‘Ready to go?’ Sean asked, standing up.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting, I hope you weren’t too bored.’
‘Nope, I was fine, just texting a friend.’
And something in his tone instantly made Tiffany wonder if that friend was female and might even be a girlfriend. And she couldn’t stop a hot stab of jealousy, and instead of continuing the conversation didn’t say another word but marched out of the room.
‘My friend, couldn’t you drive a little faster? We’re running late and we have to get these ladies on that red carpet.’ Raul was speaking to Sean as he drove them around Hyde Park Corner.
Tiffany felt mortified that Raul didn’t even know Sean’s name, nor did she like his tone – that of a man used to addressing staff. In spite of her own awkward exchange with Sean in the kitchen, she couldn’t help feeling protective towards him …
‘I don’t want to break the speed limit, Mr Garcia. We will be there on time, I can assure you.’
‘I’m glad you are so confident! At this rate we’ll only catch the end credits. And you will have to face the wrath of Tiffany for preventing her from seeing the great Johnny,’ Raul persisted.
‘Sean always gets us everywhere on time, Raul,’ Cal
intervened.
‘He’s the best head of security and best driver we’ve ever had.’
At least Cal had noticed Raul’s tone and was doing something about it.
Tiffany glanced at Sean in the mirror. Ultra-serious, jaw clenched, eyes unreadable behind the Aviator Ray-Bans, but she bet he was pissed off. Who wouldn’t be? Raul draped his arm round Tiffany. ‘So, we have been invited to the party afterwards or we can go for dinner?’
‘Can I see how I feel after the film?’ Tiffany wasn’t ready to give in to Raul’s suggestions so easily after his off-hand treatment of Sean.
For a second Raul looked slightly taken aback, then he said, ‘Of course. As you wish.’
But Tiffany’s resolve to keep him waiting was blown out of the water by Angel’s next comment. ‘Are you going to see your girlfriend while we’re at the film, Sean?’
‘I am if that’s OK.’
Tiffany stared at Sean in the mirror. He had a girlfriend! Since when?
‘She’s called Erin, isn’t she? Honey told me that she was a nanny. It must be hard to get time off together,’ Angel continued, blissfully unaware that Tiffany was seething with jealousy.
Sean had a girlfriend! So he had found space in his life for Erin when he claimed to have none for her. Why was she wasting her time even worrying about his feelings! She was such an idiot!
She turned to Raul and put her hand on his thigh. Leaning closer to him, she murmured, ‘Let’s have dinner afterwards.’
‘It’s a pity we can’t skip the film,’ he whispered back.
‘But you know how much I love Johnny!’
‘Don’t say that, you make me horribly jealous.’ Raul
kissed
her neck and Tiffany turned to him and kissed him on the lips.
They were so caught up in each other that they hadn’t realised the car had pulled up outside the cinema.
‘Come on, you two!’ Cal said as he and Angel waited by the door.
Tiffany quickly stepped out of the car, mindful of keeping her legs together and her skirt pulled down. She had seen too many shots of celebrities showing off too much thigh or worse as the paps tried to get evermore intimate photographs. Not that she saw herself as a celebrity, but the tabloids seemed to think she was …
Sean was holding the door open for them, the perfect chauffeur. ‘Thanks,’ she said as she passed him, barely giving him a second glance, while Raul patted him on the shoulder and thanked him for getting them there on time. Now Tiffany didn’t care that Raul sounded patronising because Sean was with Erin. What did Erin have that she didn’t? And then she had to put all thoughts of Sean out of her head as Raul took her hand and they began walking up the red carpet.
Crowds were gathered behind the crash barriers, calling out the names of the people they could see – Tiffany even heard her own name, along with those of Cal, Angel and Raul – and all the while cameras were clicking away. The red carpet was floodlit, and spotlights were trained up into the night sky from the cinema’s grand entrance. Tiffany felt as if she was starring in her own film as she smiled away and prayed that her dress didn’t slip down in some wardrobe malfunction. Lady Gaga might be able to pull off the exposed nipples look and not bat a false eyelash, but Tiffany knew she would never have lived it down.
As they reached the entrance the photographers appealed to Cal and Angel to pose together, followed by
Raul
and Tiffany. She tried to remember what she’d read about the best way to be photographed on the red carpet – weren’t you supposed to put one leg slightly forward, which apparently made you look thinner? Who knows? All she knew was that she really wanted to get inside, away from all the cameras.
