow.
It will be early.
I’ll ring you when I know the time of the flight.”

“Give me chance to get back to my place,” Charlie said.

“Where are you?
Don’t fucking tell me abroad.”

“Greenwich.”

“London?”

“Yes.”

“Thank Christ for that.
Go home.
Now.”

Charlie put the phone down.

“Did you know she was only fourteen?” Kate asked.

“No.
I swear I didn’t.
I fucked her once and because she asked me, I dropped a wrap of coke on her stomach before I walked out of the bedroom.
If anyone finds out, I’ll be arrested and that will be the end.”

He and Kate stared at each other.

“Do you think I deserve to be arrested?” he asked.
“Don’t answer that.
I know I do.”

“She asked you for the coke?”

“Yes, but I didn’t have to give it to her.”

“You’re not a bad man, Charlie.
You’re not up there with Nelson Mandela and Gandhi or even the Osmonds, but you’re not deep-down bad.”

He gave her a little smile.

“You think you don’t care, say you don’t care, but I know you do,” Kate said.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

“I care about you,” he said.

“But you do tell lies and lying will send you all the way down the slippery sidewinders, when you’ve spent this week climbing loose-limbed ladders.”

“I don’t lie to you.”

“Good.”

“I have to go to Scotland to audition again for that part.”

“Another chance?” Kate’s face lit up.
“That’s great, Charlie.”

“Only I have to go tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t know how long it will take.
I’ll ring you, text you, email, send smoke signals,” he said.

“Good.”

“You could come with me.”

“You don’t need me to hold your hand.
You’re all grown up now.
But take care crossing the road.
Look both ways.
And put on clean underpants, just in case.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“Yeah, you do.
This is your opportunity to put things right.
Look how much good you’ve done already.
Saving me from dangerous seaweed, rescuing me from the vile clutches of Dickhead Dastardly, introducing me to the delights of whole days of continuous shagging and a lifetime of aching limbs.”

“Come with me.”
Please.

“I’ve got to go to work tomorrow.
The honeymoon’s over.” Kate’s voice cracked and the seismic tremor shook Charlie’s heart.
“I’ll lend you the money for a taxi,” she said.
“You better phone a locksmith and get him to meet you, otherwise you won’t be able to get into your place.”

Charlie held her tighter, his hip bones pressing hard against hers.

“Kate, don’t tell anyone you’re seeing me.
I’m not saying that because I don’t want people to know, I just don’t want the press to know and if anyone finds out, anyone at all, the press will too.
You don’t understand what they’re like.
I do.
Reporters have no respect for your privacy.
They’ll write lies about you, twist everything you say and do.
Every word you utter will be recorded and used against you and against me.
It’s much better if no one knows about us.”

“Okay,” she said.

“There is an ‘us’, Kate.
I’m not walking out of your life.”

Charlie pressed his face into her hair.
“You don’t still want to die, do you?
I won’t leave if I think you’re going to do something stupid.
Forget the film.
You’re more important.”

“I promise not to be stupid unless you’re with me.
Now let’s go and get your proper clothes on before I have to ravish you again,” Kate whispered.

She took hold of his hand and pulled him into the bedroom, pushed down his sleep pants and then dressed him, pulling his boxers up his legs, then his chinos.
She zipped him up, stroked his erection and then fastened the button.

It was like being a child again, Charlie thought, but so bloody erotic he was choked with lust.
He forced himself not to reach for her because if he had, he didn’t think he’d have been able to leave.

Her fingers brushed his chest as she fastened his shirt.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“If I’ll ever touch you again, taste you again.”

“Don’t,” he gasped.

Kate sat him down on the bed and eased on his socks, then his boots, tied the laces and there was nothing left to do.
She sat beside him on the bed.

“Open your hand,” Charlie said.

He gave her the little bottle of Stopit.

“Put some more on so I’m not tempted.”

Kate painted each of his nails.
When she’d finished he grabbed her hand and coated her nails too.

“Just so you’re not tempted.”

They stood holding each other until the buzzer went.
Charlie let her go.

“Bye, Charlie,” she whispered.
“Be brilliant.”

“Hey, I’m a star.”

He walked away backward, watching her until the very last moment.

Chapter Ten

Charlie spent the journey across London torn between excitement and misery.
He wished he was back with Kate, but he wanted this role.
The locksmith waited outside his house.
Ten minutes later, Charlie was inside.
He rang Kate.

“Hello, gorgeous,” she said.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“You witch.
You’re not allowed to call anyone else that.
It could have been the vicar.”

“I call him darling and he only rings on Wednesdays and Sundays.”

Charlie laughed and then stopped.
“You’re not serious, are you?”

“Have you heard from Ethan yet?” Kate asked.

“No.” She hadn’t answered his question and Charlie felt a twist of jealousy.

“Then you better ring me later, otherwise he’ll come round with instruments of torture because he can’t get through.”

“What do you know about instruments of torture?”

“You didn’t open that drawer.”

There was a short pause before Charlie answered.
“I’m not into pain.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not.”

“So you don’t want me to tie you up again?”

