Starlit: A Novel

by Lisa Rinna

  What Mac didn’t say to Tally was that Richard Carlton wasn’t too happy with his choice for the role of Emma. Richard thought she was too fresh. Yes, he was perfectly justified in saying so, given that Tally had yet to prove she could carry a film, but Mac would enjoy proving his father wrong.

  He dug into his dessert. “I can’t believe you spent the entire afternoon cooking for me. It’s the first home-cooked meal I’ve had in quite some time.”

  She laughed. “Since I’ve been so busy with my career, I haven’t had time to do any cooking lately in LA. For me, it’s fun and relaxing. And besides, it just feels like the right thing to do, here in Paris.”

  “Ha! Usually, when I’m with a woman in Paris, the very last thing she’s thinking about doing is spending time in the kitchen.” He leaned back. “In fact, I’m not sure the most recent woman in my life could find the kitchen in her house if she used a GPS.”

  So that he couldn’t see her blush, Tally busied herself picking up the dirty dishes. “With this break in the shooting, will she be joining you here?”

  Mac laughed raucously. “I hope not! I’m flying solo these days.”

  Discovering that Mac Carlton was unattached made Tally smile, and she blushed even deeper.

  Because Mac was so convinced that Tally would be great in his film, she started believing it herself, and it showed in the daily rushes.

  At night, she and Mac usually joined the new director, Kent Whitman, and the other members of the cast for dinner. Tally noticed that Mac always found a way to be seated beside her, and on her few days off, he insisted on showing her around Paris.

  “Seriously, don’t feel as if you have to babysit the talent,” she said, smiling.

  He laughed. “Is that your way of telling me that you don’t want to spend time with me?”

  “On the contrary! You’re wonderful company.”

  In fact, he was too wonderful. It would have been so easy to fall in love with him, but she held back. After all, there was still the business of Cloistered to finish up.

  Her relationship with Gabriel was unfinished business, too.

  One Sunday, while Tally and Mac were window-shopping on the Left Bank, she noticed a man across the street taking pictures of them. By the next evening, those pictures and others of the two of them enjoying the city—and each other—appeared in the French celebrity magazine Voici.

  “This is a disaster,” Tally moaned when she saw the magazine as she and Mac walked by a newsstand during a stroll that evening. “We aren’t having an affair! And I want to be known for my acting, not my supposed lovers.”

  Mac laughed uneasily, trying to make light of the situation. “At least we’re getting some advance publicity for the film, right?” Seeing her frown, he added, “What’s wrong? Are you afraid to be seen with me in public?”

  Tally shook her head. The last thing she wanted to tell him was that she was wondering if Gabriel would see the same photo in Us Weekly. Instead, she said, “I guess all of this paparazzi stuff is still so new to me. It must be hard for you, having grown up in the spotlight. What’s it like to have a father who is so powerful in Hollywood and a mother who is a famous movie star?”

  Mac looked away for a moment before answering. “I wish I could tell you that we were one big happy family, but that would be a lie. My guess is that my parents’ marriage was one of convenience.”

  Noting the puzzled look on Tally’s face, he explained further. “It was the waning days of the studio system. Father was vice president in charge of production at Royalton when they met, and Mother was one of the last starlets to be put under contract there. She had just come off a successful Broadway debut. According to legend, she also had a offer from MGM, but Father’s proposal cinched the deal for Royalton.” Mac shrugged. “Unfortunately, he knocked her up immediately. She was just twenty-five, but she was still playing college coeds. The studio released her from Say It Isn’t True because I was the cause of some pretty bad bouts of morning sickness. Father had effectively sidelined one of Royalton’s most important assets. To this day, he still claims that almost killed both of their careers. Being a good Catholic girl, she was mortified at his suggestion that she find a way to ‘take care of their little mistake.’ I’ve had to prove him wrong every day of my life.” Mac’s tone was flippant, but the hurt on his face offered a truer reflection of his feelings.

  Tally smiled uncertainly and said, “All’s well that ends well, right? She came back and starred in some wonderful movies, and he ended up as head of the studio.”

