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  "Honey," she said, "if I could crawl through this phone I’d be there right now!"

  "There are flights leaving every few hours. You could be here tonight."

  At that possibility, a vision sprang full blown to her mind. She and Joseph lying with their arms around each other. She and Joseph having sex, his lean body against hers, his lovely mouth on her, his wonderful voice speaking urgently into her ear.

  "But," she said a little breathlessly, "I can’t fly."

  Joseph laughed, "What do you mean you can’t fly?"

  "I won’t get on a plane."

  "What do you mean you won’t get on a plane?" Joseph persisted as if he couldn’t understand how a person got around without aircraft.

  "I’m terrified of flying," she explained. "I’m talking panic attacks during take-off and landing." A plan crystallized in her mind. "Listen, I’ll drive down there."

  She’d leave first thing tomorrow and if she drove straight through she’d arrive in LA in the small hours of Friday morning. She mentally ticked off what she would pack, the calls she had to make, and the arrangements with her neighbor to watch her apartment.

  "So, you’re really coming down here?" He asked.

  "Yes! I need to do a few things tonight. I’ll leave tomorrow morning bright and early and be there Friday."

  He gave her his address and with more assurances that it was going to be wonderful to see her they rang off.

  Nina sprang into action. Waving her arms and twirling, she did a wild dance across the living room floor. Then she ran into her walk-in closet, found her suitcase on the shelf, dropped it on the settee and furiously started packing.

  Joseph hung up the phone feeling an odd mixture of fear and elation. Now that he had actually done it he wasn’t sure it was advisable to have Nina down here in LA. In his house. Staying in his house. His work was here, otherwise he’d go back to Seattle, back to the convenience of her apartment, the convenience of her availability without giving up too much of himself. This was his life down here. What if she turned into some kind of stalker? What if she never wanted to leave once she got down here? How well did he really know her? Hearing her voice brought up a lot of different feelings, her easy capitulation had excited him while at the same time struck him with a vague, unidentified foreboding. I’m a dog! He shook his head in disgust. Or am I a walking cliché? Do I want what I can’t have, and now that I can have it, I don’t want it anymore? He had to go through with this. He couldn’t call her back and say he changed his mind. This was a done deal. And he needed to see her again if only for his own peace of mind. He spotted an old photo of Karen and him together on the refrigerator. He ripped it from its magnet and began a methodical search of his house to remove all traces of the blonde bimbo.

  At three thirty Friday morning, Nina pulled off the freeway exit, parked at a service station and dialed Josephs’ number from a disposable cell phone she had bought for the trip. She'd driven the whole route, stereo blasting, stopping only for food, coffee and bathroom breaks. Two nights before she had slept soundly for nine hours with the help of some Nyquil, knowing there was no way she was going to get any sleep with thoughts of Joseph crowding her brain. She felt tired and bleary eyed from the long drive, but the promise of seeing him was like a siren song pulling her forward.

  After three rings he answered sleepily, "Hello?"

  "Are you alone?" she whispered conspiratorially.

  "Not for long, I hope," he said, sounding much more awake now. "Where are you?"

  Nina described her location and Joseph coached her on the phone as she drove the rest of the way to his house.

  "I told the guard to expect you," he said, as she drove up to the gated community.

  Following his guidance, she arrived at a large two-story Spanish style house with a red tile roof. She pulled into the driveway and Joseph appeared at the front door, phone in hand, wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts, his long, skinny legs sticking out, his dark hair messed up, an expectant smile on his lean face.

  Nina got out, ran up the walk and, as Joseph stepped aside, entered the house.

  He closed the door, and for a moment they stood there in the entryway looking at each other. Then Nina threw her arms around his neck and breathed him in.

  He wrapped an arm around her waist, buried a hand in her hair and, finding her lips, covered her mouth with his.

  They stood in the entryway kissing.

  He steered her against the wall and lifted her shirt up over her breasts. He caressed them, rubbing his thumbs across the nipples.

