The Deception

by Chris Taylor

  “Roz’s son broke his arm on some playground equipment at school. She’s gone to the hospital. Who knows what time she’ll get out of the emergency department? It’s nearly four o’clock. Even if she manages to leave before five or six, I can’t imagine she’ll be in the mood to frock up and attend a movie premiere.”

  “But, Max, I don’t know the first thing about premieres. I’ve never been to one. I assume it’s a red carpet thing?”

  “Yeah, black tie, so wear something smart. Rex will take the photos. He’ll meet you there. Starts at seven, but you’d better get there well before that if you want to get a good spot. Hugh Jackman will draw the crowds. If you can’t get an interview with him, you’d better make sure you at least get an interview with some of the co-stars.”

  Her belly fluttered with a mixture of excitement and nerves. She’d never covered stories on celebrities before or attended big opening nights. That was Roz’s department. Not that she wasn’t confident she could do it, she just didn’t know what the deal was.

  “What happens when they all go inside? I mean, do I go in with them?”

  Laughter burst out of him. “Of course, you ninny! What do you think? That you wait outside with all the screaming fans? You’ll have a Press Pass for the event and will go in there and talk to them, try and get some quotes from people our readers will actually recognize. Then, you go and watch the movie.”

  “Oh, so I actually get to watch the movie?” She hoped she didn’t sound as naïve as she felt.

  Max chuckled and shook his head. “You really haven’t been to one of these things before, have you?”

  Heat suffused her cheeks. She looked away. His condescending tone irritated her. Refusing to let him get the better of her, she raised her chin and looked him straight in the eye. “No, Max, I really haven’t been to one of these things. I’ve been here six months. I’ve never been asked to cover one. When I worked in Canberra, I covered breaking political stories, not movie premieres.”

  She drew in a breath and made an effort to calm down. “I’m happy to help you out, even on such short notice, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t have any more fun at my expense.”

  The smile slowly slid off his face. “Savannah, lighten up. I’m not making fun of you. I’m just having a little amusement at your expense. There is a difference.”

  Anger smoldered in the pit of her belly. Her gaze narrowed. Max raised his arms in mock surrender.

  “Okay, okay… I’m sorry.” His lips tugged upwards into a placating smile. “Listen, just stick with Rex. He knows what to do. He’s attended hundreds of these things. He’ll even be able to tell you which celebrities are worth approaching. Don’t worry; it’ll be fun. Think of it as a reward for the great story you did earlier this week and the even better one I’m sure you’re putting together for Friday.”

  Nerves jangled in her stomach. “I hope so. I haven’t had a chance to tell you about the developments there.”

  His gaze was suddenly sharp. “What do you mean?”

  She swallowed. “I mean, I went back to the Black Opal last night and—”

  Fury turned his cheeks scarlet. “You went back? After I specifically told you to leave the place alone? What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  Savannah’s face was on fire, but she refused to back down. “There wasn’t time to do a story on one of the other brothels. Besides, we still haven’t told the whole story about the Black Opal. There’s more going on there than what you could even imagine.”

  As he opened his mouth to interrupt again, she continued quickly. “I spoke to another one of the girls. She verified everything I was told the first time. It’s true, Max. Those girls are being held there illegally, forced to prostitute themselves—Max, one of the girls was only fourteen! We can’t turn our backs on this!”

  He stared at her. His eyes glittered with anger. “If you really think it’s happening, why haven’t you called the police?”

  She held his gaze defiantly. “I have. They’re looking into it.”

  “When? When did you call them?” The intensity in his eyes alarmed her.

  “T-today.” She blinked, uncomfortable under his close scrutiny. Without warning, he spun on his heel and strode away as fast as his bulk would allow.

  “Max! There’s more. I haven’t finished telling you about—”

  “Save it!” he yelled back at her and continued a rapid path to his office. “I have to make some calls. Don’t go anywhere. You disobeyed a direct order, Savannah. I haven’t finished with you.”

