“Hi, Doug. This is Zoe. You don’t know me, but I’m a friend of Gabrielle Donovan. We work together.”
Doug’s ears and heart perked up at the mention of Gabrielle’s name. “Yes?”
“I’m calling because I’m very worried about her.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Doug asked, concern coloring his voice.
“This is a delicate situation, since you two no longer date,” the woman began.
“Just come out with it,” Doug said impatiently. If something was wrong, he wanted to know without going through all this hemming and hawing.
“Ever since Gabrielle’s been seeing Jack Hollis, she’s really changed. She’s out partying all the time, showing up late for bookings, short-tempered and difficult to work with. The word is that Gabrielle’s doing drugs and boozing it up pretty good.”
This news crushed Doug. He would never have dreamed that the Gabrielle he knew and still loved would get caught up in alcohol and drugs. She knew damn well that substance abuse was the quickest way to ruin her career. “Does Greg von Ulrich know this?” he asked. Saying Greg’s name aloud was painful. Doug had realized long ago what a fool he’d been to suspect Gabrielle of sleeping with him.
“To be honest, I don’t know.”
“I find it hard to believe that Greg von Ulrich would ignore any talk about his top model using drugs.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself. They’ll be at the MarMa party tonight at Nell’s.”
“I don’t know what I can do to help. As you said before, Gabrielle and I are no longer a part of each other’s lives.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. There’s just one other thing—”
“Yes.”
“I think he might be hitting her. I don’t know it for a fact, I just know she’s had some weird bruises lately. I thought you’d want to know,” the caller said and hung up.
Doug sat in silence, holding the phone as the dial tone turned into a recording telling him to hang up and dial again. The thought of Gabrielle caught up in the seamy side of stardom disturbed him greatly. Was he to blame? Was Beatrice right? Had the pain he caused Gabrielle by his foolish mistake driven her to hanging out with some abusive, lowlife playboy, doing drugs and flushing her professional integrity down the toilet? Blame or no blame, he couldn’t let this continue.
Stephanie sat holding the picture of Jack and Gabrielle, smiling like a fool. It had been a stroke of genius to pretend to be a model and lay that bogus story on Doug. She could tell from the moment she mentioned Gabrielle’s name that he was still stuck on her. She wasn’t quite sure if Doug had bought the drugs-and-booze story, which is why she’d added the business about the bruises. It was the perfect touch. She’d bet her next paycheck that Doug would show up at Nell’s tonight gunning for Jack. And when he did, Howie would be there to capture the fireworks on film. But this time the news wouldn’t stop at her column. Because this was a big party by a major feature-film company, the television cameras would also be rolling, catching any shenanigans between the three on videotape. It was time to spread the wealth. The more newspapers and tabloid programs picked up the news on Gabrielle, the sooner the public would be clamoring for the story behind all these headlines.
“Say good-bye, Gabrielle. Your days as Miss Goody Two-shoes are over. From now on the world is going to see you for what you really are—a selfish, conniving bitch,” Stephanie promised as she slowly tore the picture to shreds.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to stop this?” Gabrielle asked. She and Jack were in the limo on their way from the Praline Livin’ screening to the premiere party, when Jack presented her with the latest Star Diary. Her calm had quickly turned into anger thanks to another fabricated story by Visa Lee.
“It’s really not that bad,” Jack said, taking a good look at the pictures that accompanied the article. His eye first fell on the photo of the two of them outside the restaurant. Jack was pleased with the way he looked in the photo—appealing, confident, out on the town with one of the world’s most beautiful women. They made a striking twosome. The second picture showed them both smiling, cuddled up at the driving range. “This is a great picture of the two of us,” he commented before reading the article to her.
It appears that the reigning ice princess of the supermodel set, Gabrielle Donovan, has suffered a major meltdown. Word has it that she’s being squired around town by boy toy and advertising guru Jack Hollis, her first public romance since dumping bestselling novelist Doug Sixsmith for her boss, Greg von Ulrich. According to sources, it’s too soon to know how far this liaison will go. Mr Hollis, known for his on-again-off-again romances with any famous woman who will have him, may decide to drop Gabrielle for the next flavor of the month. Stay tuned as this model saga continues.
