Payback (13 page)

“Marie, don’t worry about it.  He’ll be home in a few months and ev
erything will be back to normal. She doesn’t matter to him.” Gordon smiled at her as he ran a hand through his wavy, blond hair.  “Come on, let’s go out for dinner and a movie.  It will help you get your mind off of Caden and Valentine.”

It only occurred to Marie much later that by always lumping Caden with Valentine when
Gordon spoke about one or the other, Gordon was planting a seed in Marie’s fertile and insecure mind. And whenever he stopped by to see her, he’d always leave behind one of the tabloids which were filled with photos of Caden and Valentine together. 

Gordon started showing up most nights to see Marie. On the weekends
, he took her sailing, hiking, kayaking in an effort to, “Get your mind off of Caden.” Marie, who had always felt that Caden’s friend was a little jealous of him, was finally beginning to trust Gordon.  He seemed genuinely interested in her work, was concerned about Caden’s obvious interest in Valentine, and did his best to keep her company. 

Caden had been gone three and a half agonizing months and
, during that time, had warned Marie that if she did fly over to Italy, they wouldn’t have any time together. The filming schedule was demanding, and the director was driving everyone nuts with dozens of takes for each shot. In the meantime, Marie had been hired to write a fourth episode, and so it was agreed that she would stay in Los Angeles.

It was a Friday, two weeks before Caden was expected back. Marie had just arrived home and had
kicked her shoes off when there was the sound of a car on the driveway.  Since Gordon was one of the only ones to have the security code to the gate, she suspected that it was him.  Opening the door, she smiled as he walked towards her, but Gordon didn’t smile back.  Dressed in brown plaid shorts, a white polo shirt and some designer sneakers, he crossed the drive and shook his head, handing her an envelope.

“Let’s go inside before you open that.”

Marie gave him a worried look and then went inside. Sitting on the couch in front of the empty fireplace, she began to open the envelope.  Before she could pull the papers out, he put a hand on top of hers to stop her.

“No.  Don’t look
, Marie.  Let me take the envelope and burn it.”

Her eyes widened as she pushed his hand away and
continued pulling the contents out.  The gasp throttled her throat as she saw a snapshot of Caden, naked in bed, with a naked Valentine.  The photos, a series of three of them, had been shot through a window and showed Caden on top of Valentine, her legs wrapped around his waist.

She couldn’t breathe. 

“Marie? Marie? Are you okay?”

Stumbling
out to the courtyard, Marie stared at the Pacific Ocean.  He followed and slipped his arm around her. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you out.”

They drove to a local bar in Malibu, sitting outside on the veranda with a view of the beach.  Gor
don ordered double shots of tequila. “Here, get this down you. You’ll start feeling better.”

She took the lime and salt and shot the tequila back. “I need to talk to him. I need to talk to Caden.”

“Marie, that’s not going to help. You need to be realistic. The tabloids got it right, they’re together…I’ve heard that he’s smitten with her.  They say that they spend all their spare time together.”

Marie’s jaw clenched. “Who are
they?”

“I have friends on the crew. I’m sorry
, Marie.” After patting her hand, Gordon waved over to the waitress, giving her the sign for two more drinks.

Marie moaned and shook her head.
“I knew this would happen. I mean, look at me. I’m such a fool for believing that Caden Kelly would stay faithful.”

“
I don’t understand why he chose her. You’re smart, funny, entertaining, a great companion, and I bet you’re great in bed.”

The waitress put the double tequilas down in front of them. Marie looked at the
golden liquid in the shot glasses and took stock. She was already feeling the first double; if she drank the tequila in front of her, she’d be drunk. “You’re right.  He’s a fool for not loving me.” She knocked the tequila back, letting the clear liquid burn all the way down.

“I
agree.”

H
er head began to swim and when the tequila had possessed her, everything that Gordon said she took to heart. By the time he drove her back to Caden’s horse ranch, Marie was convinced that Caden was a liar and a cheat. Gordon was her only real friend in Hollywood—the only person who had her back.  It was then that she came to the conclusion that what was good for the goose was good for the gander. She would show him that she was desirable to other talented men.