  The threat was clear. She slumped low in her seat. She’d probably just lost her job.

  Great. Now who was going to pay the bills?

  With a heavy sigh, she turned back to her computer. Until Max had actually issued her with termination papers, she’d assume she was still employed. And that meant she needed to do some research on the premiere he’d told her to attend. With her employment status now rather precarious, it was even more important that she was as prepared as she could be for the job ahead. The last thing she needed was to give her editor another excuse to chastise her. Hell, apart from Hugh Jackman, she didn’t even know who was starring in it.

  Clicking open the Google search page, she typed in the name Hugh Jackman + Prisoners and waited for the results. From the number of hits that came up, it was clearly a popular movie. Then again, anything with Hugh Jackman starring in it was sure to do well. There was something about that smile and those sexy eyes…

  Unbidden, another pair of sexy eyes flashed into her mind, along with thick dark hair and a movie-star smile. She groaned. She could almost feel the hard muscles of his chest as they’d pressed against her breasts. It wasn’t fair that he could turn her on with such little effort. The slightest grin tossed in her direction sent her insides to jelly.

  With a sigh of impatience, she clicked on the Google image of Hugh Jackman looking gorgeous in an Armani suit and dark Aviator sunglasses. Scrolling down quickly, she read the movie blurb and was pleasantly surprised to discover it was an American thriller. Just the kind of movie she loved.

  Scrolling down further, she discovered Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Maria Bello were co-starring. She wondered, a little nervously, how many of them would show up.

  She glanced at her watch. It was nearly five o’clock. Max was yet to reappear. She’d have to hurry if she wanted to get home, shower and change and get back to the city in time.

  Shutting down her computer, she bent down and collected her handbag and headed toward the elevator. Max and his termination speech would have to wait. She had work to do.

  * * *

  “Hugh, Hugh, over here!”

  The noise was something Savannah hadn’t anticipated. Crowds of people, young and not so young lined the street, pressing against the barricades that had been erected between the road and the cinema complex.

  A red carpet stretched from the footpath to the glass-fronted doors of the Greater Union and uniformed doormen stood guarding the entrance.

  A few of the lesser-known stars had already gone inside. The main attraction had just stepped out of his limousine with his smiling wife by his side. Waving to the crowd and acknowledging them with a brief smile, the couple walked along the carpet toward the entry.

  Rex stepped out in front of them, dragging Savannah with him. Caught off guard and frantic for something to say, she brought the microphone up to her mouth while he snapped off a few photos with an impressive-looking camera.

  “Hugh, welcome to Australia.” She gave him what she hoped was a confident, friendly smile.

  He turned to face her. His brown eyes sparkled with amusement. “Thanks, it’s good to be back. This is home, you know.” And with that, the couple walked past them and disappeared through the opened doors.

  Rex turned to her, aghast, an incredulous look on his face. “Welcome to Australia? That’s what you ask the star of the movie? You had a chance to ask him anything at all, and that’s what you say to him?”
Shaking his head in disgust, he stalked off, muttering under his breath about the trials of having to work with inept and inexperienced journalists.

  Several more limousines pulled up to the curb and a group of people Savannah vaguely recognized as young actors from Home and Away alighted. Judging from the screams coming from the younger section of the crowd, she assumed they were some of the show’s more popular stars.

  As Rex’s camera snapped away again, she looked up. Her heart leaped into her throat. Will strode along the red carpet, a beautiful blond woman on his arm. Savannah froze. Shards of jealousy pierced her heart. He came closer. Unable to avoid him, she prayed with quiet desperation that he wouldn’t stop.

  * * *

  Will spied Savannah where she stood just inside the roped barricade which ran along both sides of the red carpet and his eyes widened in surprise. He almost stumbled into his date. Savannah held a microphone awkwardly in her hand while a photographer snapped off pictures beside her.

