Lara and the City of Angels (2 page)

Lara stood and walked into her own personal bathroom and wondered how she would let Sean know about her secret which soon wouldn’t be a secret once he spoke to his agent. She had managed to score herself a role in one of the highest-rated cable television paranormal shows.
One Last Bite
was incredibly popular due to its attractive cast and endless scenes of sex and violence. It also happened to center around vampires in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The show took place on location and was not shot on The Waltz Brothers’ studio lots which meant she would be leaving the following day on one way ticket to Louis Armstrong International Airport. From there, a driver would take her the eighty miles that separated New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

It was a bit part and she didn’t think she would have to tell her husband everything; he rarely if ever spent more than six months a year at home due to his grueling work schedule. If he wasn’t filming then he was going to premieres or award shows and she’d put up with this lifestyle for the past seven years. If she could accommodate him then he could damn well accommodate her.

She shed her clothes, showered and dressed in a pair of black slacks and an ivory silk blouse, all courtesy of Chanel. Sean hated her in pants and always wanted her to wear more dresses but she also had a meeting with her agent and she wanted to look professional, not like some classless tart and certainly not like Sean Buchanan’s gorgeous and oft-seen wife.

Lara made her way down the stairs to the wide and open dining room. Auriel sat with her nanny while Sean read the news from his iPad and devoured one of those disgusting protein shakes he enjoyed after Lara’s blow job, a shower, shit and shave. He was so goddamn predictable, it was almost disgusting.

She smiled and said, “Good morning, dear husband.”

Sean smiled back after she kissed him. “I hope you brushed your teeth.”

Lara’s smile disappeared from her face as she took her seat and Esmeralda brought out her usual which consisted of one cup of vanilla yogurt with a couple tablespoons of granola and a twenty ounce mug of coffee with cream and two Splendas.

Sean finished his protein shake and she could feel him hurrying to leave before she attempted to make any sort of conversation with him.

“I’ll see you tonight, honey.”

“Listen, I just want you to know that tonight will be our last night together…at least for a while.”

This slowed her husband down as he glared at his wife quizzically. “What exactly does that
mean
, Lara?”

“I accepted a part on
One Last Bite
and they shoot on location. Auriel and I will be in Louisiana for the next few months until filming is over,” she explained before she sipped from her coffee.

“Honey,” he began in that condescending tone that made her want to throw up, “we haven’t discussed this and you told me we would talk about this before you made any rash decisions.”

“They needed an answer, Sean, and you kept stone-walling me. Besides, you said you were doing the Blake Burton film so I didn’t think you would mind—”

“It’s been delayed.” His jaw quenched shut. “It’s
undignified
for you to be on television, you do know that, don’t you? You are Lara MacIntyre Buchanan and you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.”

“It’s a cable television show for Christ’s sake. The way you are acting, you make it seem like I am doing some low-brow,
Friends
rip off show when I’m not. It’s a popular show and I don’t believe this will downgrade your superstar status one bit otherwise I wouldn’t have accepted the part. This isn’t about showing off or proving anything to anyone except myself, Sean,” she said with fiery seaweed-green eyes.

He hated to argue in front of the help; his mood did a one eighty and he glanced at his wife. “By the way, Nina and Shane have invited us over for a small get-together at their home this evening. I told them we would be there.”

Lara finished up her coffee and stood. “Of course we will. Talk to you later and have a lovely day, my husband.”

Chapter Two

S
ean left his expensive Pacific Palisades mansion less than pleased.

He loved Lara and thought they had the perfect marriage because there was an understanding between the two of them about the type of person he was. She’d told him she could not only sympathize but handle what ever their marriage became.

The life of a mega-movie star could never be thought of as an easy life, carefree or lucky for the matter. The constant public scrutiny was a pain in the ass and no one wanted their lives dissected by any magazine, whether a tabloid rag or
Vanity Fair
, it still felt unnecessary and egotistical. The pressure to live up to the hype was too much for even him to bear sometimes and he was a very strong person.

Unlike his privileged and pampered wife, he didn’t come from money. His family had been solidly middle-class and he’d grown up in the Charlestown area of Boston. Too many people gave him second glances and would murmur something about it being the “bank robber capital of the world” or the “poor white trash area of the Boston metropolitan area”. Unfortunately due to films like
Good Will Hunting
,
Mystic River
,
Gone Baby Gone
and
The Town
, everyone was now an expert on every fucking neighborhood in Boston and felt they knew the place inside out.

His father, Patrick Buchanan, had owned a floral shop and his mother, Máiréad, was a teller at the local bank. Yes, her bank had been held up—once—but it also happened on her off day. He lived in a solid neighborhood with good people who had each other’s backs and looked out for one another. There were a couple of Italian and black families in the neighborhood but it had been solidly ninety-five percent Irish.

Patrick had come over from Ireland in his teens and still had not managed to lose his accent while his mother was a first generation Irish-American—both her parents immigrants from the old country.

