To Catch a Star (14 page)

She nodded.

“What are you doing messing around here then? It’s not as if you need the money.”

She wished she knew. She sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Try me.”

“It started out as one thing and turned into something else.”

Tessa knew all the best restaurants in Neustadt, the kind of places where money was no object, where clients could be impressed and business discussed. Bars were another matter. The closest she’d come to the city’s nightlife was driving past it on the way to somewhere else. But even she had heard of the trendy Landmark Café.

The bar overhung the river at its widest point, a modern, glass box built into the side of the opulent
Beaux-Arts
Guildhall.

She hadn’t planned on taking up Robbie’s invitation tonight. Not until she’d stood in her palatial bedroom and the walls had begun to press in on her. That suffocating feeling had returned, stronger than ever before, and she’d had to get out.

The cab dropped her close to the entrance, but even so it took her an age to traverse the short distance across the ice-slickened pavement. Tonight she’d opted for heels. High heels. Red heels.

Her hand felt heavy with the ring back in place. As if weighted down. She was tempted to remove it but that would only invite questions. Everyone on the crew would know by now.

A queue stretched from the bar entrance, but at her approach the door swung open and the young doorman whistled and waved her in without question. At least she must have got the dress code right.

The space inside was bright with electric-blue light, the colour mirrored in the glass walls, the shining brushed-steel bar, and the reflections falling onto the smooth surface of the river beyond. The noise levels were higher than she was accustomed to, an overwhelming mix of voices, laughter, and loud music.

For an anxious moment her heart fluttered, then she spotted Robbie across the room, surrounded by a knot of people. She recognised a few of the cast and crew. Gerry, the unit production manager, Marie, the make-up artiste, Nina with her entourage. Dominic.

The flutter in Tessa’s heart accelerated. Oh God.
He
wasn’t here too, was he?

Robbie waved her over then ordered her one of the bar’s signature cocktails, as electric blue as the light around them. She sipped it gingerly, the drink’s cloying sweetness sliding down her throat like soda. Dominic offered her his seat as he rose with his phone in hand, mid-text. There was no sign of Christian. She breathed out and relaxed.

Their group swelled as more crew members joined them. Most came straight from set, dressed in their “uniform” of jeans or cargo pants matched with sloganned sweatshirts. Casual, relaxed, still on a natural high after a day on set.

She relaxed further. In such a large group she could fade quietly into the background, listen to their lively chatter without needing to make small-talk.

Parties had only ever been work for her. Introducing people, encouraging conversation, playing the hostess, living up to her family name. She could never drink too much, never be herself.

But tonight was different. Tonight she would let her hair down, figuratively if not literally, and she would drink and enjoy herself. No work allowed. She wanted to feel young and wild for just once in her life.

“You didn’t bring your fiancé?” Robbie asked, replacing the empty glass in her hand with another. Since it would be impolite to refuse, she accepted the drink.

“He’s in Canada,” she replied. “He’ll be back in a couple of days.”

Over Robbie’s shoulder, she spotted Dominic, still busy texting on his phone. The reed-thin brunette beside him had begun to pout.

Tessa had just finished her second cocktail when a voice she hadn’t wanted to hear sent a tremor down her spine. A deep voice, a little husky. She pressed her eyes shut.

“Christian! There’s a seat over here,” someone called out.

She opened her eyes, and colour and light flooded back in. As it always did in Christian’s energetic presence, the room shifted from shades of grey to iridescent colour. The light around them seemed impossibly brighter.

The entire group turned to him as he took the unoccupied seat across the circle from her, like flowers turning to the sun. Or more aptly, like worshippers beneath the throne of a demi-god.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes just as Christian caught her gaze. He grinned, amused, and lifted his glass to her in silent salute.

He certainly wasn’t angry now. He looked in the mood for mischief, and she wasn’t sure which was worse.