  Candi tugged impatiently on his arm, drawing his attention to the fact he’d come to a halt. Offering Savannah a polite nod of recognition, he forced himself to continue, heading toward the open glass doors which led inside.

  Damn! Of all the people to run into. If he’d had the slightest inkling she’d be here, he’d never have come. He hadn’t wanted to attend this function in the first place. In fact, he’d completely forgotten about it until Candi had called him to ask what time he’d be by to collect her.

  Truth be told, he’d even forgotten about Candi.

  A model he’d dated a couple of times, she was easy going and easy on the eye. The fact she didn’t have an original thought in her head had never worried him. At least, it hadn’t until he’d met Savannah. Now, it seemed he couldn’t help but compare all of his girlfriends to her and it was irritating him no end that none of them seemed to measure up.

  Even though he’d forgotten all about her, Candi’s call had come as somewhat of a relief and he’d seized upon the chance to put Savannah and her fine green eyes out of his mind. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he was beginning to fall for her.

  Which was beyond ridiculous.

  “Would you like a glass of champagne, sir?” A tuxedo-clad waiter materialized beside him, brandishing a tray laden with crystal glasses filled with pale sparkling champagne. He lifted two glasses off the tray and handed one to Candi.

  “Ooh, I just love these events!” She took a sip from her glass and pressed herself against him. “Hugh Jackman, he’s so gorgeous!” She grabbed Will’s free hand and squeezed it tightly.

  He forced a polite smile and tried to extricate his hand without causing a scene. The room was crowded and he couldn’t tell whether Savannah had come in from outside. He cast around, hoping to spy her trademark red hair.

  He hadn’t failed to notice how spectacular she looked in a short black, sleeveless cocktail dress that complemented her tanned skin. The low-cut neckline allowed a generous glimpse of her impressive cleavage and had given him flashbacks to the way her soft breasts had felt in his hands.

  His cock stirred. As if on cue, Sandi’s hand stole around the front of his trousers. Her eyes widened in surprised delight. He cursed under his breath.

  “Oh, darling, if I’d known you were that eager to see me, I would have suggested you come over a little earlier. I could have taken care of that for you before we left.”

  Will tensed and removed her hand. “Candi, please. We’re in public.” He frowned inwardly, knowing what a hypocrite he was. If it had been Savannah’s hand on his cock, he would have enjoyed every minute of it, public be damned. In fact, he’d done just that at the ball.

  Oblivious to his annoyance, Candi laughed, deep and throaty. The sound of it normally turned him on. Tonight, it grated.

  “Will, darling. I didn’t know you were such a prude. You certainly didn’t seem to have any inhibitions a few of weeks ago down at the beach. Don’t tell me you’ve gone all shy?”

  Much to his relief, a voice toward the front of the crowd directed them to take their seats, saving him from replying. He swiped another glass of champagne and gulped it down in a few quick swallows. It was going to be a long couple of hours.

  * * *

  Savannah watched as Will took a glass of champagne off a tray and drained it. The blonde with legs up to her armpits and boobs only money could buy draped herself all over Will. Savannah quietly seethed.

  He looked good enough to eat in his black-on-black Armani and her heart had thumped crazily from the time she realized he stood less than three feet away from her on the red carpet. He was now halfway across the room with his Barbie look alike plastered to his side. Savannah strained her neck around a large man in order to keep them in sight. Rex shot her an odd look.

  “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  She blushed and forced her gaze away from them. She flashed Rex a smile. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  “You’ve been staring at someone over there and it’s becoming quite obvious. The thing is…” He sighed with weary resignation. “I know you’ve never been to one of these celebrity dos before, but you’re supposed to stay cool, you know, act like they’re just ordinary people, not freaks from another planet.”

  Her face turned to fire. She could have spontaneously combusted from embarrassment. A part of her hoped desperately that she would. “I-I’m not! I know they’re not freaks!”

  Gathering what little pride she had left, she tilted her chin defiantly. “And I was not staring. I was just… I thought I saw someone I knew,” she finished lamely, refusing to meet his eyes.