Sean looked it too with his penetrating crystal blue eyes women loved to swoon over, silky light brown hair with natural sun kissed highlights that barely reached his collar, a Roman nose, slim yet sensual lips and alabaster skin which allowed him the faintest of a tan but more often than not, he just avoided the sun or if he had to look tanned and buffed for a role, relied on the spray-on types.

He loved Lara with all his heart but like everyone else in his life she fulfilled a specific purpose. He could feel them as they were starting to drift apart and the worst part of the situation was he had absolutely no idea how to put the pieces back together again.

***

S
ean sat with his agent, Markus Goldsmith II, at The Polo Lounge.

As a major superstar, he would have nothing less than an extremely famous and untouchable agent who happened to be Hollywood royalty. Markus also had an A-list clientele, an office in Century City, more money than he could spend in a lifetime and the world at his fingertips.

It was much too early for lunch but he still chose a light salad with low calorie vinaigrette dressing and Pellegrino water. Alcohol was definitely out as too much would definitely be consumed that night along with various other legal and illegal substances. Nina and Shane’s wild get-togethers were legendary amongst their circle of friends for a reason.

They made small talk for a while before he glared at his ruggedly handsome agent with his dark hair and aquamarine eyes. “Did you know anything about this shit with Lara and that crappy television show,
One Last Bite
? Apparently she’s leaving tomorrow and taking Auriel with her.”

Markus clasped his hands together. “Yes, I did. Lara has been represented by Cristal for a while now and she wanted to do the show. In defense of Cristal, she did try to talk her out of it but your wife was having none of it. She was determined to accept the part on that shitty show but you have to admit…it is great publicity and
One Last Bite
is the most popular show on cable since
The Sopranos
. Hey, it’s up there with
Sons of Anarchy
so why are you taking this personally? Lara’s decision to do the show does not reflect badly on you.”

“Unfortunately, the show can’t hold a candle to
SOA
. I should know as I never miss an episode. Besides, that isn’t the point. The moment she leaves and takes Auriel, the divorce rumors will start again in
Edge of Entertainment
and
Fact or Fiction
. I just can’t take the negative publicity at the moment,” Sean snapped before he finished his water and flagged down the waiter for another.

“Maybe you should check your ego at the door, Sean. News flash, everything Lara does isn’t about hurting you or trying to make you look bad. She has a life too and perhaps she isn’t satisfied being your little trophy wife. The woman isn’t stupid—she’s got a four year degree in Abnormal Psychology from USC. She’s highly intelligent and you have to trust her to know she is making the right decisions. She’s
married
to you—you’re not her lord and master,” Markus replied in a flippant tone.

“Perhaps that is the difference between you and I. You can give your wife complete freedom because you have known her for a very long time. Lara has always been…different. I can feel her slipping through my fingers and the more control I try to exert the more I know she is pulling away from me. Sadly, I don’t know what I can do to make her happy anymore.”

They were silent for a few comfortable moments before Markus said what Sean considered the unthinkable. “Perhaps it’s the lifestyle. You have to admit you don’t live the most conventional life and with her becoming a mother, maybe she thought all of that would change.

“You have to admit it isn’t the best way to live. Not everyone can handle that and it takes a very strong woman to be comfortable enough in her own skin and
trust
her husband. The question you need to ask yourself is whether she feels she can trust you or not and there is your answer.”

Sean glared at his agent before he ordered a shot of Glenfiddich 21 and downed it before it had been in front of him for more than a minute. He avoided his agent’s disapproving gaze.

“That isn’t going to solve your problems, Sean. I warned you when you proclaimed you were in love and couldn’t live without Lara. Perhaps this is the best thing you can do. Let her go and if she comes back to you then at least you know what you two have is real. It is the best advice I can give you and I do believe I am being as objective as possible…as your agent that is.”

“I agree,” he whispered. “I just can’t imagine my life with out her and I feel so stupid and silly for saying that but she really is everything to me. The lifestyle is great and it is a very important part of me but if she left me, I don’t know what I would do.”

Chapter Three

L
ara did a little light shopping as she had checked the weather and the summers in Louisiana were a bit more humid than L.A. Auriel didn’t stray too far away and that gave her a small semblance of relief.

She took a deep breath, slipped a Xanax tablet in her mouth and dry swallowed it despite the bitter tanginess it left that tasted like complete shit.

“Lara, is that you?” a female voice inquired in cheerful tone.

She looked up to see Elin Johansson-Nordstrom, the wife of superstar Thomas Nordstrom. Her mocha skin glowed and she was followed by two little tow-headed blond kids though they had deep olive complexions. Johanna, their seven year old daughter, possessed her father’s aquamarine eyes while their four year old son, Thomas, Jr., had his mother’s intriguing hazel-brown eyes.

“Hey, Elin, how is it going?”

“Busy as usual, I’m wiped. I just wanted to let you know I sure am looking forward to letting my hair down tonight at Nina and Shane’s get together. I haven’t seen you in ages though Sean never seems to miss an occasion. Have you not been feeling well? You look tired.”

She attempted a smile but fell short. “I’m great. I could use a bit more sleep but I leave tomorrow for location.
One Last Bite
—”