Dominic picked up the tale he’d been regaling the group with before Christian’s interruption: “So Chris and I choreographed a fight scene for this has-been actor. His star was on the wane, but he still thought he was something special. He came on set, throwing his prima donna weight around, and refused to do the fight scene as we’d planned it. He and Chris are trading fake punches and this guy starts messing around, trying to show off. He’s not pulling his punches, but he’s hardly managing to land one since Chris is always a step ahead. And the guy gets mad cause Chris is making him look like the fool he is. So he knees Chris right in the groin.”

His audience groaned in sympathy. Christian sipped his drink, the only one unaffected by the story.

“Chris had the guy on his back, flat on the floor, his arm across the actor’s windpipe, in less than a second.” Dominic laughed. “The director laughed so hard he forgot to call ‘cut’.” He took a swig of his beer.

“What happened next?” Nina leaned forward, all eagerness for the rest of the story, inadvertently giving both Dominic and Tessa a good view of her more-than-ample cleavage. Or maybe not so inadvertently.

“We were barely a week into filming and already the director was sick of the actor’s antics, so he fired him. Something about his ego being a safety hazard. And he hired Christian to replace him. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Tessa arched an eyebrow at Christian. Was this the real story then of how he got his break as an actor? He shrugged a shoulder and flashed her that roguish grin, the one that lit up his eyes, and for half a second she was sure she recognised why that look seemed so familiar. Then it was gone.

Dominic turned to her. “Is that your phone?”

Only then did she register the buzz from the vicinity of the Dior bag slung over the back of her chair. She reached into it just as the call cut off.

She scrolled to her missed calls. Stefan.

“Please excuse me.” She rose, stepping away from the group as she dialled his number.

“Where are you?” Stefan’s voice was barely audible over a shout of laughter from the other end of the bar.

She covered her other ear so she could hear Stefan better. “We have a late start tomorrow, so we’re out having a drink tonight.”

“Who’s we?”

“A bunch of crew and cast.”

“Is Christian Taylor there?” There was too much ambient noise for her to hear if there was any jealousy in his tone. She doubted it. They didn’t have that kind of relationship.

“Of course.”

“You were going to call me.”

“Not until ten.” She glanced at her watch. Heavens, how had it got so late?

“Can you go some place quieter?”

“Sure.” She elbowed through the crowd to reach the doors at the back of the bar that led to a paved courtyard around a stone fountain. In the summer she was sure it would be packed. Now even the die-hard smokers had abandoned it. The fountain stood ghostly still, decorated with an intricate frieze of frozen icicles.

She’d left her jacket slung over the back of her chair.

“I’ve changed my flight.” Stefan sounded grim.

“Are you coming home earlier?” She wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to stave off the cold. Her jersey dress was not designed for outdoors in midwinter.

“I have to go to Paris on the weekend, then Stockholm for a couple of days.”

A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine. Or maybe it was just the cold. “When will you be back?”

“The twelfth.”

A whole week away. “But that’s only two days before the wedding!”

“I know and I’m sorry. It can’t be helped. This is an important trade agreement we’re setting up and the negotiations are proving problematic. I can’t abandon them now. I promise, I’ll have this locked down before we get married and then I’m all yours.”

Until after the honeymoon, then it would be back to the endless travelling. She’d lived her entire life with a workaholic. She knew the deal. She wiped a hand across her eyes. This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? Of course it was. She liked that he had a life and interests of his own. She liked that he had an important role to play.

She just hadn’t thought being in a relationship would feel so lonely.

“What about the wedding rehearsal?”

“Move it to the afternoon I get back.”

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. This would mean moving the rehearsal dinner too. A new venue and a new caterer at the very least. Not to mention the hundreds of phone calls, to the guests, to the press. And they’d need a new security plan for the visiting dignitaries.

She rubbed her forehead. “It’ll be a lot of extra work to move everything.”

“If you can’t cope then quit that daft job. This is not like you, Teresa. You’re usually so reasonable.”

Yes, that was her. Always the reasonable one. The one who quietly stayed home and kept everyone happy while they went out to play. Her mother with her acting career. Her father and his career. Now Stefan and his job.

