The Stars Trilogy (21 page)

Dare threw Cruz a hard look. His bodyguard avoided his eyes and slightly bowed his head but he caught a smile on his perpetually hard as granite countenance. No way! But he had the feeling even Cruz was putty in her hands now.

Moments later, they sat side by side quietly as the limo started to move. There was a meter’s distance between them as Celine scooted near the window, but he was glad for it. She was triggering all things volatile inside him and he was about to negotiate millions of dollars tonight.

He didn’t know how he could stand having a boner all night with no relief. Why the hell was he suffering such torture anyway?

“So, how was your first day?” he asked her casually.

“Uhm, fun!” she replied in a breathless voice that hinted of nervousness.

“Define fun.”

“Kelsey took me shopping...” she said tentatively, biting her lower lip in a guilty gesture.

He’d bet she’d used that innocent act a lot of times to get away with anything. “Why am I not surprised?”

She went crimson. “I told Kelsey I already have a dress for tonight but she insisted. I’m sorry...”

“Don’t be. Is this one of them?” He gave her a lazy once over. She was close enough that he could smell her freshly showered scent and it was driving him nuts. As usual.

She visibly squirmed in her seat. “Yes.”

“Suits you well.”

“I will pay for everything...”

Yeah, right.
He wondered what she’d offer him as payment. He was a connoisseur of expensive lifestyle and he’d bet his Venom, that dress alone would cover three pay checks of hers. “Just do your job.”

She nodded. “What do you expect me to do tonight at dinner?”

Stroke my dick under the table.

“Listen and take notes and be your most charming self. I’m hoping to get 20 million off of Knoxville’s bank account tonight.”

Her eyes widened. “That huge?!”

Oh yeah.
“My movie is gonna be epic.”

“How much do you need to pool?”

“At least 40 million dollars from outside sources.”

“Wow. Epic indeed.”

“Actually, small compared to any of my past movies. But I’m not doing alien invasion or operation-wipe-out-the-world-of-terrorists.”

“Yes. Those types of movies cost a lot. Omega’s budget was 135 million dollars, right?”

That made him pause. “How did you know that?”

“Uhm, Wikipedia?”

“And why would you bother with such details?”

She tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear and smiled shyly. “I’m a big fan, Mr. Montgomery,” she declared huskily.

Code Red Alert.

I… just bet… you are.

He was surprised at the extent of disappointment he felt. He was really hoping…What did he hope? That she was true and faithful to Ben? Ah, for a while there, he had forgotten they were in Hollywood, home of the smartest, most vicious man-eaters. The smarter the bait, the bigger the catch.

“Really?” He wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her. Her fucking
pochero
tasted too good and now THIS! He felt like he’d betrayed her growing admiration for the woman she was with Ben.

She smiled all too brightly. “Yes. Really.”

He could read her body language. Being surrounded by a lot of hustling nymphets all the time had fine-tuned his built-in BS detector he could easily decode their gaming tactics. She was coming on to him now. She was the one making the subtle move. He’d seen this ploy before several times and it always failed to impress him.

Ben was about to get dumped big time.

Of course.

How could she resist the temptation? He was a far bigger fish than ole Ben. The bait had been cast. It was all up to him. But he was not a regular fish for consumption. He was a vicious shark.

“Let’s put that to the test, shall we?” he said lazily. He doubted if she could answer ten questions that did not include his past wives and girlfriends and all the dirt the tabloids had concocted about him.

She visibly paled.

“Name ten of my most notable movies,” he said smugly, anticipating her failure. He had made a lot of movies.
Let’s see how much homework you did.

She did not name ten but all his forty-five movies and TV shows in chronological order.

His jaw dropped.

Now THAT was impressive!

“And you also co-produced several notable films by other actors.” She proceeded to name the films he had funded, with awards citation to boot!

He was speechless.

“Told you, I’m a fan,” she said proudly and then blushed.

Shit. He had forgotten some of the movies he’d made. He could certainly not recite their titles in chronological order!

He didn’t know what to make of her now. He was kinda creeped out. Was she an obsessed fan that got past his tight security? Or was she a better player than anybody he had encountered before?

