The party had been going for hours and Lexy still hadn’t seen or heard from Jack. She was getting worried. Rumors had been flying around that he wasn’t going to college in the fall, but had decided to form a band instead. Everyone, including her parents, Tom’s parents, and Tom were getting inebriated. Seeing a chance, Lexy slipped into the house. Picking up the phone, she dialed Jack’s number, not caring if anyone came in and found her or not. She let the phone ring several times before putting the phone back in the cradle.
“He’s not going to be home, dear.” Brenda’s voice pierced her thoughts and she turned to see her mother hanging onto the counter.
“How do you know that, Mother?” Lexy’s eyes looked accusingly at the small figure wavering in front of her.
“Because he called yesterday and told me to tell you he was leaving for Nashville to try and start up a band. He said you would understand and that he had fun with you but it was time to move on.” Brenda waved her hand in the air. “See, I told you. You are better off without that boy. Tommy will take good care of you.”
“I don’t believe you, Mom. I know he wouldn’t just leave without at least saying good bye.” Tears were streaming down Lexy’s pretty face.
“Well, he did, and good riddance I say. Go dry your eyes and come back out to the party. I think Tommy has something to ask you. I told you that boy was no good.”
Lexy turned and ran upstairs. She didn’t believe her mom, yet a tiny seed of doubt formed in the back of her mind. Maybe he didn’t love her. Maybe he was just a bad boy and she’d been the good girl who fell for his charms. He had certainly explored hers and now she was paying the price. Without going to a doctor, Lexy knew she was pregnant. Well, she would have to deal with this, and she would. Drying her eyes, the pretty, slim redhead stood up. No one was going to make a fool of her. Lexy knew that Tom Kane was going to propose and now she would say yes. Lexy would tell him she was pregnant, so they would have to get married soon. He would think the baby was his from the night he passed out.
Straightening up, Lexy was every inch the strong young woman. Walking downstairs and out the door, she made her choice. A choice that was going to take the next eighteen years of her life.
Thirty
The holidays had come and gone. Lexy had been back to work a few days when Jack finally called. He sounded miserable. She couldn’t tell if it was because he missed her or because the weather was so terrible. The shooting had gone all right once they paid off every official with an open palm. It meant that he would be gone another two weeks. Jack had a cell phone with him and gave her the number in case of an emergency. He was worried about Tom bothering Lexy even though there was now a restraining order. A piece of paper wasn't going to keep him away if he wanted to get to her. He gave Lexy the number and told her to call him if she needed him for anything.
She wasn’t happy about the extra weeks, but at least she could get in touch with him now. The sound of his voice helped a little.
Lexy had found a soft, wool blend mahogany sweater that would match his eyes. It would be a welcome home gift. She couldn’t wait to see it on him. It would only make him more handsome, if that were possible. She would have the pleasure of removing it from his body too. Lexy smiled at her wicked thoughts, and then blushed. Well, she couldn’t change her ways completely overnight.
“Just think. It was a few short weeks ago that I was complaining about a new life and here it is. It is nothing short of a miracle! Jack is a miracle.” Lexy mused to herself as she fixed soup and sandwiches for herself and the kids.
“Ryan, Jessie. Dinner is ready.”
“Coming Mom.” They answered her call and the three of them sat down to enjoy supper together.
The days spent in the hot desert sun were not easy for anyone on the set of Lover's Journey. The locals got in the way a lot of the time because they loved watching the America stars. Gina attracted the men like flies to a piece of ripe fruit. She despised the climate, but loved the attention.
These men weren’t used to seeing women without a lot of clothes on. Gina, as always, played it for all it was worth. Of course there was the little matter of Jack. He seemed to be the only one not interested in her. Brandt had even spent a few nights in her trailer. Gina was biding her time, and, she knew it would come.
Jack's temper was getting hotter as the days went on. Often times he was in a quarrel with one of the members of the crew or the band. He even lashed out at Chris. Chris was fairly sure he knew why.
The crew was getting set up for their twenty-second day of shooting as the dawn was breaking in the eastern sky. This wasn’t going to be an easy one for anyone. It was love scene day.
Jack looked in the cracked mirror and decided to leave the stubble on his chin. He grinned to himself wryly. Gina should love that. Why shouldn’t he make her life as miserable as possible. She had been insufferable, playing the role of big star to the hilt. He wondered how many men had made it to her trailer since they had been in this land abandoned by most living creatures. Not that he cared at all.
Jack appraised himself once more in his military fatigues and stepped outside. He wanted this over as soon as possible.
Everyone was on time except Gina, as usual. When she appeared Chris glared at her. “It’s about time, Miss Jones! Let’s get started. Now, get over by Jack.”
“With pleasure, darling.”
Gina strolled over to Jack. She had a white cotton middle eastern robe on. She stood in front of Jack and effortlessly eased it off her shoulders. She was naked to the waist, with only billowing, white cotton pants and sandals left on her body. Her generous, golden breasts were only inches away from Jack's chest. Her long, ebony hair gently caressed her small, beaded nipples in the wind.
