by Tia Wylder
“Shouldn’t drink so fast,” a male voice said. “A little slip of a thing like you – you’re gonna pass right out.”
I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “I have a high tolerance,” I lied, taking another sip of the sickly-sweet drink. “Thanks for this.”
The man eyed me. “I’m Robbie,” he said.
“Grace,” I lied. When he held out his hand, we shook. Then Robbie leaned closer.
“So, Grace,” Robbie said. “What kind of work do you do? Lemme guess – you’re a dancer.”
“Actress,” I said. I drained the rest of my drink and set the empty glass down on the counter.
“Oh,” Robbie said. He smirked. “I like actresses,” he added. “That’s really sexy.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Were all men this cheesy and corny when it came to hitting on women? Suddenly, I felt a sharp pang of a memory – Barnes and me laughing on our honeymoon, reclined in the warm sands of Malibu.
“Oh,” I said. “Um, thanks.”
“So,” Robbie said, leaning in close and raising an eyebrow. “You wanna get out of here?” He smirked. “I know you actresses are all…easy.”
“What?” I squinted at him. “What the fuck? I just met you!”
Robbie leaned back, looking deeply offended. “And I bought you a drink, you uptight bitch!” He snapped. “What the fuck is your problem, can’t be nice to anyone?”
I glared at him, wishing that I hadn’t finished my drink so there would be some left to throw in his face. “You’re disgusting,” I said. “You bought me a five-dollar cocktail, and you expect me to sleep with you?”
“Well, yeah,” Robbie said. “No shit, princess!”
“Fuck you,” I snapped. Grabbing my purse, I stormed out of the bar and hailed a cab. When I got back to the Crown Jewel, I threw myself down on the bed and cried, feeling as if I’d truly ruined everything for myself.
Chapter 16
Barnes
I was desperate to win Gianna back, and I knew that I’d have to take extreme measures to get her attention once again. As soon as I could, I packed up and sold the condo. I didn’t want Gianna feeling like she couldn’t be with me in a place that had been tainted. I wanted to surprise her. I wanted to do more than that – I wanted to remind her that I was still the man she’d fallen in love with, and the man that would do anything for her.
After two weeks and no word from Gianna, I called Thomas Winsell. His divorce had been finalized the week before, and he’d been begging me to meet with him.
“Barnes, we should go out for a good meal and some drinks,” Thomas said. “Life as a free man is great, even if I did wind up giving Candy almost everything.”
“Sometime soon,” I promised. “But not right now. Thomas, sorry, this isn’t exactly a social call. I’m calling to ask if you know a good real estate agent.”
“Tons,” Thomas said. He yawned. “What’s the matter? I thought you were happy in that little condo.”
“I need something bigger,” I said, picturing the giant house in Malibu where Gianna and I had stayed on our honeymoon. “Something fit for a famous actress.”
Thomas snickered. “I have to warn you about getting involved with one of those,” he said drily.
“Candy left me high and dry.”
“This is different,” I said. “Of course, with all due respect to you.”
Thomas laughed. “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “Look, I know someone great. Why don’t I give you her information?”
When Thomas and I got off the phone, I sat down and thought of a plan. It wasn’t just that I wanted to buy Gianna a new house – it was that I wanted to give her a whole new idea of what married life could be. And since we’d never had a real wedding, only a courthouse ceremony, I decided to go all out and plan the biggest wedding of the century.
A week later, I stood with my wedding planner, Mary, in the lavish backyard of a mansion I’d just purchased in the Hollywood Hills. There were three infinity pools, each smaller than the preceding, that flowed into a hidden saltwater grotto. The grotto could be turned into a hot tub at night, and there were flowers and ivy planted all around the water.
“I want to have a wedding, here,” I said, pointing to the landscaped terrace by the side of the largest pool.”
Mary frowned. “And you said you wanted it to happen next week? I must have heard wrong because that’s impossible,” she said.
I narrowed my eyes. “If I need to pay you more, I’ll do it,” I said. “I could even pay double.”
Mary blinked – clearly, she’d been expecting a different type of response. “And how many guests?”
“Everyone,” I said. “Everyone I can think of. So, probably about five hundred people. Does that sound manageable? And flowers, and catering – I want it from the best sushi place in Los Angeles.”
Mary’s eyes bulged. “Did you say that you could pay…double?”
“Triple,” I offered. “I don’t mind. Nothing is too good for the woman I have in mind. Hell, if you need four times your usual fee, I can do it. And I want to do it.”
Mary flushed and cleared her throat. “Well, I think with some very careful planning, it can be done,” she said cautiously. “But Mr. Harrington, if I may ask, who are you so keen to impress? Surely you’re not planning this for yourself,” she added.
