Strangers (46 page)

“Sit down,” Lucy said.

“I’d rather stand.” Kate wanted to be ready to run.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Fax asked.

She felt relieved it wasn’t all bad.

“The good,” she replied.

“Nick
was
the one who told Simon that Charlie tried to commit suicide.”

Kate sighed.

“I confronted him, once Fax confirmed it,” Lucy said.
“The bastard tried to tell me he did it for us.
It turns out the night Simon and his photographer got those shots of you and Charlie in your place, they took one of Nick coming to see me.
Nick said he needed to get that photo back so his wife didn’t find out.
He offered you.”

“He wasn’t the only source,” Fax said.
“They interviewed a whole load of others.
Apparently Simon had been working on the story for a while.”

“No mention of me or his parents saying anything?” Kate asked.

Fax shook his head.
Kate shook with relief.
For the last few days she’d felt as though she’d fallen through an iced-over lake and couldn’t find the way back to the surface.
Now she’d managed her first breath of air.

“What’s the bad news?” she asked.

“I really think you should sit now,” Lucy said and Kate slid onto the couch.

“There’s more to come,” Fax said.

“More what?” Kate didn’t understand.

“More in next Sunday’s paper.”

Kate shuddered.
“How much more can there be?”

“Not about Charlie.
About you,” Lucy said.

Her muscles tightened.
“What are they going to say?”

“The only thing I found out was that it had something to do with an old murder case,” Fax said.

Oh God, blood does run cold.
Kate could feel them staring, but didn’t look at either of them.

“Did…did you kill someone?” Lucy whispered.

“Lucy!” Fax said.

“What can I do to stop it?” Kate asked.

“I don’t think you can do anything other than weather the storm.” Fax paused.
“Sorry, bad choice of words.”

“We’re here for you Kate, you know that,” Lucy said.

Kate thought Lucy was going to touch her hand and she curled up like a clam.

“Is there anything we can do?” Lucy asked.

“Get a signed statement from Nick, saying he told
24/7
Charlie tried to kill himself and that it only was a guess, anyway.” Kate wasn’t serious, but Lucy nodded.

“I’ll try.”

Now Fax looked as worried as Kate.

Lucy kissed him on the nose.
“Nick owes me.
If he doesn’t see it that way, maybe his wife will.
I’ve always fancied being a blackmailer.”

* * * * *

Kate couldn’t believe what she held in her hand.
Until Lucy gave it her, she thought there’d be little chance of proving what Nick had done.
Kate was desperate to call Charlie, but guessing he’d shout at her again and not listen, she decided to speak first to Ethan.

“Ethan, it’s me, Kate.
Please don’t put the phone down.
I have something important to tell you.”

“What?”

Kate wouldn’t be deterred by his brusque manner.
She was too excited, her heart bouncing like a kangaroo.

“I’ve got proof it wasn’t me who told the papers about Charlie’s suicide attempt.
I have it in writing.”

“So?”

Kate thumped back to earth.
“I…I want Charlie to know the truth.”

Silence at the other end of the phone.

“He thinks I sold him out, Ethan.
I didn’t.
I want to speak to him.”

“Okay.
Come to the Dorchester tonight at ten.
Charlie has a late interview there with Sky TV.
Ask for me at reception.”

Kate buzzed with the thought of seeing Charlie again.
Even if he didn’t want her, she had proof she didn’t betray him.
She showered and washed her hair, put on her denim skirt and a pale pink linen top.
A little bit of her hoped Charlie would apologize and sweep her into his arms, but she’d settle for kindness in his eyes.

* * * * *

Charlie was warming to Jody.
Not as a person, but as a distraction.
At least when he was with her, the press divided their attention between the two of them.
She moaned about the photographers, but Charlie knew she loved them.
She never emerged from anywhere without checking her hair and face.
He was tempted to tell her she had a spot, just to watch her freak out.

Even though she was wasting her time, Jody had done her best to cheer him up.
She’d made it perfectly clear she wanted to go to bed with him and he was beginning to wonder why he wasn’t fucking her.
She wanted him to.
Ethan wanted him to.
What did it matter anymore?

