Superstar (30 page)

Mark said,
"You should go back on location tomorrow; they're still shooting. I
won't be back until next week."

Next week!
Carrin's heart sank. It was only Tuesday. That meant she
would not see him for six or seven days, at least. It seemed like a
lifetime, so soon after she had almost lost him. He was shutting
her out, pushing her away. She went cold, and her heart laboured as
if she was about to pass out.

"Are you all
right?" Mark frowned. "You've gone as white as a sheet."

"I'm fine."
She forced herself to relax. "I just... well, it will be difficult
to face Harold knowing that he doesn't want me around."

Mark shook his
head. "It's not that he doesn't like you. He does. It's just that
we were causing too much strife with our... hostility. He felt he
had to get rid of one of us, and you were the obvious choice."

"Of
course."

"There won't
be a problem when I'm not around, and even when I return, we're
over our little... spat."

"Are we?" She
raised her eyes. "You seem rather distant."

"This is what
you wanted, isn't it? Friendship?"

Carrin nodded,
longing to tell him that she did not want this cold formality and
distant politeness. She wanted a close, loving friendship, the next
best thing to real love, without the inevitable problems that went
with it. The words stuck in her throat, for she knew that if she
spoke them there would be no end to the complications that
followed. To admit her feelings would be to doom any hope of
friendship between them. He would either try to use her emotions to
gain himself a temporary bed-warmer, or scorn her for being like
all the other women who found him irresistible. She had no choice
but to accept what he offered, and hope that it would warm in time
as his bitterness wore off. Mark watched her intently, and she
forced a smile and stood up.

"Well, you're
tired, so I'll leave you to rest."

He nodded.
"I'll see you next week, on location."

"Yes.
Goodbye."

As she reached
the door, Rita appeared in it, and Mark called, "Rita, tell John to
take Miss York back to her hotel."

The young maid
glanced uncertainly at Carrin's strained face. "Yes, Mr Lord."

Carrin walked
through the hall like a zombie, her face stiff as she struggled to
hide her sadness and pain. It will blow over, she told herself, it
will get better. He won't stay cross with you forever, he can't.
Time heals even the worst wounds.

John's
expression told her that she was a lousy actress. His cheerful
smile faded, and he helped her into the car. The paparazzi at the
gates banged on the windows and shouted hopeful questions,
evidently thinking that Mark was within, but John soon left them
behind. He drove her to the hotel in silence, and she was glad that
he was a tactful man.

In her room,
she sat in numb misery for a long time before she showered and went
to bed. Her world had fallen apart. Her dreams, even merely of
friendship, seemed on the brink of doom. All she could do now was
to try and make up for her mistakes, then maybe they could return
to the warm camaraderie that they had shared. Right now, however,
she had to face a week without him, when she did not wish to be
away from him at all.

The days that
followed were a nightmare for Carrin. Time dragged by at a snail's
pace, and the shooting and re-shooting of scenes became utterly
boring. She had little to say about anything, and when Harold asked
her opinion she agreed with him, for most of the time she had not
been paying attention anyway. Without Mark, the location was an
empty, bitter place. The nights were cold and cheerless, and the
days hot and sticky. The magic had gone out of her life, and it
seemed dull and pointless. Janice made malicious comments, which
Carrin ignored, and Warren's efforts to cheer her up were equally
meaningless. Her guilt about Patsy did bother her, however. Even if
Mark had been the one who had used her, she had been the reason for
it, so she must share the blame for Patsy's pain.

On Friday she
found the girl alone under an awning, reading a magazine. Carrin
walked over to her.

"Hello,
Patsy."

The
make-up girl looked up. "Oh, hi, Carrin."

"Mind if I
join you?"

"No, have a
seat."

Carrin sat
down and removed her sunglasses. "How are you?"

"Couldn't be
better."

She did indeed
look cheerful, and Carrin marvelled at her resilience. Still, she
had to get this off her chest, and ploughed in. "I'm sorry about
what Mark did to you; I know I was the cause."

Patsy grinned.
"Mark didn't do anything to me."