“I wouldn’t worry about this,” Jack told her, happy to see his name in bold ink. “You know it’s not true, and the bigger a stink you make about it, the bigger a deal it becomes.”
“It is a big deal when people I care about get hurt.”
“Look, I don’t know or care what happened in the past, but this kind of stuff doesn’t bother me at all. It’s the price you pay for being a celebrity.”
“It’s a high price.”
“Forget this. What you need to do is go to the MarMa party and have some fun.”
“Wouldn’t you rather go home, order Chinese, and watch a good movie instead?”
“No way. Everybody’s going to be there. You should, too.”
“Give me one good reason why.”
“A little thing called your acting career, maybe.”
“Why is everyone trying to make me into an actress? I’m a model—and a damn good one.” Gabrielle had not told Jack of the requests she’d turned down from several directors to appear in their movies. The idea of acting for a living was still far too intimidating for her to consider seriously.
“Acting is a natural transition from modeling. Look at Isabella Rosselini, Cybill Shepherd, Andie MacDowell,” Jack pointed out.
“Good for them, but I’m still not sure it’s what I want.”
“Still, being in the loop can only help if you eventually decide that it is. You gotta keep your options open, Beauty.”
“Okay, you win. I’ll go, but only because you want me to.”
“Well, if you’re into pleasing me, I have one more request,” Jack said as he smothered Gabrielle with a wet and sexy kiss. She just had enough time to repair her makeup before the limo pulled up in front of Nell’s.
“You look sexy as fuck. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to keep my hands off you,” Jack whispered in her ear as the paparazzi’s cameras flashed. Gabrielle was wearing the dress Jack picked out for her—a ten-thousand-dollar Ralph Lauren design. The pewter-colored gown, covered in beads that twinkled like diamonds, was nearly transparent and draped low under the arms, allowing a revealing side peek at her breasts.
“You’re sure this dress isn’t a little much? Or maybe not enough?”
“No way. It’s memorable. You want to stand out in this crowd. Look what that little leather-and-safety-pin Versace number did for Elizabeth Hurley’s career,” Jack told her as their names were checked off the guest list and they walked through the crowd and into the party. Sprinkled among the two hundred or so people were well-known actors, models, and rock stars. They all stood milling around the club, drinking, talking, seeing, and being seen. Jack proudly piloted Gabrielle over to the bar.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked.
“My usual.”
Jack ordered Gabrielle’s ginger ale with a twist of lime and a sidecar for himself. They carried their drinks back into the center of the room and were soon joined by Lois Jourdan and Lexis Richards.
“Happy holidays. Enjoying the party?” Lois asked.
“We just got here,” Gabrielle said.
“So did we.”
“Lois Jourdan and Lexis Richards, this is Jack Hollis.”
“I like your work. I thought Praline Livin’ was phenomenal,” Jack remarked.
“Thanks for the props,” Lexis said.
“Where’s Felicia?” Gabrielle asked.
“She was otherwise occupied,” Lexis explained, the tightness in his voice obvious.
“Gabrielle, Lexis has been talking my ear off about you. He thinks you’d be perfect in his next movie,” Lois said, getting away from the subject of Felicia. “I keep telling him that since you’ve already turned down Penny Marshall and Martin Scorsese, he’s going to have to do some fancy talking.”
“And I keep telling her that you’re a born actress and I’m just the director to bring out your hidden talents,” Lexis responded. “I mean, I’m not trying to dis Penny or Marty, but they obviously didn’t have the right vehicle. I think I do.”
“I didn’t realize you’d turned down parts in those movies,” Jack commented, surprise all over his face. “Why?”
“Like Lexis said, they weren’t the right parts.”
“I’m still working on the treatment, but I’d love for you to do a screen test when the script is finished,” Lexis said.
“I’ll think about it,” Gabrielle said, unwilling to commit to anything.
“Bet. I’ll be in touch,” Lexis promised as he and Lois headed off to chat with actor Samuel L. Jackson and the president of MarMa.