But it did matter.
He didn’t want to sleep with people he didn’t care about.
All Charlie could think about was Kate.
He thought he’d gone through every emotion since he’d seen that bloody newspaper and now he was just sad for what he’d lost, sad for Kate too.
He didn’t understand why she’d done it.
He could only think it was because he’d cocked up over her father but she’d not given him chance to explain, to say he was sorry.

He’d had a phone call from Ethan saying he wanted to see him and Jody that night at nine, in the Penthouse bar at the Dorchester, the hotel where Jody was staying.
Charlie took her for a meal in the Pavilion first.
She spent the entire meal jabbering on about her house in Malibu and how much he’d like it and had he tried surfing and did he know Keanu and when was he moving to Hollywood and could she help him find a house.

Charlie was going off her again.

“Want a dessert?” he asked, sure she’d say no.

“Cherries.”

Charlie didn’t want anything.
He’d drunk most of the bottle of wine and they’d had champagne beforehand.
He had a nice buzz but he wasn’t drunk.
A bowl of cherries arrived and Jody scooted her chair closer to his.

“We’ll share,” she said.

When her fingers touched his zip, Charlie froze.
He scanned the room, but no one looked their way.
Luckily the tables were set far apart.
He glanced at his lap.
The starched white tablecloth covered the fact that she’d unzipped him.

Charlie stared straight at her.
“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Wait and see.”

She smiled, lifted a cherry to her lips by the stalk and sucked it into her mouth.
Charlie didn’t like her lips.
They were too full.
He suspected she’d— He lost his train of thought as her fingers lifted his cock out of his shorts, out of his pants.
He glanced around the restaurant expecting a sea of shocked faces but no one was looking.

His cock hardened under her touch and he gave a little groan.
Jody picked up another cherry, ran it along her lips and then along Charlie’s.
When he opened his mouth to take it, she whipped it away.
It disappeared, but not into her mouth.
Charlie flinched when the fruit touched the tip of his cock and swirled around the sensitive head.
Jody withdrew her hand and popped the cherry into her mouth.

He pushed the bowl toward her.
“Have another.”

Jody laughed and lifted one from the bowl.
This time, she bit off the tip before she transferred it to her other hand.
Charlie gave a quiet moan.
He didn’t move.
He didn’t even blink.
He could feel the fruit coating the tip of his cock.
He wasn’t sure if the moisture was from the cherry or him.
Jody grinned, then put the fruit in her mouth, sucked the cherry off the stalk and chewed.

“Another?” he asked.

“I’d rather have a taste of something else.”

Charlie stuffed himself back in his pants, zipped himself up and got to his feet.

He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but his dick overruled his brain.

Ethan walked in as they strolled out.
He noticed how Charlie carried his jacket, saw his hand wrapped around Jody’s and tried not to smile.
Jody grinned so broadly she was in danger of losing the lower half of her jaw.

“Is it important?” Charlie asked.

Ethan hesitated.
He could take a risk or he could make sure.
Making sure won.
Charlie was too unpredictable.

“I need a word with Jody.” He drew her on one side.
“How’s it going?”

“We’re going up to my room, how do you think it’s going?”

“Kate is on her way over here.
I think it would do Charlie good to see that flame is well and truly extinguished.
She’s looking for a reconciliation.
Any ideas how we could persuade her it’s finished between them?”

Jody’s eyes were steely.
“How about I push her over the edge of a cliff?”

Ethan chuckled.
“You don’t need to go that far.
Letting her see you in bed together should be enough.”

“How are we going to manage that?”

“Give me one of your keys.
When Kate arrives, I’ll send her up.
I’ll call you and let your phone ring out once.
Keep Casanova at bay until then.”

Jody sighed.
“I’ve just worked him up into the right mood, now you want me to get him to wait?”

Ethan checked his watch.
“Twenty minutes.
She won’t be late.”

Jody kept her back to Charlie and handed Ethan one of her keys.

Chapter Thirty

Kate went to the reception desk of the Dorchester as instructed and was directed to the lounge.
Ethan sat reading a magazine and drinking what looked like champagne.
He stood as Kate walked over.
She held out the note written by Nick like a shield in front of her.
Kate watched his eyes surf the words and then he looked at her.

“So you tried to kill yourself, too?”

