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Page 76
He was about to take a break from the recordings and give his full attention to the TV when he heard it. He stood still in the middle of his living room.
“I think you have a lot of pent up passion that needs to be released,” Derek was saying. “How about we call that scene the practice run for a night together?”
He heard someone splutter.
“You mean, you and me?” It was Davina.
“I told you when I took this gig, I expect compensation.” There was a pause. “We’ve been dancing around this for a long time, you and me. It’s time to confront this attraction.”
“Attraction?”
“Dinner, tomorrow night. Let’s see if we can deal with that passion.”
“I can’t,” Davina said hurriedly. “Plans.”
“Well, Tuesday.”
“Teaching.”
Jack became really uneasy as he heard Davina try to dodge Derek.
“I’ll make it clear,” Derek said. His voice had a nasty edge to it. “You and I are going to spend some time together or your movie is over and you’ll be in jail. I see a house full of stolen goods and kids missing school to hang out with you. It doesn’t look good. You need to keep me happy Davina. Very happy.”
Jack felt the blood drain from his face. The son of a bitch was blackmailing her.
“I’m free Thursday,” Davina said coldly.
“Thursday it is.” He could hear the slime in Derek’s voice. “And wear that green dress. I like it.”
Jack sat down on the couch with a thud and shut off the TV.
Crazy Davy was in over her head. All over a stupid movie. A stupid bad movie. He glanced at the clock, eight pm. He grabbed his keys. Maybe she’d seen sense, maybe she was sitting in her house right now, thanking herself for a lucky escape from Ken Doll.
He hoped so.
He was down the stairs, in his car and heading out of town to Millie’s old house in record time.
Davina had always liked the Oaks restaurant. It was classy, the food was good – if you liked new wave French, which she did – and it had big tables which meant she wa
sn’t wedged knee to knee with Derek all evening long.
“To us,” Derek said as he raised his wine glass.
“Oh no, to you, for helping me out with my movie.” Davina reached for her water glass. “Here’s to a good working relationship.”
“Relationship,” he said. “I like the sound of that.”
Davina sipped her water and resisted the urge to scream. Instead she nodded.
“It’s so hard to find good colleagues,” she said. “And we are good colleagues, aren’t we?”
His eyes hardened.
“I think you know that I want...”
“Oh good, there’s the waiter,” Davina waved her hand in the direction of help.
Davina glanced at her watch as the waiter waxed lyrical about the latest specials. Fifteen minutes into their meal and she’d had a stomach full of Derek.