by Morgan
Shaunna was momentarily dazed by Kyle’s reversal, and she couldn’t stop herself from turning her head in his direction. Kyle was paying no attention to her or to anyone else in the gallery. He was fully concentrating his gaze on the judge, which could only mean he was acting and trying to draw the all-important audience of one into his performance.
Shaunna risked a roving glance in her father’s direction, and his answering wink confirmed her suspicions. She quickly looked away and lowered her head before shaking it slightly. Gus had gotten to her former boss, and judging by Kyle’s diligence in staying in character, Gus had hit the actor where it hurt most.
Judge Barnes inhaled loudly through his nose and just as loudly back out again. He turned toward the DA and spoke very deliberately. “Ms. Manchester, your star witness has decided to drop his civil interests in this case. Does the State wish to do the same?”
The district attorney was firm in her conviction. “Miss Noble is guilty, Your Honor. She said so herself.”
“So she did.”
He rendered his final decision with an autocratic flourish worthy of his own Oscar. “Shaunna Noble, you are hereby ordered to pay ten thousand dollars to the court upon your release from the Harris County jail this afternoon. Time served.” The gavel came down quickly, and Judge Phillip Barnes was gone from the bench before the bailiff could instruct them all to stand up again.
Valerie Manchester frowned and gathered her papers together. She snapped her briefcase shut with an annoyed embellishment and turned on her high heel to escape the courtroom.
Shaunna slumped down into her seat and wept. She hated feeling grateful to Kyle, but in that moment, she truly was. She also felt grateful to Michelle and Nathan and Thomas, but when she opened her eyes, it was David she was looking for. When she spotted him, she was surprised to find he was emotional as well. The sentiment touched her in a way she wasn’t expecting.
David was already staring at Shaunna, his eyes filled with relief. She moved toward him, trying not to rush. There was just something comforting in his eyes, something she needed.
“I’m sorry you’ve been mixed up in this, David. I know what you must think of me.”
David laughed to keep from blushing. “I doubt that very much, Shaunna.”
It was all they were able to say to one another before Gus swept in and hugged his daughter. Before he was willing to release her from their embrace, Nathan and Alix appeared at their sides, as did Michelle and Thomas.
Kyle had slipped out quietly, undetected by the celebrating friends.
“I’m going to stay with Shaunna while they process her release,” Thomas informed the group. “It’ll only take about fifteen minutes, if you all want to wait downstairs for us.”
They all chose to wait, and Shaunna was taken back to the jail, where her clothes, pocketbook, and hotel key card were all returned.
“How did you know the plea change would work?” Shaunna asked Thomas as they were walking through the security barriers on their way out for good.
“Do you know what an even better question is?” he asked. “How did I know that the judge and the DA were sleeping together?”
“What?” Shaunna was shocked and stopped in her tracks.
“It was going to be my ace in the hole. There were no less than six nationally known television reporters in that room, staring right back at Barnes. If he were to invite such a high-profile celebrity media circus into his life, just how long do you suppose it would take for the press to discover and expose his affair with Ms. Manchester to his wife and to the public at large?”
“But how did you know?”
“I wish I could tell you I did something clever and covert, but the truth is, I bought a pretty intern a cup of coffee, and it turned out that she was the office gossip.”
Shaunna looked skeptical. “So let me get this straight. You based my whole defense on hearsay?”
“Partly,” he admitted. “But didn’t you think it was a little odd that the district attorney was prosecuting a simple bail hearing?”
“Yes, but I assumed it was because this was a media-heavy case.”
Thomas shook his head. “That’s exactly why the DA would minimize her direct involvement in cases like these. Because she is an elected official. If things don’t go her way at the most basic level, it can flush her whole career down the toilet. The only logical reason for her to have been in that courtroom today was because she felt her presence would influence the judge’s decision. So I began watching them.”
Shaunna’s eyes lit up with recognition. “So, she figured that he would slam dunk this case for her and she would get on TV, making an example of a Hollywood insider.”
Thomas nodded with enthusiasm. “But he backpedaled when I changed your plea and Kyle publicly stated that he would no longer cooperate with the State’s case.”
“How did you know Kyle would change his mind?”
“Honestly, I didn’t, but your dad seemed confident enough for the both of us.”
Shaunna entered the courthouse lobby with Thomas and the crowd began to stir. Some of those gathered outside could see her through the small windows, and word spread fast. Batteries were checked, microphones were tapped, and satellite feeds were wide open.
Gus approached Shaunna and took her hand. “Don’t worry. We’re going to use the back door.”
“It’s okay, Dad. They’ll leave once Kyle’s gone.”
“No, they won’t.” He led her through a door and down a hallway, where Nathan, Michelle, Alix, and David were already waiting. Thomas brought up the rear.
“How are you feeling?” Nathan asked.
“I want a shower and a sandwich,” she replied. Shaunna then snuck a peek at David, who was watching her and smiled when their eyes met. She also wanted a continuation of their swim, but she wasn’t about to voice that openly in front of the group.
