Loving David (30 page)

“Good?” David whispered

Charlotte gave him a feeble thumbs-up, and David merely chuckled before he kissed her. She shifted a bit underneath him and wrapped her hand around him. She whimpered at how hard he was and raised toward him, guiding him inside her. It was David’s turn to moan as he inched into her, relishing each descent. He hooked one arm under her leg and mimicking his earlier movements, rotated, pressing against Charlotte with slow intensity. Revived, Charlotte pushed up, supporting herself on one leg, the other splayed toward the floor. David pushed harder, his sweat dripping onto her chest. Charlotte rushed to meet him, another orgasm on the horizon. They both grunted, and just as Charlotte tightened around him, David screamed and then let out a cry. They crumpled into the mattress; their frantic pants the only sound in the room.

“That was the best sex I’ve ever had,” David gasped.

“Must be because we’re married.”

“My God. If I’d known that, I would have married you months ago.”

“Gives us something to look forward to.”

David snuggled against a limp Charlotte. “Rest up, Mrs. King. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

CHAPTER 16

Charlotte frowned as she flipped through the electronic gallery on her computer. She could have sworn there was a picture of her and David in front of Big Ben. Several, in fact. She continued to click through the photos until she found them.

“Hiding at the end, I see.” Charlotte muttered as she selected them to be a part of her album. She had decided to surprise David with a book of pictures from their wedding day and London honeymoon. Charlotte smiled as she thought about the seven days they’d spent there. They did all the touristy stuff of course: Madame Tussauds, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, Kew Garden, Kensington Palace, now the site of Princess Diana’s Memorial, and lunch at Trafalgar Square, though Charlotte was disappointed they wouldn’t be able to feed the famed pigeons, as the mayor had recently banned the practice.

Her favorite had been Piccadilly Circus. It was a lot different from when David had been there last and certainly since his childhood, but he still loved showing her the various shops and stores. They’d taken two dozen pictures there alone. They visited his old neighborhood, and the administrators at the Academy of Royal Arts were all too happy to let one of their most famous alums poke around for a bit.

Charlotte liked the food better than she’d anticipated, having been warned by Karen about the bland, heavy cuisine the British adored. Karen had been to London on two book tours and had predicted that Charlotte would be “ready to buy, borrow, or steal a Big Mac, fries, and Coke before it was all over.”

Charlotte adored afternoon tea, craved fish and chips ---- even a week after being home ---- and thought bangers and mash was about the tastiest thing she’d ever had in her life. Her only misstep had been the steak and kidney pie, which David scarfed down like a man who’d just been given his last meal. The weather had been a brisk 70 degrees with only one day of light rain. David had been overjoyed to be back home, and much as he had been in New York, he felt at ease walking the streets without fear of being mobbed by overzealous women.

Charlotte finished selecting her pictures and processed her order, choosing “expedited delivery.” In less than a week, her album would arrive shiny and new, chock full of pictures documenting their relatively short time as husband and wife.

Charlotte switched her computer over to the outline she was working on for her new project. Her editor was flying from New York later that week to talk about the new direction Charlotte wanted to take with her books, and she wanted to have everything buttoned up before that meeting.

She spent the rest of the day in the zone, typing away on her outline and starting to develop character profiles. Charlotte was concentrating so hard that she never heard David creep up behind her and plant a kiss on her neck.

“Oh God, you scared me!” Charlotte whipped around to see David kneeling in front of her, a devilish grin on his face.

“Gotcha.”

“Not funny.” Charlotte looked at her computer clock. “Shoot. I planned to have this gorgeous meal waiting for you when you walked in the door. Looks like frozen pizza.”

“Actually, I’m not all that hungry, but I am in desperate need of a shower in case you couldn’t tell.”

“Well, I didn’t want to embarrass you…”

“I did say your kindness was one of the things I loved most about you.” David stood and grimaced.

“What’s wrong?”

