While they talked, Donna opened up her laptop and did a quick search of yesterday's entertainment news, and she was shocked when she saw the pictures in question. There she was, big as day, in a steamy lip lock with Mr. Radcliffe. The background in the pics had been made to look as though they were somewhere else, but she could tell immediately from the clothes they were wearing that the images were definitely taken on the movie set, and she told Cory so.
“You know, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that slimy bastard is behind those pictures somehow,” Cory said disgustedly.
“But why would he do that?”
Cory sighed. “I don't know, baby. I'm just … angry and spouting off at the mouth.”
They ended up talking for nearly two hours, and by the time they hung up, they were both feeling more reassured than they had at the start of their conversation. To Cory, it seemed as if his world had somehow righted itself, and the relief he felt was immeasurable. He wasted no time contacting Mike and sending their joint statement to him via email. And less than an hour after Mike received it, every entertainment news outlet in the country was reporting on their statement.
On her end, Donna contacted her own publicist to let her know what was going on. Then she pulled her blonde curls into a ponytail, dressed in a comfy pair of sweats and dark sunglasses, and left her hotel suite to venture up a floor to see Tad. Something about Cory's words had rung true to her, and she had to know if he was right. She knocked loudly on his door and waited. It didn't take long before the door was answered by his ever-present assistant.
“I'd like to see Mr. Radcliffe,” she insisted, pushing her shades up to her hair.
“I'm sorry, he's eating his breakfast right now,” the young woman said, trying to close the door on her. But Donna wasn't about to be dismissed. She blocked the door with her foot and then pushed it hard, moving past the assistant and forcing herself inside as she glared at her.
“Well, good morning, love! Don't you look ravishing in that tight costume?” Tad said brightly, looking her over hungrily as she entered the large suite. He was seated at a huge round table enjoying his room service while the television murmured softly in the background. “Would you care to join me for some breakfast? There's plenty?”
“Did you take those pictures and feed them to the tabloids?” Donna asked, ignoring his attempts to be charming, and getting straight to the point.
“Ah. So you've seen them?”
“Yes, I've seen them. And I know that they were taken on the set and then made to look as though they were taken somewhere else. Really terrific work, by the way. If a person didn't know where those pictures actually originated, it would be pretty damn difficult to tell they were faked. Did you take them?” she repeated.
“No. I did not,” he stated definitively, looking her in the eye. “I had my assistant do that. You can lavish all your praise over the handiwork onto her directly,” Tad smiled as he motioned to the young woman still standing by the door of the suite.
Donna stared at him in disbelief. Cory was right about Tad the cad once again! “What kind of sick son of a bitch are you?” she asked. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“Well, isn't it obvious?” he asked, frowning at her. Then he smiled unapologetically and stated, “I am Tad Radcliffe. And I have an image to uphold. I have never made a movie where I did not sleep with my leading lady. Well, except of course for Protecting Wilma with Lucinda Dunn but … the old girl was near eighty when we shot the damn thing and even I have standards,” he smiled.
Donna said nothing as she continued to stare at him as though he had sprouted horns right in front of her. His words made her wonder how many of his other supposed conquest he had done this to. Perhaps he hadn't really slept with any of those starlets. Or maybe he had forced them into it. But either way, she suspected that they were all too young and inexperienced and just plain scared to stand up to him for fear of hurting their careers.
“Oh please, don't give me that appalled look,” he said flippantly as he sipped his coffee. “Surely you must understand this. You've been in this business since you were a child, I'm told. You should know how this works. Images must be maintained at all costs!”
“Images? That's really what this is about, your precious image? Was your ego so bruised when I wouldn't sleep with you that you had to create a scandal to make it look like we had done the deed anyway?!” Donna asked with an attitude.
He smirked at her. “Don't flatter yourself sweetheart. My ego is just fine, thank you. But … and try to pay attention this time … images must be maintained at all cost. It really is Hollywood 101, the first rule of conduct, the mantra all actors and actresses should live by. It's your brand, your calling card. Find what works best for you and then work it to the best of your ability. Didn't anybody ever teach you these basics?” he said condescendingly.
“And what about my marriage? Or didn't you care that my husband would get caught in the fallout of your image maintenance? And what about my image for that matter?” Donna asked, suddenly feeling outrage. “Or is my image not as important as yours?”
“Well, your image is still intact. You're America's Sweetheart, right? You still are! Even more so now that you've supposedly slept with me,” he smiled conceitedly.
“America's Sweetheart is a fucking newlywed, you asshole,” she yelled at him. “How long can that image be maintained if I'm suddenly seen as an adulterer?”
He was quiet for a moment as he considered her argument. Then he nodded slowly. “Hmm. I see your point,” he said thoughtfully. “But you really should have thought of that before you ran off and got married, knowing you had a movie with me coming up. It's your own fault,” he shrugged. “As for your marriage … well, let's be honest, shall we? If your happy new marriage to your wonderfully understanding new husband can't stand a little bit of heat from some silly gossip and rumors, then perhaps it's simply not as rock solid as you perceive it be. After all, you did marry one of those rock and roll chaps, didn't you? Surely he, of all people, should understand that things get lonely on the road. I'm sure you've had to deal with his infidelity a time or two.”
