Tinseltown

by Stephanie Taylor

  Settling for a nature show, he stared sightlessly at the TV. He liked Deb Atkins. He had to admit his infatuation went far beyond the physical. He was drawn to the person inside, whoever she was. He saw glimpses here and there of a sweet, loving and likable woman. But he primarily focused on getting their friendship, however sporadic it might be now, on an even keel so they could finish their job. That was his top priority. Later, he would try to figure out the rest of this mess and see if they could continue this marriage.

  “Zach?” Deb’s soft voice sounded as she appeared in his line of vision.

  “Yeah?” He cleared his throat and put his feet down off the coffee table, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He gazed up at her freshly scrubbed face and had a sudden vision of the girl she used to be. Only the girl probably didn’t have a look of longing in her eyes. “You know, your parents never have to know we’re married,” he said quietly. “You can tell them the tabloids were lying.”

  “Kinda hard when they have photographic evidence.” She took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She already saw your wedding band and asked me if I was dating a married man.”

  Zach’s eyes rounded. “What did you tell her?”

  “Not to worry. I sidestepped the questions and told her we’d talk later.”

  “But you are dating a married man.”

  Deb shot him a look meant for a toddler in trouble. “It may be legal, but nothing about this marriage is real. Besides, I’m going to have to own up to my mistakes eventually. As soon as filming is over I want a divorce.”

  His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest, but he decided to feign interest in the TV show again. Men could get away with a short attention span. And he was suddenly in no mood to talk about their impending divorce.

  “I’m really tired.” She arched an eyebrow at him pointedly.

  He felt like he missed something. Glancing away, Zach tried to figure out what it was but he just smiled and bid her goodnight.

  Cocking an eyebrow, Deb looked pointedly at the TV.

  “Ahhh,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those women. I have to watch TV to wind down at night. It’s been an eventful evening to say the least.”

  She threw her hands up. “How am I supposed to sleep with this ruckus in the background and a man speaking about the wilds of nature? And what animal kills which? Disgusting.”

  He frowned. “Would it help if I switched the channel?”

  “No.”

  The room was bathed only in the dim light of the TV since she had turned off the bathroom light. Without thinking, he flipped it off and pitched the whole room into blackness. He heard her dramatic exhale and her bare feet padding across the floor to the bed.

  “Good thing we’re not sharing a room for long,” she said.

  He heard the rustling of her robe and knew she’d removed it and slid into bed. What he wouldn’t give to be holding her close and warming her with a different kind of heat.

  He lay down and exhaled roughly, thoroughly frustrated. “Yeah, good thing.”

  Chapter 4

  “Good morning, sleepy heads!” exclaimed her mother as Deb and Zach walked in together. The kitchen was filled with guests who all looked bright-eyed and well rested. Being an actress frequently required Deb to stay up late, but she wasn’t used to getting up after only four hours of sleep.

  Deb glanced at Zach. He looked like she felt — dark circles under his eyes, hair askew and slouched posture. This was at odds with the rumbling snores she had heard from his side of the bedroom early this morning, cutting into her own precious sleep.

  “Bah humbug,” Zach muttered under his breath against her ear as he touched her arm. She couldn’t help but crack a smile. When she looked up, she found her mother watching them and sent her a wink. It looked like they had both done much more than sleep last night and, as Zach whispered in her ear, she knew she must think it whispered sweet-nothings, quiet words only lovers would share. He was good. Already in character this morning and fooling everyone.

  “Good morning, everyone,” she said, pulling away from the heat of his touch. She claimed a chair in the middle of the table next to her mother.

  “Good morning, dear,” she said. “You look tired. Did you not sleep well?”

  “I had a rather noisy roommate who kept me awake snoring all night.” She didn’t want anyone thinking their disheveled appearance was because of closed-door activities.

  Zach’s jaw dropped at her announcement, probably because he was too tired to come up with a witty retort, or too shocked she’d actually acknowledged they’d shared a room. She didn’t know which but the look on his face was priceless. Putting Mr. Cool in the spotlight like that must have embarrassed him. Point one for Deb.

