‘Well, I . . . I’m in my nightie, I—’
‘Sounds good to me. Wear that. See you in the bar in ten minutes. Goodbye.’
The line went dead in Cheska’s hand.
‘Hey, baby doll! Love the outfit!’
Bobby was standing by the bar with some of the crew when Cheska came downstairs. She blushed at his comment on her corduroy pinafore dress and woollen tights.
‘I was cold,’ she said quietly.
‘Come here.’ Bobby opened his arms to her. ‘I’ll soon warm you up. I won’t eat you, promise.’
Reluctantly, Cheska stepped closer, and he pulled her towards him.
‘You shouldn’t be hiding that great body, that’s all,’ he whispered, nuzzling her ear. ‘Now, you already know Ben, the electrician, commonly known as Sparks, and Jimmy, or Boom, who picks up our dulcet tones on his mikes.’
‘’Ow do,’ nodded Sparks, lighting a cigarette.
‘Drink?’ asked Bobby.
‘Er, Coke, please.’
‘One Coke, please, with a dash of rum to warm her up,’ Bobby said to the barman.
‘Oh, I don’t think—’
‘Come on, Cheska, try it. You’re a big girl now.’ Bobby handed her the glass. He pulled up a stool and she perched on it uncomfortably as he chatted to Sparks and Boom.
‘All right, baby?’ Bobby smiled at her.
‘Yes, fine.’
‘Okay, drink up and let’s shift. Got a coat?’
‘It’s in my room.’
‘You’ll just have to cuddle up to me, then, won’t you?’ Bobby helped her down from the stool and they followed Sparks and Boom through the hotel lobby and out into the cold night. Bobby put his arm around her and they set off along the seafront.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘To a club I know. You’ll enjoy it. When I was an unknown singer, the owner gave me a spot. It’s a great place.’
A few hundred yards along the street, Cheska followed Bobby down a flight of steps. The room was packed with young people jiving to an Elvis Presley number played by a band on a small stage.
‘Sit there and I’ll get you a drink.’ Bobby indicated a table in a corner and ambled off with Boom to the bar.
Cheska sat down and Sparks sat next to her. He opened a tin and began rubbing something brown between his fingers and letting it drop into a cigarette paper. He added tobacco, rolled up the cigarette and lit it.
‘Smoke?’ he offered Cheska.
‘I don’t, thanks.’
Sparks shrugged. He dragged hard on the reefer, letting the smoke stream slowly out of his nostrils. He nodded contentedly. ‘Good stuff, good stuff.’
Bobby arrived back with the drinks and sat down next to her. ‘All right, darlin’?’
She nodded, wide-eyed, and reached for her drink.
Bobby placed a proprietorial arm around her shoulder. ‘You know, I’ve been waiting for a chance for you and me to get together.’
‘Have you?’ Cheska said in surprise.
‘Yeah. You’re one of the cutest chicks I’ve seen in years. C’mon.’ Bobby pulled her to her feet. ‘Let’s go and dance.’
As they stepped onto the crowded floor, the band began to play a haunting melody.
‘This song’s called “Moon River” and it’s the theme tune from that new film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve heard the version they’re releasing over here next month and it’s gonna be a monster hit.’ Bobby held Cheska close and crooned the words into her ear. ‘Maybe I’ll take you to see the film. That Audrey Hepburn’s a bit of all right.’
When the song finished, they separated and clapped. ‘Having a good time?’ he asked her.
‘Yes, thank you.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ came a sudden voice from the microphone. ‘I’m sure you’ve all noticed we have a star in our midst. I’m proud to say that it was this very club that gave Bobby Cross his first break. Bobby, please would you return the favour now and come up here and sing for us?’
A rousing cheer went up as Bobby waved modestly and made his way up onto the stage. He took the microphone and Cheska made her way back to the table.
‘Thanks, ladies and gents. I’d like to perform my new song “The Madness of Love”, which I dedicate to a friend of mine, the lovely Miss Cheska Hammond.’ Slinging a borrowed guitar over his shoulder, Bobby began to sing the slow ballad. ‘Yes, that’s the madness of love . . .’ he crooned, staring right at her, and Cheska watched transfixed, unable to break eye contact. When the song finished there was loud applause and calls for more. Bobby went into another of his hits, an up-tempo song that soon filled the dance floor.
