Under New Management (19 page)

Mollie remembers to breathe out and step away from the goddess.

Kieran is smiling to himself. Serena inevitably receives this adoration from the majority of people when they first meet her. If only her personality traits were as beautiful as her looks.

“Mollie is helping me with some of the finer details concerning the estate,” he explains.

“Well, I’m sure she is.” Serena says in a sickly sweet voice.

Mollie does pick up on this. She glances first at Serena and then at Kieran.
Shit, how could she be so bloody stupid?
Clearly it’s time for her to leave.

“It is actually very good of Mollie to give up her time on a Sunday,” Kieran explains to Serena, pointedly. He’d spotted Mollie’s reaction and knows she has got it now.

“Of course it is. I am sure Kieran will suitably reimburse you for your time, won’t you Kieran? Perhaps double time? How much is the minimum wage nowadays?” Serena asks rudely.

Mollie sucks in a breath. What a bitch! Superstar or not, Mollie wasn’t taking that.

 As she opens her mouth to speak Jack appears in the doorway and interrupts her.

“Mollie babe, haven’t you two finished yet? Come on, we’re going to be sooo late.” He breezes past Serena and throws his arm around Mollie’s shoulders.

Kieran stiffens and Mollie is flustered.
Where the hell did Jack come from?

Jack pulls Mollie close, “So Serena, what do you think of my gorgeous girl then?”

Serena is slightly put out, she had assumed this rather pretty girl was the hired help but turns out she’s with Jack.

Serena has a rather soft spot for Jack. He puts her in her place and doesn’t allow her to play the diva when he’s around. He takes the piss out of her relentlessly for doing so and she tones it down when he’s about.

“I hadn’t realised you were a couple, Jack. You should have said, you naughty boy. You allowed me to believe these two were up to no good.” Serena glances at Kieran and Mollie, as she drops Jack in it deliberately.

Jack colours slightly as Kieran glares at him. Mollie stiffens, but says nothing.

“God, I was just having a laugh, lighten up. I rescued you, didn’t I before Serena here had one of her tantrums?” Jack says defensively.

Serena sucks in a breath and narrows her eyes at him.

“You are not funny Jack, not in the least. Now didn’t you say you were going to be late? Kieran and I have three weeks of catching up to do, so run along and play you two. Nice to meet you Mollie. And I apologise for being a bitch; you can blame your boyfriend.”

Before anyone can say anything else Jack pushes Mollie towards the door. He drags her bag from the chair as he does, “See you both then. Enjoy and don’t wear him out now Serena, we’ve got work to do tomorrow.”

Mollie and Kieran only have the opportunity to glance at each other, both speaking volumes with their eyes. Kieran’s say, ‘I’m so sorry, I should have told you.’ Mollie’s say, ‘Rot in hell, you lying pig’.

Chapter 19

Half an hour later Mollie finds herself in The Dog and Duck, slightly shell-shocked and nursing a pint of lager shandy. She is furious with Jack for shit stirring. He had propelled her out of the room, down the corridor and out of the front door before she could utter a word. Once outside the Hall she’d turned on him but he had merely insisted they go to the pub where he would fill her in. Next thing she knew she was parking up in the pub car park with Jack bounding out of the passenger seat saying that the last one inside was buying the drinks. She had followed him simply because she wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Now, as she glares at him across the small table, Jack is looking sheepish.

“Ah Molls, come on don’t look at me like that, I was just having a laugh. Serena is so easy to wind up, I couldn’t resist,” he tells her, his voice full of remorse.

Mollie continues her glaring.

“Molls, won’t you forgive me? Come on, let’s have a couple of drinks and I’ll buy you dinner to make up for it.” Jack drops his head to one side and pouts pathetically at her. Mollie feels her lips twitching.

“Jack, you are such an idiot and dinner had better be more than a kebab,” she tells him.

Jack laughs with relief, “No problem, whatever madam desires.”

“OK, well they do a good steak here so how about that? They don’t start serving until six though, so that gives you just over an hour to spill the beans on Serena Bonart and your cousin.” She takes a sip of her drink and sits back waiting for him to tell all.