‘Well done, little sis!’ Angel declared once they were inside the foyer, ‘You survived your first red carpet! Jez will be so proud when I tell him. You were so much more confident than I ever was. I was like a jelly!’
‘I had all of you with me,’ Tiffany replied. ‘So it was no biggie. Anyway, they’re not interested in me! They only want pictures of you lot.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ Angel raised an eyebrow as a style journalist from
heat
approached Tiffany to ask her what label she was wearing.
As they all took their seats in the auditorium, Tiffany craned her neck trying to star spot, while Raul, Angel and Cal were completely oblivious. She supposed that they were the ones who were used to being spotted and they had been to these events many, many times before. She was hugely excited when she managed to catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp, who was dressed in one of the quirky outfits – a beret, waistcoat and brown pinstriped trousers – that only he could have got away with. Then there were all the usual suspects from various reality shows but even spotting them was entertaining, seeing what they were wearing, how much flesh they were flaunting without actually being naked, how intense their fake tans were – everything from golden brown to Orangina; she was only surprised some of them didn’t glow in the dark as the lights dimmed.
In spite of the presence of the lovely Johnny, and having Raul by her side, the film was only so-so and not good enough to stop Tiffany’s attention from wandering. She kept thinking about Sean, wondering where
he
was and what he was doing with Erin. Were they having dinner? Had they gone back to his place? Were they in bed? Was Erin tracing her fingers around the dragon tattoo after they’d made love? No, no, no! This wouldn’t do at all. She felt as if her sympathy for him when his daughter was unwell had allowed all her feelings for him to rise to the surface again – feelings which she’d thought she had buried. The fact that he was now seeing Erin only added an extra intensity to the mix. She sneaked a glance at Raul. He was so handsome with his perfect features and gorgeous olive skin. Yes, she should focus on him, on the here and now. Not what might have been with Sean but never was going to be. He was with Erin; she was with Raul.
‘
TIFFANY, ARE YOU
awake? I have to go to training now.’ It was Raul speaking.
Tiffany opened her eyes, to see him leaning over her, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a pink shirt, with navy blue deck shoes. Hmm, she might have to say something about those shoes and that shirt … it wasn’t exactly edgy. But then nothing about Raul was edgy; he was sophisticated, slick, and expensive.
‘So, my angel, you can sleep all you like, it’s only half-past six, and then Luis can make you some breakfast.’
Mindful that her breath might not be as minty fresh as his, Tiffany mumbled, ‘Thanks.’
In rom-coms, the morning after the night before always showed couples kissing passionately, without that all-important trip to the bathroom to freshen up. But this was not a film, and Tiffany knew that her breath must smell of garlic from dinner the night before. If she kissed Raul now she would probably asphyxiate him. He maybe had the same thought as he dropped a kiss on her head and said, ‘I’ll call you later. Sweet dreams.’
Tiffany snuggled back down under the duvet, needing time to process last night’s events. After the film she and Raul had gone for dinner at Nobu, a flirtatious, suggestive, will we, won’t we time. As it turned out – we
will
… They had gone back to his house and picked up where they had left off from the week before, though thankfully not in the hot tub. Tiffany didn’t know if she would ever want to get into a hot tub again. It was no surprise to discover that Raul was a skilful, practised lover who knew how to please a woman … but Tiffany had to admit to being slightly disappointed that when it came to other things, it was all over rather too quickly for her liking. Somewhat prematurely. Somehow she would have thought Raul had more stamina … but maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to judge. It was their first time together after all and he had pleased her in other ways, very much …
She fell back to sleep for another hour and then it was a mad dash to get back to her flat to change before going to the studio. Turning up in last night’s dress would have been too much of a giveaway. But of course Jez had her number and wanted to know every detail. Well, as much as she would let on.
‘It was very nice,’ she finally admitted under his intense interrogation. She was only surprised he didn’t shine a spotlight into her eyes to get her to blab.
‘Nice! Wasn’t it passionate, sensual, erotic? Didn’t the earth move?’
‘It was and, yes, it did.’ In
parts
, she nearly added. ‘But I’m not going to tell you any more than that.’
