“If you go to that beach tomorrow morning, Joe, I will fire you.”
“But Alex...”
Alex closed the door. He went back to the sofa and sat brooding. He really didn’t care what Maddy said to Tammy Jones but the fact she was speaking out against him hurt more than a dagger in his gut. She herself had looked hurt and upset on the Good Morning, Everybody spot. Was that because of him? Had the old Maddy reasserted herself after their night of love-making? Or had he been played from the beginning?
He couldn’t believe that. He didn’t believe that.
At least now he knew how to contact Maddy. He knew exactly where she’d be tomorrow morning. He needed to talk to her more than he had ever needed anything in the world.
But he wasn’t going to interfere with her interview. She could say whatever she wanted about him. He would wait until afterward. What he needed to tell her was more important than any vindictive interview Tammy Jones had in mind.
Even if Maddy destroyed his career, he would stand in the ruins and tell her what he needed to say.
He would tell her he loved her.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I can’t do this, Kim,” Maddy said. She sat in a huge tent that had been erected on the beach by the TV crew. A make-up artist fussed around her. The clock on the table in front of her said it was almost time for her interview with Tammy Jones. The cameras and a large crowd waited on the sand outside. Maddy felt sick. Any anger she felt at Alex was gone, replaced with a profound sadness that she could not shake.
She had wanted to call him but Tammy and her crew had forbidden any communication with the outside after checking Maddy and Kim out of the Seagull Inn and taking them to a hotel out of town. They said that was the only way to ensure an exclusive interview. Also, it built interest in the show. Maddy had signed a contract with the production company that owned Good Morning, Everybody stating that she would give them an exclusive interview and speak to no other media outlets about her relationship with Alex Stone.
Exactly what she was going to say she had no idea. At first, Kim and Tammy had convinced her to tell all but now Maddy wasn’t sure she could say anything. Alex already had bad press with women’s groups and female fans in general. If she went on live TV and said he had treated her badly, as Kim and Tammy advised, she could hurt his career further.
She didn’t want that. Besides, she wasn’t exactly sure that Alex had treated her badly at all. Hadn’t he held off when she was all over him in the cave? Hadn’t the night they spent together been wonderful, the most exciting night of Maddy’s life? He had fallen back to his old ways and gotten back with California and that hurt her so much that she felt like curling up and dying but could she really blame Alex? According to everything she read about Alex, California Longley was the love of his life. He had not known Maddy all that long. She didn’t have any sort of claim on him.
The make-up artist stood back and examined his work. “That will do,” he said.
Outside the tent, Maddy could hear talking between the camera and sound crew and Tammy. Then Tammy came in to the tent, shaking her head. “We’ve been delayed. There’s been a train crash and they’re putting a lot of focus on that in the show. We’ll be on at nine thirty.” She left the tent, shouting at her crew to be ready in half an hour.
“You’ll be fine,” Kim said. “Just remember to breathe, Honey.”
“I don’t think this is right. I can’t do it.”
“Of course you can. Just relax. Everything will be fine.”
“No, it won’t. It won’t be fine. I can’t do this to Alex.”
Kim looked sympathetic. “He played you, Honey.”
“I don’t believe that. I won’t believe it.”
“I know it’s hard to accept. But it happens to all of us at some point. Men take advantage of the situation then leave us to pick up the pieces.”
“Alex isn’t like that. Eric was like that but not Alex. He’s different.”
“Honey, I know you want to believe that but it isn’t true. Why do you think the female population of the world hates Alex Stone? They know what he’s like.”
“They don’t know,” Maddy said, “they only know what they’ve been told by the media. They believe everything they see on TV or read in magazines whether it’s true or not.”
Kim patted Maddy’s hand. “You can’t change that, Honey.”
Maddy thought for a moment then said, “Can I have some time alone to figure out what I’m going to say?”
“Of course. You take all the time you need. This is your big moment. A lot of people will be watching this.”
Maddy nodded. Kim left the tent.
The half hour flew by and at nine twenty-eight, Maddy was led outside by a crew member and seated in a chair that had been placed on the beach next to Tammy’s own chair.
Maddy hadn’t expected the interview to attract so much attention. There were three big cameras sitting on wooden platforms to protect them from the sand. Behind the cameras it looked like the entire Shark Festival audience had gathered. The beach was seething with people and they were all looking at her. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.
A man with headphones on his balding head said, “And we’re on the air in five... four... three...” He held up two fingers, then one, then pointed to Tammy.
“Good morning, everybody,” Tammy said to the camera, “we’re here live with Maddy Davis, the woman whose dramatic rescue we captured on air. Imagine her surprise when her rescuer turned out to be none other than Hollywood actor Alex Stone. We all know what happened next... or do we? Maddy is here today to talk to us exclusively about her relationship with Alex.”
She turned slightly to face Maddy. “Maddy, we’ve all seen the video of you slapping Alex around the face. What was going through your mind at that moment?”
