Chapter 67
Lorraine’s place. LA
“I told you she was the best!” Lorraine laughed, placing the magazine in Joe’s line of vision.
“Who?” Joe grinned, glancing at the magazine as he kept stirring his special tomato sauce.
“Luna, of course!” Lorraine rolled her eyes. “She sold 50,000 copies of her book over the first weekend and ‘Secret Pleasures’ is now one of the ten most sold books across the country,” she laughed happily.
Joe smiled. “Well, it’s about time that girl had some happy things happening to her.”
Lorraine nodded in agreement. “I’m so happy for her, Joe, after all the horrible things Luna went through she really deserves to have success.” She turned around and picked up the scissors, cutting the piece of magazine where the list of the books appeared printed. ‘Secret Pleasures’ was number six on the list.
Joe glanced at Lorraine over his shoulder and shook his head, watching her adding the clipping to her collection of pictures and other clippings about Luna. The reverence and care that Lorraine showed while sticking the clip within the album surprised him a little. If he wouldn’t have known the reality that lay behind it, Joe would have been really concerned about Luna’s safety and Lorraine’s sanity, since the girl had all the tickets to turn into a stalker, an obsessed stalker actually.
Joe knew better. Lorraine wasn’t obsessed with Luna, she just loved Vin Diesel’s wife. Not even in a carnal way but in a sort of platonic way. It was an unconditional devotion and Lorraine wasn’t hurting anybody. She hadn’t even tried to contact Luna at all, even though she knew that Joe had Luna’s cell phone number.
Maybe she was hurting herself a little but in a sort of empathic way. If Luna suffered, Lorraine suffered as well. If Luna looked happy in the pictures that tabloids published, Lorraine was happy too. She had gone through a little depression when she found that Luna had gone into a coma. Things got worse when the tabloids published that Luna had lost her baby. Lorraine had been crying non-stop for days, praying to God, so he blessed Luna.
She was sure Luna and Vin were made for each other and had a hard time accepting that the couple had gone their separate ways after Luna had been discharged from the Cedars. The fact that Luna had moved to New York had hurt Lorraine a little but she understood that Luna needed to get out of LA or the paparazzi wouldn’t have left her no peace.
It had been back then that Lorraine had opened up her heart to Joe, confessing her feelings for Luna. Joe said nothing and just stuck by her side. They had become close friends during the shooting of ‘SETH’ and now their friendship had grown even stronger. They hung around, going to cinema or just spending time together at each other places.
Sandra and Niko hadn’t been around too much, since Niko was shooting a documentary about urban tribes for a TV channel.
“So, do you know by chance when Luna is coming to introduce her book?” Joe grinned to himself. As if Lorraine wouldn’t know the day, the time and even the place.
Lorraine snickered. “Yep. She’ll be here in LA in two weeks at Virgin on Sunset Boulevard. She’ll sign copies of ‘Secret Pleasures’ in their book department. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yeah, it’s wonderful.” Joe smiled sweetly, knowing Lorraine would be counting down the days.
“Joe?” Lorraine went serious in a heartbeat and moved to his side. “You think Vin will try to see her or talk to her at all?” A sudden sadness reflected on Lorraine’s eyes and Joe pulled her to him.
“I don’t know, sweetie, but maybe you should start assuming that they’re going to end up divorcing, you know?”
Lorraine heaved a hard sigh, hugging Joe tightly. “I know but it’s so heartbreaking, Joe.”
Joe smiled sadly, stroking Lorraine’s back up and down. “I know that, sweetie, but Vin is living with that trashy slut Sheila. So, do you really like Vin going anywhere close to Luna?”
Lorraine shook her head ‘no’. “I can’t understand why he is doing that, Joe. I thought Vin loved Luna with everything in him.”
I bet Luna thought the same, Joe replied silently.
“I know it sounds weird but do you think Vin is punishing himself?” Lorraine tilted her head back, meeting Joe’s eyes, and then elaborated. “I mean, you saw how Vin used to treat Sheila when he joined the shooting, after finding out that Luna was pregnant. He seemed as if her mere sight disgusted him and now he invited her to live with him? It doesn’t make sense, Joe.” Lorraine sighed hard. “I know it sounds crazy but there’s something wrong with Vin’s behaviour.”
Joe frowned slightly. It was true that it didn’t make sense but then again Vin never was the kind of guy who did things that made too much sense anyway.
“And what do you want to do, Lorraine?” Joe narrowed his eyes.
Lorraine shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, Joe. But my guts tell me that something doesn’t fit in all this.”
Joe nodded but didn’t say anything. They couldn’t go around trying to find what was going on, now could they? If something was going on at all, that is. Vin had a little army of bodyguards around almost 24/7 and he only left his place to go party with Sheila. Tabloids were getting a kick out of the couple though; they went out almost every night to a different club and they didn’t even bother to hide from the paparazzi.
“I’ve got an idea.” Joe said all of a sudden, causing Lorraine’s eyes to light up in seconds. She really wanted to do something, anything. “There’s this party tonight at ‘Privilege’ and an old friend of mine will be playing dance music. He can get us inside.”
“Will Vin show up?” Lorraine’s eyes narrowed a little, she was already thinking in advance.
Joe grinned. “Maybe. You feel like going?”
Lorraine’s smile grew wider and she nodded ‘yes’ eagerly. Maybe she could talk with Vin, if she manage to get close to him at all. That was if he still remembered her from the shooting, which Lorraine wasn’t so sure of all of a sudden.
——————
Aztec Country Club. NY.
“So she started the tour?” Roberto narrowed his eyes, measuring the distance to the hole as he got ready to swing his golf club.
Santiago followed Roberto’s line of vision and frowned. His cardiologist was really thrashing him, good thing they weren’t betting for money.
“Yeah, she’ll be back in NY in three weeks.” Santiago returned his attention to Roberto. “You sure you want to go ahead with this? It’s going to cost you a little fortune, Robert.”
In response, Roberto chuckled as he hit the ball. Their gazes followed the arc in the air and saw it falling directly into the hole.
“Yeah!” Roberto laughed and then turned around to look at Santiago. “Who cares about a few grand?” He swung his club a little as a huge wicked grin spread on his lips. “Luna is worth that and much more.”
Santiago cocked his head to one side. “50,000 copies at $20 for each one of them makes a little more than a few grand, my friend.”
Roberto snorted. “You know as well as I do that, eventually, we’re gonna get that money back. It’s a long term investment.”
Santiago chuckled. “More like a risky long term investment, I’d say, but you know I like risks and it’s not that I didn’t waste a little fortune on a box of expensive French wine myself.”
In response Roberto laughed and they both started to make their way to the next hole followed by their caddies.
“You don’t sound too confident in Luna’s talent, Santiago. I though you said she was a sure bet.”
“Oh, she is a sure bet, but let’s talk seriously, Robert. Erotica is not exactly fiction and Luna is not John Grisham. She wouldn’t be able to sell 100,000 copies of her book in the first week after being on sale at bookstores.”