"But surely...
he led you on, to make me jealous. I thought you were crazy about
him. When we spoke at the pool..."

"Oh, no, I was
in on it."

Carrin stared
at her, stunned. "You were in on it?"

"Yes, of
course. Hell, you don't think Mark would do a shitty thing like
that, do you? He told me what he wanted to do right from the
beginning. He asked me to help."

"You were
acting?"

Patsy nodded.
"I was pretty good, wasn't I?"

"Yes."

"See what he
gave me." She held up a gold pendant that hung around her neck. It
was shaped like a heart, with a tiny diamond at its centre. "To
show his appreciation. Hell, I didn't want anything. It was great
just to spend a weekend at his place. I'll live on that story all
my life." She sighed. "He's such a great guy. I'd have given my eye
teeth to have really been in that kind of a relationship with him,
even if it had been only for a weekend. You're so lucky,
Carrin."

"I am?"

Patsy snorted.
"Oh, come on! Every woman in Hollywood wants to be in a
relationship with Mark Lord, it's like the most common fantasy. Why
did he want to make you jealous? You two have a fight or
something?"

"Or
something."

"Wow, if I had
Mark Lord after me, I'd never pick a fight with him. He's crazy
about you."

No he isn't,
Carrin thought bitterly. At the moment, he doesn't even want to be
friends with me because I bruised his ego. He just can't stand to
lose a battle. Failure is not in his nature, he's proved that by
becoming a superstar, and he was determined that some little
no-account writer would not beat him. Maybe she had won the battle,
but lost the war.

"How is he,
anyway?" Patsy asked, and Carrin marshalled her thoughts.

"He's
fine."

"Boy, he gave
us all such a fright. We were worried sick about him."

Carrin
nodded, then excused herself and wandered away to think about this
latest revelation. If Mark's attempt to make her jealous had not
been a spur of the moment seduction of a vulnerable girl, but
rather a calculated, planned action involving Patsy's co-operation,
was his coldness towards her now yet another ploy? Was he trying to
show her that friendship was not all it was cracked up to be, so
that she would opt for the other option and enter into one of his
temporary, doomed relationships? He must have some idea that she
felt something for him; otherwise neither of those plans would
work, or was he just such an egotistical bastard that he couldn't
believe that he had met a woman who was immune to his
charms?

Of course, he
had not, but she was certain that she had hidden her feelings
successfully. It seemed that Mark Lord did not have a spontaneous
bone in his body, or any feelings at all. Everything he did was
cold and calculated to get what he wanted, and she had almost
fallen for it. Another Oscar-winning performance from the great
superstar, Mark Lord. Carrin gritted her teeth. Why did she have to
love such a cold-hearted, manipulative man? She had spent almost a
week in abject misery because of his damned change of tactics.
Beneath her simmering anger ran a cold tide of sorrow. Their
friendship would not become real until he gave up his attempts to
add her to his collection of conquests.

Carrin's new
knowledge bolstered her through the final day of filming, and she
returned to her hotel with Warren. At the front desk, the clerk
handed her a message, and she tore it open.

'Carrin. I
will send John for you tomorrow at two. Mark.'

Of all
the gall! Did he think that by now she would be so desperate to see
him that she would obey such curt summons? Remembering the misery
that she had suffered all week, she probably would have, if Patsy
had not given the game away. Now she was tempted to ignore his
message and make sure she was not in tomorrow.

All evening
she thought about it, weighing her wish to pay him back for his
tricks against her longing to see him. By the time she went to bed,
her longing had won. A strong curiosity also affected her decision.
He had said that he would see her next week, and now he wanted to
see her tomorrow, why? Had he decided to change tactics again? Had
he expected her to give in before this, and come running to him to
beg forgiveness and admit her feelings for him rather than face his
coldness? Now that she hadn't, what was he going to try?

