Cherry Bomb: Forbidden Bad Boys

by Clara Leigh

  Camera flashes blind us.

  Common sense says I ought to be terrified by that fact. Instead, I’m buzzing. Dare Wilde will either be my downfall or my salvation, and I’ve no idea which it will be yet. One thing I do know for certain, I’m a lot keener to zip through my alphabetised escape plans to reach plan seX than I ever thought I’d admit. If I could go home and crawl into his bed with him right now and not cause a nuclear explosion as a result, I swear I’d do it. I’m not even nervous about the prospect.

  However, common sense says that for tonight, that kiss is dynamite enough.

  “I thought you weren’t going to help me,” I whisper.

  He steps back. “Call me. We can have a nice long chat about it, and get into details about exactly what I’m prepared and not prepared to do for you.”

  I don’t think he’s talking about my escape hatch.

  -7-

  Dare Wilde

  One kiss is all we share… at least publically. I haven’t forgotten the first taste I had of Flicka Caine’s cherry lip gloss.

  That one kiss is all it takes to motivate Mr. Jones to re-open negotiations. I’ve known Jace for over a decade. I know what makes him tick. As we slide into the back of a limo to head over to his place –currently an apartment in Kensington – he already has pound signs flashing in his eyes. All right, I’ll concede they’re probably dollar signs, as most of his backers are Yanks, but that doesn’t alter the sentiment.

  “One of the Caine twins,” he blurts the moment the car door closes. “That’s the morsel you were dangling the other day?”

  “I have a stiffy just thinking about it.” Jace’s brother Alfie confides.

  The man might be a scriptwriting wizard, but he has the social skills of a hair on a gnat’s bollocks. And that’s assuming that gnats actually have bollocks. “Too much info, Alf.”

  “How long has it been going on? How serious is it?” Monty lets himself into the vehicle, and several camera flashes go off behind him. “What’s the official line?”

  “Monts—” I pat him on the shoulder. “—dial it down. I’ve only just met the woman. There’s nothing to manage. No babies are about to be born. I haven’t even come close to banging her yet.”

  He scowls at me. “Not funny, Dare.” Any mention of offspring sends him into nuclear disaster mode.

  “She arrived with Tyler Beauford, didn’t she?” Behind his jam-jar lenses, Jace’s gaze is calculating. I’m actually surprised he noticed who she arrived with, but I suppose he hasn’t got to where he is without being aware of those around him. “The guy lost out on an award tonight thanks to you, and then you snog his date.”

  “Snogging involves tongues,” I tell him. “Miss Caine didn’t slip me hers.” She will though, because as Lorne so helpfully pointed out a few days back, we have chemistry, and some types of bond you just can’t resist.

  “Tyler’s the newly signed lead of Accelerant.”

  “Yeah, I believe you might have mentioned that the other day.”

  “Makes it perfect.” Diamond glitter dances in Jace’s eyes. “Beauford, you, and Caine.”

  “What?”

  “There’s room for a love triangle, right Alf?”

  “Totally,” he agrees.

  “You want to cast Flicka Caine in this movie? You know she’s wrapped up in Chinchilla knots.”

  He shrugs as if that’s of no consequence. “I know someone there who owes me. It’s up to you, of course. If you want somebody else…”

  I don’t want anybody else.

  Rather than blurt that fact, I recline against the leather upholstery. “You know what I want, Jace?” And it isn’t Ms. Caine or playing second fiddle to Tyler Beauford in some piddling post-apocalyptic thriller.

  “And you know I just can’t hand you what you’re asking.”

  “Middle ground,” Monty suggests. I guess it’s his job to negotiate. “Dare does this, and in exchange you seriously pitch the idea of him taking on the role of Bold to the studio including a screen test.”

  “Even if I give you the hard sell to the producer, it’s no guarantee. It’s not just about the fact you’re untested in a good guy capacity, Dare. You’re a liability. You’ve a bad boy rep that says you’re difficult to work with, bull-headed, and more interested in partying than showing any sort of dedication to your art.”