Roberto hummed to himself and looked straight ahead. “And that’s the reason why we’re buying 50,000 copies at their cost price and ordering the second edition, another 100,000 copies.”
Santiago grinned. It was common procedure to do that. Sometimes the publishing house was the one buying the copies at the cost price to sell them later at a lower price than the one at the beginning. That was how the law of supply and demand worked. If the first edition of a book appeared as ‘sold out’ over the first week after being on sale, people’s interest would increase and they would want a copy. At the end it would be all benefits since the copies bought by the publishing house would end up being sold on the Internet through the same publishing house website.
“You sure you chose the right career, Robert? You could make it big in business.” Santiago bent over, getting ready to hit the ball.
Roberto chuckled. “You’d be dead if I’d chosen another career, Santiago.”
“That’s true, very true.” Santiago hit the ball and frowned, just to let out a string of profanities in their mother tongue when the ball went off the green and fell directly into a small lake. “I don’t even know why I bother.” Santiago shook his head causing Roberto laughed quietly.
“I’ll give you a rematch next week.” Roberto tapped Santiago’s shoulder
——————-
‘Secret Pleasures Tour’. Miami.
Luna set her jaw hard when she saw the people queuing outside the bookstore. The line rounded the building and went almost a block away. She should have gotten used to it by now, since Miami was the third city she was visiting to promote her book. Quite the opposite, it upset her and it pissed her off big time because she knew these people, at least most of them, weren’t there because her book but because of her.
They had come to see in person Vin Diesel’s wife and not to see Luna Andrade the author of ‘Secret Pleasures’. They didn’t want a copy of her book with a personal dedication but Luna Vincent’s autograph. And they didn’t seem to care if they had to pay $40 to have it or if they had to wait for hours to get it.
She should have been having a blast introducing her book; instead she was going through hell and wondered if Santiago had been right, openly showing his concern about her needing more time before going on tour. It was clear she wasn’t ready to go through this.
Each time someone gave her their condolences, Luna felt like yelling and cursing and kicking the hell out of something. She hated Vin with everything in her more and more. He had not only destroyed her life but also her career.
Allison had said that they couldn’t do shit to stop the tour, everything had been already taken care of. The publishing house had spent an unusually big amount of money in advertising and marketing in advance to help the sales of her book. Besides, Luna had signed a contract that she couldn’t break or they would sue her, losing the rights to her own book. Luna was trapped and she had no other choice but to finish the tour, even if she felt like dying inside.
And that was not all. Luna suspected that some of the people that were there had been paid by the publishing house, as if they were some sort of extras, like in a movie, and that they were traveling at the same time that she was. Luna could swear she had seen some of them in Washington and also in New Orleans.
Still, the copies of her book kept being sold all over the country. Santiago had even phoned her the night before to tell her that they had already ordered a second edition of ‘Secret Pleasures’ because the first 100,000 copies had been already sold, and they also kept receiving petitions from bookstores all over the US and even from UK and Australia.
This last thought caused Luna to narrow her eyes in suspicion, still staring at the people outside through the fumed glass of the limousine.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust in her own talent, or that she didn’t consider herself a good writer, but she had serious doubts about people being that interested in her book. Of course there was a plausible explanation for ‘Secret Pleasures’ being already ‘sold out’ after only a few days of being available in bookstores; the fact that she was still Vin Diesel’s wife. It always came down to that. At the end, and since her book was written in first person, most people took for granted that she was describing daily scenes directly taken out of her sexual life with her famous husband.
“Luna, are you ready, sugar?” Allison’s soft voice pulled Luna out of her thoughts.
She nodded ‘yes’, all of a sudden not trusting her voice.
It was true that some of the scenes that she had described in her book weren’t products of her imagination, and the memories hurt, a lot more than she had expected, which only pissed Luna off even more.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Luna pulled herself together and got ready to sign autographs and personal dedications, kissing cheeks, shaking hands and posing for pictures like she was supposed to do, remembering to thank her readers, appreciating their compliments and nice words, and not forgetting to smile like there wasn’t a tomorrow.
The driver opened the door of the limousine causing people to start calling Luna, screaming as if she was a rock star who had showed up on stage. Two security guards pushed some teenagers backwards that had managed to slip past the security fence.
In seconds, Steve got out of the passenger seat and stood, offering Luna his hand to get out of the limo. She took it and emerged from the large vehicle, waving her hand and smiling as if her life depended on it.
Allison followed her outside and the three of them headed directly to the bookstore where the manager was already waiting for Luna. She was escorted through hallways full of shelves with books until she reached the small platform the organization had gotten ready for her.
A quick stop to get her picture taken by a bunch of photographers and she was sitting behind a desk, ready to sign as many copies as were given to her by her many ‘unconditional’ fans.
Kisses, handshakes, hugs, pictures, autographs, dedications, more pictures, more kisses, more hugs, more handshakes. The next two hours passed in a blur of voices and faces; praise, condolences and well wishes all mixed up in a bizarre kaleidoscope of contradicted emotions and feelings.
To Monique, to Rita, to Lou, to Jules, to Gracie, to Nikki, to Carole, to Anika, to William, to Connor, to Frank, to Manuela, to Giuliani, to Jose, to Jasmine, to Yolanda, to Alex, to David, to Lydia, to Maria José, to Elaine, to Luz, to Nuria…
With love; with all my love; with my endless love; with my gratitude; with my deepest gratitude; with my endless gratitude, with affection; with all my affection; with my deepest affection…
When Allison squeezed Luna’s shoulder, whispering in her ear that they were done, Luna wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of her lungs ‘fuck you all, you despicable bastards!’
She couldn’t do this for three more weeks; she just couldn’t. Luna was sure she would die before being able to finish the damned promotion of ‘Secret Pleasures’.
——————
Vin’s place. LA
“That’s right, big guy, give it to Sheila.” Sheila whispered breathlessly as she pushed backwards to meet Vin’s violent thrust.
Vin gritted his teeth and jammed his eyes shut, slamming hard into Sheila’s body over and over. His mind was far away, just his body remained there. He was always far away, with his wife, with Luna.
The scenario changed from one occasion to the next but Luna was always there with him. He always conjured a vision of Luna to fuck Sheila. Most of the time it wasn’t even a vision of Luna’s naked body though, just her eyes or her smoky voice. It was all he needed to get as hard as a rock. His dick seemed to not care whose pussy it had in front of it though, as long as it was a pussy. But his brain didn’t share his cock’s lack of taste.
Gripping Sheila’s hips, Vin jerked above her. In his head he was hearing Luna’s voice, screaming his name coming all over him.
Sheila’s inner muscles clenched around him and it was then that Vin’s mind and body joined again, returning to reality. Sheila’s climax sent him to the edge and Vin came hard, cursing himself silently.
Almost immediately, he pushed out, getting rid of the rubber and throwing it in the basket. Sheila was still catching her breath when Vin was already out of the bed and padding to the bathroom.