When they returned to the ranch,
Gordon put on some music and held out an arm to her. “Come on, Marie, dance with me.”

She took a breath and smiled. 
Gordon is so sweet; he’s been such a good friend.
Gordon held her close, dancing slowly to a song she didn’t recognize. He smelled like citrus; it must be the cologne. As they danced, she could feel his hand slip from the small of her back over her ass. She almost stopped him, but then she realized that Caden was probably fucking Valentine at that very moment. 
Bastard, two can play at this game. I’ll get him—I’ll screw his best friend.

With his head now buried in her hair
, Gordon whispered, “Caden doesn’t deserve you. I’ll take care of you. I won’t let you down.”

“You won’t leave me?”

“I won’t leave you.” He kissed her neck and then said, “Let’s go back to your room.”

She
led him back, trying to smile as she opened the door to the bedroom, the room where she and Caden had made love so often, where he had cuddled her and made her laugh at his silly antics. Marie saw the bed and knew this was the point where she had to decide—the point of no return. She saw a tabloid on the bedside stand with a photo of Caden standing close to Valentine laughing. The embarrassment of being played the fool by Caden was enough to push her over the edge.  She began to unbutton Gordon’s shirt.

Marie
was on all fours and Gordon was behind her plowing into her from behind, the slapping sound of their communion was ringing in her ears. Her whole body bounced with each of his thrusts as the sounds of his grunts echoed through the room. 

There was a click of the door
, and when it first opened, Caden was wearing a grin from ear to ear, “Honey, I’m—.” But then he looked as if he had just seen a nuclear explosion. Marie later replayed that moment and decided that was when Caden’s heart imploded and the anger seeped inside.

Marie struggled to get free
, but Gordon grabbed her hips and continued fucking her as if he wanted to burn the image into Caden’s brain. Trying desperately to pull away, Marie had wanted to hurt Caden, but not rub it in his face, not like this.

Caden looked into her eyes with so much pain that she
felt sick. He shook his head and then walked into the living room. Scrambling out of bed, Marie followed him.

“Caden!” 

He was white as a ghost, and the closer she got, the more he shook his head. When he was finally able to make a sound, it came out as if he was being strangled, “Don’t!”

Marie
stopped in front of him, not sure what to do. Squirming on her feet, she looked almost spastic as she ached to hold him. Behind her, Gordon was coming out of the bedroom, walking down the hall zipping up his pants. Gordon watched for a few moments as Marie tried to engage Caden but he wouldn’t let her talk. Gordon started smirking.

“You find something funny, Gordon?  Because I’m so close to knocking the shit out of you I don’t nee
d much to push me over the edge,” Caden warned.

Gordon sobered up and swallowed hard, but Caden could see that inwardly the asshole was enjoying this. It
dawned on Caden that Valentine, who had been dating Gordon before she left, would have told Gordon they were coming home today.
The son of a bitch knew I’d walk through that door
.  It was all Caden needed. He flew through the air and landed a right across Gordon’s jaw, knocking him out in one blow. Down on the floor, Caden drew back his foot and gave Gordon a solid kick in the ribs before turning to Marie.

“How much have you had to drink?”

“Four shots of tequila,” she mumbled almost incoherently.

“Jesus,
Marie, were you both drunk?” It seemed to be the only way he could conceive of this happening.

“Oh, you don’t think that a man would want to fuck me unless he’s drunk?
Well, Gordon
wanted me
. Let me ask you--why did you fuck her?”

He blinked and shook his head
, as if he wasn’t sure what he was hearing. Throwing his hands up, he growled, “You don’t get to ask me anything. I just want you to pack your things and leave.”

“No, no, no, no!” she
insisted. “I deserve an answer.”

“I don’t give a shit what you want anymore. You’re fucking my
so-called
friend
doggie style in my bed, in my
house!
All I want is you to be anywhere but here.”

Her head
exploding, she knitted her brows and asked, “For how long?”

His face scrunched with rage.
“How long?
How long?
If I ever see you again, it will be too soon. Do you understand?” he roared, stomping across the floor, down the hall and into the bedroom. Taking down her battered black suitcases from the closet, Caden started filling them with her things. “Get this shit out of my house!”

