Country Rivals

by Zara Stoneley

  ‘She is.’ Xander grinned, a crinkle of lines fanning out from his eyes, lifting his darkly handsome face from brooding to sexy. ‘A proper star.’

  Pandora reached out, touched her co-star, her fingers teasing at the button on his shirt. ‘You could come in.’

  ‘Won’t your husband mind?’

  ‘He’s away.’

  Lottie held her breath. She’d never heard Pandora sound breathy and seductive before. They’d only seen the real Pandora, the one with the sharp tongue and cutting retorts.

  Pandora moved in closer and Lottie could swear that even from this distance she could see the actor’s erection.

  ‘He’s always away.’ She undid the button, slowly, deliberately. ‘I get so lonely and bored.’ She sucked one finger, slowly drawing it out of her mouth with a pop, and then traced a damp trail down his chest. He closed the distance between them, putting a hand on her slim waist. ‘Oh, Michael, you are just so—’

  ‘Cut.’

  Lottie jumped, Pandora scowled.

  ‘Where in the fucking script does it say you maul her?’ Seb waved the script in the air.

  ‘I was just impro-’

  ‘Well don’t. You’re not Robert de fucking Niro. She’s seducing you, get it? Jesus, have you no idea what she’s like? She’s a man-eater, working her way through the bloody countryside one shag at a time because she’s so fucking bored of being stuck in the sticks. Understand?’ Seb, who had been marching forward and pointing his finger to emphasise his point, suddenly spun round and headed back to his seat next to the camera. ‘Again.’ He paused. ‘And remember you’re only the frigging farmer delivering muck for the roses, you’re target practice not the star.’

  Sam giggled. ‘He’s quite hunky for target practice, isn’t he?’

  ‘Nothing like the farmers we normally get round here,’ said Lottie wistfully. ‘They’re usually going bald, have baling twine holding up their trousers, holes in their socks, and cow shit in their hair.’

  ‘Their hair?’

  ‘From when they’re putting the milking machines on. I don’t think she’d be putting her hands down Tom Edlin’s shirt, who knows what she’d find in there.’

  ‘Oh look. They’re starting again. He looks scared now.’

  ‘I’d be scared if Pandora was seducing me,’ Xander said lazily.

  ‘She’s got a good grip on his shirt. Oh my God, she’s got a good grip on something else, his tackle will be all bruised,’ Sam gasped.

  Lottie giggled, she couldn’t help it. And the more she looked at Sam the worse it got, until she had to clamp her hand over her mouth.

  ‘Cut. For fuck’s sake, man, don’t stand there like a limp rag. Now’s the bit when you take control.’ Seb stabbed his finger at the script. ‘You’re supposed to pin her against the stone pillar. And, darling, look like you want to eat him, not like you’re afraid he’s going to rub your lipstick off.’

  ‘He already has. You, yes you, come and touch up my make-up. And you,’ she glared at her co-star, ‘stop rubbing your dick against my leg, if you leave a stain we’ll have to shoot the whole scene again.’ She rolled her eyes and averted her face so that the make-up girl could repair the damage. ‘And no tongues, or God help me, I will bite it off.’

  It was amazing, Lottie thought, how Pandora transformed the instant the cameras started to roll. She melted into the man’s embrace, stared at him with lovelorn eyes that meant his cock instantly stiffened despite the threats. Her voice was hoarse, laden with desire in a way that would have made Lottie sound like she’d got laryngitis, but Pandora pulled it off. As she grabbed the collar of his shirt, her co-star followed her meekly up the steps. A lamb to the slaughter.

  ‘Cut.’

  Pandora thrust the man to one side and flounced down the steps. ‘I need a drink to get that nasty taste out of my mouth. Jamie, Jamie, where the hell have you got to?’

  Jamie jumped to it.

  After an hour of watching, Lottie was sure she was more exhausted than the crew. The ‘farmer’ had been shagged on the steps, a rather upright member of the Conservative party, canvassing for votes, had been wooed with whisky and the promise of a good spanking if he played his cards right, and a passing horseman looking for grazing had instead found himself with a rather willing rider, who had sat on his cock and called him a stallion. The scenes, Xander explained to an open-mouthed Sam, were not contiguous, but would be spread throughout the film.