Cheska reached for her drink and Bobby winked at her. Could he be interested in her? He was certainly acting as if he was. She giggled, as a sudden delicious feeling of happiness rose up inside her.
Bobby came over to her and pulled her up for a dance.
‘Having fun, sweetheart?’
‘Oh yes, Bobby. This place is great.’
‘Yeah, it is.’ His hands gently caressed her waist. ‘And you’re beautiful, do you know that?’
After a heavenly couple of dances, Bobby introduced Cheska to Bill, the club’s owner.
‘I remember coming to see you in Little Girl Lost. Grown up a bit since then, haven’t you?’ he said approvingly.
‘She sure has,’ nodded Bobby, as he ran a hand down her back.
The club had begun to empty and when Cheska and Bobby got back to their table Boom and Sparks had vanished.
‘Probably pulled a couple of chicks and slunk away,’ Bobby remarked as he led Cheska by the hand up the stairs and outside.
The wind had picked up since earlier, whipping Cheska’s hair into a wild mane around her face.
‘C’mon, let’s brave the walk back to the hotel. I love the weather when it’s stormy like this.’ Bobby pulled her across the road and leant on the railing that overlooked the beach. ‘Those waves are so powerful. We may think we’re in control, but no one can stop that.’ He pointed at the dark mass of crashing sea.
Cheska shivered involuntarily, from the freezing wind but also from excitement.
‘Sorry, baby. Take this.’ He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He tipped her chin up towards him. ‘You know, you really are gorgeous. I understand why, in the film, Jimmy’s prepared to throw up everything for you. So, have you ever been kissed?’
‘No.’
‘Well, give me the honour of being the first.’ Bobby put his lips to hers and touched them gently.
Cheska felt the tension in her body ease away as he teased her mouth open. Tentatively, she allowed her own tongue to touch his and, realising there was nothing much more to it than that, she relaxed and began to enjoy it.
Eventually, Bobby broke away. ‘Boy, you’re a fast learner,’ he quipped as he wrapped his arms around her. ‘Romantic this, isn’t it? Alone on a deserted seafront in the middle of the night, the wind howling, the sea crashing. You never forget your first kiss, Cheska.’
‘Where was yours?’
‘I can’t remember!’ He laughed. ‘Come on. We’ll both be in bed with double pneumonia by tomorrow if we don’t get our backsides inside soon! Mind you, if I was snuggled up next to you, I wouldn’t half mind.’
They ran back to the warmth of the hotel and Bobby escorted Cheska up to her suite.
‘You know I’d like to come inside with you, baby, but I won’t rush you. Dinner tomorrow night?’ he asked her, kissing her gently on the forehead.
Cheska could only nod silently in agreement.
‘Night. Sleep tight.’ With a wave, he disappeared along the corridor.
Back in her room, she changed back into her nightdress. Sitting down to brush her hair, she looked at the tranquilliser and the glass of water sitting on the bedside table.
She wouldn’t take it. Tonight she felt fabulous and she didn’t want anything to dull the feeling. She lay down in the cold bed and put her hea
d under the sheets to try to warm up, reliving every second of the wonderful evening she’d just had.
26
‘All right, Bobby, I want you to swing Cheska round in your arms. Cheska, you throw your head back and laugh, then look into Bobby’s eyes. Bobby, lean forward and kiss her.’
Standing on the windswept, freezing beach, Bobby winked at Cheska. ‘Right, let’s go for a take before it pisses down,’ said Charles, looking up at the sky.
‘You all right, sweetheart? You look half frozen. Come here,’ said Bobby, cuddling her against him.
Cheska relaxed into his arms. Her feet were numb, the wind was making her eyes water, but she had never felt happier.
‘Scene five. Take one.’ The clapperboard snapped in front of their faces.
‘Action!’ shouted Charles. Bobby lifted Cheska off her feet and swung her round in his arms. She threw back her head, laughing, then looked into his eyes. He smiled at her and moved his lips towards her. Cheska shuddered involuntarily as he kissed her. She put her arms round his neck and closed her eyes.