“Not that it is any of your business, but no! Cory and I have never been unfaithful to each other,” Donna told him.
“Never? Hmm. Well, that's impressive. If it's true.”
Donna laughed sadly as she stared at him, suddenly feeling her stomach begin to roll once more. “You're a pig.”
“Yes. And you're proving to be a very silly girl. Perhaps the big screen is a little too big for you after all. Maybe you'd feel better back on that little murder mystery show of yours.”
“Fuck you,” she said quietly as she turned and headed for the door.
“Oh no, no. Too late now, you had your chance,” he called after her tauntingly.
Donna was fighting mad. All the way back down to her own suite, she could hear Radcliffe's voice in her head, mocking her. Implying that Cory hadn't been faithful to her while he was on tour. Hinting that their marriage wasn't as strong as she knew it to be. But as she let herself back into her room and went about making a soothing bubble bath for herself, she couldn't let go of it. And she knew it was because part of what he had said had been bothering her even before he said it. Why had Cory been so rattled by some silly gossip and stupid rumors? She understood that there were very convincing visuals to go along with the gossip, which didn't help. But why had Cory been so quick to believe the worst? Why hadn't he trusted in her more? In their love, and in their commitment to each other? Didn't he trust her at all? Had she ever given him a reason not to? Maybe he was so eager to believe that she could be unfaithful because he had been unfaithful himself?
No, no, no, no! She couldn't let herself do this. This is exactly what Radcliffe wanted! To make her question the love she and Cory had for one another. To make her feel insecure about their relationship and their marriage. Even her career! He wanted her to doubt every aspect of her life because he was a miserable, self-ab
sorbed snake. Well, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She knew that her marriage was strong, and that Cory had never been unfaithful to her. And she was determined to push all this bullshit aside and focus on completing this movie and then getting as far away from Tad Radcliffe as she could get.
Chapter Seven
Donna stayed true to her word, calling Cory even on those days when shooting ran until very late at night. The time apart was really beginning to take its toll on both of them, and the media coverage of her supposed tryst with Tad Radcliffe didn't seem to want to die. The news hounds, always hungry for a scandal, just wouldn't leave it alone – especially after Radcliffe issued his own statement saying that Donna was a very lovely girl and that he respected her desire to protect her new marriage. With just a few little words, the son of a bitch implied that he and Donna had indeed slept together, but that he understood why she didn't want to confirm it.
Cory was furious, and he kept wanting Donna to do something like go to the press and tell them that Radcliffe was behind the leaked photos and the fake affair. The subject had caused more than one argument in the ensuing days, and they never ended up on the same page about it. In his head, he understood why Donna didn't want to go that route and start a war with her co-star, but Cory was so pissed about the whole thing. That an asshole like Radcliffe was just allowed to make up a rumor and feed it to the world, and there was nothing they could do about it without it somehow hurting Donna's career? It just didn't seem fair to him. But then again, this was show business, and Cory had heard all types of stories about casting couches and the like. At least Donna hadn't actually slept with that jerk. He had just made the world believe she had. And Cory's job now was to get over it and try to ignore the whole thing. To push all the bullshit aside and try to focus on his own gig – Jagged Ivory getting back on the road.
The band was gearing up for the next leg of their Thank Heaven world tour, and the kickoff would happen in less than a week, right there in L.A. Three dates at home before they piled back into their tour bus and hit the road. Cory was actually really looking forward to the tour starting up again. His hope was that the road would help him with the whole being apart from Donna thing. If he was busy taking care of Jagged Ivory business he wouldn't have so much time to just sit around and stew about Radcliffe and wonder if Donna was okay. Hopefully, it would be just like when they were dating, and the time apart wouldn't feel like such a big deal anymore.
He got up and got dressed fairly early, eager to get the show on the road. Jagged Ivory was getting together today to start a series of rehearsals before hitting the road, and they were all excited because Benji was home. He had been back from the rehab facility in England for about a week now, but so far no one had seen him yet, and Cory was really anxious about it.
When he pulled up outside the large rehearsal space in Culver City, just outside L.A., he saw Mike getting out of his Mercedes, and he frowned. It was unusual for him to show up to watch Jagged Ivory rehearse, unless they needed to have an impromptu meeting for some reason, so Cory wondered what was up. He climbed out of his Corvette and smiled as he approached him.
“Hey, Mike.”
“Good morning, Cory. How are things?” he asked as they walked toward the building. And Cory knew he was asking about the Donna/Radcliffe situation.
Cory shrugged. “Things are as good as they're going to be until Donna finishes this movie. I just want her as far away from that jerk as possible.”
“Well, at least you got it straightened out and you trust her completely,” Mike said. “Some other poor sap would probably always be wondering, you know?”
