Three months had come and gone since that night, and I could still remember every detail. Nothing in my life had been so erotic. I'd thought often on the plane ride back to the states how I should have been horrified or ashamed, but all those memories did were make me wet and whimpering.
I had snuck out like a thief with a torn dress and a suitcase in hand. I left a kiss on his cheek and nothing more. No forwarding address or phone number.
America was much as I remembered it. The second I reached the public access area of the airport there were cameras. Could I tell them which relative was NM Lee? Did I even know? Why was I in LA? Was I there to broker a deal for NM?
I waved them off and kept my head down.
I moved into a hotel out of laziness and hammered out a script with a very good screenwriter. He too thought I was NM's relative, never guessed the truth. The few producers who did know had signed confidentiality contracts and would never tell.
So I lived alone on room service and kept to myself. I watched try out tapes. The only person we'd had in mind before the script was finalized had been Ioan and now he was almost set. Matthew McConnaughey had signed on and now we were casting mostly unknowns.
I had input on casting and production, but not much. I couldn't very well be interacting with the cast as a producer than have them see NM listed as one, now could I?
So three months had gone smoothly until the lead producer Cal called me in my suite one morning.
"Nicky, we have a problem."
"Oh?"
"We're going to lose Ioan if you don't come meet him."
"My God, why?"
"I didn't know you knew him. He thinks NM can help him find Nicky. I'm guessing even he doesn't know who you really are."
"And it's supposed to stay that way."
"He's going to walk. He's the biggest star, the press releases have plugged him, we cannot lose him. You have to do something."
"Absolutely not."
"I am not kidding. He's going to walk and if he does, we pull the plug. You'll never get another film in this town again."
"Are you threatening me? I could make life very uncomfortable for you, Cal. That is if you're threatening me."
"I'm not threatening you, it's the truth. Look, come down here and bullshit him. Tell him NM is not available. Whatever he wants to see you for just tell him what he wants to hear. We gotta schmooze the talent."
"Cal," I sighed, "I am the talent."
"Yeah, you're also a producer. So buck up and get your ass down here."
"Where?"
"My office."
"Two hours."
"One."
"Two."
"Fine!" He hung up.
I frowned at the phone and studied the mirror. A few pounds lighter, tanner, my hair was marginally longer and lighter. I looked good, but did it really matter?
Hell yes. A woman's looks were her weapons.
I showered quickly and made sure I was still smooth and free of hair. I lathered on light moisturizer and scented myself softly. I put rollers in my hair and dressed in a sexy low cut red wrap shirt and a matching skirt that showed off my athletic legs.
I added ankle breaker pumps and subtle makeup to make my lips poutier, my eyes bigger and bluer, my skin glowing and dewy. My eyebrows were perfectly arched and dark gold, my eyelashes impossibly long and uncluttered. My lips were sinful seduction red and my hair fell down in soft, voluminous waves of golden-blonde sun-warmed strands.
There wasn't a man alive who would be unaffected.
My car was waiting for me in front and I peeled off in my classic Mustang. The studio was across town and it was almost a forty five minute drive by the time I arrived. Security waved me in and I parked by Cal's office.
I made sure to step out using legs and posture and two actors in costume almost tripped over themselves. Bolstered with confidence I swept in.
Cal's secretary Marta was looking haggard. "They're inside, go on ahead."
"Who all?"
"Gruffudd and Cal."
I nodded and swept in. Both were at the conference table, Cal was facing me and chatting away nervously, Ioan was seated with his back to me. I noticed right away his hair was longer and curlier than I remembered.
"Here she is."
Ioan whipped around and I saw surprise flash before a mixture of emotions. Male interest, possession, fury, and agony all at once. I'd never seen that look on a human before, just on statues in Florence.
"Cal, may we have a moment alone?"
He looked nervously at Ioan who was still staring at me.
"Now?"
He slowly rose and I watched him until he was behind me and the door shut. I walked over to the blinds and closed them. Ioan just watched me.
"I was looking for NM."
I sat down with a deep breath. "Nicky Meghan Lee, pleased to meet you."
He almost gaped, and I saw a tick at his left eye.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I really wanted you for this role and I thought what...we had might have gotten in the way. I do hope you'll be professional enough to overlook this."
Nothing, just that grim look.
I sat back and crossed my legs, well aware of the effect they had.
I waited until he finally spoke. "Was it all some kind of joke?"
Some of the ice melted. "God, no. If you'll remember, it was a mistake at first. I tried to back out. When I told you I couldn't handle anything, I meant it. I meant this."
"Then why do it anyways?"
I set my jaw. "You were there, I'm sure you remember."
Something dark passed through his eyes. "You could have at least said goodbye."
"Ioan, you threatened to walk off the set of a film guaranteed to make millions to track me down. Is that really what you wanted to talk about, that last night?"
"Not quite."
"Then spit it out. We both have very busy days ahead of us."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"You didn't just duck out on me, you ducked out on your friends. Danny was the one who woke me the next morning, he'd come to check up on you. He also said you'd tearfully confessed you were in love with me."
The way he said it made it seem dark, perverted.
Folding my arms I forced a smile. "A foolish notion, I assure you, brought on by too much sex and not enough sleep."
"Don't lie to me, Nicky, I don't like it when you lie."
I cocked my head. "It was only one time I jumped when you said so, never again. And that was just mindless fucking. Do not confuse it with real life."
His eyes were mocking as they trailed down my body. Okay, I had dressed to defeat, but had it been to impress? With his eyes he implied so. He himself looked tired, his skin not quite adjusted to California sun, his eyes not adjusted to the time zone. His shirt was open at the collar, his jacket unbuttoned, his stubble thick for one day.
Had I thought him hard edged before? He was an entirely different species now.
"You would still like it. No one else can give you what I do."
"No, they can't."
He looked shocked so I raised an eyebrow in condescension.
"What? You thought I'd lie? I doubt I could find a man in history as good as you, but that doesn't make a difference. I have other things I have to pay attention to in my life and no time for any silliness."
He stood and I instinctively shrank back. He smiled down at me. "Silliness? Really, you call it silliness?"