  “Just as long as you have a story, that’s all Max wants. I got some great shots of Hugh and Jake. Too bad that other young babe… What’s her name? Maria Bello… That’s right. Too bad she couldn’t make it. She’s hot.”

  Savannah looked at him. He had to be pushing sixty. “Isn’t she a little young for you?”

  “Young? No way,” he scoffed. “She’s just how I like ’em. Young, fresh and sexy. And all that blond hair. It does it for me.”

  She turned away in disgust, grateful that the announcement for the audience to take their seats saved her from responding. Praying silently she wouldn’t run into Will and his date, her hopes were dashed when she saw them coming toward her. They were less than ten feet away; she had no choice but to acknowledge them.

  “Savannah.” Will’s voice, low and husky, sent shivers of awareness down her spine. “It’s good to see you again.” He held her gaze and lifted her hand to his lips. She stiffened in surprise. Barbie threw daggers with her eyes.

  Will turned to the woman beside him. “Candi, I’d like you to meet a…friend of mine, Savannah O’Neill. Savannah, this is Candi.”

  Savannah blushed furiously. Nobody used the word friend like that, unless they meant lover. Everybody knew that. Even Barbie, if the fierce jealousy flashing from her heavily made-up eyes was anything to go by.

  A fresh wave of embarrassment washed over Savannah’s cheeks. She mumbled something incoherent and pushed her way through the crowd, determined to leave. There was no way in the world she’d be able to sit through nearly two hours of movie knowing Will was in the room with another woman.

  She looked around for the exit. Her thoughts tumbled wildly. Why would he introduce her to his date and then make it clear to her that he and Savannah had been lovers? Why would he insult the woman like that? It didn’t make sense. Unless he wanted Savannah to know he had no interest in the blond bombshell. Could he have been trying to send her a message?

  “Savannah!”

  She stopped and turned. Rex jogged toward her, his camera swinging from the strap over his shoulder.

  “Where the hell are you going? The movie’s about to start.”

  She improvised quickly. “Rex, I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. I think I have a migraine coming on. Do you mind if I leave you here? I’m really sorry.”

  “But what about the party afterwards? It’s the b
est time to get quotes off these people. Their tongues get a lot freer after a few glasses of bubbly, especially when it’s on the house.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but I really can’t stay. Besides, I’m certain I have enough already to keep Max happy. You stay, enjoy the movie. It looks like it’s going to be a good one.”

  Not waiting for his response, she turned away and headed toward the exit.

  * * *

  Climbing into bed a couple of hours later after hurriedly putting together an article on the movie, Savannah couldn’t prevent the flashbacks to her evening and in particular, the ones of Will and his date.

  His date.

  According to Pete, Will had said he really liked Savannah. Had he meant it? She just didn’t know what to believe.

  Sighing deeply, she switched off the lamp on her nightstand and snuggled beneath the sheets. The familiar sound of a train rattling along the tracks outside her window calmed her scattered thoughts.

  She had to talk to him. She had to lay it all on the line and tell him how she felt. The thought of doing so sent equal tremors of fear and excitement coursing through her veins, but she’d made the decision. It was done. She’d call him.

  Tomorrow.

  CHAPTER 19

  Thursday afternoon

  Will stood before the plate glass window that ran from floor to ceiling in his office at Rutledge Advertising and tried to quell his nerves. The ocean glittered invitingly in the distance. Despite his career in law enforcement, he hadn’t been lying to Savannah when he told her his father kept an office for him on the top floor of the building. He could only guess his old man remained hopeful his son would see the error of his ways and return to the fold. Either that, or Robert Rutledge was doing his best to keep up the façade.

  Will was no longer certain about anything. The father he thought he knew had managed to shock him to the core. Not that he was blind to the possibility that his father enjoyed intimate benefits with the bevy of socialites Robert escorted to various functions around the city, but it had never occurred to Will that he might frequent a brothel.