David straightened up and groaned. “My back’s been sore all day. Guess I slept funny. See what you’re doing to me, woman?”

“I can call a chiropractor. I know a great one.”

David waved Charlotte off. “I’m fine. The steam from the shower should fix me up. Why don’t you fire up that pizza and break into a bottle of wine? By the time I get out I should be ravenous.”

“You sure? I mean, because it’s no trouble.”

“It’s nothing…. honestly.” David tweaked her nose. “Can’t wait to dig into that pizza.” He winked as he headed to the bathroom.

Charlotte watched David’s retreating back before she whirled around to her rolodex and flipped to her chiropractor’s number. She picked up the phone to dial but then dropped the phone back in its cradle. David was right. It was a crick in his back---- nothing to sound the alarm about. Charlotte launched herself out of her chair and headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

#

Charlotte leaned back in her chair and smiled. She hadn’t felt this invigorated by writing in she didn’t know how long. The meeting with her editor was tomorrow, and Charlotte couldn’t wait to share what she had so far.

Satisfied with how her work day was shaping up and thrilled at the new possibilities, she started to hum as she headed to the kitchen in search of some chocolate chip cookies. She went out to the living room and was surprised to see David drag himself in.

“Hey! What---what are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d be home until after dinner-time.”

David flopped on the couch and closed his eyes. “My back’s still bothering me, and I’m feeling a bit run down.”

“Again? You said the other day it was feeling better.”

“Sadly, it’s back to feeling not better today,” David face twisted into a slight scowl as he eased himself down on the couch.

“Enough said. I’m making an appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow. No excuses.”

“Charlotte----”

“Silence. Mrs. King has spoken.”

“You sure are turning into a bossy wife.”

“Part of my charm. I bet I know what this is. We’d been back only about a day when you had to report to set, and you’ve been working nonstop since. You just need a few days to get your momentum back, that’s all. You said you’d have this weekend off, right?”

“So they’re telling me.”

“Alright then, we’ll get you in to the see the doctor tomorrow or the next day, and then I’ll spend the whole weekend fluffing your pillows and making you tea.”

“Well the prospect of my pillows being fluffed…”

Charlotte giggled and joined David on the couch. “Now I know something’s wrong. You didn’t kiss me when you came in.”

“Damn. I’m falling down on the job, and it’s only been a few weeks.”

“I’ll let it slide since you’re not feeling well. I’m just glad the job’s here in L.A. We can stay put for the next six months. Play all night. Once you’re better, of course.”

David chuckled. “And then off to Chicago and Boston after that. Hope you’ll come with me.”

“I’m sure I can squeeze in a few weeks here and there.”

“One can only hope.”

Charlotte looked at David and noticed for the first time how pale he was. She cupped the palm of her hand against his forehead, which felt like an oil slick.

“David, you feel clammy. Maybe it’s not fatigue. Maybe you’re coming down with the flu.”

“You’re probably right. Listen, I’m gonna take a nap.”

Charlotte frowned, still concerned over how he looked. “Okay. Listen, I’ll take a crack at making you my mom’s chicken soup. Always made me feel better when I was sick.”

David smiled. “Sounds perfect.” He kissed her. “See you later.”

#

Charlotte checked her phone to see if the chiropractor had called back with an appointment time for David. He never woke up to have any of the chicken soup she’d made, and he barely trudged out of bed in the morning to make his call time on the set. She tried to convince him to stay home, but he insisted on going to work.

Charlotte smiled when she saw her editor, Tonya, making her way back to the table. She squeezed into the booth.

“Sorry about that. Our dog is sick, and my partner is no good in a crisis.”

“I hope everything’s okay.”

“Oh yeah. She’s just old. The dog, not my partner.”

The women laughed, and Charlotte watched her as she took a sip of coffee. Tonya was far from the epitome of a glamorous New York City editor. She was easily 250 pounds, still plagued with acne, and forever trying to contain her blonde, Brillo-pad frizzies inside of a tight bun, but always to no avail. Unruly coils always sprang from her head like Medusa’s snakes.

