by Robyn Nyx
Powell looked ponderous, and Madison knew she needed him to care about her situation. Gillian’s file said he was racist and had insisted on a white American match donor. It had caused them some serious sourcing problems.
“I know I’m putting you in an awful situation, Patrick, and I’m so sorry to have to do this. You’re my sister’s last hope. She was beaten by her black neighbor, and he almost killed her. I just can’t stand to think that…that kind of person will be responsible for my sister’s death.”
Madison thought she saw Powell caught on her metaphorical line. He was nodding more emphatically as her story progressed.
“I understand. And the man who did this to her, what’s happened to him?”
“He’s more or less gotten away with it because the police don’t want to look racist by prosecuting him. It’s a ridiculous situation.”
“Let me take your details.”
“Your assistant already has them.”
“No, Meghan. When I leave this office, the story will be that we’re not the law firm for you, so I don’t want to be seen digging out your contact details. Give them to me directly now. That’ll be safer.”
“Oh, Patrick, I can’t thank you enough. I could tell the moment I saw you, you’d be willing to help us. You have such kind eyes.” You have shark eyes. Dark and empty.
“Absolutely, Meghan. We have to stick together.”
She swallowed the feeling of sickness at his barely disguised prejudice. “You couldn’t be more right,” she said, with a whisper of conspiratorial camaraderie.
He took his cell from the inside pocket of his jacket, played around with it for a moment, and handed it to her. “Type your number in there. I’ll speak to Therese’s assistant, Natasha, and get back to you as soon as I can. I know these things are time sensitive. In the meantime, I’ll pray for your sister.”
Racist and religious. Of course you are. She did as requested and typed the number into the burner cell she’d purchased just yesterday. She handed it back to him and asked, “Was your surgery a complete success?”
“Yes, it was. There were no complications at all. Therese runs an extremely smooth business. I had my concerns regarding traveling to South America, but I believe she’s setting up on an island off the coast somewhere so you really don’t have anything to worry about.”
Madison sighed deeply. “That makes me feel a lot better. I did wonder about the hygiene of it all, you know. Please tell them I’ll pay whatever it takes. There’s no amount that’s too big.” Madison stood and picked up her bag. Powell held out his hand, and she was loath to shake it again. “Thank you so much for your time, Patrick. I’m forever indebted to you.”
He opened the door and accompanied Madison to the elevator. She stepped in and as the doors began to close, Powell stopped them.
“Perhaps when this is over and your sister is safe, we could share a drink.”
Madison nodded and gave him the best sexy smile she could. “I’d like that.” About as much as I’d like to run a marathon naked in the Antarctic. The doors slid to a close, and Madison exhaled deeply. She lifted her left hand and saw it was shaking slightly. It wasn’t from the caffeine, but from the familiar rush of adrenaline when she was on the investigative trail. She’d done her job properly for Powell to be asking her on a date by the end of the meeting. Her thoughts drifted to Elodie and when she might see her again. Would she ever ask me on a date?
As she reached into her bag to stop the Zoom recording, her cell began to ring. Something inside her jumped a little when she saw it was Elodie calling.
“Hey you.”
Elodie’s voice was so breathy and seductive, Madison thought she could probably make a woman come just by speaking to her. Madison echoed Elodie’s greeting.
“Do you have any plans tonight?”
“Other than rustling up a sad stir fry for one, not really.” The elevator doors opened, and Madison headed for the exit.
“Excellent, so I can take you to dinner?”
The hot L.A. air hit her as soon as she was outside, but that wasn’t what took her breath away. “Take me to dinner? In what capacity?”
Elodie’s easy and gentle laugh made Madison tingle a little.
“In what capacity? Is that how you always respond when you’re asked out on a date?”
“A date?”
“For someone so eloquent, you seem strangely lost for words.”
Elodie’s teasing tone made Madison smile, and she regained some composure. “I’d like to come to dinner with you, but let’s not call it a date. That’s not what it should be.”
“What should it be?” Elodie sounded puzzled.
“Dinner with a good friend. Someone who’s turning into a really good friend, and I want one of those far more than I want a short-term lover.”
There was a pause and Madison gave Elodie enough time to come back with a smart remark, but there was none. Madison knew she was doing the right thing. She’d much rather have Elodie in her life for the long haul than have some short fling that was over before it even began. She felt a connection to Elodie, something she’d never felt with anyone, and she didn’t want to ruin it. She could only ever disappoint someone like her.
“There’s a great new Thai place in WeHo. I could pick you up at eight. Not a date, just a time.”
“Smartass.”
“Nice ass.”
Madison let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Sure thing, friend.”
Elodie had hung up before Madison could respond. “Friend,” she repeated out loud. She couldn’t possibly deny Elodie was everything she could want in a woman. But she didn’t want a relationship. She didn’t want a woman. She didn’t want Elodie.
Something deep inside disagreed completely.
Chapter Fifteen
The evening traffic was even worse than usual, and it did little to ease Elodie’s mind. Talking her situation over with Ice was lethal. Their shared gung-ho attitude to life didn’t seem applicable to this situation. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Madison off, but there was an inescapable feeling that she had to pursue. She had to knock hard on that door and hope to God that Madison would be willing to open it.