‘Cut! . . . I said “Cut!”, you two,’ laughed Charles, and eventually Bobby and Cheska pulled apart. Cheska blushed. Most of the crew were grinning at her. She glanced at Leon, who was standing behind the camera. He winked and gave her a thumbs-up sign.
‘I’ll just check the gate, but if that’s okay, then the scene’s in the can. Great stuff, you two,’ said Charles, walking over to congratulate them. ‘Cheska, you’ve finished for the day. Get back to the hotel and straight into a hot bath. I don’t want that agent of yours suing me for negligence.’
‘I’ll walk her back to the hotel and make sure she does just that,’ said Leon. Putting an arm round Cheska’s shoulder, he led her away. She turned and gave Bobby a small wave goodbye.
‘See you later, sweetheart,’ shouted Bobby, before turning to Charles with a grin. ‘Told you I’d sort it, didn’t I? Not that it hasn’t been an enjoyable process.’
‘Thanks, but just watch your step. With your – er – situation, we don’t want anyone upset.’
‘Discretion is my middle name, Charles, you know that.’
‘I’m just pointing out that it’s obvious to everyone that Cheska’s got a huge crush on you, and we don’t want any tantrums holding up production.’
‘I’ll treat her like a piece of Dresden china for the next few weeks, promise.’ Bobby nodded at Charles, then set off up the beach towards the billowing make-up tent.
‘Charles is thrilled with you,’ said Leon as he and Cheska were propelled by the wind along the seafront towards the hotel. ‘He says it’s the best performance you’ve ever given. I was telling your mother that I’ve had a call from an American producer. If this film is the hit everyone expects it to be, I think Hollywood will be beckoning.’
‘But I didn’t think Hollywood was interested in me.’
‘They weren’t when you were younger. They had their own crop of child stars. But now you’ve matured things are different. Look at what a big star Liz Taylor has become over there. Your mother is arranging passports for you both and I’m helping to sort out the visas. When this film is in the can, we’ll fly you out.’
‘Leon’ – Cheska pulled her hair away from her face – ‘I’m not going home this weekend.’
‘Right. Have you told your mother?’
‘No. I wondered, well . . . would you tell her? Say we’re running over schedule or something and we have to do some extra filming on Saturday and Sunday?’
‘You want me to lie for you, Cheska?’
She stopped walking and faced him. ‘Oh Leon, please! You know what my mother’s like! She’s so overprotective I can hardly breathe.’
‘I presume the real reason you want to stay in Brighton is to do with your co-star?’
‘Sort of, but mainly I just thought it would be really nice to have a whole weekend to myself for the first time in my whole life.’
Leon regarded his client thoughtfully. Now that Greta wasn’t there to speak for and organise her, Cheska’s personality was slowly beginning to assert itself. The chemistry between her and Bobby was obvious. Morally, he knew he should tell her, warn her what she was getting into and try to steer her away. Yet, he equivocated with himself, surely the worst that could happen was that she would nurse a broken heart for a while? Everyone had to fall in love for the first time and it would do her no harm whilst she did so to convey that emotion on film. And, after all, her private life was really none of his business.
‘Okay, Cheska,’ he said finally. ‘I’ll tell your mother for you.’
‘Anyway, Cheska asked me to send her love and apologies. She says she’ll see you next week.’
‘Didn’t she ask if I would come down to Brighton?’ Greta asked, nervously lighting a cigarette. It was a habit she’d taken up again recently, out of sheer boredom.
‘To be honest, the weather is dreadful down here and it’s played havoc with the film schedule. For the next few days they’re out on location most of the time and doing some night shoots, too.’ The lies fell smoothly from Leon’s lips. ‘If I were you, I’d stay indoors in London.’
‘I suppose you’re right. Just promise me that my little girl’s all right and that you’re keeping an eye on her.’
‘She’s just fine, Greta, believe me. And turning in a great performance. So, see you at the Ivy on Monday?’
‘Yes, thank you, Leon. Goodbye.’