I smirked and pushed my sunglasses up on my head. “I’m planning it for me and my wife,” I said. “And it better impress her like nothing ever has.”
--
Exactly one week later, I sat behind the driver’s seat of a brand-new convertible, staring at myself in the rear view mirror. Well, it wasn’t brand-new – it was vintage, from the sixties – but I had a feeling Gianna would get a kick out of it. That is, assuming she agreed to give me the time of day. I’d been parked outside the Crown Jewel for two hours, waiting until I knew the time would be perfect. Looking down, I checked my watch.
It’s now or never, I told myself, climbing out of the convertible and puffing out my chest. Gianna, I love you. I pasted a confident smile on my face as I strode through the Crown Jewel lobby, casually glancing around for any glimpse of my wife. I didn’t have to ask about her at the front desk – if Gianna was still the same woman I knew, there was no doubt that she’d stay anywhere in the hotel but the penthouse suite. I walked over to the elevator banks and pressed the call button. For a moment, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. After all, this plan could backfire…horribly. It could make the difference between having Gianna come around eventually or having her ignore me for the rest of my natural life.
But none of that mattered now. I was in too deep – all I wanted was her, and I wasn’t going to be happy or satisfied until I got her back.
When I got to the penthouse floor, I took a deep breath before knocking on Gianna’s door.
“Room service!” I called loudly.
The sound of light footsteps on the other side of the door made my heart start to pound. When it swung open, I saw Gianna standing there, looking radiant in a pink silk chemise. Her red hair was wild around her shoulders, and her lips looked luscious and pink. A bolt of lust shot through me. This is the perfect woman in the world, I thought as I stared at her. And she’s my wife.
“Barnes,” Gianna said flatly. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to speak with you about Heaven Cove,” I said, making my voice as serious as possible. It was hard not to crack when Gianna was standing in front of me, looking like a goddess, but I knew I had to try. “It’s important.”
Gianna frowned. “Why now? Why didn’t Eric call me? Is everything okay?”
It was damn hard work to keep my face looking so stern, but I did it anyway.
“Just come with me,” I said. “Get dressed.”
Gianna blinked.
“The sooner, the better,” I added, tapping my watch. “Come on.”
Gianna closed the door in my face. I frowned, unsure of whether that was a dismissal or a re
quest to wait for her. Either way, it didn’t bode well – I was her husband, and I’d seen her nude body more times than I could count. But a few moments later, the door swung open and Gianna stood there in a pair of distressed jeans and a light sweater.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”
I led Gianna outside to my car. She glanced at it, running a hand over the fins in the back.
“This is nice,” Gianna said. “New?”
I nodded. Again, it was so difficult not to grab her and pull her into my arms. But I resisted the urge, and when I climbed in without opening her door for her, I noticed that she looked slightly hurt.
I drove out of Beverly Hills, towards the Hollywood Hills. As soon as we passed the studio where Heaven Cove filmed, Gianna turned to me and frowned.
“Barnes? Where are you taking me?”
I shrugged. “It’s a surprise,” I said.
“Barnes!” Gianna yelped. “What the hell is going on?”
“You’ll like it,” I promised her. At least, I hope you will, I added in my head. Because god knows I don’t have many other ideas.
It took almost an hour before we arrived at my new home, the mansion I’d purchased with the help of Thomas’s realtor. When we pulled into the driveway, I could tell Gianna was impressed. She covered her mouth with both hands, uttering a little gasp.
“Is this…?”
“Mine? Yeah,” I said nonchalantly, pushing my sunglasses on top of my head. “You like it?”
Gianna flushed. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I do.”
I could sense the wall between us was lowering – Gianna’s defensive behavior was starting to fade, and I knew that the time had come for me to seize the moment. Reaching across the seat, I took Gianna’s hand in mine.
“Gianna, I love you,” I said in a low voice. “This house, everything – it’s all for you. I bought it for you.”
Gianna stared at me for a long moment, her lips slightly parted. I could tell that she was breathing hard and her pulse was beating rapidly in her throat.
“Are you…are you serious?”
I nodded. “And there’s something else, too,” I said. “Come with me.”
Gianna looked breathless as she climbed out of the car. With our hands still twined together, I led her inside. When she saw the beautiful, expensive floral arrangements all over the staircase, she turned to me with a look of surprise.
“Barnes, what is this?” Gianna asked. “What did you do? Is something going on here today?”
I nodded. ”Yes,” I said.
“What?”
“Come upstairs.”
Caterers and hired staff were making their way through the mansion, carrying trays of lobster and sushi and every different type of seafood that I’d been able to think of…and then some! Huge trays of champagne were being whisked around from room to room, and there were so many flowers inside the mansion that the scent was almost nauseating. I led Gianna down the large main upstairs hallway, then into the master suite where a large dress box was arranged on the bed, covered in rose petals.