She followed his every move from the corner of her eye. The sight of the ‘L’ tattooed on his left cheek made her sick every time Sheila saw it; she hated it with everything in her, knowing Vin hated tattoos and still he had gotten his wife’s initial tattooed. Sheila couldn’t stop thinking about a way to have Vin remove it or maybe changed it into another thing.
Burying her face in the pillow, Sheila fought back tears of anger.
He was not the Vin Diesel she thought he would be. Hell! This was not how she had thought sex with Vin would be like. This was a mechanical act in which Vin seemed to be scratching an itch, using her body for physical release. There was no passion or fire, just lust.
Sheila rolled to one side and lit a cigarette. They had been having sex two and three times a day since she moved in with him, but Vin’s coldness and dispassionate giving felt like an insult. Most of the time he took her from behind and almost didn’t talk with the exception of coarse words to make her cum.
Vin always made sure that Sheila was wet enough so he didn’t hurt her and he didn’t come until she did, but still, his moves were mechanic, as if he was fulfilling a duty. And then there was the condoms issue. That had been one of the conditions that Vin had imposed, warning Sheila about the nasty consequences of coming up with some trick to fool him.
Sheila knew better than to stand up to him, especially after what happened last night. Vin had scared the hell out of her and, for a couple of seconds, Sheila had been sure that he was going to hit her.
She had stormed out of the room, embarrassed at being treated as if she was a worthless piece of shit in front of his PA and his bodyguard, and she even had considered leaving when Vin had shown up. He had even apologized for his disproportionate reaction, but had also asked her to not mention Luna in the future. His excuse for getting so pissed off had been that it was still too painful and that he needed some time to get over the end of his marriage. Then he had been fucking her six ways from Sunday until exhausting them both.
The sound of the shower running pulled Sheila out of her thoughts and she put the cigarette out, standing. That was one of Vin’s habits that really got on her nerves; he seemed unable to wait to get rid of her essence on him, jumping in the shower almost before he had pulled out of her completely.
Anger boiled within her veins and Sheila fisted her hands so tightly that she ended up digging her long nails into the palms, drawing blood. Even though Luna wasn’t around, it seemed as if her presence was everywhere. Sheila couldn’t stand it but she’d be damned if she was going to give up after how far she had come. After all she was the one living with Vin, not Luna or any other woman, but her. He had even removed the few pictures of Luna that were showing.
Grabbing the silky robe Vin had bought for her, Sheila headed directly to the guest’s bathroom. She was going to have to think hard about a way to reach Vin’s heart, even though she had no clue how to do that. So far it seemed that each time she did what Vin asked her to do without complaining or hesitation, he looked pleased.
Sheila narrowed her eyes as she got in the shower. She wouldn’t renounce Vin, not in a million years. She would be the next Mrs. Vincent and no one would stop her.
Vin stood under the sting of hot water, relaxing his muscles. His head throbbed after the shots of tequila he had gulped last night to fuck Sheila.
It revolted his guts to realize how fast he had gone back to his old bad habits. It was disgusting; he was disgusting, and the realization caused Vin to jump out of the shower, dashing to the toilet where he puked his guts out.
Fuck! Vin cursed, slamming his fist on the tile wall, groaning in pain when the impact sent a jolt of pain through his knuckles and up his arm.
Sex with Sheila was just that, sex. Plain and simple. There was nothing aside from the mere physical act. She was just a fuck; a lousy fuck actually. Afterwards, he felt not only sick but empty. Still, he had no other choice or Sheila would suspect there was something wrong with the picture. Maybe he had done the right thing letting Luna out of his life after all. He was never man enough for her and he had what he deserved. A lousy slut in his life and in his bed. Good thing neither Luna nor his friends were around anymore or they would have died of shame at how low he was falling, degrading himself.
Washing his teeth, Vin grabbed a towel and dried, heading back to the bedroom to get ready. He had an appointment with Marcela.
“You going out?” Sheila entered the bedroom, wrapped in a towel.
Vin nodded ‘yes’ without looking at her. “I got a meeting with Marcela. It seems she had two scripts she wants me to take a look at.”
“Cool!” Sheila grinned and, dropping her towel, she closed the distance between them, encircling his waist from behind. “I’m gonna miss you, big guy.” She purred, rubbing her naked body against his clothed one as her hand slid down, cupping him.
Vin tensed slightly, feeling his guts twisting and took a slow breath. “Me too, babe.” He reached blindly behind him, squeezing her tight ass.
“You sure you gotta go?” Sheila kissed his nape, squeezing him hard, feeling his cock twitching within his cargoes.
“I have no other choice, babe.” Vin pulled his wallet out and turned around, flashing his credit card to Sheila. “Here, go buy something sexy, I’ve got something planned for us tonight.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips, just a brush.
“You okay, Vin?” Sheila eyed him carefully but grabbed the credit card. Vin was unpredictable and his mood changed so fast she was never sure what to expect.
“Yeah,” he grinned lightly, “make sure you buy something really hot for me, babe.” He playfully slapped her ass and slipped around her, his face hardening as he left the room. Who said he wasn’t a damned great actor?
Sheila caressed Vin’s AMEX and grinned wickedly. She was planning to give him a huge surprise. He wanted something really hot and he was going to get it.
Vin joined Mike at the entrance of the house in time with Oliver arriving.
It was almost funny but Vin found that he really didn’t need a PA around him 24/7. Actually, Oliver wasn’t doing half of the tasks that Renee used to do. That part Vin kept to himself. He knew it would have infuriated Renee big time if she found about it. Not that it mattered now anyway. Renee wasn’t around anymore, neither was Valentino. Life sucked big time, still Vin had no other choice but to keep ahead. This was his punishment and he was planning to endure it without complaining, even if it ended up killing him in the process.
—————-
Marcela had phoned Vin, telling him that she had received two new scripts that would be interesting for Vin to look at. Actually Marcela was wracking her brain to find something, anything to keep Vin busy instead of watching him doing nothing except partying all over LA with Sheila. The sooner she got him in a shooting the better. At least that way, he would be out of sight.
One of them was an ambitious project, a film adaptation of the video game franchise ‘Hitman’. Vin would play the role of ‘Agent 47’, a genetically engineered elite assassin. Vin had been offered along with the lead role the possibility of producing the film, and they had even offered Vin to market the videogame through Tigon based on the episode that the movie developed.
The other script was a less ambitious project. It was a futuristic thriller whose script was an adaptation of the novel ‘Babylon Babies’ that had been written by a polemic French novelist, Dantec. The shooting would take place mostly in Europe and its main appeal were the rest of the cast and Vin’s character. Names such as Gerard Depardieu, Lambert Wilson and Michelle Yeoh would share the screen with Vin who would play Hugo Cornelius Toorop, a 20-year Special Forces veteran of the Bosnian conflict who quoted bits of ‘The Art of War’ written by Sun Tzu.