  “I just came home with a golden statuette, and you, and I have done so many films together now I’ve lost count. If you’ve coped with me on all those occasions, I’m sure you’ll cope with me on another. And let’s not pretend it’s anyone besides you who’s doing the directing.”

  “It’s—”

  “Look, we get it,” Monty cuts him off. “There are no guarantees Dare will get the role. All we’re agreeing here is that if Dare does this thing with Beauford and Caine, you’ll pitch him for the role of Bold and arrange a screen test.”

  Jace adjusts his glasses, then looks across at Alfie. The pair exchange tight moues. “All right,” he eventually concedes.

  “Great,” I agree and we all shake hands with one another. “This is dependent on you securing Ms. Caine for Accelerant, okay?”

  At the mention of her name, Jace gets super smiley. “I’ll get on it now.”

  “Hell, yeah!” Alfie punches the air in agreement. “I can’t wait to see you two burn up the screen. I’ll have to make sure I’m on set on the days you’re recording the smoochy bits.” Somehow, I suspect that by the end of the night, the number of exchanges Flicka and I have will have doubled, if not tripled.

  “You’re going to like this script, Dare. It’s exactly the right level of perfect for you.”

  “If you say so,” I agree.

  I let Monty hash out the legal stuff, like how much they’re going to pay me for this dial-a-villain performance and the details of my Jack Bold pitch, though I do throw in a few suggestions about the rider. The Borrower’s birthday is coming up, so that’s an instant no-go date for filming. And I need a bed that’s at least four feet wide if he’s going to insist on us living on site in trailers again.

  The crazy thing is that by the time we reach Jace’s place, which okay, is right across the hall from mine, I’m almost eager to get on set and start shooting. Almost. What I’m really raring for is the chance to find out whether Ms. Caine puts her cherry-berry gloss elsewhere on her anatomy, and whether she’d like to smear it all over my dick.

  -8-

  Felicity Caine

  It’s astonishing what a single kiss can do to a girl.

  Or actually, not that astonishing when the kiss in question is something you shared with Dare Wilde.

  Our smooch trends within minutes of its happening, and my phone starts bleating non-stop. There’s no alternative but to turn the damn thing off. It must have been ace in the days before mobile technology, back when you didn’t have to invent reasons for not being contactable.

  I skip out on Tyler right after a million flash bulbs go off in my face, and I get asked for the twelfth time if I’m two-timing him. Retrospectively, as I sit in a studio-owned car on the ride home, I decide my abrupt departure might not have been the smartest move. For starters, Tyler’s going to be pissed at me since he’s going to have to field questions about whether we’ve had a lover’s quarrel, and how he feels about my relationship with Dare Wilde.

  Several furious messages arrive one after another communicating precisely that.

  Oops! And yes, the phone is definitely off now. It’s definitely off. Well, right after I arrange a little apology gift to be sent over to Tyler’s place, ready for when he gets home.

  He’s not a bad guy.

  I didn’t mean to involve him in my shit—not like this.

  Flo’s waiting for me on the landing in front of the hotel suite we inhabit when I arrive home. She hugs me tight, which I interpret as a warning. “Warren’s here,” she whispers, throat cracking around even that simple phrase.

  I’d rather hoped I’d be spared his bullshit at least u
ntil tomorrow morning. I ought to have known that he’d have his finger on the pulse. It’s his job after all. He’s not purely our nursemaid, he’s supposed to score us gigs too. Considering images of Dare and I are currently going viral, and I’ve been ignoring his calls, it’s no surprise he’s rolled up in person.

  “Is mum here too?”

  She shakes her head.

  Our entrance manages to take Warren by surprise, forcing him to shove the remains of the chocolate bar he was sneaking into his mouth. The resulting chew and swallow routine is laughable, or would be if I wasn’t so tense about what’s going to emerge from his mouth when he finally gets the caramel off his teeth.

  “I’ve had a call,” he says, pinpointing me with his gaze. A whole myriad of internal alarm bells immediately start ringing. Flo takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. Shit! I’m so sorry, I think hard at her. I never meant things to blow up like this tonight. “Chinchilla?”

