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Spotlight On Desire
Anita Bunkley
For Jewel Blaine, the spotlight and her fans are all the family she'll ever need. She is the star of the popular daytime soapie The Proud and the Passionate, after all.After a high-profile breakup, Jewel has come up with her own call sheet: no romantic entanglements with cast members, producers and especially directors. But when the stage lights dim, Jewel secretly yearns for a sexy leading man to costar in her real life.Rugged, handsome Taye Elliott is new on set at P&P–this time behind the camera. Trained as a stuntman, but always with an eye on directing, Taye knows this is his big break. And he needs P&P's leading lady to trust him. But Jewel thinks he's better off pretending to break legs than really calling the shots. Taye's never shied away from a challenge and he's certainly not going to now. He's perfecting the scene of a lifetime–to direct Jewel on screen…and love her off of it.
The gentle tap-tap at her door broke her concentration
Jewel frowned. The knock sounded too damn familiar. The fact that she now recognized it as Taye’s bid for entry into her dressing room—and that it sent her heart into a spin—was ridiculous!
Without asking who it was, she finished wiping off her makeup and flung open the door. Taye stepped in, closed it and simply stood and watched her. Jewel glared at her visitor, not sure where to start, her careful analysis of the situation suddenly evaporating.
What should I do? Play a role or play it out for real? However she didn’t have time to speak, and didn’t resist when she saw the flicker of desire in his eyes and felt his grip on her upper arms as he swept her flush against his chest.
“Everyone’s gone,” he murmured.
“Why did you come here?” she groaned against his shirt, knowing she had lost her battle of wills.
“Thought you might need a little more coaching.”
ANITA BUNKLEY
is an author of seven successful mainstream novels and three novellas. A member of the Texas Institute of Letters and an NAACP Image Award nominee, she lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Crawford.
An avid reader all of her life, she was inspired to begin her writing career while researching the lives of interesting African-American women whose stories had not been told. A strong romantic theme has always been at the center of her novels and now she is enjoying writing true romance for her many fans.
Spotlight on Desire
Anita Bunkley
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To my husband, Crawford, with love.
Dear Reader,
Turn off the TV and enter the soap-opera world of Jewel Blaine, the sexy lead actress on The Proud and the Passionate, as she falls under the spell of her handsome director, Taye Elliott.
Jewel has risen to the top of her game by playing and living by a strict set of rules, but once Taye steps onto the set, her code to live by is quickly forgotten.
The fast-paced world of daytime television is the perfect medium for Taye—a stuntman turned director who has a lot to prove and a serious secret to hide. But as you know, Hollywood is not a place where secrets stay hidden for very long. As Jewel and Taye dodge prying eyes, they soon discover that there is no escaping the spotlight that shines on their emerging love.
Enjoy! If you want to drop me a line, please e-mail me at arbun@sbcglobal.net.
Read with love!
Anita Bunkley
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 1
Galveston Island
“Come home with me, baby. Tonight.”
“You know that’s impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible, Caprice. Not if you want it badly enough, and if you loved me half as much as you say you do, you’d leave this island tonight and come home.”
“But, Darin…we can’t return to Elm Valley together. Think of the scandal. It’ll be better if you go ahead, and then I show up. I’ve got too much…”
“Cut!” A voice burst from the dark edges of the brightly lit patch of beach. Although the sun had set more than two hours ago, dissolving into Galveston Bay like a ball of liquid gold, huge overhead lights flooded the shoreline and created an island of activity in the otherwise-deserted cove.
Immediately, a fussy wardrobe attendant rushed onto the set and wrapped a thick white robe around Jewel Blaine, who smiled her thanks and closed it over her tiny gold bikini. The actress who played Caprice Desmond on The Proud and the Passionate (P & P) was petite, dark haired and flamboyantly attractive. At thirty-two, she had starred in the groundbreaking African-American soap opera since it debuted on TV five years ago.
Now, Jewel tilted her head, lowered her chin, widened her luminous brown eyes and spun around to face Brad Fortune, the man who called the shots on the set of P & P.
If we have to stay here all night to get it right, we will, she vowed.
As lead actress, Jewel felt personally responsible for the success of each episode and during her tenure on the daytime drama had won two Daytime Emmys, a BET Achievement Award, NAACP Image Award and many critical reviews.
Brad Fortune stopped less than a foot from where Jewel was standing, placed a slender hand on his right hip and narrowed his aquamarine eyes at his star, giving her one of his trademark extended moments. A confirmed bachelor who enjoyed the companionship of a male live-in friend, Brad possessed an instinctive awareness of his actors’ needs and used this insight to gain their respect and trust. With twenty years in daytime television, he was a talented man who knew what audiences wanted and made sure his cast delivered.
Now, the sound of waves lapping at the sandy shore and the rustle of palm fronds filled the night air as everyone waited in respectful silence for Brad to speak. “Not quite enough confliction, Jewel,” he said, his high-pitched voice lower than usual, his tone resolute. He swept a stray clump of reddish-brown hair back into his ponytail, cocked his head to one side and moved nearer to his star. “Infuse more worry into that line. Give me regret, some guilt. But hold firm! Remember, Caprice led Darin to believe that she’d do anything for him. Anything. And now she’s reneging on her promise to go home with him. She’s gotta sound conflicted. Understand?”
Jewel nodded. Brad was a pro, knew what he was after and she trusted him completely. No way would he put film in the can unless he believed the scene was the best that both he and his actors could deliver.