“I can’t believe you turned down the chance to work with two such huge directors,” Jack said. “They make hit films. They could have made you into a movie star.”
“Eva, over here,” Gabrielle called out to her friend, ignoring Jack’s comment. She had no desire to try to explain her reasons for ignoring the movie industry’s invitations into their exclusive club.
Within seconds Jack and Gabrielle were joined by model Eva G. and her date, Pic, the bass player for the rock group 8-Track. Pic had an incredible sense of humor and kept them all laughing hysterically over his stories of life on and off the road. Gabrielle was grateful for the entertainment, as it kept Jack from pressing her further about her nonexistent acting career.
“What’s your name again?” asked the burly man at the door.
“Doug Sixsmith. I was invited tonight, but I RSVP’ed my regrets. Well, I changed my mind.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re that writer guy. Go on in,” the bouncer said, parting the velvet rope that separated the stars from the stargazers.
Doug hurried into the club and immediately began to look for Gabrielle. After his initial pan of the room, he was certain that he would not find her. This party was the epitome of everything Gabrielle detested about the celebrity side of her business. The room was full of women sheathed in tight, attention-grabbing dresses and men in their casual yet carefully constructed power fashions. Gabrielle hated these phony types who were ever ready to flash their insincere smiles and recite their padded résumés.
He was about to leave, satisfied that the mysterious phone call was a gross exaggeration, when he spotted Gabrielle standing with Eva G., some skeezy-looking guy in leather jeans, and a man whom he presumed to be Jack Hollis. They were all hunched over and laughing hysterically. Immediately his heart skipped a beat. Despite the fact that she was dressed like an expensive call girl, Gabrielle was still the most exquisite woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
Doug winced slightly as he saw Jack speak to Gabrielle, his words prompting her to quickly drain her drink and hand him her empty glass. His eyes continued to watch as Jack handed Gabrielle his drink, from which she took a healthy swig, made a face, and broke into laughter. Doug clenched his teeth as Jack indiscreetly rubbed Gabrielle’s behind and then headed off toward the crowded bar.
Doug was astounded. In all his time with Gabrielle, he’d never seen her even finish an entire drink, let alone gulp one down and grab another. From the drinking to her dress, Gabrielle had changed. The caller was right to call him. Jack Hollis had corrupted Gabrielle and was leading her down the path to disaster. Doug had to talk some sense into her. He only hoped she would listen.
“Good evening,” he said, sauntering up to the group. “Gabrielle, Eva, it’s nice to see you again.”
“I remember your face,” Eva said, “but I forgot your name.”
“Doug Sixsmith.”
“That’s right. You’re Gabrielle’s friend, the writer. This is Pic,” Eva said, introducing her date.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hey, dude, how’s it going?”
Gabrielle, shocked to see Doug, found herself quickly draining the rest of Jack’s drink. She coughed slightly as the alcohol spilled down her throat. What was Doug doing here? This was the last place she’d ever expect to find him. He hated these stupid parties as much as she did.
“Gabrielle, how are you?” Doug asked.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, sounding much more abrupt than she intended.
Doug felt himself bristle at her inhospitable tone of voice. “I was invited. MarMa bought the film rights to my novel.”
“How nice. A bestseller and a movie. I guess nothing slows you down, does it?” she said with sarcasm.
“Working keeps my mind off other things. Have you read it?”
“No, I’ve been busy,” Gabrielle answered sharply. She couldn’t believe that Doug was taunting her like this in public. He’d read her letter. He knew damn well she couldn’t read his book, even if she wanted to.
“Well, maybe you’ll get around to it,” Doug said, disappointed that, just as she had promised she would in her note, Gabrielle had totally written him out of her life.
“Don’t count on it,” she said nastily.
“Excuse us, Pic and Eva, I’d like to speak to Gabrielle for a moment,” Doug said as he took Gabrielle’s arm and led her to a quieter corner of the room. Unaccustomed to the rush of alcohol through her system, she stumbled slightly.
“You’re drunk,” he accused.
“I am not drunk. I had one drink.”