Like with ‘Hitman’, One Race would produce it too and there was the chance of releasing a videogame through Tigon as well. That had been the only reason why Vin had shown interest in reading both scripts though. If his career was going down, at least his companies would eventually make the money so he could start the shooting of ‘Hannibal’.
——————
Vin’s place. LA (later that day)
Oliver was busy updating Vin’s schedule, checking emails and writing some letters on his laptop.
Vin had been gone for a few hours now and Sheila had just gotten back with shopping bags from some of the most exclusive boutiques located on Rodeo Drive.
Oliver had taken a seat at Vin’s desk in his boss’ office since it was the only place within the house that had sound proof walls. Not that Oliver could concentrate on his task, even with the isolation system, he could hear Sheila singing, or trying to and failing miserably.
It seemed that she was in the gym, doing whatever she did to keep herself in shape. More like keeping herself within a size 0, Oliver rolled his eyes. He couldn’t understand what she was hoping to burn. There was no fat in her flawless body.
Not even the booming sound of dance music could muffle Sheila’s strident tone of voice that stood out above, resounding all over the house.
If she keeps strangling the poor cat, I’ll end up calling the animal protection society, I swear, Oliver snickered at his own thoughts. Why every single wannabe actress thought she could sing was something Oliver would never understand. And who the hell was going to buy her record, anyway?
He didn’t like Sheila, not one bit, especially after she had tried to boss him around on several occasions. The last time had been the night before. To Oliver’s relief, Vin had intervened, replying that he was the only one throwing orders to his employees, adding that Oliver was his PA and not hers. Sheila had huffed and had made the huge mistake of mentioning Luna’s name, followed by a string of not so nice words.
It had been the first time that Oliver almost pissed on his slips. For a second he had been sure that Vin was going to kill Sheila right then and there. And if Vin would have been wearing Riddick’s outfit instead of jeans and a t-shirt, Oliver would have swore that he was in the very presence of the infamous ex-convict and murderer, Richard B. Riddick himself.
Even Mike had hesitated for a brief moment, visibly tensing when Vin had spun around, pinning Sheila with a murderous gaze. Then in a low tone of voice that had sent chills up Oliver’s spine, Vin had warned Sheila, whispering that if she dared to say his wife’s name again, she would regret it for the rest of her useless existence.
Sheila had stormed out of the salon where all of them had been at the time, crying like there wasn’t a tomorrow. Oliver had felt bad for her but then he had remembered the many times that he had found Vin crying silently while locked in his office, the only room within the house that Sheila wasn’t allowed to enter, with a picture of Luna in his hands.
Oliver was searching for a pencil sharpener in the drawers when he saw a folder at the bottom of the last one. There was no name written on it and he pulled it out, frowning. When Oliver opened it, he saw that it was full of pictures of Luna.
For a second Oliver went motionless, unsure if he should take a peek. It was very personal thing, and even though Vin had told him that he had free access to anything, Oliver felt weird. He had signed a confidentially agreement, just like everybody else around Vin and he knew that anything of value for his boss had been placed within the safe, which combination only Vin knew. Still Oliver felt curious because he hadn’t had the chance to meet Luna in person.
After a couple of seconds curiosity got the best of Oliver and he started looking at the pictures.
Some of them showed Luna with Renee and Valentino; others with Vin’s parents and there were a couple showing Luna with two little kids, a boy and a girl. Oliver guessed they were Chris and Adiana. There were a lot of pictures showing Vin and Luna together or Luna alone. There were even a couple of them that seemed as if they had been taken without Luna being aware. In these ones she was writing or reading, lying in a hammock. But among all of them there was one that got Oliver’s attention and he smiled sadly.
It was a printed version of a picture; its quality wasn’t too good. It seemed as if had been taken with a phone and enlarged several times. Still the image was clear enough and Oliver felt his chest tightening.
In that one, Luna was kneeling on a bed and there were what looked like drawings spread all around her. She was wearing panties and what Oliver was sure was one of Vin’s t-shirts. She had lifted it, revealing her slightly rounded belly. She was smiling even though her eyes were slightly puffed, as if she had been crying. Still her gaze sparkled with such happiness that it was infectious and Oliver mimicked her smile without even realizing. Vin was in that picture two, well at least his hand, that it seemed to be stroking his wife’s belly.
Oliver frowned, staring at Luna’s printed face. She was not as stunning as Sheila, Oliver admitted if reluctantly, but she was beautiful in a way Sheila would never be, ever. Luna’s beauty could be felt more than seen. There was a deep calmness, a profound serenity that emanated from her features. Almost immediately, Oliver found himself liking Luna and wished to meet her in person.
He also wondered what the hell Vin was doing with a spoiled, annoying brat like Sheila. Oliver was almost sure Sheila wasn’t able to carry out a deep conversation about any subject with the exception of fashion. Why Vin was with her escaped Oliver’s comprehension, and for some unthinkable reason the idea of Vin punishing himself seemed all of sudden the only plausible explanation for him to be with Sheila.
“Found something interesting?”
Oliver almost jumped out of his skin when he lifted his head and found Vin standing in front of him, at the other side of the desk. He held his breath and froze in place; Oliver didn’t even dare to speak.
“Breath, Oliver or you’ll pass out.” Vin smiled slightly and Oliver let out the air in a rush, standing at once.
“Vin…I…I…” Oliver frowned, words failing him as he looked back and forth between Vin and the pictures spread onto the desk. “I’m s-sorry, Vin.” He stuttered, feeling his heart racing wildly within his chest. Vin was going to kick him out and without references, Oliver was sure.
“It’s okay, Oliver, relax, man.” Vin circled the desk and Oliver moved quickly out of his boss’ way.
Oliver took a deep breath, calming himself a little and smiled nervously. “I’m sorry, Vin, I know I shouldn’t have been prying in your things. It won’t happen again, I do give you my word.” Oliver added quickly, wanting to make sure that Vin knew he was being sincere.
“Told you it was okay, Oliver.” Vin folded the pictures, pulling them together inside the folder and placing it where Oliver found it. Then he placed the two scripts on the desk.
“Still, it was very unprofessional, Vin.” Oliver insisted, smiling warily.
Vin waved his hand as if resting importance to Oliver’s slip. It was natural that he felt curious about Luna, since there weren’t pictures of her around the house. Vin had removed them all; it hurt too much. Of course, Sheila was sure he had done it as a gesture of respect to her. Vin didn’t contradict her, it suited his plans for Sheila just fine though.
The blaring music had stopped but Sheila’s voice could still be heard. Oliver met Vin’s gaze.
“I’d say she’s not upset anymore.” Oliver ventured to say.
Vin snorted. “She will be before the night’s over.” He lit a cigarette, puffing deeply. “I’ve got plans for tonight,” he blew the smoke through his nose, “for us.”