  "Man, have I missed you," he said, not taking his eyes off her breasts, he pushed them together with both hands.

  She put her hand against the front of his shorts. "I can tell. Where’s the bedroom?" She slipped her hand inside the waistband and stroked softly.

  "Too far." His hands went around her, gripped her from behind and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her down the two steps into the sunken living room. Gently, he placed her on the soft area rug in front of the sofa.

  He stripped her of her clothes until she was completely naked. His hands fondled and smoothed over every inch of her body followed by his mouth, kissing her breasts, her abdomen, and her thighs. She clutched at his T-shirt from the back of his neck and pulled it over his head, then took him in her arms feeling his bare chest against hers, his weight upon her like a soothing balm. She removed his shorts halfway down his legs and then bending her knee she hooked the waistband with her big toe and dragged them the rest of the way off.

  "That was a neat trick," he said.

  "I can be very resourceful in a pinch."

  He scooted downward and parted her legs. Dipping his head, he began to lap at her with his tongue.

  "Oh, God please don’t do that." Squirming beneath him, she entwined her fingers in his hair. "I want you inside me."

  His head popped up and he brought his hand up to his face to rub his nose and mouth. Brown eyes twinkled at her mischievously.

  "Now?" he taunted, positioning himself over her.

  "Yes, now!" Nina impatiently guided him inside her.

  Afterwards, they stumbled naked into the bedroom and crawled into bed. For several hours they slept snuggled together. Upon waking, they made love again, taking their sweet time. At eleven o’clock, they reluctantly got out of bed and had a brunch of sorts, with cold cuts, gourmet cheese and crackers and potato salad. They got comfortable on the couch and, at Nina’s instigation, watched one of Joseph’s movies.

  Nina felt strangely embarrassed as she watched Joseph’s character, a hoodlum who had a gang of thugs that maimed and killed at his command. Since she knew Joseph intimately, she was acutely aware that he was in front of a camera. She couldn’t see the story unfolding before her. All she saw were people on a set and that everything was faked. She couldn’t tell if he was a good actor or not. The dialogue felt stilted and awkward to her. This was not the real Joseph.

  Joseph was watching her reaction and she said, "I feel like I’m behind the scenes in this movie, since you’re sitting right beside me. I’m having a hard time following the story."

  Joseph took her hand and entwined his fingers through hers. "I know. It’s weird, isn’t it? I feel like that too, when I’m watching someone I know. I can’t separate myself from the reality of that person."

  "I’m sorry! I’m sure you’re a very good actor." Nina wanted to show some womanly support.

  "Well, hell yes! I’m a great actor," Joseph mocked. "Just look at me emoting all over the place. I really had to dig deep to find those expressions."

  "That wig you’re wearing is blatantly obvious."

  "Yes, it’s pretty awful. But let me tell you something. I got good reviews and the movie is a cult classic. I’m still getting residuals from it."

  "No kidding?"

  "No kidding, woman. You wanna see the outtakes from it?"

  "Sure."

  Joseph got a VHS tape and plugged it into the
VCR. They spent another hour laughing at him and the other actors flubbing their lines. Joseph pointed out the mistakes made by the props master in keeping each scene consistent, and gave her little tidbits on the private lives of the actors.

  "So, do you have paparazzi?" Nina wondered how recognizable Joseph was. Would they be hounded by the media if they went out?

  "No, thank God," Joseph said. "Most A-list actors have to put up with that. Some actors wished they had paparazzi, but I’m not one of those people. They might get a picture of me at an event but that’s only because they’re trying to get shots of people that are more famous than I am. I rarely see my photo anywhere, except when I’m doing publicity for a project."

  "That’s good, then." Nina was relieved.

  "What, you don’t want to live your life in the public eye?"

  "No, thank you."

  "No, I didn’t think you were that type. You seem like a very private person, which is why it’s pretty amazing when you get up on stage. Mild mannered Nina by day, and blow-your-mind Nina by night."