“A halfhearted attempt, like Charlie.”

“I told Charlie about this.” Ethan waved the paper she’d given him.
“I explained you weren’t to blame for the story and that you’d tell him who was.”

Kate held out her hand.
“I’ll show him.”

“Can I keep this for the time being?
I need to have a word with a few people—make my displeasure felt.”

She hesitated.
“Charlie’s okay about everything?”

Ethan smiled.
“He’s in the Harlequin Suite, waiting for you.” He offered Kate a key.

“He wants me to go up?
Are you sure?”

“Go on up.
You’ll like the suite.
Elizabeth Taylor stayed there when she got the news about the record-breaking deal for her role as Cleopatra.”

As Kate went up in the elevator, she wondered if everything would be all right now.
If there would be champagne waiting and an apology on Charlie’s beautiful lips.
She pictured herself in his arms, heard him say sorry, imagined him kissing her, making love to her.
Her body zinged with anticipation, tingling from the tips of her fingers to the centre of her heart.
It was love.
She loved him.

Kate couldn’t see why they shouldn’t start again.
She needed to apologize for running out.
It had been a mistake, but she’d been scared and overreacted.
She could make him understand.
If she hadn’t run, maybe none of this would have happened because when Charlie saw the newspaper, she’d have been with him and he’d have believed her.

She knocked on the door.
Despite Ethan having given her a key, she didn’t want to just walk in.
No one answered, so Kate let herself in.
Music played loudly.
James Blunt.
Odd.
Charlie didn’t like him.
Kate drew in her breath as she walked through the mirrored lobby.
She couldn’t believe this was a hotel room.

“Charlie?” she called.

She passed a dining room and a bathroom.
He wasn’t in the long sitting room, so she walked to another door.

One that was open.
The one with the music.
The one with Charlie.

On the far side of the room, Charlie stood in black boxers next to a huge bed.
On the bed, reclined a naked Jody Morton.
When Charlie saw Kate, his eyes opened wide.
He looked as frozen as Kate felt.
Only Jody was moving, reaching for Charlie.
Kate fled to the elevator.
She pounded the button and the doors opened at once, as though they’d known she’d be coming straight back.

Something had ripped inside her.
How stupid to think Nick’s letter would make a difference.
The damage was too severe.
Charlie had already moved on.

Down in the lobby she saw Ethan standing near the exit.
He smirked as she walked toward him.
He’d been waiting for her.
Kate’s fingers itched to slap his face.
Instead, she handed him the key card.

“Why didn’t you simply tell me?” she asked.

“Charlie wanted to be sure you got the message.”

A spurt of pain flared between her eyes at the thought of Charlie setting this up.
But if he had, why had he looked so shocked to see her?
Maybe he’d wanted to be in bed with Jodie when Kate walked in.

“I rang the moment you made for the elevator and told him it was time to start the show.”

Ethan looked her up and down as though she was a cheap slut.
Kate didn’t understand any of this.

“You orchestrated the whole thing just to hurt me?”

“To make sure you didn’t turn into another Tiffany Samuels.
It’s over, Kate.
Finished.
You didn’t really think you could play happy families with Charlie, did you?” He smiled.
All she saw were rows and rows of teeth.
“I warned you what he was like.
Did you think you’d get married, have kids and live happily every after?
You’re one in a long line.
Charlie’s going to be a mega-star and you…you’re nothing.”

“I am
not
nothing,” Kate said.
“I’m a person with feelings.
I’ve just as much right—”

“What sort of mother would you make?
Throwing yourself into the sea over a minor disappointment.
Staying in an abusive relationship.
You don’t even know what normal family life is like.
Charlie doesn’t need someone like you.”

Kate flinched.
“Why are you being so cruel?
What have I done to you?”

“It’s what you’ve done to Charlie.”

“But I didn’t do anything.
I gave you the letter.
It proved—”

“What letter?”

Kate gulped.
It had all been a waste of time.
Ethan wouldn’t show Charlie the letter and maybe Charlie wouldn’t have believed it anyway.
Kate felt as if she’d been poisoned, stabbed, buried in an earthquake and then drowned by the following tidal wave.
She started to move past Ethan and then changed her mind.
She didn’t need to slap him to hit back.