But rationality dictated it wasn’t so. They met in a hospital, an unlikely place to encounter obsessed fans. She was tending to Ben who had a heart attack. Surely nobody could plan heart attacks?

Their meeting had to be a coincidence.

“I’m sorry. Uhm, did I make you uncomfortable, Mr. Montgomery?”

You have no idea. My paranoia hasn’t been in this all-time high since you.

“I may have sounded like a crazy, obsessed fan...”

You tell me.

“I am...I’m not...I’m sure you have lots and lots of fans out there and surely I’m no different from them?”

I don’t know...

He just stared at her with the look he’d usually give a person he’d rather turn over to the authorities.

She straightened in her seat and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “Okay, I will shut up now.” She looked out the window.

She was biting her bottom lip, looking very anxious now.

She turned to him again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...I’m clean, no police record or anything....”

Her eyes were so earnest and moist now and he felt bad for hurting her feelings.
Shit, are you actually falling for this act?

“Is it wrong to be your fan and work for you at the same time? You should have thought about that first before you agreed to employ me. I didn’t apply for it.”

Okay, she had a point there. But he was not totally convinced. “Tell me, Celine, refresh my memory...”

“Yes?”

“What was Velvet about?”

“Uhm…It was the indie movie written by Ben and directed by David Lynch and it was where you won your one and only Oscar for best actor.”

He nodded, more grudgingly impressed. “Thanks for reminding me of my one and only Oscar.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean... But you had several Oscar nominations and you won two Golden Globes, three SAGs and tons of Teen Choice and MTVs,” she added hastily. “You have an impressive career, Mr. Montgomery.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. Seriously? She was killing his quiz! “Go on. Tell me what you think of the movie.”

“Well... for me, it was an unusual choice for you, but you have a penchant for choosing provocative roles in indie movies. Rob McQueen, your troubled, sex addict character was quite memorable and you gave him such life, such fire and pain and rage, that no matter how despicable he’d become, no matter how deeply he had descended in hell, he still managed to gain sympathy and empathy and made every woman who saw the film want to save him from himself. It was a role nobody can probably play better than you.”

He was humbled.

Really. Not even he could give himself such credit for Velvet. Hearing it from someone who truly seemed to know more than the superficial things about him was very… rewarding. He hadn’t been feeling good about his career in a long time. Celine managed to remind him of his past ideals as an actor, the ones that got eroded and buried by prevailing Hollywood dog eat dog system.

He felt guilty now for thinking the worst of her. What was he doing? He should be glad he had a fan who seriously gave a shit about his body of work. He felt ashamed for thinking like an ungrateful wretch. He owed his stardom to his fans. If Celine was his fan, why would he take that against her?

“Thank you for your appreciation, Celine. I have forgotten why I’m in this business. Thank you for reminding me.”

And he truly meant it.

She gifted him with another dazzling smile. “You’re welcome.”

There was that sensation again.
Settle in my gut. Go lower. Stay the fuck there.
But it went higher. He cleared his throat. “You seem to know a lot about film-making.”

“Uhm...I studied at the Tisch, remember? They taught us about scriptwriting, a bit of directing and production.”

He was seeing her in a whole new light. Ben may have found a prize catch, after all. Not some empty-headed doll, this one. She was intriguing, full of surprises. It was refreshing to talk to a beautiful woman who wasn’t in love with herself.

“I really want to start shooting within two months.”

“That soon?”

“This is long overdue. I’ve wasted enough time.”

“Well, I’m sure Ben and Rocky will finish your script soon. It’s gonna be fantastic, I know.”

He didn’t like the way she mentioned both names, with so much pride. “Yeah. Ben is the best.”

“I have the feeling you will win a Palme d’Or for this.”

“Really? How so?”

“Because the Cannes people are not envious, pompous old folks who hate commercially successful movies and gorgeous movie stars. They have no problem choosing a young actor to win, someone who didn’t have to play an old, wrinkled man or mutilate his handsome face in the movie to be called a best actor. You know what I mean?”

He laughed. Man, she totally nailed that. She was funny and really smart. Where in hell did Ben find her?

Oh yes, they lived in the same floor.