  ‘Be a bit much cramming all of that into one day, wouldn’t it, babe? She wouldn’t be able to walk next day.’

  ‘Who wouldn’t be able to walk?’ Rory ambled up unnoticed and the Shetland pony dropped his nose to the grass, nearly sending Roxy over his head.

  ‘Pandora, babe. Too much nookie.’

  ‘Oh.’ He looked over to where the film crew were taking a breather. ‘I’m off to the gallops. Need to give Rio a bit of a pipe-opener.’

  ‘I’ll come back to the yard with you; I need to go and do some ground work with Minty.’ Lottie stood up and stretched. It had been a bit of a revelation watching how the morning unfolded, far different from the chaotic scenes with horses and dogs.

  ‘I don’t want to tear you away.’ Rory looked from Lottie to Xander and back.

  ‘You’re not. I want to come.’ She took the lead rope from Rory and kissed him. She loved him, they’d sort this out. Everything. They had to. ‘Sorry I’ve been a grump, I do love you, you know.’

  He studied her silently for a minute, then finally, when she’d just started to think she really had blown things, he smiled. ‘Good.’ He kissed her back.

  ‘Shall I take Rupert back for you and stick him in the outdoor school?’

  ‘Aww, are you teaching him his A, B, C’s now, Lots?’ Sam giggled.

  ‘I’m trying to teach him that big isn’t best.’ She stared at his round tummy, then gave a tug on the lead rope. He carried on mowing the grass with a dedication and thoroughness that had to be admired. ‘I don’t think Shetland ponies understand the concept of diet. Come on, podge.’

  * * *

  After Sam had dropped a protesting Roxy at pre-school, met up with her new (and very dishy) personal trainer for a work-out (well, if you have to suffer you might as well have pretty scenery, was her reasoning), called in at Amanda’s to give her an update on the filming and discuss swollen boobs (or breasts, as Amanda insisted on calling them – she was such a doll, so proper) she decided she’d earned herself a spot of retail therapy.

  She was just trying to work out if Davey would appreciate the heels, or a cleavage and thigh-showing dress, when she spotted a familiar figure across the road in her favourite wine bar.

  ‘I thought it was you, babe. Shove up, me feet are killing me.’ She perched herself on the edge of the bar stool, smiling when Seb’s gaze dropped to boob level. ‘Do you think they’re swollen? I keep asking everybody if they think I’m preggers again. It would be lovely, wouldn’t it? Another Roxy, or if it’s a boy, I could call him something posh like Tarvin.’

  ‘I presume you mean Tarquin?’ He straightened the napkin holder.

  ‘Oh no, Tarvin. It’s a place near here. I mean all them Parises and Milans are a bit common now, aren’t they? I think it’s a lovely name.’ She noticed Seb had averted his gaze. ‘All alone are we?’

  ‘We are. We needed a break.’

  ‘It must be hard work, all that shouting at people all day.’

  ‘It is.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘Very. We don’t exactly fit in here, do we? I mean, no offence, there’s nothing wrong with the place, it’s just not my type of thing.’

  ‘Well, you’re a bit of a control freak, aren’t you? No offence.’ She patted his hand. ‘But you can’t control animals, you know.’

  ‘Or children.’

  Sam was intrigued by Seb. On set he was domineering to the point of rudeness, he was cocky, overbearing and, as far as she was concerned, as nasty as his wife. With a glass of wine in his hand he seemed almost human.


  ‘Well, your Pandora seems to think it is her type of thing.’

  ‘Oh yes, it’s one of Pandora’s projects.’ He smiled, a thin smile. ‘She gets a bee in her bonnet about things sometimes.’

  ‘More like a swarm, hun. A right queen bee, isn’t she?’

  ‘She’s okay. I know you probably won’t understand that, but we’re good for each other. I try to keep her happy.’

  ‘I’m sure you do, babe. But she’s not making anybody else happy, is she? She’s got to try and fit in, be a bit nicer. I mean I was a right fish out of the pond when I came here, and look at me now.’

  Seb looked. Sam knew she didn’t look like she fitted in this particular pond at all, but she was happy, she loved where she was and who she was and people laughed with her, not at her.

  ‘Pandora isn’t a people-pleaser, and we’ll be off soon, anyway, so what does it matter?’