Jack sighs, “OK, you win. They’ve been seeing each other for about eight months I reckon. It must be about that because they met at the Oscars in February when we were at an after show party in LA,” he says casually. Mollie boggles at him.
Unbelievable!

Jack continues ignoring her wide-eyed stare. “They were introduced by a friend of ours, who I’m not going to name because you may start hyperventilating,” he tells her with a cheeky grin.

Mollie reaches across and slaps him on the arm.

“Alright...” He laughs, “Anyway they’ve been seeing each other since then. I think it’s pretty much the biggest secret in Hollywood, they haven’t been found out yet.” He stops talking and looks thoughtful.

Mollie waits for a few seconds before asking him, “What’s up?”

Jack peers at her thoughtfully, “Umm, I need to ask you to do something, even though I already know that you wouldn’t.” He looks slightly awkward.

“What, Jack?” Mollie asks him suspiciously.

“Sorry, but the thing is I need you to promise that you won’t tell anyone about Serena. I mean about her and Kieran and that she’s here. They have kept it a secret until now and I know that Kieran doesn’t want it to get out. Not to mention the paps getting wind of her whereabouts. It’ll turn into a circus if they find her.” Jack stops and rubs at his cheek nervously. He doesn’t want Mollie to think he doesn’t trust her but this is the life they live now. They had all been caught out in the past whilst entertaining celebrities. They’d all had to learn not to trust anyone. Most people would sell their own grandmother if they could make a few quid out of the rich and famous. He knows Mollie is not one of those but if he doesn’t spell it out she may well innocently tell someone and they would be all over the front page of the tabloids within hours.

Mollie sighs, “Christ Jack, is that all? Don’t worry my lips are sealed although I am slightly miffed. Mum and Lou would go mental over that little titbit.”

“I know, I’m sorry to ask but you see how it is on the TV, and believe me it’s no exaggeration. I was seeing someone once, who shall remain nameless. The paps got hold of it and no word of a lie, they stalked me for weeks. It drove me mad; they went through my bins and everything. We split up because of it, which is a shame 'cause I actually quite liked her. Megan had it bad when she first started seeing Johnny. It’s calmed down a lot now, but it’s still annoying. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me saying.”

Mollie laughs at him, “You are such a dork. No I don’t mind; I can see where you’re coming from and I’ll keep quiet. Now get on with the story,” she demands impatiently.

Jack smiles a wide sexy smile, relieved she isn’t pissed off with him. He gets into his stride and continues.

“OK, well as I say they’ve been seeing each other for about eight months, although to be fair they don’t get together that often. Serena’s just finished one film and is now starting on another. I bet if I actually added it up they have possibly only seen each other once a month since they met if that, and then only for a few days at a time. Though if you listened to Serena, they’re getting married and having kids imminently. It’s safe to say that she’s an awful lot keener than Kieran is.

Mollie feels her heart skip slightly at this revelation and she swiftly kicks herself for being an idiot.

“So when you say ‘not keen’..?” she asks and is annoyed at herself for the tinge of hopefulness in her voice.

Jack eyes her steadily, “Oh dear, so I was right. You do like Kieran then?”

Mollie feels the heat rise in her face. Flustered, she gulps at her lager to give her the opportunity to look away from him. Jack just watches her as she blushes and avoids eye contact.

He feels slightly annoyed that she appears to like Kieran, even though he’s lied to her about Serena.
What’s the matter with her?
Kieran isn’t going to dump Serena. He hasn’t got the bollocks.

Jack thought after last night that he and Mollie were going to get things on again. He had been thinking about it all day. He hadn’t counted on her still mooning after Kieran, though. Jack is used to women being all over him and it irks him slightly that Mollie doesn’t seem to be interested. Yet from the way she had kissed him back last night, she clearly still fancies him. Jack conveniently ignores the fact that she was ridiculously drunk.

No, she fancies him. She’s just playing hard to get isn’t she? Jack frowns as he tries to figure it out. She probably doesn’t trust men at the moment which is hardly surprising. It’s probably safer to like someone who you can’t have. Jack feels happier that he has figured out the reason. Mollie is gorgeous, fun, kind and, if memory served, not bad in the sack either. Jack decides he is going to get Mollie back, but he just needs to be a little patient.