He found the reminder more aggravating now than ever.

His conscience was strongly getting in the way. He was surprised he actually had one where this woman was concerned. Of course, it was Ben that he cared about, not her. It was only because he respected Ben too much that he would try very hard to keep his hands off of her.

But it was harder to convince himself of that every passing moment he spent with her.

He was saved from further examining his feelings when he felt the limo stop.

They arrived at their destination.

Jamie Knoxville was a tall, handsome man with dark, smoldering appeal. Surprisingly, he didn’t pale next to the breath-taking Nordic god physicality of Dare who was arguably the most good-looking actor in Hollywood, at least in Celine’s book.

Jamie was also very charming. Unlike Dare the Devil.

Jamie’s date, Kasia, the most sought-after supermodel today, a platinum blond Russian, was so blindingly gorgeous that Celine felt like a little mouse beside her. The model knew how beautiful she was as she flirted with both Jamie and Dare all night.

However, business was not progressing to Dare’s liking.

“I don’t know. No script. How can you convince me, man? I can’t commit to a project I don’t even have the slightest idea of,” Jamie said as he slowly swirled the cognac in his glass.

“I promise, I’ll have you read it next week. Speedy’s just revising some minor details in the plot,” Dare replied with veiled impatience, but Celine could feel his tension.

“I have already committed to three movies. I got another proposal from Brad’s Plan B. Great script. A Nazi story. I can only do four movies this year.”

“My script will be better. Ditch one. Choose mine.”

Jamie sighed and slightly shook his head.

“I’m disappointed, Knox. You had no problem co-producing my past movies. I made you a lot of money.”

“Because they were under the majors. This is independent.”

Dare’s eyes adopted a dangerous glint. “And...?”

“No offense, Dare. I know, as an actor, I can count on you at the box-office. But as a director, I have to be honest, you have yet to prove your worth in that arena.”

Celine felt Dare’s mounting frustration as they sat next to each other in that private dining area of the restaurant reserved only for the most special customers. She knew Dare was only familiar with the script’s overall concept but not with the detailed story line. However, she was familiar with the story that Rocky and Ben were writing as she had been part of their brainstorming sessions for days and nights, well, as the one who prepared their night meals, at least, occasionally throwing in some suggestions.

“Mr. Knoxville...if I may...” she butted in politely. She had been silently listening to them and Jamie didn’t sound impressed by Dare’s proposal at all.

Jamie gave her his attention. “Yes?”

“I’m familiar with the storyline. I can give you a synopsis, at least an overview of it.”

Jamie reclined in his seat and focused on her. She turned to Dare, silently asking for his permission. He nodded but there was a skeptical look in his eyes.

She turned to Jamie again.
Oh dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Please, don’t make me screw this up. My love life is on the line here.

She inhaled deeply. “This is a story of friendship forged during the most harrowing times. Okay, the flashback part. There’s this Asian boy, maybe 13 to 15 years old, a Cambodian whose family are victims of the war. He is forced to be part of the Khmer Rouge in place of his sick father, to protect his family from being executed. He’s one of the youngest cadres brainwashed by the communist party’s extremely left-wing ideology. But his life will change when an American boat carrying a professional sailor on his way to Thailand has engine trouble and is forced to dock in a small island in Cambodia. The island is shortly sieged by the Khmer Rouge.”

She paused to determine if Jamie was interested.

“Go on, please,” he said, his eyes focused on her.

She inwardly sighed in relief. “The American is captured by the Khmer Rouge and is held captive for months. The young Cambodian forms an unlikely secret friendship with the American sailor as he is the one assigned to guard the prisoner. Despite being indoctrinated into the movement, the boy secretly longs for a life of true freedom, a better life. In fact, the boy, unknown to the movement is a scion of an elite family but his parents were forced to become farmers and transferred to the provinces when the communist party took over the entire country. He is fascinated by the American’s tales of his country, of hamburgers and French fries, of Fourth of July fireworks and circus rides and rock ‘n roll. The boy is actually educated in English but hides it from his comrades, pretending to be just a child of peasants. He learns more English from the American and they spend time secretly telling each other stories.”