Real Love Page 10

  Daisy found it hard to believe that Alexa’s life was as dull as she was making out. Someone like her couldn’t be boring if she tried. ‘What about your love life? You must be fighting them off.’

  ‘Not lately. There was someone a while back but it didn’t end very well. Been keeping my head down since then. For the most part.’

  ‘Sounds like there was some drama.’

  ‘Yeah. When you work with someone, things can get a bit messy.’

  Daisy was immediately curious. ‘Who?!’ And then it hit her a second later. There was one person who made total sense. ‘Was it Isabella in makeup?’

  Alexa was wild-eyed. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘It was just a guess. She’s so horrible to me, I knew something was stuck in her craw.’

  Alexa sighed. ‘Yep. She’s pretty but she’s mean, that’s for sure.’

  Daisy felt a stab of jealousy at the compliment to Isabella. She tried to pretend it hadn’t happened but Alexa spotted it anyway.

  ‘We’re a hundred percent over, though. We have been for over a year.’

  Daisy felt silly. ‘You don’t owe me any explanations.’

  Alexa smiled shyly, a new look on her. ‘That’s true. But I’d like to leave myself the option to owe them to you at some point. Might as well give them to you now.’

  Daisy grinned. ‘You’re wilier than I realised.’

  Alexa raised a sardonic eyebrow. ‘You think I’m a dummy because I’m a former model turned reality star? We’re people too, pretty much.’

  A shocked laugh burst out of Daisy. ‘No, I didn’t mean that’ she protested.

  ‘You did a bit, but it’s alright. People have always underestimated me. Gives me an advantage, gives me the element of surprise.’

  ‘Why do you need the element of-’

  Alexa leaned in and kissed Daisy, quickly, gently. And Daisy was surprised, alright. But not enough that she didn’t respond quickly. It wasn’t the first time she’d felt Alexa’s lips on hers but it was a whole world of difference. No one was holding back this time.

  Daisy reached around and put her hands on the back of Alexa’s head, pulling her deeper. Alexa moaned, her own hands sliding onto Daisy’s hips, drawing her body closer. They realised that their positions on the sofa were stopping them from getting as close as they both wanted to be, and Daisy found herself climbing onto Alexa’s lap. She was shocked at her own forwardness. But years of chastity had built a dam. And the dam was about to burst.

  And Alexa was not complaining. Having Daisy astride her after these weeks of uncertainty, desire, confusion, curiosity and general horniness? It felt wonderful.

  Before either of them knew, they were horizontal, kissing like a couple of horny teenagers with a house to themselves for a few hours. But then Alexa remembered that wasn’t the case. She had a bed. And she really wanted to get Daisy into it.

  As she kissed Daisy, running her hands all over that firm bottom she’d been looking at whenever she got the chance to do so unobserved, she kept thinking about that bed. But was it too forward to mention it? Things were going well but she didn’t want to count her chickens. She’d scared Daisy off once before. It might be all too easy to do it again. She tried to relax and enjoy what was already happening. There needn’t be a rush. Still, the way Daisy’s body was pressed against her, it was hard to remember that.

  Then Daisy leant up, breaking the kiss. But she didn’t seem to want to stop things altogether. She was trying to say something. ‘Would it be… I don’t know if it’s… I was just thinking that maybe-’

  Alexa realised what she was trying to say and she was all too happy to finish her sentence. ‘Maybe we should go to my bedroom?’

  Daisy smiled and nodded, thankful she hadn’t had to be the one to say it. She swung a leg over Alexa, getting to her feet. Alexa stood too, grabbing Daisy by the hand, taking her to the bedroom. They were practically running.

  Fourteen

  Daisy awoke in a golden dawn light and thought ‘I don’t remember having that picture on my wall.’ A few seconds later, when her brain was fully online, she realised she didn’t. She was in Alexa’s bedroom.

  She looked at her watch. It was 6.10am.