When everyone reached the door with a silver push bar across its middle, Gus stopped them.
“We’re going to take the limo to the right. It’s about thirty yards away, but if they’re out there too, it’s going to get pretty hairy. Just keep moving and don’t talk to them.”
“What’s the big deal?” Shaunna asked.
“You are,” he answered and opened the door.
The camera flashes were as loud as they were bright. She reached for her father’s hand as he instinctively held it out behind him. The intrusive push of the press quickly surrounded them all.
The media mob was on the verge of stampeding Shaunna. The chorus of inquisition grew louder in volume as the precious seconds of their contact with her waned. As soon as everyone was inside the limo and the car door slammed shut, Gus issued a short command to the driver.
“Go, Benny.”
As the limo smartly and expertly maneuvered past the throng of reporters, the group inside the car finally relaxed.
Chapter Thirteen
GUS INVITED DAVID TO JOIN HIM and his daughter for dinner that night. Shaunna was beyond surprised at the inclusion of an additional guest, mostly because she was certain her father would want to spend the meal rebuking her for her foolish actions.
He did. And apparently he wanted a witness.
David sat mute as Gus addressed his daughter with love in his eyes and a twitch in his mustache. His words spilled out slowly.
“You know better than anyone that the hardest thing for people to forget is what they see with their own eyes.” He appeared thoughtful as he chewed on his New York strip steak. “You’re worried about what people will think of Michelle, but it’s you they’re all talking about.” He put his napkin down on the table. “And it’s not good.”
Gus looked over at David, who quickly looked down. He then looked back at Shaunna, who was reluctantly meeting his fatherly gaze. “Your actions reflect on me as you know, but I’m not even worried about that.” He lowered his voice, which wasn’t very loud to begin with. “You could lose a lot of clients over this.”
S
haunna swallowed, and Gus responded, “You already have.”
Shaunna felt the weight of David’s gaze as she nodded her head slowly. When she’d turned her iPhone back on after being released from jail, there’d been two messages canceling contracts, along with several requests from media outlets offering payment for her first interview.
“Are you going to stay in this line of work?” Gus’s question was unexpected, but not as unexpected as what Shaunna heard herself say.
“I don’t know.”
“How are you set up?”
“I’m good, Pop. I could spend the rest of my days on Tom Sawyer’s Island and still have enough left over to buy shoes every weekend.”
Gus chuckled and then turned serious once again.
“I should know better than to even ask, but I will anyhow. Will you be coming back to LA with me?”
“No. Michelle is my friend and I’ll be damned if I leave her here to deal with Kyle all by herself. I can work from Houston just as easily as I can work from home. I’m not going anywhere until she does.”
Shaunna meant every word, and Gus acquiesced with a short nod. “Well, let’s just get past this, and I’ll tell anyone who asks that you were on drugs or something.”
“Dad!” Her laughter was infectious and released the tension hovering over the table.
David laughed as well. It felt good to see Shaunna having fun and eating a substantial meal. Like her father, she’d ordered the New York strip steak. David had a Mandarin chicken salad, which was served in a bowl so large that at first he thought it was an upside down football helmet. Things really were bigger in Texas.
“So, tell me —” Gus put his hand on the back of David’s chair “— how badly does it itch to have that zombie makeup all over your face?”
Shaunna’s posture slouched instantly in relaxation, pleasantly surprised by the sudden change in topic.
“It’s not the face that’s the challenge,” David answered. “It’s the hands.” He held up his own, as if Gus had pulled a gun on him.
“It itches your hands like crazy and you can’t touch…anything.” David looked down quickly at his lap, and Gus understood immediately.
“What did you do?” he asked the young man.
David turned to Shaunna and smiled. “We did what we had to do. And believe me, we all ended up with a bad case of zombie dick.” He immediately regretted the revelation, not wishing to fill her mind with images of a diseased organ.
“It’s not like there’s a guy on-set who would hold it for you,” Gus observed.
“I bet you could get a grip to do it,” Shaunna offered as she forked a small dab of mashed potatoes into her wide grin.
Both men laughed, and the three of them decided to order another round of drinks.
Gus told them he was developing a few television shows and felt that at least one of them would spark into a huge success.
“Have you done any TV?” Gus asked David.
David shook his head. “No television, actually.”
“Hmm, you’d be great on the small screen. More close-ups,” Gus said gruffly.
David’s composure faltered, but he quickly recovered. He wasn’t expecting a compliment from the powerful producer, much less about his attractiveness. He was even more pleased when Shaunna nodded in agreement with her father, causing him to sit up straighter in his seat. “I like TV, actually, but I’m not the cop type. I don’t have any interest in sitcoms, and I don’t see myself as a doctor.”
“I do,” Gus and Shaunna said in unison, then laughed at each other.
“For the record, you would make a wonderful doctor, especially on a soap,” Gus said with conviction. “You would also make a splendid rookie detective, hungry to prove himself but hiding some sort of addiction. And I know that if you did a comedy, you’d get to act more like yourself on camera, which I think you’d really enjoy.” He took a sip of his dark red wine. “But what if I told you that I was casting for a western?”