‘Spoilsport!’ Jez stuck out his tongue, ‘At least let me know if he had a big cock or not?’
Tiffany rolled her eyes. ‘You’re so coarse, Jez!’
‘Just give him something,’ Angel advised, ‘or he’ll never let up.’
‘OK then, yes, he had a massive wanger! I’m surprised it’s not in the
Guinness Book of Records
.’
‘Lucky you!’ Jez replied. ‘So a red carpet moment, dinner at Nobu and then a good seeing to. What more could anyone possibly want?’
For it to have lasted a little bit longer
… a thought Tiffany did not voice. ‘And now, I must get on with my work!’ She got up and left the dressing room. As she was about to go and talk to the contributor in the next dressing room, she saw Sean walking along the corridor towards her, with Tammy, one of the PAs, who was holding an enormous bouquet of flowers.
‘These are for you.’ Tammy handed them over. ‘Is it your birthday or something?’
Tiffany shook her head.
‘Well, somebody loves you! Is it that lush racing driver? Lucky you!’ she exclaimed, and then rushed off to her next task.
Tiffany felt herself blush as she thought she might as well have a Post-it stuck to her forehead, reading,
I have just shagged Raul Garcia
.
‘Hi, Sean,’ she said, trying to sound casual.
‘Morning, Tiffany, nice flowers.’
She looked at him. He was wearing jeans and a blue-and-white checked shirt, the sleeves rolled up, showing off his tanned forearms, and despite herself the thought came unbidden into her head that Sean looked like a man who had staying power.
Oh, for God’s sake, stop obsessing about him!
she told herself as she went into the dressing room.
If he has got staying power then it’s all for Erin
. But even as she tried to tell herself that, another thought popped up.
Lucky Erin
.
Believing Sean to be with Erin, Tiffany threw herself into her romance with Raul, figuring why shouldn’t she have some fun? Raul was the perfect boyfriend … entertaining, flirtatious, attentive, very sexy. But there was a ‘but’ lurking in there and it was this: they had spent five more nights together and the sex seemed to be missing something, a magic ingredient to make it zing. It was too much like sex by numbers, and Raul’s
performance
was still disappointingly quick. And there was the other thing. The minute they’d finished, he would practically leap up and go and shower.
Tiffany was all in favour of personal hygiene, but at the same time she loved that moment after sex when you lay in each other’s arms, sweaty and satisfied. Raul’s hasty showering made her feel as if she had contaminated him. She liked her men a bit more earthy and, well, manly. She knew that Jez would have a view on it, but wasn’t ready to share the information with him. And everything else was so good, it seemed mean-spirited to concentrate on the two things that weren’t quite right.
And work was just brilliant. Susie had managed to land her the style column in a weekly celeb mag for the astonishing sum of one and a half grand a week. Tiffany was determined to put the money to good use and give some to her dad and Marie … and to pay for Tanya to go into rehab, not that she had heard back from her. She resolved to leave it another week and then go and see her mother again and put the offer to her, face to face.
If only she could get over her feelings for Sean, then everything in her life would be pretty much perfect. But every time she saw him, he got under her skin and needled her. Like today, for instance, when she was on her way out of the TV studios and saw him chatting to a young blonde woman in reception. Was she Erin? Tiffany waved at the pair of them, while giving the young woman a surreptitious once-over. Sure she was pretty and slim, but was she any prettier than Tiffany? She registered the warm smile on Sean’s face as he chatted to the woman. He never smiled like that for her any more … And somehow telling herself that she was going on an amazing date with Raul that night couldn’t cut it. She felt in a bad mood all the way home.
Tonight was the first time she was going to meet some of his friends and teammates as they were going to a summer ball organised by Ferrari, for whom Raul raced. She had been all set to wear the midnight blue evening gown but Jez had pointed out that it wouldn’t do for Raul to see her wearing the same dress she had worn to Angel’s birthday party. Tiffany didn’t think that it was a problem but even Angel had intervened and had lent her one of her own evening dresses – a simply stunning red dress by Valentino which she’d had altered to fit Tiffany – along with a pair of breathtaking diamond earrings. Jez was round at her flat now, putting her hair into an elegant updo. Tiffany had wanted to wear her hair down but Jez had overruled her and was busy with the tongs and hairspray. And as the hairstyle took shape, Tiffany had to admit that it was the perfect look for the dress.