Lara and the City of Angels (6 page)

“Who are these people in the fandom you keep talking about as if they are the Holy Grail? Do they get to decide plot lines too?” Lara inquired in a snarky tone of voice.

“No, of course not but many fans of Gloria Gayne’s novels didn’t take too kindly to the way
One Last Bite
worked out as a show. They complained we didn’t stay true to the Charity Chastain character and the novels are so much better than the show. To be honest, I think those readers are on crack because I tried to read the first in the series,
Bitten by You
and couldn’t make it past the first chapter. It was like watching paint dry.”

She laughed out loud. “Yeah, there are twelve in the series so far but apparently
Bitten after Midnight
is supposed to be the last one and lucky thirteen at that.”

Kristian leaned toward Lara and relaxed her with a long, blue-eyed stare. “What did you think of the novels?”

She shrugged but the wine had started its own chemical reaction and she felt her tongue loosen up a bit. “I think they are written by an author with a public high school education at best; the prose and pacing is atrocious and the stories are wafer thin. The lead—this Charity—is a paper thin character with absolutely no personality or depth what so ever. She’s a witch in love with a vampire but if this were true life, doesn’t it all come down to whether you want to be turned or not? Vampires can’t stay with humans and vice versa.

“Regardless of all the series’ faults, it has made Ms. Gaynes a whole lot of money and she’ll never ever have to write another horrid novel again if she so desires not to.
One Last Bite
certainly helped the series become even more famous than it was so the purists are being contradictory as many people would have never had those awful books trapped in their mental rolodex if the show had never premiered.”

“Ouch. Well, it definitely shows you are married to an actor.”

“I don’t mean to be cruel but those who make it in the entertainment industry—whether that is as a writer, singer, dancer, actor, et cetera—aren’t always the most talented of the bunch. People really don’t appreciate how far mediocrity can take you in the world. Just because you are exceptional at something doesn’t mean you will automatically be successful; it merely means you have the ability to do something well.

“It is like that in business and it is like that in every aspect of life. The vast majority of people will never excel at anything in their life and they know it but they also realize if they do enough just to get by, they can still skate through life and live quite comfortably doing so.”

“Spoken like someone who has never had to struggle for anything in her life,” Kristian murmured though there wasn’t any hostility in his voice.

Lara sipped from her wine. “It’s true. I have never had to be good at anything because I was born with a golden spoon but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to give it my best shot. My acting skills have always been sub-par at best and I am really hoping to improve them. That is why I decided to do this show. Yeah, I know it isn’t an ultra serious show that requires top-notch acting but I still want to give it my best shot. I just want to be known for something other than Gavin MacIntyre’s daughter or Sean Buchanan’s wife. Does that make sense?”

“Absolutely,” he replied.

“Okay, so how about a toast?” Lara held up her glass and Kristian followed suit. “I hope this will be a wonderful experience and here is to a great working environment.”

“Cheers,” he said, “I will definitely drink to that.”

Chapter Six

S
ean’s cell phone awoke him before he looked over at the clock and realized it was shortly after nine in the morning. He stared at the caller ID and smiled. It was Lara and her calling the following day was definitely a plus.

“Hello, beautiful. How is everything working out for you?”

“It’s going great. I’m a bit jet-lagged but I suppose that is to be expected seeing as I flew more than half way across the country. How are you doing?”

Her voice sounded stilted, as if she were reading lines off a piece of paper.

“I’m all right. I spent the evening with Gray and got home late but then I remembered Sorcha had Auriel so there was no reason to worry about her.”

Lara cleared her throat. “Well, where did you and Gray go? The Chateau Marmont?”

“Yes.”

“Did you fuck him?”

“No,” Sean whispered. “I have absolutely no idea why the idea of me hanging out with a gay man bothers you so much. I would suspect you were a homophobe if I didn’t know you better.”

She sighed on the other end. “My God, Sean, I’m sorry. It’s probably just my own guilty conscience talking.”

He definitely didn’t like where this conversation was going. Guilty conscience? What the hell had she done?

“I’m a bit confused, honey. What are you feeling guilty about?”

“I met Kristian Stenfeldt yesterday and he took me out to dinner at a nice French restaurant located downtown here in Baton Rouge. Nothing happened—you know that—but…I still felt guilty spending time with another man in an intimate setting who wasn’t you. Does that make sense?”

“Of course it does, sweetheart. I will try to get out there within the next week or so. Perhaps
we
can have a romantic dinner and then go dancing afterwards.”

“Don’t bother,” Lara began in an icy voice. “We both know what will happen. You will spend so much time placating your fans, we will barely spend any time together and you won’t make love to me. Until you get over what ever hang up or mental block you have against sleeping with me then I would rather we not see one another for the time being.”

“We’re married, Lara. What the hell does that mean?”