Elodie pulled into the space outside Madison’s apartment. She picked up the bouquet of African rainbow roses from the passenger seat and got out of her car. The entry door buzzed open before she reached for the intercom, and she smiled. She’s watching me. Madison stood at the top of the first flight of stairs in her doorway. She looked stunning in a pretty summer dress and heels, and her long, blond hair draped over her shoulders and caressed the top of her breasts. Elodie wanted to press her against the wall and bite down hard.
“You bought me flowers?”
“Of course not, because this isn’t a date. I bought them for your apartment instead. I heard it needed to be gayed up a bit.”
Madison smiled and her eyes brightened. Elodie had a desire to make her laugh with every sentence.
“You think I’m not gay enough? I’ve had that accusation a lot my entire life.”
“Oh baby, you’re plenty gay, and anybody that’s even half looking can see that.” Elodie was glad Madison looked happy at her comment.
“Then nobody’s been looking much because I’ve never been hit on in a bar. Ever.”
“How about this? After we’ve had dinner, I’ll take you to a new super club that’s just opened. I’ll leave you at the bar, and then I’ll come back and try my best lines on you.”
Madison looked suspicious. “Looking the way you do, I bet you don’t need lines.”
“I haven’t for a while, so it’ll be fun to see if I remember how.”
Madison giggled but she didn’t say no. Not wanting to push it too soon, Elodie opened the front door. “Shall we go? I have reservations, and I don’t like to be late.”
Madison followed her and locked the door behind them. “I’m sure they’d hold the table for you.”<
br />
“I’m sure they would,” Elodie said as she jogged down the stairs and out into the humid evening heat. “But I don’t think my time is any more precious than anyone else’s, so I don’t like to keep people waiting.”
Elodie opened the passenger door and indicated for Madison to get in. She noted that Madison looked contemplative, and she hoped she was reconsidering her insistence that this not be a date.
“Wow, that’s a nice ride.”
“You know cars?” Somehow Elodie didn’t think Madison was a gearhead, but maybe she’d misjudged her.
Madison laughed as if the question were incredulous. “Oh God no. It just looks pretty.” She climbed in and slowly lowered herself into the seat.
“It’s the same car James Bond drives.”
Madison smiled as she looked up at Elodie, who willed herself to breathe in spite of Madison’s devastatingly beautiful eyes.
“Is that important?”
“It is if you like 007.”
“I’d like 007 if she were a strong, hot woman.”
Elodie closed the door. “I might have some interesting news for you on that front.” She ran her fingers over the hood as she came around to the driver’s seat, thinking of how she’d come across this particular car on the way back from an Amnesty International event for Romani children in the Czech Republic. It’d been harrowing, so the visit to the Aston factory in England had been a welcome distraction. Elodie’s stay at the Langham’s Infinity Suite had been made even more pleasurable by one of Aston’s cute technicians. Her customer service had been so exceptional that ordering a bespoke Aston was the least she could do. The image of how Madison might look naked on the hood of the car with Elodie’s fingers deep inside her invaded her thoughts.
“Where’d you go?” Madison asked as Elodie joined her.
Caught in the act of thinking about another woman and then Madison, made Elodie feel instantly guilty. “Uh, nowhere. Why?”
“It looked like you were having filthy thoughts.”
Elodie frowned. “How do you know what that looks like?”
“You’re way too easy to read, El. A nice memory or wishful thinking?”
Madison’s tone was teasing, and Elodie couldn’t get a handle on it. Was she interested or not? She liked that Madison was paying enough attention to read her face. “Since this isn’t a date, you probably don’t want to know what I was thinking.”
A little color flushed to Madison’s cheeks, and she couldn’t hold Elodie’s gaze. Elodie smiled, satisfied that Madison wasn’t completely immune to her charm.
“What’s your interesting news about Bond?”
Elodie grinned at Madison’s clumsy change of topic. “It’s Jules French’s next planned project. A reboot of the entire 007 series with me starring as the legendary secret agent.”
“Really? That’ll be worth watching—a lot more than the misogynistic catalogue of Bond films before it. Is there any chance they’ll make Bond gay?”
“You wouldn’t mind seeing me on IMAX doing lots of Bond girls?”
“As a friend, I’d worry about STDs, but other than that, why would I mind?”
Elodie didn’t answer but she did want Madison to mind.
They drove a little way in a comfortable silence before engaging in some small talk.
“You’re one of the most well-known faces in the world. How can you wander in to any restaurant and club without being bothered?”
“We’re in L.A. Celebrities are everywhere. But things have changed since JD Sawyer’s death. There are no paparazzi anymore, just respectful and professional photographers trying to earn a living.” Elodie felt a heavy sadness fall over her unexpectedly.
“Were you close?”
Madison placed her hand on Elodie’s hand as she rested it on the stick shift, apparently sensing Elodie’s melancholy. She liked the feel of Madison’s soft, small hand on hers. It was so petite compared to Elodie’s.