“I was angry at him. I thought I was being rescued by a real lifeguard, not an actor playing one.”
“Your anger is understandable.”
“But he did actually save my life,” Maddy said, “and I wouldn’t be here now if not for him.”
Tammy frowned. “So you were thankful to him... for a while at least. Yet that night you decided to give him a face full of wine.”
The crowd on the beach laughed.
“After that, you stormed out of the restaurant where you were having a reconciliatory meal with him. What was all that about?” Tammy asked.
“A misunderstanding.”
“Really? Tell us more,” Tammy said.
“Alex thought I was like the girls he’s used to meeting. I’m not.”
“So he made a pass at you?”
Maddy nodded. “Yes.”
“How does that make you feel? Have you managed to recover from the experience?”
Maddy laughed. Tammy was making it sound like Alex assaulted her. “It was fine. You see, Alex is used to women throwing themselves at him so he’s bound to have a view of women that corresponds to his experiences.”
“Yes, he’s a well-known womanizer,” Tammy prompted.
“But that’s the fault of the women who fall at his feet and into his bed,” Maddy replied. “What is he supposed to think if every female he meets throws herself at him?”
Tammy frowned. “Are you saying that’s what you did?”
Maddy took a deep breath. “Yes, I did. I threw myself at him just like all of those other women.”
“And he took advantage,” Tammy said hopefully.
“No, he didn’t. He was the perfect gentleman. At the time I was mad at him. I wondered what was wrong with me. Now I know the answer to that question.”
Tammy leaned in. “And what is wrong with you, Maddy?”
“Absolutely nothing. I may be carrying more weight than those girls you see in magazines and on the catwalk but there is nothing wrong with me at all. I’m pretty and attractive and damned sexy when I want to be.”
A small cheer went up from the crowd.
“Yet Alex St
one rejected you,” Tammy said grimly in an attempt to steer the interview back onto the path she wanted it to take.
“Yes he did. He told me why at the time but I was too stupid to listen. It wasn’t because I was fat or ugly or because I wasn’t sexy. It was because he wanted to treat me differently from all the others. He wanted to show me some respect.”
Tammy seemed to be searching for her next question but Maddy continued. “Alex Stone is like no other man I have ever met. He makes me feel like a different person inside. I can be myself with him in a way I have never been before. He brings out the best in me.”
Tammy held up a hand. “OK, Maddy just hold on a second here. You signed a contract with our producers saying you would give us an exclusive interview about your experiences with Alex Stone.”
Maddy nodded. “That’s what I’m doing.”
“No you’re not. You’re not telling us the truth. The last time you saw Alex, you ran away in tears because of how he treated you.”
“I was in tears, yes. I was upset, that is true. Alex was getting back with California Longley. But I wasn’t upset because of the way he treated me. I was upset because I loved him and he was going to be with somebody else.”
“Wait a minute! You loved him? Are you telling our viewers that you are in love with Alex Stone?’
Maddy held her head up, looked into the camera and said, “Yes, I love him. He is a generous, thoughtful, sensitive man. All those things that were written about him are false. Alex was hurt by someone when he was younger and he’s been deeply affected by it. The way he acted since then was his way of trying to cope with that hurt. It was hardly his fault if women flocked around him to help him with that coping mechanism.
“I’m telling every woman watching this that Alex Stone is a decent man. I don’t regret anything, only that he is with someone else. That is his decision and I will have to live with it but I don’t place any blame at his door.”
“Maddy!” Alex’s voice cut through the crowd and he pushed his way in front of the cameras. “I thought I’d missed you,” he said breathlessly. “I got held up in traffic.”
“The interview...” Maddy said.
“I don’t care about that. I don’t care what you said. I meant to get here at nine-thirty when it was all over. I didn’t come here to stop you, just to talk to you. I’m so glad you haven’t left yet.”
“Mr. Stone what do you have to say for yourself?” Tammy asked. “Maddy has told us that you are back with California Longley. Is that some kind of publicity stunt or are you really in love with California again.”
Maddy wanted to warn Alex that the cameras were rolling but he launched into his answer before she had a chance to say anything. “No, Tammy, I am not in love with California. You can broadcast that the next time you’re on air. Try speaking the truth once in a while and stop trying to bring people down all the time.”
“We’re live on air right now,” Tammy said, gesturing to the cameras. “Our interview was delayed.”
“What? Really?” He looked at Maddy for confirmation. She nodded.
Alex hesitated then seemed to come to a decision. He looked into the camera. “OK, you want the truth about me? Yes, I’ve done some things I’m not proud of but can anyone say they haven’t done things they’re ashamed of in their life? If I hurt anyone with my actions, I apologize. I didn’t realize that what I was doing was wrong until I met this woman, Maddy Davis. Loving her made me see that I can be different. She made me different.”