Tonya set her cup down. “I’m so excited about your project, and I can’t wait to read your draft.”

Charlotte nodded and sipped her coffee. “It’s been a bit of a challenge but in a good way. I haven’t felt this invigorated in a long time.” Charlotte chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this wonderful. My life has finally fallen into place.”

“Ah, yes. Wedded bliss to the gorgeous movie star. How
is
that going?”

“Heavenly. Well, except he’s a little under the weather, but other than that, wonderful.”

“Having known you all these years, I’ve never seen you look so happy. My grandmother, God rest her soul, always said a happy marriage was the fountain of youth.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll outlive David after all,” Charlotte winked.

“Oh, honey, my sister married a younger man, and she says it’s the best thing that ever happened to her.”

Charlotte smiled. “Ditto.”

#

Charlotte turned over in bed and flinched as her knee hit a patch of cold, wet sheet. Her eyes flicked open. She sat up. David was drenched in sweat, and some of the moisture had seeped to Charlotte’s side. He’d come home early again and had been asleep when Charlotte got back from her lunch with Tonya. She didn’t have the heart to wake him and had fallen asleep next to him a few hours later.

Charlotte swung her legs around to the side of the bed and ran over to David’s side. He was curled up in a ball, fast asleep.

“David. David, honey, wake up.”

David didn’t respond, so Charlotte grabbed a cold compress from the bathroom and rifled through the medicine cabinet for some flu tablets. She filled a glass with some water and went back to David. She placed the compress against his head, which caused him to stir a bit.

“Charlotte, I’ve never felt so sick. My legs and back are both sore, and I’m exhausted,” he murmured. “Do you think I caught something in London?”

“
Shh, shh, shh.
It’s probably something going around. Here, take this.” David popped the tablets and took healthy gulp of water. He dropped his head back against the pillow, the sheer effort of that task draining him.

“I’ll call William, have him call in sick for you----”

“No, no. I’ll be fine. The show must go on.”

“Not if you feel like crap.”

“A lot of people are depending on me to be there. I have to push through, no matter how awful I feel.”

Charlotte sighed, seeing there was no reasoning with him. “Okay. Make me a deal. If you’re not better by the end of the day tomorrow, we’re going to a doctor.”

David closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes, Mrs. King.”

#

Charlotte had been staring at her computer screen for the better part of an hour, unable to erase the image of a pale and shaky David peeling himself from his sick bed to report to the set. She chewed her fingernails and wondered if she should try calling him. Just as she picked up the phone, it rang, William’s number flashing in front of her. Her heart lurched.

“William?” she asked, already knowing something was terribly wrong.

“Hey, kid… you need to get down here. David just collapsed.”

CHAPTER 17

“He’s going to be okay. He’s probably just dehydrated or something like that,” Charlotte said out loud to herself as she waited for the light to change. She pounded the steering wheel in frustration over David’s stubbornness and her having accommodated it. She should have put her foot down that first day and made him go to the doctor. The light turned green, and Charlotte peeled out. The movie was doing some location shooting in Beverly Hills, so she didn’t have to go far. Charlotte found the restaurant William had directed her to. Not that she could have missed it with all the camera crews, lighting, trailers, and trucks surrounding it. She screeched into an empty spot near a truck and bolted out of the car. William spotted her and motioned her over to him.

“How is he? Is he okay?”

“He’s in his trailer; we’ve got the medics looking at him. He’s on oxygen but refusing to go the hospital.”

Charlotte gulped as William led her to David’s trailer, which was surrounded by paramedics. They parted when they saw William.

Charlotte had to keep herself from gasping at David’s appearance. He was gray, and it looked like he’d lost twenty pounds just since that morning. An oxygen mask covered his face, and his black hair was plastered against his forehead like masking tape. He was propped up in bed, and two medics were taking his vitals. Charlotte took a deep breath and went around to grab his hand.