Greta put down the telephone and listened to the silence in the apartment. It was broken only by the clock on the mantelpiece slowly ticking away the seconds. The past few days had seemed endless. Only the thought of Cheska arriving home tonight had been keeping up her spirits. She had cooked shepherd’s pie, Cheska’s favourite, and could smell its enticing aroma emanating from the kitchen. She glanced at the table, already set for two.
She had no girlfriends to call, nothing to do and nowhere to go. Her mind flickered for a moment towards David. Perhaps she had been mad to refuse his marriage proposal, to devote her life to Cheska’s career, when she might – just might – have found happiness for herself. No, she told herself firmly; she’d chosen to close that door and it would never be opened to her again.
All that was left was to face the harsh reality that Cheska was making her redundant after nearly sixteen years of devoted service.
Greta had believed it could never happen to her again. But it seemed that, once more, she was entirely alone.
‘Oh darlin’, if you only knew how much I’ve wanted to do this,’ Bobby whispered into Cheska’s ear as he removed the last piece of clothing from her slim young body. ‘Let me look at you.’
Bobby knelt above her on his hotel bed, taking in the newly developed contours of her hips, waist and breasts, the soft light casting dancing shadows over her creamy skin. He normally preferred a little more flesh on his women, but still, Cheska’s adolescent body made for an enticing sight.
She smiled shyly up at him as he stripped off his shirt, trousers and then his underwear. Bobby leant forward and licked her ear with his tongue. ‘Let’s take it slowly. I want to enjoy all of you.’
Cheska closed her eyes as Bobby’s tongue moved from her ear and down to her neck. She felt his teeth give her skin gentle nips as his mouth moved down to caress each of her breasts in turn. She lay wondering if what she was allowing Bobby to do was terribly wrong, but her body was telling her it was the most natural thing in the world. Bobby rose above her again, his hands reaching for something on the bedside table. ‘Gotta keep you safe, darlin’,’ he said. ‘Right, ready?’
As he positioned his body over hers, Cheska raised her head. ‘Bobby?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you . . . do you love me?’
‘’Course I do, baby. You’re so gorgeous.’ He kissed her then, hard on the mouth, and as she responded she felt him enter her.
Cheska gasped loudly as a sharp pain ripped through her.
‘It’ll get better from here on, you’ll s
ee,’ he soothed. ‘Oh baby, you feel so great.’
Cheska watched Bobby’s face just inches above hers as he began to move faster, his muscular arms either side of her body. Then, with a sudden moan he rolled away and fell onto the pillows beside her.
Cheska lay watching the flickering flames in the fireplace, wondering if what she’d just experienced was how it was meant to be. A hand trailed across her breast.
‘You okay? You’re very quiet.’
‘I think so.’
‘Don’t worry. The first time is always the worst, but the night is young and I’m gonna show you what lovemaking can really be like.’
Cheska arrived on set on Monday morning feeling as though she’d been caught in a tornado and set down in the land of Oz. Her body was covered in small bruises, the result of elbows and knees jamming together in moments of passion. After forty-eight hours spent in bed with Bobby, the centre of her was sore and tender, her legs wobbly, like jelly.
‘Hi, Cheska. Have a good weekend?’ Charles took in her dancing eyes and high colour.
‘Oh yes, thank you,’ she assured him. ‘The best weekend of my life.’
27
‘I won’t be in until late, Mummy. We’re shooting some night scenes. Bye,’ Cheska called, opening the front door to leave the apartment and slamming it behind her before Greta had a chance to reply.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she slid onto the soft, butter-coloured leather seat of the waiting studio car. After the freedom she’d experienced in Brighton, coming back to London and her mother had felt more claustrophobic than ever. She couldn’t wait to leave in the mornings. Bobby had found them a small bed and breakfast in Bethnal Green, close to the school being used as the location for the film. The two of them would disappear off at the end of the day’s shoot to make love. Cheska usually just told her mother filming had run over. Lying to her had become second nature.
Half an hour later the car pulled up at the school gates. Cheska checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror and got out, her heart beating in anticipation of seeing Bobby.
‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could stay together for the whole night like we did in Brighton?’ murmured Cheska.
The Angel Tree Page 23