He turned to Maddy and took her hand. “Maddy, I came here to tell you something. I didn’t know these cameras would be here but I don’t care anymore, I’m going to tell you anyway. I love you. When I thought you were gone, I was lost. I know you’re mad at me for some reason and you’ve probably told everyone what a bastard I am but I want you to know just this one thing: I am in love with you and I never meant to hurt you.”
Maddy felt her heart lift. The hot tears that streamed from her eyes were tears of joy. She sprang up from her chair and threw her arms around Alex. He seemed surprised but he reacted by grabbing her tight around the waist and pulling her into him for a kiss.
A cheer went up from the crowd. Maddy had thought she would never feel his strong arms around her again or feel his lips against hers but now she had both those things and she felt deliriously happy. She was grinning uncontrollably when they finished kissing.
Tammy was talking to the camera. “You saw it here first, everybody. Alex Stone is in love. We’ll be following this story as it develops.”
“Tammy,” Alex said, his arms still around Maddy.
She came over. “Yes?”
“The exclusive story on our relationship?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding excitedly.
“It won’t be going to you,” Maddy said.
Tammy walked away dejected. “Back to you in the studio, Bob.”
“And we’re done,” said the man in the headphones. He came over to Alex and Maddy. “Well done, you two, that was TV gold.”
Alex looked at Maddy and grinned. “We’re gold.”
“Yes we are,” she replied, “but was it all for the TV? Are you going to kiss me when the cameras aren’t on?”
In reply, he took her breath away by kissing her hard and deep.
The crowd clapped and whistled.
“Well I certainly think your reputation is on the rise,” Maddy said breathlessly.
“There’s still one thing I have to do, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I have to apologize to you for whatever I did to upset you.”
“You do,” she replied.
“What’s the best way to do that? Dinner?”
“We don’t have a good track record for dinners.”
“How about a trip to the cave on Stone Island?”
She shook her head. “Uh uh, we don’t have a good track record there either.”
“Oh, so where do we have a good track record?”
“Well there’s one place I can think of.”
He grinned widely. “Sounds good to me.”
Maddy nodded. “And I’m going to make sure you apologize over and over again until I’m completely satisfied.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Long Beach, California
A Year Later
Alex stood in the surf wearing red lifeguard swim trunks. In his arms he held Francesca. Her arms were around his neck, her body pressed against his. The tiny blue bikini she wore barely covered her sleek, slender figure. She looked up into Alex’s eyes.
“This is just like old times, Alex.”
He remembered giving her The Call when he was on his way to Sunnystone Bay last summer for the research project. He felt guilty about that now. “I’m sorry about what happened,” he said.
She pressed herself against him even more. “Me too. Maybe you could make it up to me?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well, my hotel room has a hot tub and a nice big king size bed. We could get hot in the tub and then get even hotter under the sheets.”
“Francesca, you know I have a girlfriend.”
“I don’t mind,” she said seductively. “And the Alex I knew wouldn’t be tied down to one person like that.”
“The Alex you knew,” he said, “is gone.”
“Nobody changes that much. Your girlfriend need never know. It’ll be our little secret.”
“I haven’t changed. I’ve become who I really... hell, why am I telling you all this?”
From the beach, the Director shouted, “Cut! That was great you two. Let’s take a break until tomorrow.”
Alex released Francesca from his arms. She tumbled into the water and came up spluttering. “What the hell?”
Alex waded ashore and took a took a towel from a film crew member. He slung it over his shoulder and walked to where Maddy stood behind the cameras. “How was that?”
“Great,” Maddy said, “it brought back memories
of when you rescued me.”
“Hey, you rescued me too you know.”
“I know. We going for lunch? I have to get back to the office in an hour.”
“A journalist’s work is never done,” he said.
“That’s right. Speaking of work, I saw on your schedule that you have a couple of weeks off soon.”
He nodded. “That’s right. Want to go somewhere?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She pulled two tickets out of her purse and handed them to him.
He read what was printed on them and laughed. “Really? You really want to go there?’
“Yes, it’ll be fun.”
“OK, the Shark Festival it is.” He handed her the tickets and said, “There is something we should do for old time’s sake.”
“What’s that?’
“Hire the Swan.”
“You really like that boat don’t you?”
“Hell yes, it has good memories.”
“Agreed.” She grinned. “Just one thing though. One tiny rule.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What rule?”
“This year... no drama.”
He laughed. “I definitely agree to that. Are you bringing that bikini?”
“What bikini?”
“You know what bikini.”
“I burned it.”
“No you did not. I’ve seen it in your closet.”
As they walked along the beach together, he had an idea.
An idea involving a ring he had bought last week and was trying to find the right moment to give to Maddy.
Sunnystone Bay would be the perfect place.
After all, that was the place he had fallen for Maddy’s bikini curves.
That was the place he had found out who he truly was.
####
About the Author: Charlotte Summers
Charlotte Summers enjoys writing romantic stories about women with curves and the men who love them.
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Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads Page 79