“Right, Brad,” Sonny Burton interjected. “I agree completely.” Nineteen years older than Jewel, Sonny Burton was well cast as Darin Saintclare, her mature on-screen lover. When CBC, the network that owned P & P, first lured handsome, charismatic Sonny Burton away from his popular daytime talk show to become a major black soap star, his national audience had cheered the decision. He was sexy and suave, with a fan of gray at his temples, a generous, welcoming smile and an easygoing style that contrasted sharply with Jewel’s methodically organized approach to her work. However, despite their differences, the two stars created magical on-screen chemistry that drove their fans wild and, so far, pleased the executives at CBC.
Sonny cleared his throat, eyes shining with resolve, clearly wanting to please his director. “I know exactly what you’re after. You want a real sense of Caprice pulling back from Darin, but at the same time…”
“Not overly dramatic. Right?” Jewel finished her costar’s remark. “Caprice wants Darin, but she’s afraid of how she’ll be viewed by the nosy busybodies of Elm Valley if she gives in and returns home too soon.”
“Exactly! Keep the relationship on target but slightly off balance. Jewel, you sure know your girl Caprice,” Brad concurred, blessing Jewel with an appreciative smile. “Caprice might love Darin, but she’s got to look out for herself, too.”
Jewel winked at Sonny, giving him a conspiratorial nod of approval. During the past five years, the on-screen couple had fine-tuned their relationship until it rolled along like raindrops slipping down a windowpane. And even when sticky issues arose on the set, Sonny always had her back and she protected his.
“Caprice can’t come off as too regretful,” Jewel went on, clarifying her character’s motivation. “She’s got her pride, you know?”
“Fine, fine,” Brad stated with a flip of his wrist as he turned around. “We all love Caprice as much as you do. Showing a little hesitant spunk in this scene is totally within character.” A beat. “Okay, let’s take it from the top, people,” Brad called over his shoulder as he walked out of camera range. However, before clearing the illuminated set, he stopped abruptly and spun around, his blue-green eyes wide with shock. His mouth opened, shut and then opened again. “Damn!” he shouted, reeling backward and stumbling to a half fall. Braced on his knees, he groped for words. “I…I feel…Oh my God!” He slammed both hands, palms flat, against his chest and emitted a startling howl.
Shana Dane, the makeup artist whose job it was to keep the cast glossy-photo perfect, tossed her tray of brushes, sponges and cosmetics to the ground and rushed toward Brad, followed closely by Karen Adams, the second-tier segment producer.
“Brad! What’s wrong?” Shana shouted, watching in horror as he collapsed on the sand.
Fred Warner, the executive producer of P & P, who had flown in from Los Angeles that morning to check on progress at the location shoot, jostled Shana and Karen aside to kneel over the fallen man.
“Call an ambulance! Somebody call 911!” Fred shouted frantically, cradling Brad’s head on his lap.
“Doing it now,” Sonny yelled, fumbling with a cell phone that he’d snatched from his pants pocket. He gave the emergency responder directions to their isolated location, unable to tell them more than someone had collapsed in pain and to get there as quickly as possible.
“Brad, Brad. What is it?” Fred urged, slipping an arm beneath Brad’s shoulders to tilt the director closer. He pressed his ear to Brad’s lips.
“I dunno,” Brad managed to whisper. “Got hit with a terrible pain. Here, in my…” Brad’s voice faded as his fingers groped the front of his shirt.
“Hold on, Brad! Hold on,” Jewel urged, dropping to her knees next to Fred.
Sonny jammed his phone back into his pocket and crouched beside Jewel, his shoulder wedged tightly against hers. Jewel grabbed one of Brad’s hands and squeezed it hard, scrunching even closer to urgently whisper, “Brad! Look at me! Open your eyes. Hold on! Hold on! Help is coming.”
Brad’s eyes fluttered open and then closed very quickly, as if trying to focus on Jewel took too much of his energy. His pale face was slick with perspiration, his lips blue and unmoving, his slim body as rigidly immobile as a mannequin’s.
When he shuddered jerkily beneath Jewel’s touch, she felt a jolt of hope.
“Brad! Brad! Don’t you dare give up,” she shouted over the shocked murmurs of the horrified cast and crew. Brad jerked wildly again. His legs shot upward, his arms flew out to the side and his head lolled from side to side before he went still.
“Where’s the doctor? The ambulance? Dammit! We need some help!” Jewel shouted, her words threaded with terror. She gripped Brad’s hand and pressed it hard against her lips, kissing the edge of his palm as she tamped the fingertips of her right hand down against his temple. Looking over at Sonny, a frown etched shadows on her face. “This is bad, Sonny.” Her voice trembled. “I can’t find a pulse. I think Brad is dead.”
Chapter 2
The lobby of Tinsel Town Theater in Fox Hills Mall was crammed with die-hard devotees of action/slasher movies who had come out for the premier of Terror Train 4. After viewing the latest installment in the cultlike series, they were milling around, clutching rolled-up posters, stacks of DVDs and commemorative T-shirts to be signed by the stars.
“Terror Train 4 kicked some serious butt,” a short Hispanic boy with long black hair said as he shoved a DVD at Taye Elliott.
Taye eyed the square plastic case with interest, but did not take it from the guy. Instead, he rotated one shoulder in a noncommittal manner. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not one of the actors,” he said. “I’m the director.” He cocked his head toward the outer edge of the lobby where two men and two women sat high on a riser, behind a table draped with gold velvet. “The autographs you want are over there.”
The long-haired boy mugged disinterest and gave Taye a flickering roll of his eyes. “Yeah? But you say you’re the director, huh?”
“Yep. That’s right.”
“Hey, that’s still cool, man. Gimme your autograph, too.”
Taye felt a brief ripple of pleasure flare as he took out the black Sharpie pen he always carried and signed his name on the boy’s DVD.