  ‘But she doesn’t think that way, does she, babe?’

  ‘Not yet. But it’s in the script.’ This time the smile almost reached the cool grey eyes. ‘Want another one?’

  Sam watched as he straightened the drink mats so that they were perfectly aligned, then brushed an imaginary speck of dust from his trousers. ‘Aw, go on then, babe.’ She almost felt sorry for this detached man and his wife. She just couldn’t imagine not having lots of friends, trusting other people, sharing. ‘Have you told her that’s how it ends?’

  ‘Not yet, it’s not in the version she read, there have been changes.’

  ‘Ahh. Are you positive that’s how it ends, then?’

  ‘Positive.’

  Sam relaxed and settled herself more comfortably. She’d once read something about knowing your enemies, and it had stuck with her. Right now she wasn’t sure about Seb, but she knew that Pandora spelled trouble.

  She couldn’t help Lottie out with her money worries because she knew they wouldn’t let her, but she could watch her back when it came to the Drakelows. Sam valued her friends, and if anybody hurt them then they hurt her too. She smiled at Seb. ‘Tell me about your script and all them men Pandora’s dragged off to bed.’ Seb frowned. ‘In the film, babe. I’m not one for gossip, we’ll leave that to the papers, shall we?’ He signalled to the barman to refill the glasses. ‘You don’t look like the type to be dirty in the bedroom though, I must say,’ she winked, ‘my Davey says never judge a book by its cover. Cheers!’

  Chapter 18

  ‘They do look sweet together, don’t they?’

  Rory, who had returned from turning two of the horses out, was surprised when he turned round to find Pandora lurking in the shadow of the archway. She nodded her head in the direction of Lottie and Xander, who were hanging over a stable door, sharing a joke.

  ‘He still has such a crush on her, which is so cute if you’re into that kind of thing.’ She pulled a face that suggested she wasn’t. ‘I saw them watching together when I was doing my scene earlier. I’m surprised they’ve both got so much spare time. Some of us are busy,’ she leaned in, her breast rubbing against his arm, ‘aren’t we?’

  Rory had found himself increasingly niggled by the amount of time Xander was spending on the yard with his wife. He trusted Lottie, but that didn’t mean he trusted the other man or liked the situation. But he wasn’t going to say that to Pandora. Or admit that she’d just confirmed his suspicions.

  ‘Lottie works very hard to keep this place going, she’s entitled to some time off.’ He shrugged. ‘And I’m not surprised he likes her. Everybody had a crush on Lottie at school – she’s a nice person.’

  ‘And a very wealthy woman, I’d imagine, looking at this place.’

  ‘Well you’d imagine wrong. People don’t like her because she’s loaded, she’s just popular. Not everybody is like you, you know.’

  ‘Oh really? Sorry if I’ve hit a nerve. I’m sure she’d never even look at anybody else. You’re more than enough for any woman. And I mean, big brother Xander might be broke but I’m sure he’d never chase a woman for her money, he’s got far more basic instincts.’ She laughed. ‘And I’m sure he’s nowhere near as interesting as you, she’s probably bored to tears with him, but being polite. No doubt there will be the pattering of tiny feet here soon, and not the doggy type?’

  Her attempt at lightening the mood didn’t help. In fact, although she didn’t even appear to be trying to be nasty, at that moment she’d hit more than a nerve, she was going for total destruction, Rory thought. For some reason babies were not on the horizon for Lottie, unless they had four little hooves attached.

  He’d thought they were happy together, and he’d thought that starting a family was just the next step – but one that he’d be happy to skip. Except now it was an idea that was firmly lodged in his mind, and he really was worried there was some reason for her disinterest that had escaped him.

  She only looked happy these days when she was with other people, like Xander. In fact, he seemed to have taken the place that Mick used to have in her life. Maybe that was the issue. She was looking for somebody more like that, somebody serious to spend the rest of her life with. Not some clown like him. Oh God, he really had to get a grip and face it if they had a problem with their marriage. But since the film crew had moved in, since Xander had arrived, they seemed to get further apart each day.

  ‘Oh, let’s go and see what they’re laughing about, shall we? You look like you need cheering up. I guess you don’t really like having us here filming?’

