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Undying Laughter
Kelsey Roberts
More Than One Man Had a Date With Destiny…Destiny Talbot, The Rose Tattoo's newest headliner, was head-turningly gorgeous, but her arresting allure brought on more than her share of suitors, including a Wesley Porter, the boss's sexy son. But a second suitor was also vying for her attention–one intent on wooing…and stalking her.As a man, Wesley understood all too well the passion his violet-eyed vixen could inspire. As a psychiatrist, he knew the dark mind of a stalker, and he was determined to protect her with the very body with which he loved her. But one thought haunted Wesley–who would have the last date with Destiny?
Undying Laughter
Kelsey Roberts
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For the one person who has kept me sane for almost fifteen years–Bob, I love you with all my heart.
I would gratefully like to acknowledge the assistance of Pat Harding, Kay Manning and Carol Keane of Charleston, South Carolina: my crack research team.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Destiny Talbott—She has nothing to laugh about. She’s being wooed by a stalker.
Wesley Porter—The chivalrous white knight. He is charming, if a bit peculiar.
David Crane—As Destiny’s agent, he controls her career, but at what cost?
Gina Alverez—She was at the center of the limelight before she was forced into Destiny’s shadow.
Walter Sommerfield—The patron who controls the purse strings. He’s being controlled by a ghost.
Carl Talbott—Destiny’s father. He’s annoying, when he’s sober enough to care.
Rose Porter—The manipulative mother. She knows what’s best.
Shelby Hunnicutt—Destiny’s rock. She understands the torment Destiny is suffering at the hands of the stalker.
Contents
Prologue (#uf59ceb97-29be-5950-a278-a7a2cbcd1895)
Chapter One (#u6dde4d32-175a-530e-ada2-36cedc25c5cb)
Chapter Two (#uc549ee30-8177-5991-bd1a-4eb91e23035a)
Chapter Three (#u4b0f1c24-d8a2-50df-acff-b11f32640ceb)
Chapter Four (#u690b5157-13b5-59fb-b4d6-b978c7d42510)
Chapter Five (#uc59a09b8-2fc7-5d87-bfbc-1e5dc8087f73)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
“He’s out there!”
Destiny Talbott’s violet eyes fixed on her friend’s concerned reflection in the mirror. Gina’s slender form seemed to heave under the weight of her urgent, shallow breathing.
A placating sigh escaped over full, rosy lips. “For God’s sake, Gina, don’t start that!” Destiny was mildly annoyed as she watched Gina anxiously twist her long-fingered hands into a knot of deep brown skin. Spinning, Destiny turned the chair in order to face the taller woman.
“That man gives me the creeps,” Gina persisted. “There’s something evil in the way he just sits there, staring at you. You’re blinded by the lights, but I’ve watched him while you’re up on stage. I tell you, he’s freaky!”
Standing, Destiny tugged off the protective cloth she wore when applying stage makeup and tossed it onto the dressing table. Bottles clinked and swayed but none toppled. “Your imagination is getting the better of you,” she said with more conviction than she actually felt. Ignoring Gina’s grunt of disagreement, Destiny bent forward at the waist, then began to feverishly brush volume into her mane of silky blond hair.
“Five minutes, Ms. Talbott!” a male voice shouted from the other side of the door.
“You got it!” she yelled back.
Gina reached out and placed a tentative hand on Destiny’s forearm. “Think, girl.” The tone of the voice was almost pleading, and at strict odds with the harsh Brooklyn accent. “I’m sure he’s the one who’s been sending you the flowers and...the notes.”
A shiver danced along her spine, but Destiny managed to keep her expression bland. “I think you’re overreacting. And anyway, he doesn’t look like the type.” Of that she was only mildly confident.
When Gina had first noticed the man, Destiny had made a point of checking him out. While she secretly admitted he looked out of place in the rowdy, younger crowd she tended to attract, he didn’t impress her as being threatening. And the notes were nothing if not threatening.
“We’re ready, Ms. Talbott!”
Sucking in one deep breath, Destiny took one final glance in the brightly lighted mirror. Giving Gina’s hand a light squeeze, she moved toward the door.
The muffled sound of the crowd caused a familiar and immediate reaction. Adrenaline rushed through her small frame, and her heart pounded against her ribs.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Miami Comedy Club is proud to present Destiny Talbott!”
The roar as she stepped onto the stage was nearly deafening in its intensity. The wooden floor beneath her feet vibrated in sync with the applause. Clasping the microphone in one professionally manicured hand, Destiny gave a warm smile that produced yet another outburst of hearty appreciation.
“Hi, folks,” she began as she walked back and forth on the planked floor, speaking into the bright void created by the harsh spotlights. “I always start by explaining my name. Only two hippies would dare name their child something as ridiculous as Destiny. My folks were definitely confused back then. My father was a Jehovah’s Witness and my mother was an atheist. So...” She paused. “I spent my childhood knocking on doors for no reason. I’m originally from D.C—” A smattering of applause indicated there were a few residents of the nation’s capital in her audience. “Washington is the home of our judicial system. In fact, we Americans are so hung up on compassionate justice that before we execute someone by lethal injection, we swab their arm with alcohol.” Destiny waited for the rumble of laughter to die down before continuing. “I’m getting my mail forwarded here, and what do you know but I got an invitation telling me my high school reunion is scheduled for this spring. This basically means that four hundred or so people have about six months to lose fifty pounds and make something of themselves.” Smiling, Destiny pulled the microphone fractionally closer to her glossed lips. Wrapping herself in the ensuing laughter, she continued her routine....