“He was the first great actor I worked with. He was a little like a cuddly grandpa to everyone on set.” Elodie felt the unusual burn of tears and blinked them away in the hope Madison hadn’t noticed. Madison’s hand remained for a few moments more before she pulled it back. “It’s sad that it took something like that to change things so dramatically. I enjoy my freedom, but it came at a high cost.”
“That’s very often the case.”
There was hurt in Madison’s voice, and Elodie berated herself. She was bemoaning celebrity status to a woman who’d seen multiple genocides and tragedies all over the world without the hardcore training she’d received as a Marine. Elodie had worked hard to disconnect herself from her own military past and in doing so, had necessarily softened. Until she’d established her work with the GTIP office, the lives of others far less fortunate than her was only a distant memory. Her daily life was rubbing shoulders with people whose only worry was how fat they looked in their most recent movie.
“I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. You must’ve seen your fair share of heartbreak.” Elodie sensed a degree of consideration before Madison responded, almost as if she was censoring herself before she spoke. She couldn’t shake an awareness of pain and fear that Madison was harboring, and maybe it was that which kept her from wanting to engage with Elodie beyond a friendship. She wondered who’d hurt Madison for her to be this cautious and figured it must be something other than a particularly hard breakup. Everyone had bad breakups and got over them eventually. Whatever it was seemed to run deeper and more historic.
“No more than you, and not quite as up close and personal, I expect.”
“We all have our own experiences to bear. Some worse than others.” Elodie didn’t want to push Madison, but if she could assure her she was safe, maybe then Madison would allow herself to open up. To feel what Elodie was feeling, a growing sense of needing to find out what this might be.
She could feel Madison looking at her. Her unasked questions were practically visible. How can I make you trust me? Elodie pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, got out, and jogged around to Madison’s side to open her door.
“My, aren’t you chivalrous?”
Elodie smiled widely at Madison’s teasing. “Only when I’m in the presence of a lady.” Her remark was rewarded with a smile that set Elodie’s heart racing. You’re even more beautiful when you smile. Elodie kept the sentiment internal. Madison was nowhere near ready for those kind of lines. Except they weren’t lines designed to get Madison into her bed. They were simply truths.
Elodie offered her arm and was glad when Madison hooked hers through without comment. They walked into the restaurant and were seated with minimum fuss.
“When do you go to Russia?”
“Huh?” Madison’s question caught Elodie off guard as she looked through the menu for something without garlic, on the off chance Madison might acquiesce to a good night kiss when she dropped her home.
“Aren’t you filming parts of your new movie in Russia?”
“Ah, sorry, yes. We might not be. There’s a lot of anti-gay sentiment over there, so Jules is reconsidering filming there. He doesn’t want to fund a government that persecutes the LGBTQ community, given that he’s part of it and so are most of his actors.”
Madison looked relieved. “I’m glad. I was there on my last assignment following the vile work of a group of extremists hunting and torturing trans people. I was kicked out of the country by their military police. It’d be an understatement to say it was an unpleasant experience.”
“Did they threaten you?”
“They did more than threaten my MacBook. They smashed it into pieces and said it’d be a shame if I found myself in a similar accident. It’ll be a while before I’m welcome back into that country…especially if they read the article I’ve done as a result of being there.”
“I’ve read a lot of your articles. Given what you cover, I wouldn’t expect you’re welcome back in many of the places you write about.”
Madison laughed
ruefully. She straightened in her chair and clasped her hands together. “You’re probably right. It’s Requiem they’ve adapted, right?”
“It is. Do you know it?”
“I do. I like his work. Are you playing Elya?”
Elodie smiled at Madison’s assumption. It smacked of an understanding she shouldn’t rightly have, but Elodie liked it nonetheless.
“Playing Kiana would’ve been too easy. The—”
“Audience would side with her immediately, and that’s not enough of a challenge for you?” Madison finished her sentence, and they both smiled, shyly almost. “You were brave to sign up with FlatLine.”
Madison sounded businesslike, but Elodie knew there was a deeper interest. Before she could answer, they were interrupted for their orders. When their waiter had gone, Elodie picked up the conversation thread.
“I like French’s vision. I think he’s the brave one. His approach is idealistic, but at the same time, business-oriented and efficient. I think he’ll make it work.”
“Have you signed up for the Bond franchise too?”
“Not yet. I want to complete a project with him and be sure he’s what I think and hope he is. It’s not until a movie is out that you can be sure it’s what it was supposed to be. There’s so much they can do in editing and post-production that the message you thought you’d captured can be lost. I imagine it’s the same for you as a writer—until you see your words in print, you can’t be sure they’re exactly how you wrote them.”
“I’d never thought of it that way, but you’re right. I’ve read about bit part actors having their scenes removed, but I didn’t think it would apply to the stars of the movies. Has that happened to you? I have to ask, which movies?”
“I can’t possibly answer in case you write an exposé on Hollywood and you name and shame the people involved.” Elodie’s playful grin told Madison she was teasing.
“On that basis, it might be best if we don’t talk about anything other than the weather.”
“That might not make for a very interesting friendship. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.”