Thrill! (28 page)

He treated her with extreme care. Lara wasn't like other women

- she was a beautiful Princess who made him feel like a Prince. Her Prince.

From the day he'd set eyes on her he'd given up casual sex, saving himself for her.

Her mouth was so sweet - she tasted of all things good and fresh.

Ignoring the urge to throw her down on the sand and make hard passionate love to her, he held back, curbing his appetite because he knew he had to make this night extraordinary.

Very slowly he began touching her breasts.

She moaned again, thrusting toward him, silently urging him to release her from the confines of her bra.

He didn't. Instead he began teasing her nipples through the flimsy material, stroking them ever so lightly.

191 "Take ... it ... off,"

she mumbled, unable to stop herself from begging, frightened that she'd come before him, because she couldn't recall when she'd ever been this aroused.

"PleaseT

He lightly brushed the tips of her nipples with his fingertips.

Feverishly she reached up, unclipping the front fastening on her bra.

Slowly he peeled her bra open, revealing her breasts. Beautiful, just like the rest of her. He cupped them in his hands. Then, pushing her to her knees, he began rubbing his cock against her erect nipples, moving back and forth between them, faster and faster.

"Joey!"

she gasped his name, totally unaware of the cold wind and the gritty wet sand digging into her knees.

"What?"

he asked.

"Tell me exactly what you'd like."

"You!"

she said, her breath catching in her throat.

"I ... want . . . you!"

He put his hands under her arms, picked her up and began kissing her again - long, torturous kisses - more pleasurable than anything she'd ever known.

Next he raised her hands above her head, while he bent his mouth to her left breast and drew in the nipple as if he was suckling milk.

"Ohhh . . ."

Before she could help herself, she came with a series of shuddering convulsions that shook her body from tip to toe. And he hadn't even touched her where she craved to be touched.

He released her hands, pulling her to him. She snuggled against his chest, her body tingling with a deep warm satisfaction.

"Was that good for you, baby?"

he asked, stroking her hair.

"Was it special?"

"God, yes!"

"Tomorrow it'll be even better."

"Forget about tomorrow,"

she murmured, inhaling his salty masculine smell and loving it.

"Let's go home to bed."

"No,"

he said, firmly.

"You've gotta work tomorrow. Sleep comes first."

"But, Joey . . ."

192

He placed a finger on her lips

"Quiet,"

he commanded.

"Let's get dressed before we freeze."

They groped on the sand for their clothes, hurriedly dressed, and raced back to the house. She was expecting him to come to her bedroom, but he didn't. He kissed her chastely on the lips and bid her a fast goodnight.

She was completely stunned that he would leave her, and yet she knew he was right, she did have an early call, and if he'd come into her bed neither of them would have gotten any sleep.

She lay in bed, thinking about his face, his hair, his smell, the way he smiled.

Joey Lorenzo. Was he her destiny? Had she finally found the man capable of making her forget her past?

-fr -fr &

Joey went to his room, restlessly paced around, and lit up a cigarette. So this is what he'd heard about all these years. TMfwas love.

It didn't seem possible that it had happened to him. He'd never wanted it, never expected it. Women were women and getting laid was getting laid.

Now this. Christ! What was he supposed to do?

He waited until she'd left in the morning, and then took off.

It was the only way.

ft ft ft

Lara's alarm woke her at five a.m. She was so tired she could barely stagger out of bed. She immediately began sneezing and didn't dare look in the mirror.

At work Roxy greeted her with a caustic

"What in hell happened to your hair?"

"I... I went swimming in the sea . . ."

"Shit, Lara,"

Roxy said, running a hand through her own spiky locks,

"we're gonna havta shampoo."

She sneezed twice in quick succession.

"OK."

193 "Don't tell me you caught a cold?"

"Seems like it."

"Great!"

Roxy grumbled.

"Now we'll all get sick."

"I promise not to breathe in your direction."

"Yeah, yeah."

Yoko was not much kinder; just as Lara had suspected, her eyes were bloodshot from the salt water. Yoko noticed immediately and complained loudly, then she made her lie on a couch with cucumber slices over her eyes for fifteen minutes, and after that she smeared a thick mud treatment all over her face.

By the time Roxy and Yoko were finished with her, she looked her usual gorgeous self. Unfortunately she was an hour late hitting the set.

Kyle was in a sulk, while Miles paced up and down, mumbling ominously under his breath.

"Glad you could make it,"

Miles said sarcastically.

"Yeah, Lara, nice of you to honour us with your presence,"

Kyle added.

"This is the first time I've been late,"

she pointed out, thinking that all she wanted to do was complete the day's scenes and hurry home to Joey. They needed to talk, discuss what was going on between them.

How had it happened so quickly? One moment they were casual friends - the next they were naked on the beach, and she'd wanted him so much she would have done anything he'd asked.

Oh, God - even thinking about him now she felt herself becoming aroused. The way he'd made her come ... it was like he'd hardly touched her and she was ready.

Was she that desperate for a man?

No. She could have any man she wanted. It just so happened Joey was the one.

She thought about his muscled body, knowing eyes, and the way he looked at her with such direct intensity . . .

"What are you smiling about?"

Kyle demanded, startling her back to reality.

"This is supposed to be a serious scene."

"Uh . . . sorry ... I was just uh . . . remembering something funny."