Vin’s tone of voice caused Oliver to swallow hard. There was something dark even though it had sounded flat.
next…
Secrets 67
Chapter 67
Lorraine’s place. LA
“I told you she was the best!” Lorraine laughed, placing the magazine in Joe’s line of vision.
“Who?” Joe grinned, glancing at the magazine as he kept stirring his special tomato sauce.
“Luna, of course!” Lorraine rolled her eyes. “She sold 50,000 copies of her book over the first weekend and ‘Secret Pleasures’ is now one of the ten most sold books across the country,” she laughed happily.
Joe smiled. “Well, it’s about time that girl had some happy things happening to her.”
Lorraine nodded in agreement. “I’m so happy for her, Joe, after all the horrible things Luna went through she really deserves to have success.” She turned around and picked up the scissors, cutting the piece of magazine where the list of the books appeared printed. ‘Secret Pleasures’ was number six on the list.
Joe glanced at Lorraine over his shoulder and shook his head, watching her adding the clipping to her collection of pictures and other clippings about Luna. The reverence and care that Lorraine showed while sticking the clip within the album surprised him a little. If he wouldn’t have known the reality that lay behind it, Joe would have been really concerned about Luna’s safety and Lorraine’s sanity, since the girl had all the tickets to turn into a stalker, an obsessed stalker actually.
Joe knew better. Lorraine wasn’t obsessed with Luna, she just loved Vin Diesel’s wife. Not even in a carnal way but in a sort of platonic way. It was an unconditional devotion and Lorraine wasn’t hurting anybody. She hadn’t even tried to contact Luna at all, even though she knew that Joe had Luna’s cell phone number.
Maybe she was hurting herself a little but in a sort of empathic way. If Luna suffered, Lorraine suffered as well. If Luna looked happy in the pictures that tabloids published, Lorraine was happy too. She had gone through a little depression when she found that Luna had gone into a coma. Things got worse when the tabloids published that Luna had lost her baby. Lorraine had been crying non-stop for days, praying to God, so he blessed Luna.
She was sure Luna and Vin were made for each other and had a hard time accepting that the couple had gone their separate ways after Luna had been discharged from the Cedars. The fact that Luna had moved to New York had hurt Lorraine a little but she understood that Luna needed to get out of LA or the paparazzi wouldn’t have left her no peace.
It had been back then that Lorraine had opened up her heart to Joe, confessing her feelings for Luna. Joe said nothing and just stuck by her side. They had become close friends during the shooting of ‘SETH’ and now their friendship had grown even stronger. They hung around, going to cinema or just spending time together at each other places.
Sandra and Niko hadn’t been around too much, since Niko was shooting a documentary about urban tribes for a TV channel.
“So, do you know by chance when Luna is coming to introduce her book?” Joe grinned to himself. As if Lorraine wouldn’t know the day, the time and even the place.
Lorraine snickered. “Yep. She’ll be here in LA in two weeks at Virgin on Sunset Boulevard. She’ll sign copies of ‘Secret Pleasures’ in their book department. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yeah, it’s wonderful.” Joe smiled sweetly, knowing Lorraine would be counting down the days.
“Joe?” Lorraine went serious in a heartbeat and moved to his side. “You think Vin will try to see her or talk to her at all?” A sudden sadness reflected on Lorraine’s eyes and Joe pulled her to him.
“I don’t know, sweetie, but maybe you should start assuming that they’re going to end up divorcing, you know?”
Lorraine heaved a hard sigh, hugging Joe tightly. “I know but it’s so heartbreaking, Joe.”
Joe smiled sadly, stroking Lorraine’s back up and down. “I know that, sweetie, but Vin is living with that trashy slut Sheila. So, do you really like Vin going anywhere close to Luna?”
Lorraine shook her head ‘no’. “I can’t understand why he is doing that, Joe. I thought Vin loved Luna with everything in him.”
I bet Luna thought the same, Joe replied silently.
“I know it sounds weird but do you think Vin is punishing himself?” Lorraine tilted her head back, meeting Joe’s eyes, and then elaborated. “I mean, you saw how Vin used to treat Sheila when he joined the shooting, after finding out that Luna was pregnant. He seemed as if her mere sight disgusted him and now he invited her to live with him? It doesn’t make sense, Joe.” Lorraine sighed hard. “I know it sounds crazy but there’s something wrong with Vin’s behaviour.”
Joe frowned slightly. It was true that it didn’t make sense but then again Vin never was the kind of guy who did things that made too much sense anyway.
“And what do you want to do, Lorraine?” Joe narrowed his eyes.
Lorraine shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, Joe. But my guts tell me that something doesn’t fit in all this.”
Joe nodded but didn’t say anything. They couldn’t go around trying to find what was going on, now could they? If something was going on at all, that is. Vin had a little army of bodyguards around almost 24/7 and he only left his place to go party with Sheila. Tabloids were getting a kick out of the couple though; they went out almost every night to a different club and they didn’t even bother to hide from the paparazzi.
“I’ve got an idea.” Joe said all of a sudden, causing Lorraine’s eyes to light up in seconds. She really wanted to do something, anything. “There’s this party tonight at ‘Privilege’ and an old friend of mine will be playing dance music. He can get us inside.”
“Will Vin show up?” Lorraine’s eyes narrowed a little, she was already thinking in advance.
Joe grinned. “Maybe. You feel like going?”
Lorraine’s smile grew wider and she nodded ‘yes’ eagerly. Maybe she could talk with Vin, if she manage to get close to him at all. That was if he still remembered her from the shooting, which Lorraine wasn’t so sure of all of a sudden.
——————
Aztec Country Club. NY.
“So she started the tour?” Roberto narrowed his eyes, measuring the distance to the hole as he got ready to swing his golf club.
Santiago followed Roberto’s line of vision and frowned. His cardiologist was really thrashing him, good thing they weren’t betting for money.
“Yeah, she’ll be back in NY in three weeks.” Santiago returned his attention to Roberto. “You sure you want to go ahead with this? It’s going to cost you a little fortune, Robert.”
In response, Roberto chuckled as he hit the ball. Their gazes followed the arc in the air and saw it falling directly into the hole.
“Yeah!” Roberto laughed and then turned around to look at Santiago. “Who cares about a few grand?” He swung his club a little as a huge wicked grin spread on his lips. “Luna is worth that and much more.”
Santiago cocked his head to one side. “50,000 copies at $20 for each one of them makes a little more than a few grand, my friend.”
Roberto snorted. “You know as well as I do that, eventually, we’re gonna get that money back. It’s a long term investment.”
Santiago chuckled. “More like a risky long term investment, I’d say, but you know I like risks and it’s not that I didn’t waste a little fortune on a box of expensive French wine myself.”
In response Roberto laughed and they both started to make their way to the next hole followed by their caddies.
“You don’t sound too confident in Luna’s talent, Santiago. I though you said she was a sure bet.”
“Oh, she is a sure bet, but let’s talk seriously, Robert. Erotica is not exactly fiction and Luna is not John Grisham. She wouldn’t be able to sell 100,000 copies of her book in the first week after being on sale at bookstores.”