“I just saw you drain your glass and send your boyfriend off to get you another, a request he was all too eager to oblige, I might add.”
“It was ginger ale.”
“I can smell the alcohol on your breath. Then you finished off a second drink while I was standing right in front of you. Who knows how many you had before I got here?”
“That was Jack’s, and I drank it because I was shocked to see you,” Gabrielle explained, speaking slowly. “I haven’t had anything else all night, but even if I did, it’s okay. I’m over twenty-one. You of all people should know that.”
Doug ignored her reference to her disastrous birthday. “Gabrielle, what’s happened to you? You’ve changed. Look at the way you’re dressed. The Gabrielle I knew might wear something like that on the runway, but not out in public. Hell, the woman I knew wouldn’t even be here tonight.”
“You don’t know me at all, remember?” Gabrielle said fiercely, repeating the same words he’d used.
“Obviously something is very wrong,” Doug said. “I’ve heard about the changes in your behavior—late for work, temper tantrums. I’ve even heard talk of your using drugs. You never used to act like this. At least not when you were with me.”
“But I’m not with you anymore, am I? And where are you getting this crap from anyway?”
“I have my sources.”
“Oh, what, Star Diary? I forgot, that’s where you get all your news. Well, once again you’ve been misinformed. I didn’t drink or do drugs then, and I don’t now. And as far as what I wear when I go out, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to be seen in public with me anymore,” she said angrily and started to walk away.
Doug grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. Aware of the photographers’ flashbulbs going off, he tried to lead her downstairs near the restrooms “Don’t walk away from me. We need to talk.”
“I think we talked enough the first time you accused me of something you’d read in a tabloid.”
“I’m sorry about that. I should have known better. I wanted to apologize, but your letter—”
“You read what I had to say and figured once a liar always a liar,” she interrupted.
“Please, can’t we go somewhere and discuss this?”
“It’s a little late for that now. I’d appreciate it, though, if you could keep what I told you to yourself.”
“Why would I want anybody to know? I do have some pride.”
“I guess the revelation would be a huge source of embarrassment to you, wouldn’t it? Hanging out with a dumb model was bad enough, but something like this would really tarnish your esteemed intellectual reputation,” Gabrielle said bitterly, misunderstanding his comment. At least she knew that while he was ashamed and unwilling to share his life with her, Doug was obviously amenable to keeping her secret.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Doug said. “If you remember, in the letter I—”
“Let’s just drop this. I’ve moved on. Why don’t you?”
“I see who you’ve moved on to. Hollis is totally wrong for you. I’ve checked him out. He’s nothing but a trophy collector, and you’re his latest acquisition.”
“As usual, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m the one with the prize,” she retorted. Gabrielle was well aware of Jack’s reputation and the fact that he enjoyed being seen in public with her. She also knew that he treated her with the utmost respect and that when they were together he made her feel as if she were the only woman in the room. “What the hell is going on here?” Jack interrupted. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” he told Gabrielle, handing her a glass of ginger ale.
“This is between me and Gabrielle. Mind your own business,” Doug told him.
“Gabrielle is my business,” Jack declared.
“Jack, let’s just go,” Gabrielle pleaded, seeing that they were drawing a crowd.
“You’ll never be happy with him, Gabrielle,” Doug warned. “Man, take another look. Surely you can see that this beautiful lady is not only happy but totally satisfied.”
“Would you please quiet down,” Gabrielle interjected again. “You son of a bitch,” Doug said and took a swing, his right fist connecting with the left side of Jack’s jaw. The blow caused Jack to momentarily reel backward. Regaining his composure, he came straight at Doug with a left hook to his right eye. The two scuffled, while the television cameras from “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,” and “Inside Edition” recorded every last punch. Howie happily stood by catching all the action frame by frame. He was going to make a bundle on this stuff. As part of Stephanie’s plan, he would sell several of these pictures to magazines and tabloids across the country and around the world, saving the very best, of course, for Star Diary.