* * *
HE WATCHED HER, pure hatred glistening in his eyes. Lifting his glass to his mouth, he listened as the audience responded to her. They were fools, all of them. Couldn’t they see what she really was? A user...and a whore. He saw through all her polish and glitter. When she smiled it made him want to stand and scream. Instead, he took a long swallow of his Scotch, enjoying the painful warmth as it slid down his constricted throat. He would be patient. Everything was planned.
As his eyes followed her movements across the stage, he played it all out in his mind. She’d beg, he knew that. Clearly he envisioned her huge eyes wide open and filled with the fearful certainty of her impending death. He’d make sure she suffered first.
Another response from the audience jarred him back to the present. Fixing his eyes on her, he was careful not to reveal any emotion. The sheer hose encasing her legs shimmered in the lights. He would wait until the time was right.
* * *
“YOU’VE BEEN GREAT! Thanks!” Destiny bounced off the stage as the audience chanted her name.
“You were hot tonight!” David Crane, her manager, said as he handed her a towel.
“Thanks!” she said and took the glass of water thrust in her direction. “This was my best show yet!”
“You say that every night,” David countered as his hand went to the small of her back, leading her in the direction of her dressing room.
“Tonight was...I don’t know, I just felt a certain electricity from the audience. It was a rush!”
Pushing open the door for her, David nudged her inside the small dressing room. The scent she had grown to detest brought on a sudden paralysis. It was the heavy, sweet aroma of gardenias. A chill, fierce and overpowering, settled on her like a heavy blanket.
“Blast it!” David bellowed.
She stood frozen just inside the door. David pushed past her and went over to the offensive pot of blossoms. Slowly he pulled the small white rectangle from among the flowers and tore into the envelope.
Chapter One
The flight from Miami to Charleston went smoothly, except for Destiny’s lingering anxiety over the gifts she’d received the previous evening.
“Hopefully, he’ll stay in Miami,” she said to Gina as they sat in the back seat of a cab.
Gina frowned. “Don’t bet on it. He’s managed to make all your club dates for the past six months.”
A shiver racked her small frame, but she said nothing. Gina, her personal assistant, had already suggested that she cancel this last engagement just to be on the safe side.
“Maybe he’s tired of hearing the same material over and over,” she said, forcing some lightness into her tone. “Maybe that detective David hired will figure out who he is.”
Destiny felt the corners of her mouth turn down. The detective had missed their last meeting, so she had little faith that the rumpled detective had come up with anything substantial.
“Forget my fervent fan,” Destiny told her friend. “Let’s focus on something more upbeat, like the possibility of the network picking up my pilot.”
Gina sighed and leaned her head against the back of the seat. “I could get used to L.A.,” she said wistfully. Her hand automatically moved to her right leg, rubbing the carefully hidden scar Destiny knew ran the full length of her thigh. “The weather out there will do my leg some good. Might even take up roller blading.”
Destiny laughed. “I think your doctor would nix that idea.”
She watched as Gina’s expression grew sad. “From graceful model to limping lump, all in one night.”
Destiny said nothing. There was nothing to say. Nothing she hadn’t said time and time again during the four years since the accident.
“That’s Fort Sumpter,” the driver announced as they wove their way over the uneven streets of Charleston.
“Maybe we’ll take a day and sightsee,” Destiny suggested.
“You never sightsee,” Gina countered. “You’re always too busy working on perfecting your routine.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Wrong.”
“Right,” Gina huffed. “And I like David.”
Rolling her eyes, Destiny wasn’t in the right frame of mind to rehash the long-standing rivalry between the duo. David and Gina were her friends as well as her employees. Besides which, Gina, she had learned, didn’t like too many people. She was Destiny’s exact opposite. And a definite thorn in David’s side. Sometimes she had the distinct impression that Gina went out of her way to make David’s job harder. This trip was a perfect example. David had arranged for them to stay in one of the swankiest hotels in downtown Charleston. Gina had made arrangements for them to rent two of the villa units at the beach outside the city. Of course, it left Destiny in the uncomfortable position of choosing between the two. It was a no-win situation, and she was currently on David’s list because she’d chosen the beach over the city.
“Wait!” she called out suddenly.
The cabby brought the car to a screeching halt.
“What?” the driver and Gina said in unison.
“There’s The Rose Tattoo,” she said, pointing to the historic building with the wooden sign in front. “Let’s stop in.”
“What about our luggage?” the ever-practical Gina noted.
“You go on to the beach, then come back,” Destiny instructed as she opened her door. “Take as long as you need. I’d love to get a feel for the place.”
“You can do that tomorrow.” Gina was still grumbling when Destiny closed the door and walked across the black-and-white-checkered tiles leading up to the front door.
Her hand closed on the brass handle and she gave a tug. Nothing. She tugged again as her eyes found the hours listed on a rectangular sign in the window.
“Great,” she grumbled, checking her watch, then squinting against the early-morning sunlight. Destiny was about to turn back toward the street in search of a cab when a deep, sexy voice stopped her dead.
“It’s you,” he said as he pulled open the door.
She had to concentrate hard to keep her mouth from dropping open in an appreciative response to this gorgeous man. “Must be sunstroke,” she said under her breath before flashing him her brightest smile.
His stomach knotted as if an elephant had kicked him—hard. She was even more beautiful than the photograph hanging above the bar. On more than one occasion, he had cynically remarked that the picture had to have been retouched. It wasn’t possible for any living creature to be that beautiful, that perfect. He was wrong.
“Destiny Talbott,” she said as she offered him her dainty hand.