Roberto hummed to himself and looked straight ahead. “And that’s the reason why we’re buying 50,000 copies at their cost price and ordering the second edition, another 100,000 copies.”
Santiago grinned. It was common procedure to do that. Sometimes the publishing house was the one buying the copies at the cost price to sell them later at a lower price than the one at the beginning. That was how the law of supply and demand worked. If the first edition of a book appeared as ‘sold out’ over the first week after being on sale, people’s interest would increase and they would want a copy. At the end it would be all benefits since the copies bought by the publishing house would end up being sold on the Internet through the same publishing house website.
“You sure you chose the right career, Robert? You could make it big in business.” Santiago bent over, getting ready to hit the ball.
Roberto chuckled. “You’d be dead if I’d chosen another career, Santiago.”
“That’s true, very true.” Santiago hit the ball and frowned, just to let out a string of profanities in their mother tongue when the ball went off the green and fell directly into a small lake. “I don’t even know why I bother.” Santiago shook his head causing Roberto laughed quietly.
“I’ll give you a rematch next week.” Roberto tapped Santiago’s shoulder
——————-
‘Secret Pleasures Tour’. Miami.
Luna set her jaw hard when she saw the people queuing outside the bookstore. The line rounded the building and went almost a block away. She should have gotten used to it by now, since Miami was the third city she was visiting to promote her book. Quite the opposite, it upset her and it pissed her off big time because she knew these people, at least most of them, weren’t there because her book but because of her.
They had come to see in person Vin Diesel’s wife and not to see Luna Andrade the author of ‘Secret Pleasures’. They didn’t want a copy of her book with a personal dedication but Luna Vincent’s autograph. And they didn’t seem to care if they had to pay $40 to have it or if they had to wait for hours to get it.
She should have been having a blast introducing her book; instead she was going through hell and wondered if Santiago had been right, openly showing his concern about her needing more time before going on tour. It was clear she wasn’t ready to go through this.
Each time someone gave her their condolences, Luna felt like yelling and cursing and kicking the hell out of something. She hated Vin with everything in her more and more. He had not only destroyed her life but also her career.
Allison had said that they couldn’t do shit to stop the tour, everything had been already taken care of. The publishing house had spent an unusually big amount of money in advertising and marketing in advance to help the sales of her book. Besides, Luna had signed a contract that she couldn’t break or they would sue her, losing the rights to her own book. Luna was trapped and she had no other choice but to finish the tour, even if she felt like dying inside.
And that was not all. Luna suspected that some of the people that were there had been paid by the publishing house, as if they were some sort of extras, like in a movie, and that they were traveling at the same time that she was. Luna could swear she had seen some of them in Washington and also in New Orleans.
Still, the copies of her book kept being sold all over the country. Santiago had even phoned her the night before to tell her that they had already ordered a second edition of ‘Secret Pleasures’ because the first 100,000 copies had been already sold, and they also kept receiving petitions from bookstores all over the US and even from UK and Australia.
This last thought caused Luna to narrow her eyes in suspicion, still staring at the people outside through the fumed glass of the limousine.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust in her own talent, or that she didn’t consider herself a good writer, but she had serious doubts about people being that interested in her book. Of course there was a plausible explanation for ‘Secret Pleasures’ being already ‘sold out’ after only a few days of being available in bookstores; the fact that she was still Vin Diesel’s wife. It always came down to that. At the end, and since her book was written in first person, most people took for granted that she was describing daily scenes directly taken out of her sexual life with her famous husband.
“Luna, are you ready, sugar?” Allison’s soft voice pulled Luna out of her thoughts.
She nodded ‘yes’, all of a sudden not trusting her voice.
It was true that some of the scenes that she had described in her book weren’t products of her imagination, and the memories hurt, a lot more than she had expected, which only pissed Luna off even more.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Luna pulled herself together and got ready to sign autographs and personal dedications, kissing cheeks, shaking hands and posing for pictures like she was supposed to do, remembering to thank her readers, appreciating their compliments and nice words, and not forgetting to smile like there wasn’t a tomorrow.
The driver opened the door of the limousine causing people to start calling Luna, screaming as if she was a rock star who had showed up on stage. Two security guards pushed some teenagers backwards that had managed to slip past the security fence.
In seconds, Steve got out of the passenger seat and stood, offering Luna his hand to get out of the limo. She took it and emerged from the large vehicle, waving her hand and smiling as if her life depended on it.
Allison followed her outside and the three of them headed directly to the bookstore where the manager was already waiting for Luna. She was escorted through hallways full of shelves with books until she reached the small platform the organization had gotten ready for her.
A quick stop to get her picture taken by a bunch of photographers and she was sitting behind a desk, ready to sign as many copies as were given to her by her many ‘unconditional’ fans.
Kisses, handshakes, hugs, pictures, autographs, dedications, more pictures, more kisses, more hugs, more handshakes. The next two hours passed in a blur of voices and faces; praise, condolences and well wishes all mixed up in a bizarre kaleidoscope of contradicted emotions and feelings.
To Monique, to Rita, to Lou, to Jules, to Gracie, to Nikki, to Carole, to Anika, to William, to Connor, to Frank, to Manuela, to Giuliani, to Jose, to Jasmine, to Yolanda, to Alex, to David, to Lydia, to Maria José, to Elaine, to Luz, to Nuria…
With love; with all my love; with my endless love; with my gratitude; with my deepest gratitude; with my endless gratitude, with affection; with all my affection; with my deepest affection…
When Allison squeezed Luna’s shoulder, whispering in her ear that they were done, Luna wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of her lungs ‘fuck you all, you despicable bastards!’
She couldn’t do this for three more weeks; she just couldn’t. Luna was sure she would die before being able to finish the damned promotion of ‘Secret Pleasures’.
——————
Vin’s place. LA
“That’s right, big guy, give it to Sheila.” Sheila whispered breathlessly as she pushed backwards to meet Vin’s violent thrust.
Vin gritted his teeth and jammed his eyes shut, slamming hard into Sheila’s body over and over. His mind was far away, just his body remained there. He was always far away, with his wife, with Luna.
The scenario changed from one occasion to the next but Luna was always there with him. He always conjured a vision of Luna to fuck Sheila. Most of the time it wasn’t even a vision of Luna’s naked body though, just her eyes or her smoky voice. It was all he needed to get as hard as a rock. His dick seemed to not care whose pussy it had in front of it though, as long as it was a pussy. But his brain didn’t share his cock’s lack of taste.
Gripping Sheila’s hips, Vin jerked above her. In his head he was hearing Luna’s voice, screaming his name coming all over him.
Sheila’s inner muscles clenched around him and it was then that Vin’s mind and body joined again, returning to reality. Sheila’s climax sent him to the edge and Vin came hard, cursing himself silently.
Almost immediately, he pushed out, getting rid of the rubber and throwing it in the basket. Sheila was still catching her breath when Vin was already out of the bed and padding to the bathroom.