“I mean there is no reason for us to spend time together at the moment. I need some time to reassess my life and figure out what it is I want. I do know this half-ass marriage isn’t working. I need all of you, Sean, including sex. Sometimes I think you introduced me to swinging because you found the idea of sex with me too repulsive. Well, that isn’t going to fly anymore. I need a real man who can satisfy me in bed and out.”

Sean could feel his head start to throb and all the old insecurities of the past came flooding back. Despite all his money and fame, he wasn’t good enough for his wife. She came from a background that was much better than his and he had stolen her from a spouse much worthier than he would ever be. He was a fraud, a low rent actor who’d made the big time but he would
never
be part of her social class and that hurt like hell.

“Please don’t tell me you are thinking of a divorce,” he whispered.

“Put yourself in my shoes, Sean.” Lara’s voice was steady, calm and a little too quiet for his taste. “If the roles were reversed and I acted like a frigid wall flower who recoiled at your touch, would you see a long, happy future before us? I love you with all my heart and it is the reason why I have put up with so many of your unusual…predilections for so long but I can’t do this anymore.

“I won’t raise Auriel in a loveless marriage and I won’t have her thinking this is the kind of relationship she should want when she finally becomes of age. It’s toxic and neither one of us is happy. Surely you can see that. You hold on so tight yet I am left to wonder if you ever really wanted me at all. Am I just a prop, a pretty woman who looks great on your arm? It isn’t
normal
for a husband not to want to sleep with his wife.”

“I thought that is why you married me, Lara. You told me you never wanted normal and it scared you to death to end up with some man your father might set you up with—”

“Precisely, but that is because I thought I was getting a good man who would love and respect me. I do not doubt your love but this obsession with possessing me yet…not wanting to touch me drives me crazy. I know what I want and the kind of relationship we have at the present isn’t it.”

Sean’s silence spoke volumes. “Fine, I will give you the space you need. When you are ready to see me then I will visit. How’s that?”

Lara breathed on the other end of the phone. “Thank you. I will call you tomorrow and I hope you have a wonderful day. I love you.”

“Love you too,” he responded and ended the call.

***

I
n the past when they’d disagreed with one another, Sean was always safe in the knowledge that Lara would calm down and everything would return back to normal but this time it was different. He wasn’t sure of much anymore and the only person he could truly confide in happened to be family.

He had one older sister, Sorcha. Their small family was something of much discussion in their Irish neighborhood but his mother had a difficult pregnancy with him, hemorrhaged and given an emergency partial hysterectomy after his birth. The Buchanan family would always be small because his mother could no longer have any additional children.

Sean and Sorcha were close. She was definitely the brains in the Buchanan household and as soon as she secured her law degree, she began to work hand in hand with Markus Goldsmith when it came to her brother’s contracts. She managed his money and he trusted her implicitly. Due to her smarts, she had tripled his wealth and he would soon be a billionaire due to her.

She lived in the modest neighborhood of Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley area. She had no wish to live on the West side and she stayed true to their Boston roots. She still had her thick Boston accent as she had no reason to lose hers, unlike Sean.

It had taken years of voice coaches but eventually, he could turn his on and off like a switch. When they were together, it came back with a vengeance whether he wanted it to or not.

Before he stopped by her house, he visited Gelson’s and bought more than enough food. He loved his sister but between her incessant exercising and healthy lifestyle, she didn’t seem to eat as much as she should and had managed to lose weight since moving to Los Angeles several years beforehand.

Sorcha answered the door with a surprised look on her face. Like her brother, she possessed blue eyes except hers were sky blue. She also had their blond hair but hers had been enhanced with the help of a skilled beautician and was now flaxen instead of its natural dishwater state.

She was of medium height at 5’7” and one hundred and fifteen pounds. Although very good looking, she dated the same guy who was only average in looks by most women’s standards. However, they shared the same philosophies about life and both preferred to keep their personal and professional lives separate.

“Sean, what are you doing here?” she greeted before she slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

“I was in the neighborhood? Okay, I know that one isn’t going to fly. I just wanted to stop by and see my girls’ if that’s all right with you.”

“Of course,” she replied before she opened the door wider and he stepped inside with his two bags of groceries from the upscale and pretentious supermarket.

“You know, there is a Whole Foods not too far from my house. You should have gone there as their wine and cheese selection is better than Gelson’s.”

“Well, you know I don’t trust my wine selections so that would be either you or Lara’s job to pick out decent wines. I know whiskey and vodka but that is pretty much the extent of my liquor repertoire.”

They walked into his sister’s small yet airy kitchen. “How about some coffee? Or since it is after noon, would you prefer something stronger?”

“I will take a bottle of imported lager,” he replied as he sat at her kitchen table. “By the way, where is Auriel?”

“Upstairs, enjoying a
Max and Ruby
marathon on Nick Jr. She’s okay, Sean, and no, I don’t let her watch too much television but apparently her nanny never lets her watch any and neither does her mother so she feels like a kid in a candy store when she stays with me, literally.”