  I totally expect him to say the Caine Chronicles have been cancelled and our recording contract voided, with an addendum about Chinchilla taking us to court for breach of terms.

  Kissing was never meant to be part of my deal with Dare.

  “J.J. Jones,” Warren replies.

  My mouth drops open. I’m confused and flabbergasted. I don’t know whether to look at him, or Flo, or the laptop open on the table that’s open to a showbiz gossip site. “J.J Jones the director?”

  “Yes.”

  The hotshot director that Tyler was boasting about having got a gig with, and who just went home with a best director, best picture, and a fan favourite award?

  I wet my lips. “I thought this was going to be about Dare, because you know that was nothing, right?” I point at the screen, which shows us swaying together and our lips brushing. I am such a goddamned liar. Oh God—that kiss! I watch it, and I feel it all over again. A wave of tingles starts in my head and sweeps right through my body, stiffening my nipples, and making me wet between my thighs. My knees actually tremble.

  “Oh, it’s about him all right. It seems you made quite the impression. The word chemistry was mentioned a time or two. Jason wants you on board for his latest movie project as the female lead. He’s casting you alongside Wilde and Tyler Beauford.”

  I already fear where this is going and where it’s going to lead.

  Fuck, I’m shaking, and my knees are weak. I step out of my shoes, rather than risk falling over. “And Chinchilla are okay with this?”

  Warren gives me a hard stare. “Obviously there’s some negotiating to do. They’re going to want reassurances. You and Flo epitomize their brand. They’re going to need to know that – ” He turns his head towards the laptop. “ – that isn’t going to happen again. We’ll explain it as youthful exuberance over learning about the role and the possibility that you’ll be working together. That’s what it was, right Felicity? Because if it’s something else and you land me in a row with Chinchilla, you can kiss more than your careers and cash reserves goodbye. I’ll fucking murder you.”

  I just nod dumbly. None of this is properly sinking in. Everything is back to front. I should be spilling tears and on the phone to my lawyer right now ahead of Chinchilla suing Flo and I for all that we have. Instead, they’re apparently going to let me make a film with the bad boy who just handed me his phone number and expects a favour in return for setting these events in motion. Even taking into account Warren’s threats, this is cracked.

  “I’m going to wake up in a minute and discover it’s all a dream.”

  I pinch myself, but Warren continues to waffle on about Chinchilla values.

  “Will they insist on vetting the script for overly naughty bits?” I ask, while smiling sweetly when Warren finally falls quiet. I may not have worked with J.J. Jones before, but I’m certainly aware of his rep. No way is he going to tolerate anyone meddling with his artistic vision.

  “Don’t be silly, Felicity. Obviously they’re not going to demand editorial input. They’ll just expect you to behave professionally, and obviously they won’t agree to any sort of nudity or overly savage violence.”

  I wonder if he checked with Jones about that.

  ***

  “This totally isn’t what I planned or expected,” I tell Flo after Warren leaves. “I didn’t ever mean for us to kiss.” At least not publically.

  “You don’t have to justify anything to me, Flicka. Roll with it and enjoy it.”

  “And pay the price?”

  “Stuff what the studio says.” She slashes her hand through the air as if she’s decapitating all the studio bosses.

  I squeeze her tight in thanks, even though it wasn’t really Chinchilla I was thinking about, more the price Dare will exact for making all this possible.

  “What will you do while I’m off shooting?”

  “Work on the music side. Maybe take a long vacation to a spa.” She grins and shoots a wicked glance at the still open laptop. The kiss is now her animated screensaver. “Maybe have a wild, rock and roll love affair of my own.”

  “I’m not having an affair with him, Flo.”

  “Then you’re an idiot. You should,” she replies. “I would. Come on, Flick. It’s Dare Wilde, the man you’ve been mooning over for aeons and who totally offered to rock your world for you a few nights ago. I’m assuming tonight was a reiteration of that point.”

  “You heard Warren. The only way I get to do this film is if I swear to there being no hanky-panky.”

