Superstar by T C Southwell Read Free Book Online Page B

her turn, expecting it to be Mark or Rita, the maid. Instead,
Helen stood there, and Carrin gasped in horror. A huge bruise
covered one side of her face, her jaw was swollen, and a gash
marred the creamy skin of her temple. Mascara streaked her cheeks,
and her hair straggled in a matted mess. Carrin stepped back in
shock, and Helen smiled lopsidedly.
    "So, Miss
York, you see what your wonderful Mark Lord is capable of?"
    "He did
that?"
    "Of course.
How do you think he made me admit to doing something I didn't? He
beat me!"
    Carrin
clutched a nearby bush for support. "He beat you?"
    Helen scowled.
"What, is there an echo around here? He beat me! Didn't know that
about him, did you? Why do you think he's still single? Everyone
knows what he's like. I would have taken it, if he'd married me,
but he wouldn't marry a maid any more than he'd marry a little
nobody like you. Would you take it, Miss York, huh? None of the
supermodels would. They need their precious faces."
    Carrin found
it hard to breathe. A lump formed in her chest, as if her heart had
turned to stone. "I don't believe you. I spoke to Olivia Reed; she
swore that he's a good man."
    "Hah! Olivia's
his little pet! She'll say anything he wants; he pays her
bills."
    Hot, burning
bile crept up Carrin's throat. "But why?"
    "Why
what?"
    "Why... what
does he want from me? Why are you telling me this?"
    Helen sneered,
"Even you deserve fair warning, I guess. I've got nothing to lose
now, do I? As for what he wants you for, I've no idea. Perhaps it's
that air of purity you have; that untouched look. Maybe he's tired
of the Hollywood types. I don't know!"
    Carrin
tottered to a stone seat and sat down. Her hands shook and her skin
was cold. The sight of Helen's battered face brought fresh nausea
to tighten the knot in her gut. Helen sat beside her, a ghastly
smile on her bruised face.
    "So, now
you know the truth. He's not your knight in shining armour; he's
like Jekyll and Hyde. One minute sweet and nice, the next he'll
smack you across the room. He's a good actor, Miss York, a very
good actor. He's won two Oscars. Remember that. The best thing for
you to do is catch the first plane home, and stay
there."
    Carrin shook
her head. "I can't believe it. If you didn't wipe out the file,
then who did?"
    "He did of
course!" Helen snorted. "He thought you'd stay the extra week."
    "Why?"
    "How should I
know? Maybe he's determined to add another notch to his
bedpost."
    "But he hasn't
-"
    Helen gave a
harsh laugh. "He doesn't just conquer bodies; that's too easy. He
wants your heart, so he can twist it and mangle it before he tosses
it aside. That's what he does best. He never had love as a child,
now he's incapable of it."
    "But as long
as he doesn't know what I feel, I'm safe?"
    Helen leant
closer. "What do you feel?"
    Carrin became
cautious. "Nothing. I like him... used to like him, that's
all."
    "Then I guess
you're safe," Helen said.
    Carrin nodded,
still stunned.
    Helen stood
up. "I'd better go. I don't want him to catch me here."
    The erstwhile
maid hobbled away, and Carrin was surprised that Helen had the
decency to warn her about Mark. She waited for the shock to wear
off, and tried to imagine Mark hitting Helen, his handsome face
twisted in hatred, yet somehow the image did not gel. The
revelation of Mark's brutality would let her think of nothing else,
and she had no desire to go back and work on the screenplay, but
stared across the garden numbly. A chill invaded the air as the
afternoon wore on, and she jumped as a voice spoke behind her.
    "So, here you
are."
    She turned to
face Mark, rising to her feet. He sauntered closer, his hands in
the pockets of a well-cut blue linen suit.
    "Taking a
break?"
    Carrin tried
to force words past the lump in her throat and failed, staring at
him.
    He peered at
her. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale."
    "I'm fine,"
she said, but Mark still eyed her.
    "Has something
happened?"
    "No." She
hesitated. "Just homesick."
    He studied
her.