“Stop it, both of you!” Gabrielle screamed. As security guards and others rushed to the scene, Gabrielle, frustrated, embarrassed, and completely disgusted, tossed her drink on the two men and walked out of the club. They could tear each other to shreds as far as she was concerned.
“I come bearing dinner and a thousand apologies,” Jack said as Gabrielle let him into the apartment. Despite the fact that it was already dark outside, he was wearing large sunglasses to hide the ugly bruises on his face from last night’s sparring match. He was also carrying an armful of newspapers and a brown paper bag containing several cartons of Chinese food. “Am I forgiven?” he asked meekly.
“I suppose so,” she said, returning to her jigsaw puzzle.
“Good,” he said kissing her. “Today’s been rough enough.”
“Felicia tells me we’re all over the place. Every newscast, every paper, and of course every tabloid—print and television—has us featured as their top entertainment story,” she said while searching for the top of Il Duomo.
“Yeah, see for yourself,” Jack said, plopping the newspapers down in front of her.
“Jack, I’ve never seen you upset over being in the newspaper. What’s going on?”
“We lost the Nissan account. The president said he couldn’t trust the image of his company with a guy who doesn’t care about his own.”
“Ouch.”
“Ouch is right. I lost a lot of money today. How about you? Any fallout from last night?”
“Well, I haven’t heard from any of my endorsement companies yet, but I did get a lot of ribbing at my shoot today, particularly about the photo of me pouring my drink on the two of you,” she said.
“Did you see the headline in Celebrity Watch that said ‘Punch Is Served’? You have to admit it was pretty funny. But the best one was the Daily News headline, ‘Sucker Punch’ ” Jack said, causing them both to chuckle.
“I never thought I’d be laughing at something the tabloids wrote about me. All jokes aside, Jack, what got into you last night?”
“I don’t know, seeing that guy with his hands on you again—I didn’t like it.”
“I told you, it’s over between Doug and me.”
“Maybe for you, but I saw the way he looked at you. He’s still in love with you, Gabrielle.”
“I doubt that, but even if he is, I don’t love him anymore,” Gabrielle said, fighting the contradictory emotions her heart was suggesting.
“Prove it. Marry me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Marry me. I love you, Gabrielle,” Jack told her, himself amazed by what he’d just said. It was true. The unthinkable had happened. The one thing Jack always vowed he would never do—commit himself to one woman.
Jack’s surprise proposal shocked her into silence.
“I think this is where you say, ‘I love you, too.’ ”
“How could you want to marry me now?” she asked, momentarily ignoring his comment. “We’ve been dating only three months. You don’t really know me.”
“Yes I do. You’re gorgeous, bright, funny, sensitive, and sexy as hell. I know you’re a perfect size six, wear a size-nine shoe, and prefer going barefoot indoors. You can’t go to bed without brushing your teeth, and you can’t get going in the morning without at least two cups of coffee. I also know that your hair smells like wildflowers after you shower and that you make the sweetest little sigh right after you come.”
“Okay, so you know a few things.”
“Ah, but I know a lot more. I know that you really loved that jerk and that he hurt you big time, and now you’re scared to get involved in another serious relationship. I know you think this marriage proposal is premature, but I also know that you are the most perfect woman I have ever met, and I’m crazy about you.”
“Don’t put me up on a pedestal, Jack. I’m the last person who belongs there,” Gabrielle told him softly. “I’m nowhere even close to being perfect.”
“Maybe not, but you’re perfect for me,” Jack said, pulling her to him. “So tell me yes, Beauty. Say you love me and you’ll marry me.”
“There’s so much I love about you, Jack,” Gabrielle admitted softly. “I’m just not sure that I’m in love with you.”
“That’s enough for now—as long as you think you could fall in love with me eventually. Do you?”
Instead of speaking, Gabrielle bathed his face in a sprinkle of kisses. Lip to lip, she and Jack walked into the bedroom and made hungry, aggressive love. Both properly satisfied, they dropped back into the pillows. Jack, too drowsy to smoke his usual cigarette, cuddled up to Gabrielle and settled in for the night. “Think about it. I’m the man you need. I’m the man who can make you happy,” he said and drifted off to sleep.