194

f THRILL!

h

"Didja get it on last night, Lara?"

he asked slyly, nudging her. } She flushed. Was it written all over her face for the world to

**, see?

"Excuse me?"

she said, freezing him out.

**

"Guess not,"

he sneered.

"The Ice Princess doesn't do it, does

<| she?"

At lunch break she borrowed Jane's cellphone and called home. \ > Cassie answered.

V*

^

"Get me Joey,"

she said, drumming her fingers impatiently on

f the side of the phone.

"i

*'

"He's gone,"

Cassie said.

f

"Gone,"

she repeated blankly.

1

"Told me he had an emergency in the city. He'll call you

1 tomorrow."

**

" What emergency?"

"Don't know."

"Did he leave a number?"

"Nope."

"Well, why didn't you get one?"

She heard herself shouting and abruptly stopped. She shouldn't take it out on Cassie, it wasn't her f. fault.

>'

"Sorry,"

Cassie said, sounding hurt.

"I didn't realize it was that

important."

"It's not,"

she said, and clicked off the phone.

^

"Something wrong?"

asked Yoko, who was standing nearby.

t|

"Nothing,"

she said, wondering how she was going to get

i\ through the night without him.

"Nothing at all."

9

tf

i

f

| i.v

195

0^^_J l AFTER THE incident outside the Directors"

^^^|0^«* Guild, Alison Sewell appeared in court, and was sentenced to eighteen months in jail for stalking, aggravated assault and attacking a policeman.

Alison considered the whole thing grossly unfair. She wasn't stalking Lara. She was her friend. Didn't the morons get it? SHE WAS HER FUCKING FRIEND.

Why weren't the dumb cops out arresting real villains? Murderers and rapists, child molesters and thieves?

Some stupid private investigator, hired by Lara's business manager, had produced all the letters she'd written to Lara. Those letters were private, and were for Lara's eyes only. But the stupid investigator stood up in court and read extracts aloud for all to hear. Alison was furious.

Then Lara herself had gotten up and claimed that she, Alison Sewell, had been bothering her for months, turning up at her house uninvited, making over a hundred unwanted phone calls, trying to gain access to wherever she was working.

What bullshit nonsense. All Alison had done was try to be her friend, and look where it had gotten her. Prison. Locked up with actual criminals.

She shared a cell with some loony who'd poisoned all the cats in her neighbourhood - a nice old lady with white hair and a pleasant demeanour. Until one night, when Alison was dozing, the old cow had tried to strangle her.

196

Her new cell mate was a bottle-blond hooker who'd stabbed one of her johns and now refused to speak.

This suited Alison fine. She had a lot of thinking to do. Because when she got out - Lara Ivory was going to pay.

197

^^^Jfl THE PHONE refused to ring. For two nights Lara ^^^HP^^fc stared at it feeling like a lovesick fool, until she realized that of course - there must be something wrong with the line.

She picked up the receiver. Perfectly normal dial tone. Slamming it down, she grabbed a book and attempted to concentrate.

Impossible. All the while a little voice kept chanting in her head

- Joey ... Joey .. . Joey . .. And she kept reliving their evening together in her head - fast-forwarding to the beach - the two of them running out of the ocean . . . falling into each other's arms . . . the way he'd touched her . . . the intensity of her orgasm . . .

Oh, God! All she had to do was think about him and she was completely finished. She'd never felt this way with Richard. And as for Lee - he'd merely been a comfortable interlude.

As far as she was concerned it had been magical. What was his problem?

Phillipa. That had to be his problem.

Pbillipa,. Could he have gone back to her?

She felt like an idiot. Joey Lorenzo entered her life and five minutes later she'd invited him into her house and practically begged him to make love to her on the beach. Now he was gone without a word of explanation. Joey Lorenzo. Where the hell are you?

The movie was finished. Cassie had packed up everything, tonight was the wrap party and tomorrow morning she'd be on a plane home to LA.

198

Without Joey Lorenzo thank you very much. And you'd better get used to it, he's definitely history.

She was Lara Ivory - movie star. And in spite of the adulation and vast rewards she was lonely. Achingly lonely. Haunted by her past and unable to forget. Somehow she'd thought Joey would change all that.

But no, he'd seen beneath the facade. He'd seen the ugly little slut. . .

Oh, God. How could she ever forget her father's harsh words. And his blood . . . splashing over her . . . the chunks of charred flesh . ..

Abruptly she put her book down and forced herself to start getting dressed for the party.

The phone rang. She reached for it.

"How's everything?"

Nikki asked.

"Great!"

she replied, falsely cheerful.

"Can't wait till you're here,"

Nikki said.

"Mick's dying to meet you."

"You're getting along?"

"Don't believe one word you hear about him. He's a touch eccentric, but that goes with the talent."

They chatted for a few more minutes. Lara was tempted to confide about Joey, then decided she had nothing to gain from revealing her schoolgirl crush.

As soon as she put the phone down she began thinking about Revenge and the gruelling weeks of work ahead. Quinn was right she should never have agreed to make the movie, the shooting schedule was a killer, and having just completed two major films back to back what she needed was a long vacation.

If it was anyone else but Nikki. . .

No. She refused to let her best friend down, it wouldn't be fair. Besides, making Revenge would take her mind off Joey.

She finished dressing for the party in a simple turquoise dress and strappy sandals. There would be dancing on the beach and all the guys from the crew would expect to have their picture taken with her.

She brushed her hair, then added gold hoop earrings and a