Superstar by T C Southwell Read Free Book Online

her. "Who would do a
thing like that?"
    "Good
question. It's your house. Any ideas?" She was aware that her tone
was terse, to say the least, but the loss of her changes made her
furious.
    Mark eyed her,
his gaze intense. "Maybe."
    "Who?"
    "It's not your
concern. I'll deal with it."
    Carrin stood
up. "It is my concern, Mark. I want to know. I've lost a lot of
work, and I can't remember all the changes I made. It'll take ages
to redo."
    He sipped his
drink. "I understand. You're angry, and it won't happen again,
okay?"
    Carrin calmed
herself with an effort and turned away to hide the suspicion in her
eyes. He looked so damned sincere, but she didn't trust him. Maybe
he'd done it himself, but why?
    "How am I
going to finish it in four days now?"
    "Stay another
week if you like."
    She
stared at him, meeting his riveting eyes. "No. I want to go
home."
    He turned away
with a shrug. "Then send the changes later."
    Carrin's
heart sank. If only she could stay another week. She longed to
spend more time in his company, but she would only be torturing
herself. Mark Lord would never see her as anything but a small time
writer whom he was generous enough to help, for whatever reason.
Perhaps it was all a publicity stunt to show what a kind, generous
man he was. That must be it. He certainly had Olivia Reed fooled.
She glanced at him, and found him staring into space with a
preoccupied look, as if he was thinking of something unpleasant. A
muscle twitched in his jaw, and his upper lip was almost invisible,
revealing the tense line of his mouth.
    The young maid
appeared in the doorway to announce that a friend had arrived, and
Mark left. The awe-stricken girl almost curtsied as he strode past
her, and Carrin pitied her. She finished her drink and went up to
her room. Pulling out her drawings, she sketched one that captured
the tense look that he had worn.
    At dinner he
seemed withdrawn, and hardly spoke to her, except for a few polite
comments. Carrin longed to talk to him and make him smile, even if
it was only that half smile. How she wished that he was not a
cold-hearted bastard. Strangely, the revelation about his
personality had not altered her feelings at all. Was she only
infatuated with his looks? Perhaps it because he was always kind
and polite to her, and gave her no reason to dislike him in spite
of what she had overheard.
    The shock of
that revelation had faded somewhat, and she was able to put it from
her mind occasionally and see only the good in him. Or rather, the
good act he put on. Deep down, where her pride became
insignificant, she knew that if he ever spoke tender words to her
she would fall into his arms like an overripe fruit. She would be
unable to resist his attraction, no matter how false his words
might be. Almost, she longed for him to tell her those sweet lies,
just for the memory of it. Common sense warned her that the pain
that would follow would dwarf any other.
    Carrin glanced
up to find him watching her, his unguarded expression brooding. It
changed the moment she looked at him, becoming unreadable, a
testament to his acting abilities. Had he learnt that trick in the
orphanage, or was it acting school that had taught him the art of a
poker face? His soft voice broke into her reverie.
    "You know,
your homesickness could be a problem if we film your
screenplay."
    It took her a
moment to react to this sudden announcement. Why on earth was he
thinking about her homesickness? Realising that she was staring at
him, she asked, "Oh? Why?"
    "Because
you'll have to be here when we shoot it."
    This was news
to her. "Why?"
    "I will
require it, of course. I don't want anyone misinterpreting your
work, or changing it, do you?"
    "No." Carrin
frowned. "Would they?"
    "Probably. No
one sees things precisely the same way. You wrote it, so you're the
best person to give advice on its making."
    "Surely that's
up to the director?"
    He nodded.
"Usually, but writers are often consulted about the meaning of
their scenes, if the