  Nina laughed self-consciously, "Really?"

  "Yes, really. But that’s only my opinion, and I’m biased." He leaned his body against hers and forced her down on her back. He caressed her face and kissed her. Nina ran her hands under his shirt and along his back, skin against skin making a lovely swishing noise from the soft friction.

  "Let’s go back to bed." Joseph lifted up her shirt.

  "Again?" Nina said dreamily, as he kissed between her bared breasts and pinched her right nipple, rolling it between his fingers.

  "Apparently," Joseph replied, punctuating the word with a stab of his erection between them.

  "Why not here?" Nina shifted her position so she could get her legs around him.

  "I think I’m going to need a bigger playing field." He got off of her and held out his hand. A pup tent stuck out of his shorts.

  "What? You expect me to walk?" Nina asked. She took his hand and let him help her up.

  "If I can make it, you can." Joseph led her back into the bedroom.

  SIX

  HER second night in Los Angeles Joseph took Nina to dinner at one of the popular restaurants in town. They waited in the entry for a table and took in the tall palms, gurgling fountains and the vivid greens, blues, orange and reds of the room. Joseph spotted a flash of pink sitting at a table full of people. He couldn’t believe it. He took Nina’s hand when their table was ready and as they followed the hostess, he saw the girl he had gone home with a week before pop up like a jack-in-the-box from her table. Don’t talk to me! Joseph prayed. But she came right up to him, squealed his name and threw her arms around him like they were long lost lovers.

  "Hello?" Joseph removed her arms from around his neck. Nina had his hand clenched in an iron grip.

  "Janet!" She looked Nina up and down and, dismissing her, went on, "I’ve been waiting for you to call me," she pouted.

  "We are on our way into dinner, maybe we’ll talk to you later," Joseph said, putting emphasis on 'we'.

  They left Janet standing there and continued following the hostess through the restaurant.

  He looked at Nina’s stricken face and said, "What an awful coincidence." He put his arm around her once they were seated and spoke in a low voice, "I was with her one time. Thought it might help me not miss you so much."

  "Clearing the cobwebs?" Nina asked smoothly, recovering herself.

  "I guess so, yeah."

  "Hmm."

  Joseph couldn't tell by her reaction if this information was going to mess up everything. His earlier uncertainty about her visit had gone by the wayside when he saw her face yesterday.

  "I don’t want you to leave," he blurted. What was wrong with him? Did he have no filter of what came out of his mouth?

  "I just got here," Nina said.

  Just then Joseph saw someone else he knew. Coming toward his table was his sister and her husband. Smiling, he stood up, reached out to shake hands with Tom Hannigan and gave his sister a quick hug. "What a surprise!" He introduced Nina to Laura and Tom and then invited the couple to join them. Laura slid into the seat beside Nina, while Tom took a place on the other side of the booth beside Joseph.

  Nina could feel Laura Walker-Hannigan eyes on her. Probably thinks I'm not his usual type, she thought. She held hands with Joseph under the table and regarded his sister. Extremely cool and elegant with straight dark hair cut in a bob just above her jaw line and features that were like her brothers although in a more feminine version. She reminded Nina of a Madonna. Dressed in a white tank dress that looked tailored to fit her tall slender frame, Nina frankly admired her appearance. Laura met her eyes and they smiled spontaneously at each other.

  "Would you like a breadstick?" Nina asked quietly, sliding the basket over.

  "That would be great," Laura answered just as solemnly, helping herself. "So, I hear you come from Seattle."

  "Yes," Nina nodded towards Joseph and said, "I picked him up in a bar."

  "How long are you staying in LA."

  Nina kept looking at Joseph as she replied, "Until he beats me off with a stick!"

  Laura laughed and said, "We ought to have lunch together sometime."

  "I would really like that. And perhaps you could tell me where I can get some shopping done."

  "Of course, in fact why don’t we meet on Tuesday and make an afternoon of it? I’ll call you at Joseph’s and arrange it. Or, maybe I can just come by and pick you up?"