Tears burned her throat. She’d tried so hard not to turn into her mother. She’d been reasonable and accommodating. She’d done as she was told. She’d stayed close to home, played hostess at her father’s parties, run his household while he worked, and worked, and worked.

And all she was doing was swapping her father’s household for Stefan’s.

She choked on the thought. With blinding clarity she understood how her mother had felt. Trapped.

She couldn’t breathe. She tore at the scarf around her neck, needing air.

“Are you still there?”

“I’m here.” But not for much longer. She needed to get back indoors. Her toes were already numb. These shoes were not designed for outdoors either.

Maybe this was what they called wedding jitters. She regained control. “I can’t quit the job just yet. Besides, it’s only a few more days.” She sighed. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I have Anna.” And Lee. She pulled her shoulders straight. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not being very supportive. It’s just a shock. Of course everything will be alright, and I’ll see you on the twelfth.”

“We’ll talk soon, okay?”

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see. “Take care.” She ended the call and stared at the phone, as a voice from long ago filtered through her thoughts.

I’m tired of being so alone
.

Her mother had said the same thing as she’d walked out the door. Tessa shut down the thought just as a door behind her swung open. The raw emotion was not so easy to subdue.

Take care
. Not
I love you
.

Christian pushed the door wider and stepped out into the courtyard. He’d heard enough of that conversation to get the gist.

Teresa looked unhappy, and he didn’t blame her. What kind of man could keep away from such a gorgeous bride? Her fiancé had to be insane not to want to be with her at every possible moment.

Christian couldn’t seem to keep away.

He kept his face expressionless as he stepped forward into the light. She’d spoken in local dialect and it didn’t suit him to admit he’d understood every word.

“I brought your jacket.” He held it out to her. “I thought you might be cold.”

Especially in that dress.

Her only concession to the cold was a lightweight scarf wrapped around her neck. She wore a charcoal-grey wrap-around dress that clung to breast and hip, nude stockings and heels so high she almost looked him in the eye. Heels so damned sexy he almost didn’t give a damn that she wore a great big flashy diamond on her left hand.

But she was as good as a married woman, and unlike Dominic he had rules about things like that. He didn’t mess with other men’s wives. Even if that man was out of town and no doubt living it up while his fiancée waited patiently at home for him.

“I am cold.” She shivered as she slipped on her jacket. “Thanks.”

He stepped closer to lift her pale hair out from under the fur-trim collar. Her eyes widened momentarily at the intimacy, but she didn’t flinch back.

“Let’s get you inside.” He stepped back and headed indoors, into the darkened passage that led to the toilets. Once they were both inside, he shut the door behind them. Instantly, the temperature went up a few degrees. He took the phone from her lifeless hands, stuck it into her jacket pocket, and began to rub some life into her frozen fingers.

“You okay?”

“Yes.” Pause. “No.”

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“I should leave. I’ll call a cab. I need to move the rehearsal dinner.”

“Not right now, you don’t. Besides, it’s Sunday night. What you need to do is have another drink.”

She shook her head.

“You’re cold and it’ll warm you up. Then I’ll call Frank to take you home.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Only it wasn’t a promise he intended to keep. Not until much later.

She was upset. She needed a drink for more than its warming qualities. And she really needed to loosen up and have a little fun. Heaven only knows her fiancé probably was, wherever he was.

Thank heavens Dominic had texted him to get his butt over here. Though to be more precise, Dom’s message had read
Your Ice Queen is wearing red heels. If you don’t take your chance tonight, I will
.

Christian hadn’t been able to get there quickly enough. And if he was honest with himself, it had less to do with a chivalrous urge to protect Teresa from Dom’s attentions than a desire to see her in these red heels. They’d been worth setting aside his anger for. Though the laps he’d done in the hotel’s indoor pool had helped with that too.

He took her hand and dragged her back to the group in the bar. The music and laughter were even louder now. There’d been more arrivals and more chairs had been brought in for the newcomers, tightening the circle. When Christian returned to the group with two more of the lurid cocktails, he found himself squashed up against Tessa, his thigh pressed against hers. He slung his arm across the back of her chair.