Authors: Sorcha MacMurrough
But there was still the small
matter of her appearance to take care of, so as soon as she got into the
apartment, she tore off her cocktail dress, and stood under the shower,
scrubbing the black out of her hair vigorously.
She knew Brad would be home soon, and would wonder why she
was having a shower at this late hour.
She gave her hair a quick going
over with the dryer before tying it back in a knot, and took out her
lenses.
She checked herself in the
mirror to make sure she’d scrubbed off the last traces of make-up, and soon
heard noises outside the door.
She
flicked off the light and got into bed, and hoped he would believe she was
asleep and not try to talk to her about the events of the morning, which seemed
a lifetime ago.
But then she heard the doorbell
ring, and she jumped up.
Zaira padded over to the door
wearing nothing but a filmy night dress, and heard Brad say, “Zaira?
I’m sorry, I forgot my keys.”
She let him in, and he looked at
her briefly before turning away.
“I’m sorry I woke you,” Brad whispered as he tried to skirt past
her.
But Zaira was desperate for
answers from him as to his sudden change in mood, and asked, “Well, how were
rehearsals today?”
“Fine,” he muttered. He sat
heavily on the sofa with his head in his hands.
“What’s wrong, Brad?” Zaira knew
it was cruel to pry, but she hoped that maybe if he confided in her as a
friend, she might find out the truth once and for all about the beautiful blond
girl in the photo.
“Nothing really, it’s just been a
long day, and I’m bone tired,” he sighed. She daringly went over and began to
massage the rigid muscles in his neck and shoulders.
At first Brad stiffened, and said,
“There’s no need to do that,” but Zaira
assured him that it was no trouble.
Eventually he relaxed and began to enjoy it, and the tension
eased from his face.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
she asked softly.
“Not just at the minute, Zaira,
though we’re going to have to settle a few things between us soon.
I’m not thinking straight about
anything at the moment.
Just when
it all becomes clear in my mind, something happen which knocks my whole life
spiraling out of control again,” he said quietly, holding her hands which
circled round his neck.
“This business with your father,
is that what's got you upset?” she whispered, nuzzling her cheek against him
unconsciously.
“Not really, though I must say it
surprised me a bit.
No, Zoe stood
up to them, just like you said she would.
But you and I need to talk to the publishers about a contract for you.
I’ll arrange a meeting with Matt Wolf for tomorrow night, for dinner as a
special treat, if that’s all right.”
Zaira was rather alarmed.
What on earth could she wear?
She only had the one good dress to go
out in, and Brad had already seen that on Zoe.
“There’s no need, really, I mean,
I could just go up to their offices and sign the papers. There’s no need to make
a fuss,” she said, trying to pull away.
Brad held on to her, and swung her
around by one arm so that she landed in his lap.
“Now don’t be silly, it’s my pleasure.
It’s the least I can do to thank you
for all the hard work you’ve done.”
He kissed her lightly, but the
warmth of her through her flimsy covering soon urged him to press his kisses
further.
He ran one hand down the
length of her, and then raised his hand up to remove her glasses, which Zaira
took from him before looping her hands around his neck.
Suddenly Brad pulled his mouth
away and stood up so abruptly, Zaira nearly fell.
Only her arms around him stopped her from tumbling onto the
floor, and she gasped, “Brad!”
Instinctively he grabbed her by
the arms to steady her, and she could see the light in his eyes as he looked at
Zaira briefly before running his hands up and down her arms and then turning
his back to her.
“I think I must be going out of my
mind,” Brad said raggedly, running his fingers through his lush hair.
“Every time I come within ten feet of
you I become completely without scruples. All my good intentions about not
taking advantage of our living in the same place and working together go right
out of the window.
I want us to
stay friends, I don’t want to hurt you, and now I have.
And what’s done can’t be undone, even
if I wanted it to, which I don’t.
It just doesn’t make sense,” Brad groaned.
“Brad, you haven’t hurt me.
If I desire you too, you’re not hurting
me,” Zaira pleaded.
Brad shook his head and whispered,
“No, you don’t understand.
And I
don’t understand myself.
I’ve
never used people before, I’ve never been in love before.
I think I am now, but if I am, it’s
sheer hell at the minute.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Zaira offered, hoping he might tell her all she wanted to know.
She felt sick inside at his rejection
of her as both Zoe and Zaira, and wanted him to put her out of her misery once
and for all.
She had to know who
this woman was tearing him apart, even if by finding out she hurt herself more.
“Brad, keeping it locked up inside
you won’t help,” she urged.
“I’m
your friend no matter what.”
Even
if you leave me forever,
she added silently, and prayed that this was not what he was about to
tell her.
“Thanks, Zaira, really, but I
don’t want to talk about it yet, not until I’m sure.
I’ll tell you tomorrow.
And speaking of tomorrow, we have that dinner to go to, so
get your beauty sleep,” he said with a smile, though his voice was still tight,
and his stunning emerald eyes looked haunted.
“I’ll see you in the morning,
then, Brad,” Zaira said sadly, as she whispered across the floor, her nightgown
trailing.