  “Yes, by a cruel twist of fate. His predecessor had a fatal heart attack, and Father convinced Royalton’s largest stockholders that he was the logical replacement.” Mac smiled derisively. “He’s been currying their favor ever since. As for Mother, I’m proud of her films, and I think she is, too. But for her sake, I wish there had been more of them.”

  “Why weren’t there?”

  Mac held Tally’s gaze with his own. “No matter how talented she was, she was still the boss’s wife. I think she got tired of the studio politics and the accusations of nepotism from the other actresses on the lot, so she retired.” He paused and looked down. “And I’m sure it hurt her to hear the gossip about his affairs. Once she walked in on him unannounced and caught him red-handed.”

  Tally flinched. She couldn’t help thinking that maybe he knew more about her and Gabriel than he was letting on.

  The night of the wrap party was bittersweet for Tally. As much as she missed Los Angeles, she had come to love Paris so much, not to mention the joy of seeing Mac every day, and she wondered what would happen when they got back to Hollywood.

  As he walked her from the wrap party to her apartment, he whispered in her ear, “Before we leave, I owe you a home-cooked dinner. Care to join me at my hotel tomorrow night, eight o’clock? I’m staying at the George Cinq.”

  Tally’s stomach did a flip. They no longer had the pretense of business as usual or babysitting the talent. Besides, his tone made it clear that this had nothing to do with business.

  The next day, when she got to his hotel, she was directed to the eighth floor. She was surprised to find that Mac’s room wasn’t the usual businessman’s accommodation but a sumptuously appointed suite. Gold brocade drapes flowed to the floor, the cream-colored walls had crown and picture-frame molding, the furnishings were ornate Louis XIV antiques, and paintings from the same period adorned the walls.

  Tally gave a low whistle. “Wow, this is some bachelor pad.”

  “Actually, it’s the honeymoon suite.” He pulled the drapes. Beyond the large French doors was a straight-on view of the Eiffel Tower.

  Tally turned to him. “Forget acting. I should be a producer instead!”

  Mac laughed. “Well, there’s got to be a few perks that come with the job, right? I do have to put up with the talent.”

  He led her to the small dining table by the window. When he pulled off the silver dome that had been covering a tray, she found three chocolate-covered strawberries. Next to the plate, a bottle of Dom Pérignon White Gold Jeroboam was being iced in a sterling silver cooler.

  It was her turn to laugh. “What, dessert first?”

  “This is just the first course. The best is yet to come.” He offered no further explanation of what was to come. His adoring gaze said it all.

  She didn’t mind when he wrapped his arms around her waist or when he gently kissed the back of her neck. And she didn’t hesitate at all as he pulled her into the bedroom, where the king bed with its diamond-patterned duvet and large feather pillows awaited them.

  He insisted on undressing her himself. He did so slowly, one garment at a time. As each part was revealed—a creamy white shoulder, the crook of an arm, a nipple—his eyes lingered on the magnificence of her body, as if he were examining the Venus de Milo.

  She’d never been with a man who made love so gently, who took his time to make her happy. His caresses tickled her like velveteen. His tongue teased every nook and c
ranny, leaving her damp with anticipation, moaning for him to satisfy her, which he did as he plunged into the vortex of her very being. When she cried out, it was only because pain and pleasure overcame her so completely, to her great delight.

  He was not selfish. Instead, he waited until he heard her sigh with pleasure before pulling her on top of him. As she mounted him, she squeezed him tightly. His gasp told her that he, too, was ready to come beside her. She drew his hand to her mouth and encircled his thumb lovingly with her lush lips. This brought him to a climax, just as she, too, was racked with ecstasy.

  Their night of lovemaking was long but not long enough for all she wanted to do to him. And what she wanted him to do to her.

  As the first rays of a new day streamed in through the French doors, he wrapped her in one of the hotel’s big fluffy robes and carried her out to the terrace to watch the sun rise over the Eiffel Tower. Maybe they should have seen the paparazzi on the street below them, but they didn’t. They were too wrapped up in seeing Paris awaken through each other’s eyes.