After stuffing
as much of her stuff into the suitcases that they could hold, he threw them down the hall. When he was done, Marie grabbed her stomach. Bending over, she felt her whole stomach give as she vomited.

“Oh, that’s lovely. You have a real talent.”

“Caden…”

“Marie, put something on and get the hell out of here.”

“But, Caden—” she tried to grab onto him but he threw his arms up, knocking her back. Hitting the dresser, Marie bounced off onto the ground.

Caden lurched forward to help her, but stopped,
straightened up, and glared down at her. Shaking his head, he left the room. When he reached the living room, there was a puddle of blood on the hardwood floor where Gordon had laid, but no Gordon.
Good riddance.

After a few minutes
, there was no sound so he went back and found her sitting up against the bed, staring out at the Pacific Ocean. 

“Marie, you need to get out.”

“I just don’t understand why you did it.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant
. Understand why he was kicking her out? Why he packed her bags? What? It didn’t matter, she was drunk.

Caden felt
his life slipping through his fingers.  Looking out the window, nothing was right—the ocean view he adored, the horses in the barn, the beautiful house, and especially the woman he loved. They suddenly were devoid of any meaning. This fucking town, this Hollywood life, was all so damn meaningless.

“Marie
, you must go—now.”

“Where?”
she asked, her voice full of confusion.

His voice was full of sadness,
“Darling, I don’t know. I just know you have to get dressed and leave.” Without looking back at her, he opened the French doors and walked towards the Pacific Ocean.

Chapter 8

No Excuses

Jason was silent for several minutes. “So you ended up in bed with his friend?”

“Friend?
Ha!” I started to snicker. “Yeah, that’s what both Caden and I thought. But it turned out that when Caden first started in the business, Gordon had auditioned and been considered for a part that Caden landed without auditioning. It was Caden’s big breakthrough in
Twelve Years
.  Then a year later it happened again. Gordon was edged out by Caden for a movie which earned Caden a Golden Globe. It’s the business, but Gordon never forgot that Caden had taken from him something he desperately wanted.”

“Oh, crap, I think I see where this is going. So there was no affair between Caden and Valentine?”

I shook my head. “The photos Gordon gave me were all stills from the movie, the lovemaking scenes they had shot. Valentine had the hots for Gordon, so he was able to get the information about their flights home and the movie stills from her without too much trouble. Caden did spend a lot of time with Valentine, but it was because there wasn’t much to do in the mountains when they had time off. I was completely suckered in.”

“Didn’t you tell Caden?”

“He wouldn’t see me, listen to me, or talk to me. All contact was cut off. When I went back to get what few things were left in his house, he ducked out to the stable and went for a long horseback ride. I was going to wait it out, but there was a security guard that made sure I was gone by the time Caden returned.” Marie paused. “You know Jeremiah, Caden’s good friend?”

“Yeah, he comes up here a couple times a year.  Great guy.”

“We met at a bar, and I told him everything with the hopes that he’d tell Caden, but I don’t know if he did.” I paused and tried to gauge Jason’s reaction. He seemed more sad than disappointed or outraged.

“It seems as if your biggest problem was being gullible and naive.”

“My biggest problem was not having enough self-esteem to believe that Caden would want me over Valentine. Or maybe my biggest problem was impulsively wanting to get revenge without checking my facts. Either way, it all stemmed out of my insecurities.”

“I suspect for Caden the problem was that you didn’t trust him--of course
, there was the sex thing too, having sex with his best friend.”

I chuckled, “Yeah, the sex thing too.”

“So what happened to you?”

“I essentially lost everything. I had nowhere to go since my house was leased out
, so I ended up with Gordon. He paraded me out to red carpet events so we’d end up in all the tabloids. He got his ten minutes of fame for having been the guy who wrecked Caden Kelly’s relationship. But appeal wore off and he didn’t want me anymore. I ended up renting a room in a hotel.”

“What about your money?”

“I went through most of it and lost the rest in the recession. I had to short sell my house and use what little money that was left to live on.”

“Weren’t you working?”