“Yeah,” Cory said with a quiet nod of his head, wondering at Mike's meaning. Was he trying to imply that maybe Donna hadn't been truthful with him? No. That's not what he meant, was it? Cory tried to push that question from his mind. He trusted Donna completely. He knew that she would never betray him like that, just like he would never betray her. They were solid. He was just picking apart anything that anyone said about the situation because he missed her so damn bad. Forcing those irrational doubts away, he changed the subject.
“So, what are you doing here?” he asked as they entered the building.
“Benji,” Mike said simply. “I figured since this will be his official welcome home, and his first rehearsal, I should be here. Just in case there's a problem or he needs anything from me. I don't know.”
Cory nodded, realizing that they were all anxious to have Benji back in the fold. And once inside, he could feel the excitement in the air. There was a palpable charge of happy, nervous energy as he watched Noah, Otis and Buzzy setting up their gear. Everyone, it seemed, was equally keyed up. They always lived by the motto that they were more than a band, they were a family. And right now, Cory recognized that they had all sort of been living in limbo as they waited for one of their brothers to recover and return home. It was funny, but he hadn't noticed before how broken and sad they had all been until this very moment as they waited impatiently for Benji's arrival.
“There he is,” Otis suddenly called out with a big smile on his face.
And as they all turned as one to see Benji finally walk in, bass in hand, the whole room erupted into huge smiles and cheers. They were joined by their backline technicians today, just to make sure they were all on the same page before their rehearsals moved to the Staples Center in a couple of days, and the applause from those guys at Benji's arrival was boisterous to say the least. They continued to cheer as the wayward bassist was surrounded and hugged tightly by every member of Jagged Ivory. The celebratory atmosphere obviously took him by surprise, and Cory smiled when he got emotional as he talked to them for a short while about his experience and thanked them all for their undying support.
“You look good, man,” Noah told him, patting his shoulder.
“Thanks. I feel good,” Benji said with a quiet smile. “I feel real good. And I'm ready and eager to get back to work.”
“Let's do it then, brother,” Buzzy smiled, and his eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at him.
“Alright, let's do it.”
They waited as he got set up then, talking to his former tech, Joe, and thanking him for jumping in and taking over when Benji was hospitalized. And Cory could see the surprise on Benji's face when the tech told him that he would be moving on to play bass in a new group of his own. He introduced Benji to the girl who would be taking over his duties and assured him that she had done an impressive job during the remainder of the European leg of the tour. They all thanked Joe for his service and professionalism, and wished him well in his new endeavor. And once he was gone, they finally readied themselves to rehearse.
When the music began, it felt like the group finally let out the deep collective breath that they had all been holding in for months. It was effortless and beautiful, almost as if Benji had never been gone. His timing and his tempo, and that untamed, rambling style of his that was so much a part of Jagged Ivory's sound – it was all still there. All of his instincts were just as amazing as ever, and Jagged Ivory was suddenly back in business.
For Cory, it felt so good to have all of his bandmates together again. His brothers. His partners in crime. His extended family. He found it hopeful in a strange sort of way. Like if things could work out for this part of his family, then they could surely work out for Donna and him as well. He loved her. He wasn't about to let anything or anyone come between them – not a little geography challenge and certainly not an aging, conceited jackass like Tad Radcliffe. He would do whatever he and Donna needed to do to survive this temporary rough patch. Filming on her movie wasn't going to last forever. And once it was over and she came home to him, Cory knew everything would be okay again. And in an odd sort of way, this reunion of his band of brothers brought that all home for him.
The group rehearsed for most of the afternoon, running through much of their catalogue of songs so that they could all get back into the swing of things. And at some point during the s
ession, they stopped rehearsing and just started goofing around, having fun together and jamming, like the old days. Out of nowhere, Noah threw out this crazy wicked riff and Cory picked up on it instantly, adding a melody and texture to it as Buzzy laid down a menacing beat. And Benji wove a wild, nasty bass line through it all, pulling it all together and providing the glue. Before they knew what was happening, they had written a song, right there on the spot. It was as if their collective creative energy had been reborn with Benji's return, and they were all feeling the camaraderie. Even Otis, and he began furiously scribbling in a notebook as the groove moved him. By the time they began packing it in for the day, their composition had lyrics and a title – “Brothers.”
As they were packing up their gear, Cory suddenly felt a firm pat on his shoulder, and he turned to see Benji smiling at him. “Hey, man. It is so good to have you home,” he said, looking his friend in the eye.
“Thanks, man. It's good to be home,” Benji responded in his usual soft-spoken manner. “And this felt so damn good; you have no idea,” he said, glancing around the rehearsal space.
“Uh, I think I do,” Cory smiled. “That jam session was fucking amazing. Man, we have not played like that since you left. And it's been a long time since we all sat and wrote a song as a group, you know? Usually it's me and Noah writing as a team, or he's writing by himself and Otis is writing by himself. But that shit was awesome!”
Benji smiled shyly and nodded his head. “Yeah, it was. We need to do more of that.” He paused for a moment, and Cory got the feeling there was something on his mind. “Listen, Cory … I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about all the tabloid bullshit you must be going through. I don't know a lot of the details, only what Noah and Buz have told me, and I don't pay any attention to the shit on TV so …”
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 28