  At the airport the next day, while they were waiting at their gate to catch the flight home, Tally noticed the latest cover of Voici. It was a photo of her and Mac, on the terrace in their robes, kissing.

  Tally’s face turned crimson. For the first time in two days, she thought of Gabriel, and suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. Would the photos have made it to the American tabloids as well?

  As they boarded the plane, she avoided Mac’s eyes. Once seated, she pretended to be reading the first Dana Point script of the new season, which had been couriered to her apartment on the last day of shooting. They were over the Atlantic when, finally, Mac leaned in for a kiss. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Is the script that great? Tally, what’s up?”

  You really don’t want to know. Or do you? She turned to look him straight in the eye, and when she finally answered, her tone was blunt. “What happens now?”

  “Whatever you want. You know, if this movie is as good as I think it is, you have a wonderful career ahead of you. And one thing I’ve learned in this industry is that everything is on the table for negotiation.”

  He thinks he’s being cute, she thought. But it wasn’t what she wanted to hear from him. “No, I mean what happens with us?”

  He put down the folder of financial statements he’d been reviewing. “Why don’t you tell me what you want?”

  What do you think I want? And don’t you want it, too? Obviously not, she thought. Tally turned toward the window so that he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

  Seeing the emotions play out on her face, he shrugged and muttered, “Look, no pressure, OK? I guess what I’m trying to say, Tally is that I hope we stay friends.”

  Friends. As in fuck buddies. So, this is it, she thought. I’ve just had a Paris fling with the producer of my movie. What an idiot I am!

  Except for a few curt answers to his idle chitchat, she was silent for most of the long flight home. She even pretended to sleep part of the way. Why not? She had nothing else to say to him, except au revoir, mon ami.

  When the plane landed at LAX, she let him get up and out of his seat first. As passengers queued up and jostled to be next in line on the jetway, she fiddled with her bag in the overhead compartment so that others would get between them. He’d either wait for her in the boarding lounge or just take off—she didn’t care which.

  What she didn’t expect was for Gabriel to be waiting for her on the other side of customs. In fact, she didn’t even see him until he was right in front of her. On his face was the grin that melted millions of women’s hearts each week, and in his arms was a bouquet of roses that got crushed between them as he swept her up into his arms and kissed her hungrily.

  When he let her go, she glanced around. Where was Mac?

  Then she saw him over Gabriel’s shoulder. The look on his face went from shock to anger to derision. But he didn’t say a word.

  He didn’t pull Gabriel off her, either. In fact, he did absolutely nothing except shrug and walk away.

  She wanted to run to him, to ask him if their tryst in Paris had meant anything at all to him, but Gabriel draped his arm over her shoulders, holding her firmly. “God, I can’t wait to get you home. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

  She tore her eyes away from Mac’s back for just a second to nod and smile in reply. By the time she looked up again, Mac was gone.

  As Mac got into the town car that was waiting for him outside of baggage claim, he was fuming. He climbed into the backseat and slammed the door. So, she’s still in love with him, he thought. I was just a diversion during the shoot. No wonder she freaked out when she saw the photos of them in that magazine. And that kiss-off on the plane! First the tears, then the ice princess routine. I can’t believe I just let her off the hook with that “friends” line. I’m such a jerk.

  For a split second, he wondered what she would have done if he’d just laid it all out on the line, if he had told her how he’d loved her since the first moment he saw her and how the thought of her going back to Gabriel would break his heart.

  Because that was exactly what was happening.

  Well, now he knew what her response would have been. She would have felt sorry for him. And he didn’t need her pity. He needed a stiff drink.

  Chapter 20

  IT WAS AS though nothing had changed between them. Gabriel began calling the shots as soon as they left the airport. He wouldn’t even let her go back to her place first—apparently, he had something else in store.