Mollie has controlled herself and changes the subject. She doesn’t like the look in Jack’s eye...
he’s up to something.

“Anyway Jack, I want to know every last detail of the Oscars! Who did you meet? Who are your friends? I want name dropping, and lots of it. If I have to sign the Official Secrets Act, then you can make it worth my while. So start dishing the dirt,” she demands.

Jack laughs at her enthusiasm. He’s used to hanging out with the rich and famous now, but can still remember the feelings of being completely awestruck in the early days. He finds himself flustered even now if he’s introduced to an amazing celebrity. Jack wants to change the subject as well and so he happily regales Mollie with his many tales.

As soon as Mollie and Jack had left the Hall, Serena ordered Kieran upstairs. With no credible reason to refuse he had led the way to his bedroom. He now lies on his back in the same bed Mollie had slept in. Serena is breathing softly, her perfect, naked form draped over him. He stares up at the ceiling feeling terribly guilty. Given the circumstances, and although reluctant to have sex, once in the bedroom and thanks to Serena’s erotic striptease, he had found himself indulging rather enthusiastically. He squeezes his eyes as she snuggles closer to him in her sleep. Most heterosexual men in the world would give their right testicle to be in his position. Why was it that in order to perform he had found himself fantasising that Serena was Mollie? That had definitely never happened to him before. He had just had amazing sex with a glorious woman whilst thinking of another one the entire time. He shakes his head in bewilderment.

Looking down at his chest and Serena’s dark head, he feels another stab of guilt. God, how would she react if she knew?

He also feels guilty about Mollie. He should have told her that he was in a relationship. He should have admitted it on the first night. Trouble was he couldn’t bring himself to put her off. He selfishly wanted to see if the chemistry really was mutual. After she had kissed him, in this very bed, and he was convinced that it was indeed mutual, he should have said something. He should never have pushed it and gone to the pub. That was tantamount to stalking, wasn’t it?

He couldn’t control his emotions that night and unfairly came on to her knowing that she liked him, and then he ran away. ‘Bloody coward,’ he thinks angrily as he clenches his fist.

Today, she had been amazing. What an enigma. She had been eloquent, knowledgeable and passionate about the estate and a million miles away from the giggling, drunken woman who sang on the karaoke and snogged him in the Gents’. Mollie is clearly a very intelligent woman, one who has many sides to her and he wants to get to know all of her but the chances of that happening now are remote at best. The look she had given him as she was shoved out of the study spoke volumes. She wasn’t going to want to speak to him any time soon.

Yet, there was a small flicker of hope. If he could get rid of Serena, would Mollie forgive him? She would if she liked him as much as he thought she did. Question was, how the hell was he going to be able to finish with Serena? And even if he pulled off such an impossible task, would Mollie be waiting?

Of course then there was Jack. What the hell had he been playing at, going all proprietorial over Mollie, making out that she was his girl? Where were they now? Was Jack making a play for her? Kieran wouldn’t put it past him, Jack had a tendency to want what he thought he couldn’t have. Jack wasn’t stupid - he knew that Kieran liked her and that Mollie liked him. He had pulled Kieran to one side in the pub when they were getting touchy-feely. Jack had hissed in his ear that he wasn’t playing fair with her and said that he should tell Mollie about Serena. Kieran, who had been pretty drunk at the time, had told Jack to “fuck off and mind his own business.”

Did Kieran even have a foothold on the moral high ground, given that she had been Jack’s girlfriend for three years? Not to mention the small issue of him already being in a relationship. He didn’t exactly have the right to tell Jack to back off. If Jack decided he wanted Mollie, Kieran wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
Bloody Jack!

The other unexpected problem he now had was the estate and how he felt about it. When they had signed on the dotted line, his only designs on the place were to turn it into a luxury hotel. It had been business all the way, but now something had changed and although he hated to admit it, that something was Mollie. Earlier, her passion for the place, her amazing ideas, well they had captured his imagination. He was starting to see the old place through her eyes.

Yes, obviously still a business but perhaps, maybe, they could retain it as a family home? He knows his mother likes the old place and Jack and Megan quite probably don’t care either way.