John's glum
look surprised Carrin when he picked her up the next day. He hardly
smiled when she greeted him, and he looked even more mournful at
her cheeriness. She was tempted to question him, but decided not
to; she would find out soon enough. An equally grim Rita showed her
into the study, which was empty. Was she now getting the unwelcome
treatment too? Was this the next stage of Mark's plan? Soon the
door opened, and Mark entered. He looked fully recovered, she was
pleased to note, his tired look gone. In fact, he was remarkably
cheerful.

"Hello,
Carrin. Glad you could make it. Sit down. Would you like some
coffee? A cool drink?"

"No thanks."
She sank into a chair, the sight of him making her knees weak.

He seemed
excited, even a little agitated, and stood irresolutely by the
door. "Excuse me for a moment, will you? I'll be back in a
second."

Mark
turned and left again, and she stared after him in confusion. What
was he up to now? She did not have to wait long for the answer.
Moments later he reappeared, this time towing a raven-haired beauty
Carrin instantly recognised. Helen! The ex-maid looked radiant, her
face wreathed in smiles as she gazed at Mark with adoring eyes.
Carrin's heart sank into her shoes. Mark returned Helen's adoring
look with a gentle, seductive smile. Helen positively fawned,
clinging to his hand with both of hers. At first she did not notice
Carrin, but when she did her expression changed to one of smug
malice.

"Helen,
darling, you remember Miss York, don't you?" Mark's voice throbbed
with love. Carrin's heart sank even further, and she regarded the
pair with a jaundiced eye.

Helen smiled
like a cat that had just polished off the cream and the goldfish
too. "Of course. It's nice to see you again."

Carrin nodded.
"Hello, Helen."

Mark guided
Helen to a chair and seated her in it as if she was made of
porcelain. He seemed hardly able to take his eyes off her, and they
shone with tenderness. Helen lapped it up, returning his look and
stroking his sleeve as he sat beside her on the couch. He stroked
her cheek.

"My sweet, you
remember what we talked about last night?"

She glanced at
Carrin. "Of course, sweetheart."

"Good. I've
asked Miss York here so that we can clear the matter up. My
reputation depends on you, darling."

Helen shot
Carrin a sour glance. "Well, I didn't think Miss York was one for
spreading tales."

Carrin opened
her mouth to deny that, but Mark was faster. "She feels it's her
civic duty to warn people about me, my angel."

Helen's lip
curled in scorn. "Anyone who would believe a thing like that's a
fool."

"You did a
good job of convincing her, darling."

Helen
smirked. "I did, didn't I?" She turned to address Carrin in a
condescending tone. "Well, Miss York, Mark didn't beat me. He would
never do a thing like that. For your information, he's the
sweetest, kindest man alive. I went to a friend who's a make-up
artist and had her make me look like that."

"Why?"

"Because I was
jealous." Helen shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the
world. "I thought Mark was interested in you, so I erased your
file. Then when he fired me, I was convinced that he was after you
in a big way, so I decided to get my own back. I figured that if
you thought he was the kind of man who beat up women, you wouldn't
want anything to do with him. So, if he didn't want me, he couldn't
have you either."

Carrin sat
back. "I see. And now?"

Helen flashed
Mark a coy smile. "As you can see, Mark came to his senses. He
realised after I left that I was the only woman for him, and -"

"Thank you,
Helen," Mark interrupted, and Helen stared at him, as did Carrin.
It was as if a mask had dropped from his features, the change in
him was so dramatic. Cold anger replaced the loving look in his
eyes. His mouth, which had been curled in a slight, seductively
gentle smile, was a hard line, reflecting the grimness in his tone.
He disengaged himself from Helen's hands and stood up.

"You may leave
us now."

Helen rose
slowly, looking stunned and horrified. Her eyes pleaded with him,
and she reached for him, but he turned his back on her.

"Mark, what's
the matter?"

He
turned to glare at her. "As if you don't know. Your little stunt
caused me a lot of trouble. The only way to rectify your meddling
was to get you to admit the truth, and to do that I needed your
co-operation. What better way to get it than to convince you that
you had succeeded? Believe me; I wouldn't consider even being
friends with a lying, conniving woman like you, never mind anything
else."