  “Please, Gabriel, I’m so tired. I want to shower, check my mail—”

  “Aw, but I’ve got so many surprises waiting for you. And you know we can bathe together at my house.” He drove straight to the Pacific Coast Highway, then north to Malibu, to his pigsty.

  By the time they got to his house, she had made up her mind to call a taxi immediately to take her home. She wasn’t going to be his willing playmate anymore.

  But Gabriel had other plans in mind. This became blatantly clear the moment he closed the door behind her—and locked it. Then he leaned in over her, jerked her head up by pulling her hair, and forced her lips open with his own. Her terrified gasps did nothing to stop him. When she tried hitting him with her fist, he grabbed both her wrists and held them behind her back.

  “Does your new boyfriend know you like it rough?” Gabriel hissed.

  When she didn’t respond, he yanked her blouse open. The buttons popped off and rolled on the floor. His hands felt dirty on her body, and she longed for Mac’s tenderness.

  Gabriel pulled her toward the armchair facing the big picture window. “Remember doing it right here for the first time, babe? I left out one thing that time.”

  From the drawer on the side table that sat nearby, he pulled out two wrist straps. He positioned her so that she was bent over the chair, and with a snap, he tethered a wrist to one arm of the chair, then her second wrist to the other. He unzipped her skirt so that it fell to her feet and yanked off her panties. He left her heels on.

  “Please, Gabriel, untie me! I’m not comfortable standing like this!”

  “Aw, that’s too bad, Tally. But I really don’t care.”

  She had her back to him, but she could still see the room reflected in the picture window. He disappeared for a moment.

  Where has he gone? What’s he getting? Horror swept through her. She yanked at both shackles, but neither of them gave even a millimeter. In fact, they seemed to get tighter with each pull.

  “Why? Why don’t you care? I thought you loved me!” she cried out frantically, but she didn’t know where he was or if he could even hear her.

  Suddenly, she heard him rummaging in his messy kitchen. When she looked up again, she saw his reflection in the window.

  The honey bears.

  His hands were loaded with the small plastic containers. He lined them up on the windowsill in front of her; there were six of them. Then, very slowly, as if performing some sad, sick ritual, he
unscrewed the cap on the one farthest to the right and approached her with it. “Admit it, sweet thing, it was never really love between us. Just sex.”

  He dripped the honey onto her back. She could feel it roll slowly down her spine, to the top of her rear. He followed it with his tongue, lapping lazily all the way down her back. When he got to the base of her spine, he stopped and smeared her rump with the sticky liquid.

  She shuddered, but that only made him laugh. “I’ve wanted to do this to you from day one. Remember the first time you came here, when you asked me why I had all the bear honey containers? I figured, ‘Tally’s a sweet kid. Sure, my bondage partners love it. My hookers tolerate it. But this would be way too kinky for her.’ Besides, I didn’t want to lose a high-profile arm charm like you. So I made up the bullshit about collecting them for my niece. I don’t have a niece! I don’t even have siblings. Jeez, Tally, you didn’t even bother to Google me. What kind of girlfriend does that make you?”

  He laughed raucously, then made his way back to the windowsill and picked up another honey bear. This time, though, he poured a glob of honey onto the palm of his hand. He leaned down and grabbed one of her breasts, smearing it generously with the sticky goo, then started sucking on it hard. She recoiled, and when he came up for air, she had to turn her head so that she wouldn’t throw up at the sight of his face smeared with honey.

  He went back to the window for another bear. He chuckled as he unscrewed it and held it up to the light. “I’m guessing this is nothing compared to what Mac Carlton did to you. I’ll bet he has his own kinks and fetishes. And I bet he had plenty of time to show you all of them. Well, now it’s my turn.”

  He poured the thick amber liquid into the palm of his hand, then moved behind her. When she heard him unzipping his pants, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

  With one hand, he spread the honey between her legs, pushing them so far apart that her head went deep into the cushion of the chair as she straddled it. With the other, he smeared the honey onto his cock. She could hear him groan as it grew in his fist. Then he plunged it into her, deep to her core, again and again.