David raised his eyebrows. Although he’d resigned himself to being a washed-up actor, he’d be a fool to immediately dismiss the opportunity to work with Gus Noble.
Shaunna pictured him in chaps and nothing else. She crossed her legs, and her thighs pressed together in delightful friction as her body reacted to her fantasy.
Gus continued on without a clue.
“You’re a bit young for the part, but you have an intensity that could work, and I bet the camera would love you in a cowboy hat.” He looked over at his daughter, who nodded her head eagerly.
“Didn’t you see Sacred Star?” she asked her dad.
“Yeah…” Gus was already trying to place David in the B-picture.
“He was—”
“Don’t tell me…” Gus was muttering under his breath as he thought. “Oh! You were that slimy little bastard…Larkin or Lincoln or…something.”
David let him off the hook. “Layton.”
“Yeah! Layton!” Gus sounded triumphant. “I hated that guy. You’re good.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Is your western role a good guy or a bad guy?” Shaunna asked, leaning forward.
“A bit of both,” Gus said after some thought. “He’s a complicated guy.”
“Leading man?” Shaunna asked.
“One of ’em,” Gus replied.
David took in a breath to say something, but then he felt Shaunna’s hand settle on his thigh beneath the table. She squeezed the air right out of his lungs.
“Can you get him an early reading?” she asked, seemingly unaware of the effect the placement of her fingers was having on her dinner companion. Despite the barrier of his trousers, he savored the delicate sensation of her touch.
Gus smiled. “I can do better than that. I can get him a face-to-face with the casting director as soon as he gets back to LA.”
Shaunna leaned back, smiling. She took her hand off David’s leg, and he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if she would repeat the contact later in a more private setting.
When Gus excused himself to use the restroom, David and Shaunna felt awkward at once.
“Thank you for that,” David began carefully.
“It was nothing, really,” Shaunna reflected. “Gus isn’t usually such a pushover, not even for me. He wants you for the part. It explains why he invited you to dinner.”
“Oh.” David didn’t know how to feel about her conclusion.
“I’m glad you came along,” Shaunna added. “And anyway, I owe you for contacting Michelle after…” She trailed off. It was bad enough that she’d been arrested in front of David without having to say it out loud.
“Me too.”
They sat quietly, their conversation having only made them more anxious.
A few days earlier, David had only known of Shaunna because he’d observed her from afar. But now, he was finding that her presence was like music in his heart and her absence like poison in his veins. Yet he didn’t know how to sit with her at a table and recapture what they’d discovered in the pool.
That’s when the idea hit him.
“Would you like to go swimming with me tonight?” he asked timidly.
Shaunna almost gasped. It was a wonderful idea. She thought of getting another opportunity to see David’s bare chest and back and wondered if he was imagining her wet, moonlit skin as well. The thought of him undressing her in his mind was delicious, but she played it cool.
“Sure.”
Inwardly, they were both dancing.
Chapter Fourteen
DAVID PICKED UP HIS DRY SWIMMING TRUNKS from the floor of his hotel room and held them to his nose. He detected only the scent of chlorine. As he undressed and placed his one nice suit back on hotel hangers, he felt hopeful for his future for the first time since arriving in Texas.
He liked Shaunna’s father, and the feeling was, by all appearances, mutual. Gus was kind to his daughter after his initial scolding and complimented her several times on her sense and her beauty.
David admitted to himself that he most likely would never have worked up the nerve to approach Shaunna on the set. But when he saw her being taken away by the police, the need to be there for her was too great to deny.
Just like the last time, Shaunna was already in the pool when David approached her. Mercifully, the area was protected from prying eyes, and except for one other couple talking in the hot tub, they had the whole swimming area to themselves.
Unlike the last time, Shaunna was wearing a black two-piece suit with flecks of aqua blue. She’d put her hair up in a ponytail with a hair tie that matched the highlights in her bikini.
David grinned as he set his towel down next to what he assumed was hers and kicked out of his Vans (he detested flip-flops).
“How’s the water?” he asked.
“You tell me,” came her playful response, accompanied by a small splash.
David thought about jumping in, but took the stairs and sat down with his chest and shoulders out of the water.
“Don’t you want to get your hair wet?” Shaunna asked as she swam over to join him.
“I just didn’t want to make a flashy entrance.”
“Too late.”
“How come I never get to see you make your entrance?” He made room for her on the steps, and she sat next to him.
“Oh come on, David. You know exits are my specialty.”
He laughed at her quick wit. “That’s true. But I’d rather you stay with me so I can admire you.”
The duo finally fell into a comfortable silence as they contemplated their evolving attraction for one another. They listened to the rippling of the warm water as it nudged the edges of the pool and caught occasional murmurs from the lovers in the hot tub. Music from a car in the parking lot thumped for a while and then faded away into the muggy Texas evening. They sat a few inches apart, but they could actually feel each other, their bodies acting like magnets straining to touch. David suddenly found it hard to breathe.