  “Must have been the other man in your bed, because I didn’t get a wink of sleep, either.”

  Deb was about to delve into the scrambled eggs when Zach’s words sunk in. Directly across from her sat Brad. He was usually present at her mother’s party breakfasts, and the remark came just as their eyes met.

  She smiled forcefully at him and glanced away to shoot Zach a look. “How was your evening, Ms. Patterson?” she asked the elderly lady, hoping to distract a few of the onlookers who were more than curious. There were several major gossipers seated at the table, and she knew the tabloids had already been notified they were here together. Their first outing would be interesting, to say the least.

  Luckily, everyone took to the change of subject and, as usual, the topic of discussion wormed its way around to her career and her and Zach’s new role together. Everyone was fascinated by Hollywood until they visited. Then the stars in their eyes dimmed a little.

  Zach somehow managed to get the seat next to her. He had yet to speak to her directly since she took her place at the table, but she didn’t care. His statement made them even.

  When breakfast wound down, Zach stepped into the hallway to make a phone call. A little while later, she noticed he joined the men in the living room while the women mingled in the kitchen making small talk. Most of the people were her parents’ close friends. Others were distant relatives. Some only wanted to talk about her career and who she’d met and how certain celebrities were in real life. She tired of it quickly and escaped onto the back deck overlooking the perfect landscaping, the life-sized statue situated in the middle of the garden, and the small creek that lined the back of the property.

  A dusting of snow had fallen during the night, but everything would melt today when temperatures rose above freezing. It was supposed to get colder than a well digger’s behind, so when the predicted snowfall for later this week hit, it would stick around for quite a while. She was happy to see the white stuff for a change. She often visited or filmed in New York, but so far it happened during the summer months when the weather was similar to Los Angeles.

  She heard the door behind her open and close, and she figured Zach had found a way to join her. Turning around ready to do battle, she saw Brad standing there instead. Recognizing the desire in his eyes, she knew she shouldn’t have sought solace. In the recent past, it had been their signal to find each other, when one escaped from the crowd. It was, sadly, how their affair had gone for years. This time, however, no matter how untrue it was that she and Zach were together, she couldn’t make him look like a fool.

  “Brad, I can’t do this,” she said immediately when he raked her over with his eyes.

  “Since when?” he asked, a childish pout on his face.

  “Since Zach. He’s a good guy. I’m not going to… cheat on him.”

  “But you admit you’re not serious about him. And besides, you cheat on me all the time. What makes him so different?” By now, he loomed in front of her, gripping her shoulders.

  Deb frowned. Instead of the usual heat she felt at his touch, she felt nothing but the cold of his gloves and registered the immature snarl etched on his face. Looking at him, she realized she didn’t know anything
at all about who he really was. This was a side of him she’d never seen before.

  “I’ve never cheated on you, Brad, mainly because we’re not together. I still can’t believe you hold on to this childish belief that just because I’m an actress I’m going to run off with the first hot guy I see.”

  “Didn’t you? Zach must not care much about you if he’s not keeping an eye on you.”

  Deb rolled her eyes and moved away from his touch. “Brad, I’m very happy to say I’m over you.” It felt good giving him a little dose of his own medicine. As a grin turned into a full-blown smile, she said, “Besides, Zach and I got married a couple of days ago.” She wanted him to feel jealous. It made her feel good that he finally noticed she wasn’t going to wait around for him to make up his mind.

  Quiet acceptance gave way to anger. “So you’re going to get it on with a man who probably doesn’t care about anything past what’s between your legs? Are you throwing away six years of my life?”

  Hurt radiated through her chest. “Your life? I think it’s more like mine. Maybe if you hadn’t been around, I would have enjoyed a few more guys and proved you right. No, I hung around thinking you might change your mind. I can see now how foolish I was.” The desperation she felt around Brad was no longer there. Instead, she felt sad that she hadn’t moved on a lot sooner.