Charlie felt a tug at his groin as he remembered.
“I could come back after Ethan’s called.”

Now there was a pause from Kate before she answered.
“You need a decent night’s sleep.
I’ll see you in a few days, Charlie.
Be good.”

“You too.”

The moment he put down the phone it rang again.
Charlie snatched it up.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said.

“You won’t get around me like that,” Ethan snapped.

“How about I bring back a bottle of whisky?”

“That might work.
Right.
Find a pen.”

Charlie copied down all the instructions.
He was not going to mess this up.

With Ethan’s final words echoing in his head, “Don’t screw up, stay sober, this is your very last chance,” Charlie went to pack.
His house was spotless.
He’d grown so accustomed to a week of living in a mess with Kate he’d forgotten a woman came in twice a week to make his home look unlived in and buy him groceries.
It occurred to him that he could have collected a key from his housekeeper and he groaned.

Charlie destroyed every packet of cigarettes he found, breaking them up before tossing them in the bin.
He was surprised how little he cared.
He took a long look at the beers in the fridge, but left them alone.
He didn’t have a problem with alcohol.
He liked to drink, but had proved to himself over the last few days that he didn’t need it.
There were no more little packets of coke hidden anywhere.
But Charlie spent thirty minutes checking, just in case.
He’d had some fantastic sex while he was high, but now he’d had fantastic sex without it.

He grinned when he thought about Kate.
Even thinking her name sent shivers of anticipation coursing through his body, but he knew he’d have to be careful.
He didn’t want the press to find out about her.
If they did, it wouldn’t take them long to dig up Dickhead and before you could spit, they’d have Charlie as a heartbreaker, Kate as a slut and Dickhead as a victim.
Kate’s childhood had been rough.
Charlie knew he’d only heard part of it.
She didn’t need to see her past dissected by the papers.
If they managed to link her to him, her background would belong to everyone and there would be no hope of any sort of relationship between them.
She’d dump him.

Charlie froze as that thought filtered through.
She’d dump him because unlike every other woman he’d been out with she wasn’t impressed by his celebrity.
She valued her own privacy.
He ran his fingers through his hair.
That sounded good and bad.
If the press started poking around, would she run?
He knew he had to strengthen their relationship before anyone else got to hear about it.
Kate would have to learn to cope with the media attention because sooner or later, it would come.

In the meantime, he’d keep her a secret as long as he could.
He sent her a quick text.

Missing u already, Mermaid. Just chewed my nail.

Love Hippo x

The reply came back almost instantly.

Miss u 2, Hippo. Did I tell u Stopit only comes off as yr nails grow? Unless u have my magic removal formula, only 2b revealed under torture.

Love Mermaid xx

As did his message to her.

Look forward 2 it. Got some good ideas 2 make u cooperate.

Love Hippo xxx

* * * * *

Kate knew she had some groveling to do with her friends and neighbors, starting with Lucy.
She and Rachel had taken turns yelling at her through the door over the last few days while Kate had snuggled up to Charlie and ignored them.

She rang Lucy’s mobile.
“Hi, it’s me.”

“Who?” Lucy retorted.

“Want to come round for a drink?”

“We’re on the roof.
Come up and join us.”

Kate picked up the bottle of wine she and Charlie never got round to drinking and headed for the stairs.

Dan had introduced them to the roof.
When he’d been handed the keys for his apartment along with ones for the post box, underground storage and bin room, he’d also accidentally been given one for the door to the roof.
All four of them had keys now and the area was decked out with four pale blue plastic Adirondack chairs, a table and parasol, a few sickly looking plants and an occasional disposable BBQ.

When Kate opened the door she saw Lucy and Rachel in their bikinis, lying on towels, faces to the sun.
Dan sat under the parasol talking to another guy.
Kate realized it was Fax, Richard’s friend and wondered if he’d made a move on Lucy.

“I brought a peace offering.” Kate held up the chilled bottle.

“What a coincidence.
We’ve got glasses,” Dan said with a smile.
“Nice to see you again, stranger.”

Kate sat next to Fax.

“How are you, Kate?” he asked.

“Fine.”

Rachel sat up and put on her sunglasses.
“We’ve been worried about you.
For all we knew, you’d done something stupid.”

“Rachel!” Lucy snapped.

“I did do something stupid,” Kate said.
“I didn’t see through Richard Winter.”

Fax sighed as if he were about to say something and then fell silent.
Dan poured out the wine and handed it round.
She heard him mutter something to Rachel, who then looked sheepish.

“I’m sorry about what happened with Richard,” Fax mumbled.

Kate blinked hard.
She knew they’d talk about this.

“I thought he cared for you,” Fax said.
“He fooled me, too.
It was a shitty thing to do.”

“How much was the bet?” Kate asked.

“Two thousand quid,” Fax said.
“I’m sorry.
I never thought he’d go through with it.
When he suggested it the night of The Wedding Party, after you’d so clearly not wanted to be picked as the bride, I thought he was joking.
Then I thought he’d fallen in love with you.
I mean, you seemed right together.”