“Zaira?” Brad said softly, and she
turned to face him once more, pushing her spectacles firmly up onto the bridge
of her nose to see him better.
“What is it, Brad?” she whispered,
trying to keep the pain and longing out of her voice.
“For what it’s worth, these have
been the happiest days of my life here with you.
I want you to know that ever since you and I met, I’ve never
known such happiness existed.
I’ve
tried to bring the joy of living back into your life, and the funny thing is,
you’re the one who brought it back into mine.”
“This sounds suspiciously like a
goodbye to me, Brad Clarke,” Zaira said, trying not to cry.
“Every ending is a new beginning,
isn’t it?” Brad shrugged.
“I don’t
know. I’ll wait and see.”
“All right, but you will let me
know your plans, won’t you?” Zaira said frostily, and closed the door before he
could say anything more.
Alone in her room, Zaira felt the
weight of despair crush her heart.
Just when she had been so happy, when they had made love to each other
with a fervor which had convinced her she meant something to him, now he was
talking about leaving!
And the
other woman?
Who was she?
What hold did she have over him that he
couldn’t break free of?
And what of the project?
If he went back to California, what
would happen to “The Dark Lady”?
Would he change his mind about it?
But no, he had paid handsomely for it.
What of herself as actress? She hadn’t signed a contract for
that yet.
Maybe he had decided to
replace her with the gorgeous blond on the West Coast?
Zaira cursed herself for being so
foolish as to trust all his promises.
When it came right down to it, Brad was probably just as ruthless as
Cormac.
After all, he had tried to
persuade Zoe Dominick to accept Cormac’s offer from Clarke Studios, as if he
didn't expect her to owe him any loyalty at all.
But what possible reason could he
have for that?
Only one that she
could think of: to make sure she was paid off handsomely, before he got her out
of his life once and for all. Was he treating her as nothing more than a brief
fling best forgotten before he returned to his real life in California?
And now, Zaira was getting the
brush off as well, with all this talk of contracts.
He had just used her, was making sure she was paid off, and
then he was disappearing off to LA, never to be heard from again despite all
his protestations of friendship.
Zaira felt a gnawing in her
stomach that had nothing to do with passion. No, it was a cold, steely
determination. She was not going to lose Brad. She refused to accept defeat
that easily.
Whoever that girl
was, she was three thousand miles away, while Zaira was here with Brad.
If she had to fight dirty as either
Zaira or Zoe, she was going to make it as difficult as possible for Brad to
leave her behind.
Zaira woke early in a determined
frame of mind.
She pinned her hair
up tightly, tugging it back with a vengeance, and planned her strategy for the
day.
She left the house at seven.
Though she heard Brad’s voice call to her, she marched out the door and down
the stairs haughtily.
She was not
going to feel sorry for him, or oblige him any more. With any luck, the
hard-to-get approach would to make him come running.
Zaira planned out her day of
lectures, and decided that she could afford to skip rehearsals.
Brad could do the directing for a
change, and it was the other members of the cast who needed the practice.
Today she would go out and find a suitable
dress to wear tonight.
She rang
Matt at his home, and told him of Brad’s plans.
“This whole situation is getting
very complicated. When are you going to tell him who you really are?
Surely he’s proven himself trustworthy
by now?” Matt protested.
Zaira told him briefly of her
altercations with Cormac over the contracts, and Matt whistled.
“I wouldn’t say it means you can’t
trust him, but I would watch my step.
But Zaira, you are going to have to tell him the truth soon. If he finds
out on his own he’s going to go through the roof. Then the whole project will
be over.”
“Don’t worry. I've invested far
too much time, effort and passion in this whole affair with Brad Clarke to let
it all slip through my fingers,” she said grimly.
“Affair?
Zaira, what are you trying to tell me?” Matt sounded
surprised but also pleased for her.
“Nothing at the minute, Matt, but
I’ll let you know when I know myself.”
“Well, darling, nothing would make
me happier, especially after that fiasco with Jonathan, but you will be careful,
won’t you.”
Zaira debated as to whether she
should tell Matt the whole truth about Jonathan being back in her life as
Cormac's accountant. She decided it was just too risky, and would only make him
even more concerned.
“Don’t worry, I can handle myself.
And as soon as the play is over on
Saturday, I shall tell him.
If he
tries to break my contract,
any
of my contracts, I’ll bleed him dry,” Zaira declared.
Matt chuckled for a moment, but
when he spoke again his tone was serious.
“Zaira, I sympathize, but really this is most unlike you.
You’ve always fought fair, no matter
what.”
“Maybe I’ve learnt not to be so
naive and trusting,” she said harshly. Then she sighed, and said more softly,
“But since when has love ever been a fair fight?”
Matt laughed. “I hope you win
whatever you wish, Zaira.
I’ll see
you at One Fifth at eight, then? If Brad calls I’ll say Zoe arranged it.”
“Great, I’m off shopping for a
dress now.
And I think I’ve got an
idea for a new novel, but I’m not sure about the ending yet,” she said wryly.
“Well, your bank balance is pretty
healthy now, and I’m sure that you only owe another five thousand, so go out
and enjoy yourself.
You deserve it
after all you’ve been through for the last year and a half.”