She followed his every move from the corner of her eye. The sight of the ‘L’ tattooed on his left cheek made her sick every time Sheila saw it; she hated it with everything in her, knowing Vin hated tattoos and still he had gotten his wife’s initial tattooed. Sheila couldn’t stop thinking about a way to have Vin remove it or maybe changed it into another thing.
Burying her face in the pillow, Sheila fought back tears of anger.
He was not the Vin Diesel she thought he would be. Hell! This was not how she had thought sex with Vin would be like. This was a mechanical act in which Vin seemed to be scratching an itch, using her body for physical release. There was no passion or fire, just lust.
Sheila rolled to one side and lit a cigarette. They had been having sex two and three times a day since she moved in with him, but Vin’s coldness and dispassionate giving felt like an insult. Most of the time he took her from behind and almost didn’t talk with the exception of coarse words to make her cum.
Vin always made sure that Sheila was wet enough so he didn’t hurt her and he didn’t come until she did, but still, his moves were mechanic, as if he was fulfilling a duty. And then there was the condoms issue. That had been one of the conditions that Vin had imposed, warning Sheila about the nasty consequences of coming up with some trick to fool him.
Sheila knew better than to stand up to him, especially after what happened last night. Vin had scared the hell out of her and, for a couple of seconds, Sheila had been sure that he was going to hit her.
She had stormed out of the room, embarrassed at being treated as if she was a worthless piece of shit in front of his PA and his bodyguard, and she even had considered leaving when Vin had shown up. He had even apologized for his disproportionate reaction, but had also asked her to not mention Luna in the future. His excuse for getting so pissed off had been that it was still too painful and that he needed some time to get over the end of his marriage. Then he had been fucking her six ways from Sunday until exhausting them both.
The sound of the shower running pulled Sheila out of her thoughts and she put the cigarette out, standing. That was one of Vin’s habits that really got on her nerves; he seemed unable to wait to get rid of her essence on him, jumping in the shower almost before he had pulled out of her completely.
Anger boiled within her veins and Sheila fisted her hands so tightly that she ended up digging her long nails into the palms, drawing blood. Even though Luna wasn’t around, it seemed as if her presence was everywhere. Sheila couldn’t stand it but she’d be damned if she was going to give up after how far she had come. After all she was the one living with Vin, not Luna or any other woman, but her. He had even removed the few pictures of Luna that were showing.
Grabbing the silky robe Vin had bought for her, Sheila headed directly to the guest’s bathroom. She was going to have to think hard about a way to reach Vin’s heart, even though she had no clue how to do that. So far it seemed that each time she did what Vin asked her to do without complaining or hesitation, he looked pleased.
Sheila narrowed her eyes as she got in the shower. She wouldn’t renounce Vin, not in a million years. She would be the next Mrs. Vincent and no one would stop her.
Vin stood under the sting of hot water, relaxing his muscles. His head throbbed after the shots of tequila he had gulped last night to fuck Sheila.
It revolted his guts to realize how fast he had gone back to his old bad habits. It was disgusting; he was disgusting, and the realization caused Vin to jump out of the shower, dashing to the toilet where he puked his guts out.
Fuck! Vin cursed, slamming his fist on the tile wall, groaning in pain when the impact sent a jolt of pain through his knuckles and up his arm.
Sex with Sheila was just that, sex. Plain and simple. There was nothing aside from the mere physical act. She was just a fuck; a lousy fuck actually. Afterwards, he felt not only sick but empty. Still, he had no other choice or Sheila would suspect there was something wrong with the picture. Maybe he had done the right thing letting Luna out of his life after all. He was never man enough for her and he had what he deserved. A lousy slut in his life and in his bed. Good thing neither Luna nor his friends were around anymore or they would have died of shame at how low he was falling, degrading himself.
Washing his teeth, Vin grabbed a towel and dried, heading back to the bedroom to get ready. He had an appointment with Marcela.
“You going out?” Sheila entered the bedroom, wrapped in a towel.
Vin nodded ‘yes’ without looking at her. “I got a meeting with Marcela. It seems she had two scripts she wants me to take a look at.”
“Cool!” Sheila grinned and, dropping her towel, she closed the distance between them, encircling his waist from behind. “I’m gonna miss you, big guy.” She purred, rubbing her naked body against his clothed one as her hand slid down, cupping him.
Vin tensed slightly, feeling his guts twisting and took a slow breath. “Me too, babe.” He reached blindly behind him, squeezing her tight ass.
“You sure you gotta go?” Sheila kissed his nape, squeezing him hard, feeling his cock twitching within his cargoes.
“I have no other choice, babe.” Vin pulled his wallet out and turned around, flashing his credit card to Sheila. “Here, go buy something sexy, I’ve got something planned for us tonight.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips, just a brush.
“You okay, Vin?” Sheila eyed him carefully but grabbed the credit card. Vin was unpredictable and his mood changed so fast she was never sure what to expect.
“Yeah,” he grinned lightly, “make sure you buy something really hot for me, babe.” He playfully slapped her ass and slipped around her, his face hardening as he left the room. Who said he wasn’t a damned great actor?
Sheila caressed Vin’s AMEX and grinned wickedly. She was planning to give him a huge surprise. He wanted something really hot and he was going to get it.
Vin joined Mike at the entrance of the house in time with Oliver arriving.
It was almost funny but Vin found that he really didn’t need a PA around him 24/7. Actually, Oliver wasn’t doing half of the tasks that Renee used to do. That part Vin kept to himself. He knew it would have infuriated Renee big time if she found about it. Not that it mattered now anyway. Renee wasn’t around anymore, neither was Valentino. Life sucked big time, still Vin had no other choice but to keep ahead. This was his punishment and he was planning to endure it without complaining, even if it ended up killing him in the process.
—————-
Marcela had phoned Vin, telling him that she had received two new scripts that would be interesting for Vin to look at. Actually Marcela was wracking her brain to find something, anything to keep Vin busy instead of watching him doing nothing except partying all over LA with Sheila. The sooner she got him in a shooting the better. At least that way, he would be out of sight.
One of them was an ambitious project, a film adaptation of the video game franchise ‘Hitman’. Vin would play the role of ‘Agent 47’, a genetically engineered elite assassin. Vin had been offered along with the lead role the possibility of producing the film, and they had even offered Vin to market the videogame through Tigon based on the episode that the movie developed.
The other script was a less ambitious project. It was a futuristic thriller whose script was an adaptation of the novel ‘Babylon Babies’ that had been written by a polemic French novelist, Dantec. The shooting would take place mostly in Europe and its main appeal were the rest of the cast and Vin’s character. Names such as Gerard Depardieu, Lambert Wilson and Michelle Yeoh would share the screen with Vin who would play Hugo Cornelius Toorop, a 20-year Special Forces veteran of the Bosnian conflict who quoted bits of ‘The Art of War’ written by Sun Tzu.