  ‘Shit!’ she muttered and jumped up to look for her clothes. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep after… Well, just after.

  In the bed, Alexa stirred and turned over. ‘What’s happening? Is it my call time?’ she asked, still half asleep.

  ‘I’ve got to get home before Jake wakes up’ Daisy explained. This wasn’t how she wanted to end their night together, her swearing and trying to find her bra. ‘He’ll wonder where I’ve gotten to.’

  ‘Didn’t you call your Mum and warn her?’

  ‘Yes, but I didn’t say I’d be out all night.’

  Alexa’s lips curled into a cheeky smile. ‘That was silly of you. Didn’t you know that was my goal?’

  Daisy, who was now in her underwear, trying to get her dress on, smiled at Alexa. ‘We never discussed sleepovers. I thought you were just going to have your wicked way and throw me out.’

  Alexa sat up. ‘I’ll be sure to do that next time.’

  There was a pause while they both realised what Alexa had just said.

  ‘So, you were thinking there would be another time?’ Daisy asked, momentarily distracted from her dash for the door.

  ‘I didn’t mean to assume.’

  ‘I hope there is another time’ Daisy said, trying to be brave.

  ‘Then there will be’ Alexa replied, equally courageously.

  They looked at each other for a moment and there was a dash of nerves in the room. It wasn’t a big moment that had occurred, only the agreement that it wasn’t a one night stand. But Daisy and Alexa had both been single for a while. To the pair of them, it was more commitment than they’d known for some time. A second date.

  Then Daisy said. ‘If you could find my phone, an Uber would really save my bacon right about now.’

  Half an hour later, Daisy was at her door, trying to put the key in the lock as soundlessly as possible.

  But just as she slid the lock around, the door was thrown open and Kathy stood there in her tatty dressing gown.

  ‘And where have you been, you dirty stop out?’

  Daisy stepped in. ‘Shh! You’ll wake Jake.’

  ‘I’m already awake, Mum’ Jake said from the top of the stairs. ‘Where were you?’

  ‘I was-’

  ‘Your mother went out on a date, which I think we can assume went well?’ Kathy scoffed.

  Daisy was outraged. The one night she’d thrown caution to the wind and she couldn’t get a break. Everyone was up, wanting to interrogate her. Kathy would probably shine a torch in her eyes in a minute.

  ‘Were you?’ Jake asked, coming down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. ‘Who with?’

  ‘Yes, who was it? You didn’t say’ Kathy added.

  The last thing Daisy wanted to do was reveal who she’d spent the night with. It was far too early to mention it. But the two sets of eyes that were fixed on her made her feel that there was no getting around it. She’d had to confess.

  ‘Alexa Lockwood’ Daisy said quietly.

  ‘From Laid in Medford?’ Kathy goggled.

  ‘Told you’ Jake said smugly. ‘So, is she your girlfriend now?’

  ‘When will we be meeting her?’ Kathy asked.

  ‘Woah, everyone! No one is anyone’s girlfriend and no one will be meeting anyone. So relax, alright?’

  Kathy and Jake looked disappointed.

  ‘Tell her I like her on the telly, anyway’ Jake said. ‘Especially when she throws her drinks on people.’

  ‘She is very good at that’ Kathy added.

  Daisy understood that this was their way of trying to be supportive. She felt bad about the way she’d shut their enthusiasm down so brutally.

  ‘It’s early days. We’ll have to wait and see, that’s all I’m trying to say. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves’ Daisy
amended, softening her tone. ‘Jake, you should probably get in the shower while I make you some breakfast.’

  Jake sighed. He’d apparently enjoyed being included in a discussion of adult matters and he looked disappointed that it was over. ‘Alright.’ And he trudged back up the stairs, singing softly to himself ‘Mum and Alexa, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.’

  Daisy didn’t want to smile, but she couldn’t help it. Because it made her think, yes, she had been K-I-S-S-I-N-G Alexa. And it wouldn’t be the last time.