I laughed. “I was getting a few episodes here and there, but no one would hire me to do movies. I learned later that it was because Caden spread the word not to hire me. He even went so far as to become a major investor in the agency I was with. He cautioned my agent to stick strictly to our contract, do basic promotions for me and no more. When I found out, it was too late for me to bounce back. I had to take whatever jobs I could scrounge up. I finally decided that my best chance to get my head above water was concentrating on writing another book. It took two years. I did a few television episodes, but for the most part, I lived off the little money I made selling my house. And now I’m here.”

“Why would you come here knowing how he felt about you?”

“I wrote the book hoping to sell it so I could write the screenplay.  I wrote the part of the protagonist, Daniel, for Caden”

“So you came up here to…” he trailed off to let me finish.

“I wanted Caden to buy the book, let me write the screenplay, and him star in it.”

Jason
snickered. “Marie, you have balls.”

“Yeah, well
, look where it got me. I’m a slave to a man who hates my guts. And when I go home to LA, I’ll have no money, no place to live, and a book that no one wants to buy.”

“Is the book good?”

“It’s really good. But getting a publisher to buy it hasn’t been easy. Without Caden’s blessing, it probably won’t be published.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is all my own doing. I messed up, and for the last six years I’ve been paying for it.”

“He has too.
The whole town has been wondering why he doesn’t have a wife and a couple of kids. When he first arrived here, he was depressed, locked inside of himself. After a few years he began to laugh again, enjoy himself. There are some women that he dates off and on. Sometimes the working girls end up here at the ranch, but he never seems to get attached to anyone. Now I know why.”

“Yeah, here I am, the woman who taught Caden Kelly never to trust the female gender.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s not like he hasn’t had enough time to get over it.”

“I had hoped the same thing; that he’d be able to talk rationally to me.”

“I like you, Marie. I can see why Caden fell in love with you. You’re bright, spunky, and when he’s not breathing down your neck, a lot of fun to be around. But you shouldn’t have come. You should have let him live in peace.”

“Jason, I know that now, but, I was desperate.
I wanted to get my book published, and I wanted to give him the part to make it all up to him. I didn’t realize that when he left Hollywood, he really meant to retire. I thought that if the right part were handed to him, he’d agree to star in the movie.”

“Can I read your book?”

“Sure. Might as well let someone read it.  I doubt it will get published. Do you have email?”

He nodded.

“I’ll email it to you.”

“[email protected].”

“That’s easy to remember. Well, I’m going back down to bed.”

“Good night
and, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

The next day I was surprised to find that both men finished their work around noon and returned to the house in high spirits. 

“Don’t worry about dinner, we’re going out tonight,” Caden said and started teasing Jason about a woman. “Maybe she’ll be in town tonight.”

“I don’t want her to see us tonight. Who knows what’s going to happen!  I’d like to keep my self- respect.”

Caden laughed like hell
, as Jason turned a bright red. This was the first I had heard that Jason was interested in a woman.  A smile crossed my face; he looked like a teenager with his first crush.  I didn’t ask who it was, though. I figured he would tell me when he wanted. 

I was in the kitchen that evening when Caden came down from his bedroom. He was looking very hot in a red and black plaid flannel shirt and deep blue jeans. His black felt cowboy hat sat over his delicious blue eyes. I noticed he was in his best scrolled-leather cowboy boots. The scruff on his chin made him look
so sexy, and the smell of his cologne was the perfect balance of woodsy scents mixed with his own musk.  I wondered where he was going and who he was meeting, and a part of me—okay, all of me—was jealous. I never knew if I was allowed to address him or keep my thoughts to myself, but I took a chance.  “Have a nice evening.”

He was pulling his cuff down from his black corduroy sports coat as he put it on. Without the usual scowl, he simply said, “Thanks.” Grabbing the truck keys from the counter, he took off. Once I no longer heard the gravel under his tires as he drove away, I grabbed a drink, went downstairs, put on my knee-length nightgown and watched television. 

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up in a panic when I heard men’s voices coming from upstairs. There was a lot of boisterous sounds, and then women’s voices joined in the cacophony. I stood up and was on my way to the stairs when five men, dressed in shirts and jeans came skipping down the stairs laughing and calling out to each other.  They stopped when they saw me.

“Well, well, what have we got here? Whew, Caden sure knows how to dress up the joint. You’re quite the heifer.”