Like with ‘Hitman’, One Race would produce it too and there was the chance of releasing a videogame through Tigon as well. That had been the only reason why Vin had shown interest in reading both scripts though. If his career was going down, at least his companies would eventually make the money so he could start the shooting of ‘Hannibal’.
——————
Vin’s place. LA (later that day)
Oliver was busy updating Vin’s schedule, checking emails and writing some letters on his laptop.
Vin had been gone for a few hours now and Sheila had just gotten back with shopping bags from some of the most exclusive boutiques located on Rodeo Drive.
Oliver had taken a seat at Vin’s desk in his boss’ office since it was the only place within the house that had sound proof walls. Not that Oliver could concentrate on his task, even with the isolation system, he could hear Sheila singing, or trying to and failing miserably.
It seemed that she was in the gym, doing whatever she did to keep herself in shape. More like keeping herself within a size 0, Oliver rolled his eyes. He couldn’t understand what she was hoping to burn. There was no fat in her flawless body.
Not even the booming sound of dance music could muffle Sheila’s strident tone of voice that stood out above, resounding all over the house.
If she keeps strangling the poor cat, I’ll end up calling the animal protection society, I swear, Oliver snickered at his own thoughts. Why every single wannabe actress thought she could sing was something Oliver would never understand. And who the hell was going to buy her record, anyway?
He didn’t like Sheila, not one bit, especially after she had tried to boss him around on several occasions. The last time had been the night before. To Oliver’s relief, Vin had intervened, replying that he was the only one throwing orders to his employees, adding that Oliver was his PA and not hers. Sheila had huffed and had made the huge mistake of mentioning Luna’s name, followed by a string of not so nice words.
It had been the first time that Oliver almost pissed on his slips. For a second he had been sure that Vin was going to kill Sheila right then and there. And if Vin would have been wearing Riddick’s outfit instead of jeans and a t-shirt, Oliver would have swore that he was in the very presence of the infamous ex-convict and murderer, Richard B. Riddick himself.
Even Mike had hesitated for a brief moment, visibly tensing when Vin had spun around, pinning Sheila with a murderous gaze. Then in a low tone of voice that had sent chills up Oliver’s spine, Vin had warned Sheila, whispering that if she dared to say his wife’s name again, she would regret it for the rest of her useless existence.
Sheila had stormed out of the salon where all of them had been at the time, crying like there wasn’t a tomorrow. Oliver had felt bad for her but then he had remembered the many times that he had found Vin crying silently while locked in his office, the only room within the house that Sheila wasn’t allowed to enter, with a picture of Luna in his hands.
Oliver was searching for a pencil sharpener in the drawers when he saw a folder at the bottom of the last one. There was no name written on it and he pulled it out, frowning. When Oliver opened it, he saw that it was full of pictures of Luna.
For a second Oliver went motionless, unsure if he should take a peek. It was very personal thing, and even though Vin had told him that he had free access to anything, Oliver felt weird. He had signed a confidentially agreement, just like everybody else around Vin and he knew that anything of value for his boss had been placed within the safe, which combination only Vin knew. Still Oliver felt curious because he hadn’t had the chance to meet Luna in person.
After a couple of seconds curiosity got the best of Oliver and he started looking at the pictures.
Some of them showed Luna with Renee and Valentino; others with Vin’s parents and there were a couple showing Luna with two little kids, a boy and a girl. Oliver guessed they were Chris and Adiana. There were a lot of pictures showing Vin and Luna together or Luna alone. There were even a couple of them that seemed as if they had been taken without Luna being aware. In these ones she was writing or reading, lying in a hammock. But among all of them there was one that got Oliver’s attention and he smiled sadly.
It was a printed version of a picture; its quality wasn’t too good. It seemed as if had been taken with a phone and enlarged several times. Still the image was clear enough and Oliver felt his chest tightening.
In that one, Luna was kneeling on a bed and there were what looked like drawings spread all around her. She was wearing panties and what Oliver was sure was one of Vin’s t-shirts. She had lifted it, revealing her slightly rounded belly. She was smiling even though her eyes were slightly puffed, as if she had been crying. Still her gaze sparkled with such happiness that it was infectious and Oliver mimicked her smile without even realizing. Vin was in that picture two, well at least his hand, that it seemed to be stroking his wife’s belly.
Oliver frowned, staring at Luna’s printed face. She was not as stunning as Sheila, Oliver admitted if reluctantly, but she was beautiful in a way Sheila would never be, ever. Luna’s beauty could be felt more than seen. There was a deep calmness, a profound serenity that emanated from her features. Almost immediately, Oliver found himself liking Luna and wished to meet her in person.
He also wondered what the hell Vin was doing with a spoiled, annoying brat like Sheila. Oliver was almost sure Sheila wasn’t able to carry out a deep conversation about any subject with the exception of fashion. Why Vin was with her escaped Oliver’s comprehension, and for some unthinkable reason the idea of Vin punishing himself seemed all of sudden the only plausible explanation for him to be with Sheila.
“Found something interesting?”
Oliver almost jumped out of his skin when he lifted his head and found Vin standing in front of him, at the other side of the desk. He held his breath and froze in place; Oliver didn’t even dare to speak.
“Breath, Oliver or you’ll pass out.” Vin smiled slightly and Oliver let out the air in a rush, standing at once.
“Vin…I…I…” Oliver frowned, words failing him as he looked back and forth between Vin and the pictures spread onto the desk. “I’m s-sorry, Vin.” He stuttered, feeling his heart racing wildly within his chest. Vin was going to kick him out and without references, Oliver was sure.
“It’s okay, Oliver, relax, man.” Vin circled the desk and Oliver moved quickly out of his boss’ way.
Oliver took a deep breath, calming himself a little and smiled nervously. “I’m sorry, Vin, I know I shouldn’t have been prying in your things. It won’t happen again, I do give you my word.” Oliver added quickly, wanting to make sure that Vin knew he was being sincere.
“Told you it was okay, Oliver.” Vin folded the pictures, pulling them together inside the folder and placing it where Oliver found it. Then he placed the two scripts on the desk.
“Still, it was very unprofessional, Vin.” Oliver insisted, smiling warily.
Vin waved his hand as if resting importance to Oliver’s slip. It was natural that he felt curious about Luna, since there weren’t pictures of her around the house. Vin had removed them all; it hurt too much. Of course, Sheila was sure he had done it as a gesture of respect to her. Vin didn’t contradict her, it suited his plans for Sheila just fine though.
The blaring music had stopped but Sheila’s voice could still be heard. Oliver met Vin’s gaze.
“I’d say she’s not upset anymore.” Oliver ventured to say.
Vin snorted. “She will be before the night’s over.” He lit a cigarette, puffing deeply. “I’ve got plans for tonight,” he blew the smoke through his nose, “for us.”
Vin’s tone of voice caused Oliver to swallow hard. There was something dark even though it had sounded flat.
next…