Murmurs of appreciation rippled throughout the almost exclusively male crowd. The crew stood with their mouths open, gawking. They all knew how Jack felt about doing love scenes. At the same time they were wondering how he could resist that stunning body being offered to him.
“Get you clothes on Gina, now!” Jack's voice was low and dangerous. He turned and walked over to Chris, leaving a spurned leading lady fuming.
“Let me know when she’s ready, Brandt,” he said evenly. “I’ll be in my trailer when she’s properly dressed.”
He spun around and walked back to his trailer without a backward glance. Gina pulled her robe up around her body. She would not let him humiliate her this way. He would rue the day he met her! She lifted her head and marched off in queen-like fashion to her trailer. Yes, he would regret this rejection. She would find a way. Gina Jones would see to that.
One day after she had talked to him, Lexy could stand it no longer. After all, he had said that she could call. She looked at the phone several times before she finally reached for it and began to dial. Lexy was uncomfortable calling a man, having been raised in the old fashioned way. The man always did the calling, never the lady. Some habits die hard. It was early Saturday morning so it would be early evening over there. Lexy hoped maybe her voice would wash away some of the grime of his day. She dialed and listened as the call went through. After four rings the phone clicked.
“Hello?”
Lexy found her voice. “Hello? Is Jack Wyatt there?”
“He’s in the shower. May I ask who’s calling?” Gina’s voice came clearly over the line. It was a voice she had never wanted to hear again!
“This is Lexy Kane. Could you tell him I called?”
“Lexy? Oh. That’s right. Your the one from, where was that? I’ll certainly give him your message. As soon as he gets out of the shower.”
Lexy slammed down the phone. How dense did he think she was?
Fuming, she marched into the living room. If looks could kill, everything would have been dead right at that moment. Ryan and Jessie were not up yet. If they had been, neither would have stuck around. They knew that look, and it wasn’t nice!
Jack stepped out of the shower and was drying himself.
“You look as good as ever in your birthday suit, babe!”
He whirled around and saw Gina draped on his sofa, adorned in a soft cotton caftan that left very little to the imagination.
“Gina! What the hell are you doing here? Who let you in?”
“A few coins will get you in anywhere in this Godforsaken place. You should know that. I thought we could have a drink. I brought some scotch and ice, your favorite.” Her eyes traveled down his body, pausing just below his waist.
“Get out of here, Gina, before I throw you out!” Gina had heard that menacing tone before.
“All right, darling, but if you should change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“Just leave and shut the door behind you.” Jack spoke harshly as he wrapped a towel around his waist. His voice held a dangerous tone.
“Oh, by the way, that friend of yours, Lexy, what was her last name, called. I told her you were in the shower and I’d give you the message when you got out. Bye!”
Gina smiled wickedly as she stepped out quickly. She surmised his temper was an inferno by now and moved fast. If she couldn’t have him she certainly was not about to let some Midwest mama have all his charms.
That woman was past her prime too, with kids, and divorced yet. She had done some checking of her own. Gina Jones didn’t intend to be the laughing stock of the entertainment world. Imagine! Leaving her for a nobody. She had to admit though, that Lexy was an attractive woman.
Well, she had fixed that. She hummed a catchy tune as she headed back to her trailer. God, she could not wait to get out of this place. Jack would have been a nice distraction. Maybe he’d come around yet. They were going to be here a while and they still had a very sensuous scene to do. Oh yes, he would come around. Gina knew all about men and what they really wanted. Or she thought she did. Little did she realize that a man was different when he was really in love.
He hit the metal cabinet door so hard with his fist it left a conspicuous dent. Jack was rubbing his hand and cursing fluently alternately in Arabic and English. The door to his trailer had closed with a deliberate bang just seconds before.
As he stood there, clad only in a towel around his waist, the sweat began to glisten on his body, bronzed from the unrelentless African sun, even though he had just showered.
That bitch Gina! He’d have a lot of explaining to do now. And for no good reason except she’d let herself in while he was in the shower and happened to answer his phone. Jesus! He was in trouble now! Jack ran his hand through his dark, chestnut hair, tousled from hastily drying it with a towel. His flashing, dark eyes were nearly black with anger and frustration at this moment.
Perplexed, the actor picked up his cell and dialed her number. Jack hated being in the Sahara, where the heat was endless during the day and you could freeze your butt off at night.
The video was weeks behind schedule. The nearly one-hundred ten degree daily heat was taking a toll on everyone, including him. He really had not meant to be so hard on Gina that day, but he was sick of her trying to get him into the sack all the time. Especially when she knew it had been over for a long time.
The phone began ringing. Ever since he'd seen Lexy's face again that night in New York, his well ordered life was inverted to such a degree, even he, Jack Wyatt, every 30 year old woman’s dream man, wasn’t able to straighten it out. Little by little she’d drawn Jack into her world, despite their totally different backgrounds.
The phone continued to ring. He paced back and forth letting it ring. He knew Lexy was there because it was she who had just called before. He also knew what she was probably thinking after Gina had answered the phone. Their relationship was strained enough by a much longer separation than they expected. And this cursed heat! He was short with everyone. This included Lexy the last time they had talked. Where the hell are you Lexy? Pick up the damn phone! It kept on ringing. He swore again aloud and slammed down the phone. Well, two could play this game if she wouldn’t even give him the chance to explain. She had a bad habit of doing that. Of course, after what she and her kids had been through the last few years with her ex-husband, he could see why she didn’t trust men.