The men started to form a loose circle around me. One of them tucked his arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “You must be for Larry.”

“Larry?” I didn’t like the sound of that
, and I didn’t like the fact that they had all been drinking.  I could hear footsteps above me, what sounded like a herd of cattle. 

One of the more inebriated guys reached out and grabbed my breast. “Damn
! Those are some nice titties, ma’am. When Larry’s done, I’d like some time with you.”

I was starting to panic. A strange man had just grabbed my breast while another had me by the shoulders
, and now they were asking to spend time with me. This didn’t sound good. The man whose arm was around my shoulders, nuzzled my neck, as I tried to pull away. 

“Hey, honey, that’s not very hospitable. We’ll make it worth your while.” He turned me and pulled me into him and tried to kiss me. I was banging on his shoulders, trying to get my knee up in his groin, when a set of long fingers started to pry me from the man.

“Hey, Joe, Joe…this is my maid, not one of the girls we hired.  Come on, put her down.”

His hands immediately unlocked and
I was now free. The man looked extremely disappointed. “Ah, sorry, ma’am.  I really thought that you were available for some fun.”

I could see he was very contrite and
embarrassed. “It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry too
, ma’am, but they are nice titties,” the younger, grabby guy said.

I turned and looked at Caden
, who had red eyes and was about to laugh at the young cowboy who liked my breasts. “Jason, can you get the guys and gals something to drink while I have a word with the help?”

Jason nodded and gave me a wink as he went behind the bar. Now I could see the women, all in jeans and shirts. There were six of them
, and they came in all shapes, sizes and ages. One thing they had in common was their propensity to talk loudly and flirt openly with the guys. The room had filled with well over a dozen men as well as the six women, some who matched up and were now making out on the couch that I slept on.

Caden took me over next to the bottom of the stairs and leaned in towards me. “Look, we’re going to be up late down here. And, uh…I have a feeling the bedrooms are going to be occupied soon. So, uh, you can either stay up and wait upstairs in the living room for them to all go home—although I can’t promise they won’t be up in the living room too--or…” his voice trailed off.

“Fine. I’ll go out to the tack house.” I went over and grabbed my jacket, socks and boots and a blanket to pile on top of the two wool ones already out there. Traipsing across the yard, I noticed that there were at least four pickups and two cars parked in the drive. I cursed as the wind whipped up my gown, freezing my ass. It had turned icy cold again.  As I climbed the stairs, I could just make out the sounds of laughter and music coming from the house and it reminded me of the friends and fun that I had left behind in Los Angeles.  It made me homesick and a little sorry for myself. It had been over a year since I had been out on the town.

The party had obviously moved up from Whitefish to Caden’s house, but why? What was the purpose of the party? It didn’t matter; I was going to cli
mb in bed and try to get warm. Once inside, I immediately plugged in the little heater and then rushed over to the bed and wrapped myself up in the blankets. I had forgotten how uncomfortable the mattress was, but even though it took almost an hour, I finally managed to get to sleep.

The next morning
, only one unfamiliar car and truck remained in the drive.  I walked inside to find the kitchen full of dishes, trash, beer cans and bottles.  There was more of the same all over the living room and the lower level. Judging from the level of destruction, the party must have been a success. I checked out the theater and was surprised to find that the party had not spilled into it, probably because Caden had locked it. However, on closer inspection of the game room, I noticed that my underwear and clothing had been thrown around, and most of it was now decorating my little Christmas tree.

After making a pot of coffee and clearin
g an area to prep for breakfast, I took a cup up to Caden’s room and knocked on the door to ask him if he wanted breakfast as usual or to wait until later. I also wanted to object to the fact that his friends had violated my privacy last night.

“Come in,” his voice
sounded hoarse.

I opened the door and almost choked on my own pain. Lying across the bed at the bottom was a young
, twenty-something blonde, with a rocking nude body. Caden was in the bed with the covers halfway up his naked body. Next to him was a woman my age, a brunette, also naked. The room reeked of sex. I could see he was pleased with the shocked look on my face.

“Sorry.
I didn’t know you had company,” I sputtered, trying to gain my composure.