  Brad’s eyes narrowed and he took a step toward her. “I told you all you had to do was give up your acting career and I was yours.”

  “Love isn’t conditional.” Deb smiled sadly at him. Zach’s words entered her mind then. Don’t you want someone who believes in you and makes you happy?

  “Don’t think I’m going to fall for these petty games, Deb. You’re not worth my time.”

  This time her smile turned amused. “A wise decision.” She laughed. “Because I would choose Zach every time.” Surprisingly, she spoke the truth, despite what was between her and Zach. She tried to walk past Brad but he grabbed her arm roughly, and caused her to stumble.

  “You’ve turned out to be the whore I suspected you were all along, Deb. It’s only a matter of time before Hollywood figures it out, too.”

  “Apologize to the lady.” Zach spoke behind them.

  Brad started laughing before he released her arm and turned around. “I see you’re keeping tabs on your little whore here. Better watch out, she’ll sleep with you and then spit on you when she’s done.”

  Deb shook with fear at Zach’s darkened eyes and downturned mouth. Zach looked past Brad for a moment and studied her. “Actually, Brad, it’s just sore losers like you who don’t know how to appreciate what they have until it’s gone. I intend to enjoy my wife to the fullest. Unlike you, I’ll enjoy all of her, not just certain aspects.”

  Brad snarled and took a step toward Zach.

  Zach didn’t seem intimidated. He spread his legs wide and folded his broad arms across the expanse of his chest. “I said apologize to Deb.”

  Deb studied him. His brows furrowed deeply, his mouth drawn into a tight line. His head was lowered, and he looked up at Brad through narrowed eyes. A lion would have backed away. Fierce was an understatement.

  Brad turned to Deb, making her skin crawl. “Yes, honey, I’m sorry. I always knew it would never work between us anyway. There wasn’t anything about you I enjoyed.” The insult dug deep since sex had been all their relationship was based on. She tried to close her eyes against his verbal assault and said a quick prayer that neither Zach nor Brad lost their cool.

  Without another word, Brad walked into the house and closed the sliding glass doors behind him. A few women stared, but they quickly moved away from the door when they were spotted. It didn’t take much for them to figure it out, she was sure. Almost everyone knew about her and Brad’s rendezvous whenever she came home. Now that Zach was here, there was a little extra spice added to the equation. She was sure many of them read the tabloids about her too. It was only a matter of time before her parents heard, especially since Zach wore a wedding band. It had been her mistake she hadn’t realized he still wore it when they’d arrived.

  She didn’t want to admit it, but seeing a gold band around his finger, knowing she had put it there, gave her a sense of pride.

  As soon as the door closed, Zach reached her in two long strides and pulled her into the safe haven of his arms. “I’m so sorry, Deb. I saw him get up, and I figured he was coming to look for you.”

  She didn’t realize she still stood in shock, until he pulled back and shook her a little. “I’m okay,” she assured him with a hesitant smile. “I shouldn’t have come out here alone. It used to be how we sneaked off.” A fresh wave of disbelief hit her, and she buried her face in Zach’s chest. “I never knew he could be so cruel. He’s always been such a gentleman to me and my family.”

  “Sweetheart,” he said, smoothing her hair, “a gentleman won’t screw around the way he did and just walk away at will. Either you stick or you don’t. No in between.”

  “You don’t have a sex buddy?” The idea made her insides go cold despite her carefully controlled voice, but she needed to know.

  “Nope. I don’t do casual… at least not anymore.” At her smile, he pulled back a little and framed her face with his hands. “Especially not now. You know you’re none of those things he said, right? I don’t know you very well, but I do know if you slept around a lot, I wouldn’t be taking cold showers right now.”

  She sobered, wanting nothing more than to be close to him. “Yes, I know I’m none of those things. It’s just hard to know, even though I realized tonight how wrong we were together, I’m closing a chapter of my life I’ve kept open. It was the chapter where I could get married and have kids. I thought the option would always be there if I made the choice to stop acting.”