When Gianna saw the designer’s name on the box, she gasped. Not wanting to waste another second, I dropped down to one knee and pulled a red leather ring box out of my pocket.
“Gianna DiFaba, I love you,” I said fiercely, taking Gianna’s hand to my mouth and kissing it. “And if you’ll have me, I’ll be the happiest man on this planet.”
Gianna looked dumbstruck. “Barnes…we’re already married,” she said in a quiet hush. “What is this?”
“We may be married,” I said, opening the box and letting the large, four-carat diamond sparkle in the sunlight. “But we never had a real wedding. I know you, Gianna. I know how much you like the spotlight. I know you weren’t happy with our wedding, so I wanted you to have the wedding of your dreams. Look outside.” I pointed to the window overlooking the backyard.
But Gianna didn’t move. She stayed frozen in place, looking up at me with doe eyes. As I watched her face, her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, Barnes,” Gianna said in a soft voice. “I can’t believe it!” She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around me, almost knocking the ring box out of my hand. When our lips met in a perfect gesture of passion and love, Gianna moaned softly. She pressed her body against mine, and I wrapped my arms around my waist, pulling her close.
“I love you,” Gianna said breathlessly as she pulled away. “I missed you so much.”
By now, she was full on sobbing. She buried her head in my neck, and I stroked her hair. When I took Gianna’s left hand in mine and slipped the ring onto her finger, she gasped. “It’s so beautiful,” Gianna said.
I smirked. “You’d better stop crying now,” I said. “Or else you’re going to look puffy in the wedding pictures.”
Gianna smiled. She wiped her cheeks and got to her feet, glancing over at the dress box on the bed. “May I?”
I nodded.
Gianna walked over to the bed and opened the box, revealing a beautiful, off-the-shoulder ivory silk gown that I’d picked for her. Still sniffling, she held it up to her frame.
“There’s a seamstress here if you need any quick alterations,” I said. “But I think it should fit perfectly.”
Gianna let the dress fall back onto its bed of tissue paper. She bit her lip as she looked at me, then glanced down at her ring.
“Barnes…why did you do all of this?” Gianna asked softly. “Why were you so determined to get back together with me?”
“Because you’re the love of my life,” I said truthfully. “You’re the only woman for me, and I know it. There’s no one else I’d rather be with. Just you, Gianna.”
Gianna came to me and kissed me. She reached for my hands and squeezed, nibbling on my lower lip as our kiss grew more intense. Lust flowed through my body, and it took every inch of caution I had not to throw her right on top of that dress box and make love to her right there.
“The wedding,” I whispered in a low voice as I pulled away. “You have to get ready.”
A large smile spread across Gianna’s face. “I guess I do,” she said happily. “I guess I do.”
Epilogue
Gianna – Three Years Later
“And that’s a wrap!” My director, Harris, yelled loudly. “Great job, everybody!”
The cast and crew burst into applause, turning to me and blowing kisses. I flushed as I waved at all of them.
“This isn’t just about me,” I said with a touch of self-consciousness. “It’s about all of you!”
My co-star, Linda, came up to me and laughed. “No way,” she said. “Gianna, if it hadn’t been for you, this picture never would’ve been made.”
Harris nodded. “She’s right,” he said. “I never would’ve gotten funding for this if you hadn’t agreed to work on the project.”
I glowed with pride. “That means the world to me, really,” I said. “But it was such a rewarding experience.”
Harris laughed. “And maybe next time, I can make your pay grade,” he said, shaking his head.
“But for now, I guess you’re going back to those big pictures, huh?”
I shrugged and blushed. “I don’t know, honestly,” I said. “This was a lot more fun than working on some big-budget action picture. I really feel like we’re all a family, just from working together.”
Harris grinned. “I’ll quote you on that when you refuse me next time,” he said drily.
In the dressing room, I changed quickly into the gown I’d had my agent send over. The shooting for the indie film I’d just wrapped had taken a lot longer than I’d expected, and now I didn’t even have time to go home and greet Barnes before heading to Hollywood’s biggest award ceremony, the Film Board Awards. My agent had sent a perfect dress – eggplant-colored silk that clung to my slender frame and made my pale skin look rosy against the copper of my hair. Two assistants helped me with the gown, and I twisted my hair into a low chignon before grabbing my clutch and walking out to
the waiting limousine.
To my surprise, the back door opened and Barnes grinned at me from the inside. “I thought you might like a drink on the way to the awards,” he said with a smirk. There were two flutes of French champagne in his hand, and he passed one over. We clinked glasses and then drank.
“I can’t believe my wife is going to be an award winner,” Barnes said. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”