Her ex-husband Tom still had some explaining to do as far as he was concerned. And he’d been coming around Lexy again. He didn’t trust him. And he still owed him one, from that time long ago. Jack was biding his time until....
Jack had seen how his father had been when he was drunk. He couldn’t understand any man who hit a woman, especially one that was twice as small as he was. Any sexual or physical violent action against women in the band's videos was taboo. He had enough clout now to dictate the scripts for them. Thank God this was his last one. Retirement would be especially sweet after this misery.
He wiped the sweat with his forearm that trickled slowly, profusely, from his forehead into his eyes. Lexy would just have to be angry. He had a video to finish and there was nothing he could do if she would not answer her phone. Maybe it was for the best anyway. He had been struggling with the idea of instant fatherhood, especially with two teenagers.
Hell! He was probably better off without that added burden. Who needed a ready-made family!
Jack closed his eyes and her face with those wide blue eyes, the slightly freckled bridge of her nose, and that dimple that appeared when she smiled, edged its way into his memory. He could almost taste those sybaritic lips. He could see her lying there exposed for him only. Jack shuddered as his body reacted to the vision of her lying there.
Trouble was, he had gone and fallen in love with Lexy and her family. The handsome, dark haired rock star began pacing back and forth sweating more profusely now, his strong, lithe body reacting to his emotional state. He would take care of things when he got back to the states. He would make her see things as they really were. He stopped and gripped the small table in the middle of the room.
Damn! Damn! Damn! He loosened his grip from the table and stomped into the diminutive bedroom. He dressed hastily. Wyatt strode quickly to the door and set out purposely towards his director’s trailer. They had some serious talking to do. His priorities had changed. Some things just couldn’t wait. And Tom being around Lexy had made him more nervous than he thought. God! What if something happened to her while he wasn’t there.
“That’s it. I have to get back. I love her and I’ve left her alone. What the hell was I thinking? The damn video can wait!” He would be leaving on the next flight out of that destitute land, and they would just have hold up the schedule until he could get back.
Jack reached the door of Chris’s trailer, pulled the door open and went in. Chris looked up in surprise as he entered. Gina was with him. They both stood up as he came through the door. Gina looked apprehensive as he addressed his manager.
“I’m leaving for the states as soon as possible, Brandt. You will just have to hold up the shooting until I get back.” He turned to leave.
“Wait, Jack! I know it hasn’t been easy. We can be done in less than a week. I need you here.”
Jack continued down the steps, his back to them.
“Jack, you can’t just leave without telling me why. Hold on.” Chris ran down the steps and grabbed him by the arm.
“Take your hands off me, Chris!” Jack ripped his arm away and continued walking.
“Wyatt! At least tell me why. Jack. Jack! As a friend if nothing else. What’s going on?”
Jack stopped and slowly turned towards him. He looked at Gina standing in the doorway, watching him coolly. He stared back, his eyes nearly black with anger.
“Ask her. Ask your leading....lady. Maybe you will want to take the extra days out of her salary...or something else.”
He spun around and strode away, leaving them both staring after him. Brandt turned to Gina. She smiled at him weakly. She had a lot of explaining to do and as far as Brandt was concerned. It better be good. He started toward her as he heard the jeep start up and roar out of the camp. The shouting began as a cloud of dust rose in the distance.
Lexy opened the door to the soup kitchen quickly closing it after her. She needed to be alone to compose herself before the rest of the staff came in. She had kept it together until Sunday. April had tried to console her that day, but nothing had worked. She knew it had been Jack calling her that Saturday morning, but her pride had kept her from answering. He had not tried to call again. So much for that romance.
If that were not bad enough, Tom had called the same day to tell her he was getting married again. Great! All good things happen at once. She had put on a good show for Ryan and Jessie. As far as they were concerned their mom had a great time with her new boy friend, but it was nothing more, in spite of the fact that they had really liked him. They had taken off for whatever activities they were involved in, forgetting about it already. Lexy looked forlorn and felt even worse.
She went over to the window of the large old kitchen looking out at the cold, cloudless sky, sighing, remembering how she had felt a few short weeks ago looking out this same window. She folded her arms about herself and shivered. How a person’s life could change from one of happiness to misery in a few short hours was amazing. Well, she would pull herself together again. If she could just stop thinking about his kiss, his hands in her hair, fondling her....Lexy shook away those thoughts as April walked in the door.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine. Going through next month’s menu will keep me occupied.”
“You know I'm here if you need me.”
"Thanks April. Things can't get worse than they are, I'm sure." But they did.
Lexy was startled as the doorbell rang that evening. She had been working on a presentation for the head of her department to keep her mind occupied so as not to think of Jack. If she did think of him it got her so angry she was not able to concentrate. Lexy had already figured out a hundred ways to get back at him. The only thing was, she concluded, he didn’t care.
Looking Out for Lexy Page 21