  "Okay." Nina couldn’t believe her luck. She seemed to have made a fast friend on her second day here.

  Two days later, buzzing along in Laura's BMW, Nina decided to go in for the kill and ask, "What do you know about Joseph's ex-girlfriend?"

  Laura glanced at her and said, "Karen? She's a walking cliché. One of the hundreds of young actresses wanting to make it big. She thinks she can use her body to get anything she wants. She's a whore. I saw her at a party once in the back yard behind a bush. She was on her knees in front of this producer, giving him a blowjob. I never told Joseph about it."

  Surprised that this composed creature could so casually spout such indecencies, Nina was also secretly glad that Laura thought Karen was a whore. Then she wondered how Joseph could be with someone like that.

  "Was Joseph at the party?"

  "Yes, he was."

  "Wow."

  "I know what you're thinking. I should have told Joseph. The thing with men is that even if you slap them in the face with the evidence their ego will refuse to believe it. Also, Karen is the queen of manipulation. Ask her what she had for breakfast and she'll dream up some way to turn the question to her advantage. I didn’t want to be the one to inform him of something that should have been blatantly obvious to him. Joseph had screwed around on her too."

  "Ew!" Nina didn't like the picture that presented.

  "Nina," Laura said gravely, "men can't be trusted. Not even my darling brother, though I love him to pieces. I never liked Karen. Too shallow and phony—always performing for the public at large. I never understood what my brother saw in her. But, the whole blonde tits and ass thing usually suckers men in."

  Sorry that she had brought it up, Nina said, "How long have you been married?"

  "Five years. Tom is a sweetheart. You know he builds houses? He's a wonderful man. My savior. Joseph thinks I sold out, you know I use to be an actress? I just got tired of the game. I met Tom and it was like, take me away from all this shit! The only thing I ever got was a fabric softener commercial. Everything else was bit parts, one liners or no lines at all. It was hell! And the auditions! I never want to do another audition again! What do you do for a living?"

  Bemused by her prattle Nina said, "I work in a club. Actually my family owns a club."

  "You mean you're nothing but a waitress?" Laura started laughing, but saw the look on Nina’s face and hastened to reassure her, "Oh please don't be offended! You're like a breath of fresh air. I like you way better than Karen. This won't go down too well
with her. She's going to shit her pants when she hears this! You know she called me the day that Joseph broke up with her and demanded I find out what I could about you?"

  "What are you going to tell her?"

  "I already told her to go to hell! Fucking bleeding idiot! Not you. Do you see that guy?" Laura laid on her horn as a black Porsche cut her off. "Joseph has been very closed mouthed about you. Exactly how did you two get together?"

  "Well basically it was just like I said. He came into the club and asked me out." Nina flushed uncomfortably. Would Laura think she was a slut? She didn’t offer any more information. She had known Joseph a week before she slept with him and it really wasn't anyone's business.

  "Did he tell you about Karen?" Laura asked.

  "Eventually, but not right away."

  "Have you ever been married?"

  "No," Nina said shortly. Realizing that she might sound impolite, she elaborated. "I’ve had a couple of serious relationships but nothing ever panned out. I like my independence, and I probably have issues with men that I don’t want to examine too closely. It was just easier to stay away from them. Too much trouble."

  "And now?"

  "Now what?"

  "Do you have issues with Joseph?"

  Nina turned in her seat and studied Laura’s profile. "Well, if you want to get all personal about it, I’m not sure how I feel. But I am wary of this ex-girlfriend and I just learned he was with someone else right after he broke up her and before I came down here. How does Karen know about me?"

  "I’m not sure how she knew about you. But they share the same agent, you know."

  Disquieted, Nina said, "No, I didn’t know that."

  How much did she really know about Joseph except that he'd enslaved her sexually? Just how long could that go on before the flame burned down? Did they really have that much in common? Nina wasn’t sure about anything.