  “Like you give a fuck what the Chinchilla guys want. I know you want out, Flicka, so why not have fun with the bad man and let them sack you? It’s only a minor adaptation of your original plan.”

  “The fans though.”

  “Come off it. The really loyal ones have grown up with us. Most of them are post-college age now, holding down jobs and raising families. The others we’ve picked up along the way will grow up too. Maybe a few of them will take issue with you walking on the wild side, but we weren’t going to hold on to them in perpetuity anyway. And the goddamned honest truth is that most of them won’t care, or will simply envy you. Think about it, good girls still want to do Dare Wilde. I mean, who doesn’t want to do Dare Wilde?”

  “There’s a big difference between dreaming about it and actually getting down with him.”

  “Yeah, I’m told the orgasms are better,” she quips.

  I clap my hands over my mouth, because that is totally not what I expected to come out of my twin sister’s mouth.

  “Live a little. Besides, everyone knows that what happens on set stays on set. It’s just like an extended stay in Vegas.”

  Except that’s one of the biggest lies ever told. There are plenty of examples of passion on camera blooming into something that made the headlines post-production. Then again, I’ll be amazed if we haven’t already made the morning tabloids.

  “You’re sure about this?” I ask a little while later, sticking my head around the bathroom door before I climb into bed.

  “Am I sure I’m going to have an awesome time while you’re working your butt off – damn straight!” She laughs and plants a toothpaste-y kiss on my brow. “Anyway, I’ve been thinking, you could totally milk the whole love triangle angle. I bet that’s already what Jones is planning. Why else would he suddenly cast you alongside Dare and Tyler? The fans love the sort of stuff where you have to root for your favourite guy. Seriously, love triangles are king.”

  I hardly dare ask her which team she’s going to support.

  “Obviously, officially I’m going to have to be #TeamTyler, owing to the Mirror Girls connection, but strictly off record between the two of us, you know I’ll be #TeamWilde all the way.”

  “He gave me his number,” I say.

  Flo’s mouth drops open. She dribbles toothpaste foam over her chin. “Oh…my…God! When are you going to call him? Not tonight. You can’t tonight, that’ll look too eager.”

  I glance at the clock on my phone. “He said he’d be home after four.”

  Flo a
bsently wipes her mouth while staring at me. “4A.M. or tomorrow afternoon.”

  “A.M., I think.”

  “Shit.” She shakes her head, and then rubs her eyes. “You know there’s only one thing he possibly wants by asking you to call him at that time.”

  Sex. The word echoes loudly inside both our heads, but neither of us say it.

  “Don’t let Warren find out,” Flo advises. “He’ll have us making public purity pledges, rather than risk a lawsuit with Chinchilla. Shit, Flicka. It wasn’t supposed to be anything real between you two. We gonna end up so screwed.”

  It proves how crazy all this shit is that one minute she’s egging me on and the next imploring me not to do anything too rash.

  “It’s just a kiss,” I say. “One kiss and Warren’s already spinning it. And I’m going to call Dare and talk, that’s all. It’s not like I’m meeting him for a 4A.M. booty call.”

  “Yet.”

  She leaves the bathroom shaking her head.

  -9-

  Dare Wilde

  At 4A.M. I’m waiting for the phone to ring.

  I never wait for the phone to ring. That’s what I have an agent for. It’s why I normally tell people I’ll call them. Hanging around, stomach churning with that grim edge of the seat excitement, is something I banished from my schedule aeons ago. It’s why I’m still at Jace’s instead of home tucked up in bed.

  The party is still swinging around me. Deals have been made and shaken on. Monty left an hour ago along with Chase, having satisfied himself that he’d negotiated a decent fee and share deal. He’s going to call sometime tomorrow to go over the details, ahead of filming starting in a couple of weeks. Jace wasn’t joking when he said they were ready to roll on this one.

  I don’t know what sent my brother scuttling off to bed so early, but he’s been hooked to his phone for most of the night, conducting conversations while simultaneously typing. Could be he’s chasing someone for a change, rather than the other way around.