  “Yeah, that’s stupid. Either he accepts you for who and what you are or not at all. Oh, and you know what?”

  “What?”

  “You’re already married to the best guy there is.”

  She snorted. “Do you really believe these things you’re saying or are you just trying to make me feel better?”

  He grinned boyishly. “Both?” He shrugged and released her face, taking a step back.

  “That’s what I thought.” She laughed and shoved his shoulder.

  “C’mon, I’m freezing my butt off out here without a jacket. I need a hot shower and some coffee.”

  “Thanks for coming to my rescue,” she said softly, when he was almost to the door. She still stood in place and, for the life of her, she couldn’t make her feet work, she was so moved with gratitude. Zach might not be the scheming, manipulative man she thought him to be after all.

  He turned and smiled at her. It was a real, bone-melting smile, full of promises that made her go weak. “I would say you could thank me later, but since it’s out of the question, I’ll settle for saying that coming to a fair maiden’s rescue is only part of my repertoire.”

  Deb giggled at his dramatic declaration but knew there might be some truth behind his words.

  And that was what Deb feared most.

  * * * *

  Zach turned the knob of the shower on cold as a vision of Deb crying sent his body into protective mode all over again. His instincts kicked in hard, as did his need to be near her. He wanted to wipe away any trace of hurt and leave her breathless, so she would forget all those things the man said.

  To think Deb loved Brad! It must be hard for her to see where their love took them over the years. Hanging onto the hope of marrying him with the ultimatum she must quit her acting career or else? That was low. Who in their right mind issued conditions on their love? I’ll love you if you give up everything you’ve ever wanted for me. Zach was certainly no expert, but it’s not what he imagined love to be. Love should be a bigger form of friendship, surpassing all the hoopla of overpowering feelings, and resting more on the side of comfort and knowledge. Maybe he had it all wrong, and he probably did, but it was what he envisioned.

  Deb was a beautiful
woman. While he would love to share her bed and even a part of her life as a real husband, he knew after today she wanted forever. His baser instincts shouted at him to run, but he ignored them, for his own sake as well as Deb’s. Maybe Deb would be the one to change her hesitancy, and a small part of him hoped she would, but he could never guarantee anything after the past he had lived with.

  Yes, they had forged a semblance of a friendship. Mr. Fernbank would be proud when they returned, but he wasn’t sure how strong their new alliance was. And there was the little matter of marriage they had to take care of. She’d already said she wanted a divorce and he had to respect that.

  If he could keep his hands off of her, he knew there was hope to continue their friendship, but how easy it would be to keep that promise would be the tough part. He didn’t want her to think he was Brad or the person she believed him to be in Vegas.

  Zach finished rinsing in the frigid spray and turned the knob. When the water stopped, he stood there for a moment, not knowing how on earth he had gotten himself into this mess. Sure, he had proposed to her. He’d had a lot to drink in Vegas too, and his tongue was loose, but he hadn’t been drunk. And yeah, he’d envisioned forever with Deb many times. Of course, when they got together on screen, things exploded, and the few times off-screen, things were better than great.

  He needed some fresh air and time alone. Deb and her mother had gone shopping after breakfast, and he didn’t expect them back anytime soon.

  Drying off with an oversized white towel, he stepped out into the humid bathroom and rubbed a spot on the mirror, so he could see his reflection clearly. He had two days’ worth of stubble, and the dark circles under his eyes persisted from the lack of sleep the previous night. Since he and Deb wouldn’t be sharing a room tonight, sleep would come easier.

  He smirked. Yeah, like that would happen. The spunky little woman wouldn’t leave his thoughts alone. And it troubled him. Even when he liked someone, he usually wasn’t this contemplative. But of course, he had never been thrown into a marriage before. Or thrown into a family’s Christmas festivities and figured out it was all he wanted in life.