  ‘It’s fine. As long as you don’t upset the horses I don’t have a problem.’

  ‘Oh you’re so nice, Rory. You always were. It must be difficult though, for you in this situation.’ He didn’t ask what ‘situation’, so she carried on. ‘I’m sure more of these people do marry out of their class now, but with you being the man … I suppose she makes all the decisions, because it is actually her home.’

  ‘We both make the decisions, it’s our home and Lottie works very hard to make sure we can keep it.’

  ‘Isn’t that wonderful.’ She patted his arm. ‘You must be very understanding though. There’s not many men prepared to let a woman take the lead. Most men need to know they’re in charge.’

  The way she said it wasn’t one hundred per cent sincere, but Rory let it pass without comment. It didn’t really matter what Pandora did or said, he did actually feel like chasing her and her brother off the estate. But that, he’d been told quite firmly by Lottie, was not an option.

  Pandora took Rory’s silence as agreement and headed straight over to Xander and Lottie, leaving him little choice but to follow.

  ‘Oh, that’s what you’re looking at.’ She stuck a tentative hand out in Minty’s direction, which the filly thought might be edible and proceeded to try and take a tentative bite out of. With a yelp, Pandora retreated rapidly, but did her best to hide her horror. ‘You could ride this one in the film instead of one of Xander’s, couldn’t she?’

  Xander shook his head.

  ‘She’s only a baby.’ Lottie pulled at the filly’s forelock, which was still threaded through with soft, brown baby fur.

  ‘So you are riding in the film?’ Rory hadn’t missed Pandora’s comment.

  ‘Only if they need me, just to stand in for Pandora if she’s not happy. Seb said we were a similar size.’

  Pandora gave a sharp laugh. ‘The same height, darling, I don’t know about size. You, of course, are much bigger than I am. All this exercise and healthy appetite nonsense. And, besides, I’m sure we won’t need you. Why Xander pushed the idea I don’t know.’

  ‘I didn’t push anything.’ Xander’s voice was mild. He wasn’t going to let his sister draw him as she always tried to. ‘Seb asked if I could suggest anybody as a stand-in for you and Lottie is a much better match than Tab.’

  ‘It’s only the odd shot.’ Lottie threw an apologetic look in Rory’s direction, wishing he could look happier about it. ‘And I’ll get paid, won’t I, Xander?’

  ‘I wasn’t thinking about the money, just whethe
r you’ve got time, darling,’ Rory said quietly.

  ‘Oh well,’ Pandora smiled brightly, ‘there’s no time to waste chatting. Some of us have got work to do. I will leave you all to have fun with your horses. Can you drag yourself away, Xander, and give me some tips about my scene tomorrow? Of course I can ride perfectly well, but it has been a while. Just a quick refresher to make sure my position is perfect. Or you could help me, Rory?’ She gave him a dazzling smile that almost reached her eyes. ‘You were always such a good rider, so much better than the rest of us. Then we can leave Xander and Lottie here to chat about old times.’

  ‘Stop trying to cause trouble.’ Xander took Pandora’s elbow firmly. ‘Let’s get you on a horse.’

  Rory and Lottie watched in silence as the two left the yard.

  ‘She was flirting with you.’

  ‘And what was he doing with you?’

  ‘He wasn’t flirting. We were just talking about the film. It’s different.’

  ‘Hmm. If you say so. You do know he fancied you at school?’

  ‘No he didn’t. Who said that?’

  ‘Pandora. But I didn’t need telling. He still does.’

  ‘Rubbish.’

  ‘And you like him, don’t you? Go on admit it.’

  ‘Well he’s nice enough, yeah, I like to chat with him, but that’s all.’

  ‘You talk more to him than you do to me at the moment, Lottie.’

  ‘That’s not true.’

  ‘It is. Now Mick’s not around you’ve got Xander instead. Isn’t my conversation sparkling enough for you?’

  Lottie frowned. ‘That’s such a silly thing to say and it’s not fair. It’s you that wouldn’t talk about what the solicitor said about paying back those brides.’

  ‘And it’s you who won’t talk about starting a family. I’m not good enough to chat to, and not good enough to father your kids.’

  ‘Now, that’s not true. Look Rory,’ she sighed, ‘it’s me, not you.’