  Fifteen

  Daisy watched Abigail pour tea from a pot, slowly and deliberately. She only had half an hour but she’d been putting off a catch-up with Abigail for too long and she at least had to check in with the person who’d saved her sanity more than once in drama school.

  ‘How’s the play going? Pinter, isn’t it?’ Daisy asked.

  ‘Oh, it’s…’ Abigail began excitedly and then seemed to dampen her tone. ‘It’s alright. It’s work, anyway.’

  ‘You don’t need to downplay your achievement for me, Abigail. I’m pleased for you.’

  Abigail straightened her teacup. ‘I didn’t want to rub it in when you’re working at the coalface of reality TV.’

  ‘It’s not all that bad’ Daisy protested. ‘It’s kind of fun on occasion.’

  ‘Really?’ Abigail said, shocked. ‘I’m surprised to hear you say that. You were dreading it.’

  ‘I had some ideas about how it was going to be, that everyone would be idiots, but it’s really not like that. Scratch that, Reece is exactly what I thought, but everyone else is alright.’

  ‘How’s about Alexa Lockhart? I’ve heard you two are scorching up the screen at the moment.’

  Daisy knew she’d have to be careful here or she’d give the game away. She and Alexa were due to go on their second date tonight, after she did a scene with Reece. If Daisy mentioned their little tryst to Abigail, she’d looked silly if it burnt itself out in a few days.

  ‘She’s nicer than you’d think’ Daisy said tactically. She thought that was probably a safe comment. Because Abigail tended to sniff out anything juicy. Daisy would need to be very careful with her.

  ‘Nicer than you’d think…’ Abigail repeated, swilling the words around like a movie villain with a cognac, trying to find something in them. And then she did. ‘You’re not shagging her, are you?’

  ‘Abigail!’ Daisy exploded, trying to sound shocked. ‘Of course not. She’s a colleague.’

  Abigail’s eyes narrowed. ‘You are.’

  Daisy considered keeping up the charade but what was the point? She was caught out by Abigail, who could sniff out sex like a pig with truffles.

  ‘Fine’ Daisy admitted. ‘Yes. Just once.’

  Abigail whooped with excitement and held out her hand. ‘Do not leave me hanging, Daisy. I insist you give me a celebratory high five.’

  Daisy dutifully smacked it. But she didn’t want to. Her days of thinking of women as trophies were behind her, if she’d ever had them. But Abigail was twenty-two.

  ‘Alexa Lockwood, eh? I’ve got to admit, I’m envious. She’s so hot it’s ludicrous. Well done you.’

  ‘I wasn’t really looking at it as an achievement but thanks anyway.’

  ‘Really? I would. So what’s the deal, anyway? Are you a thing or is it just for the series?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean when you wrap on the show, will it end? People do that in the theatre all the time. It’s all very passionate and then the curtain comes down and that’s that. It can’t live outside the production.’

  Daisy blinked, stunned. ‘I really don’t know. We’re only going on a second date tonight.’

  ‘How long have you got on the show?’

  ‘Two more episodes. But I don’t see what that has to do with anything.’

  ‘I’d ask around if I were you, check her track record.’

  Daisy, who hadn’t really been paying Abigail much mind up to now, thought of Isabella.

  ‘Actually… She did have a thing with a makeup artist on the show last year.’

  Abigail nodded sagely. ‘Might want to play your cards close to your chest with this one, then. Could be a serial showmancer.’

  ‘Reece’ Daisy said quietly. ‘You can’t blame me for this. I’m not in charge of what Alexa does.’

  Reece stood angrily, banging his chair back. ‘I’m not gonna let you make a mug out of me, Daisy. You’re bang out of order and you need to back off.’

  ‘I’m not the person you should be talking to.’

  ‘Yes, you are. You’re trying to confuse her.’

  ‘Confuse her? I’m not a hypnotist!’

  Reece looked baffled by that. ‘Just leave it alone, alright? I know you kissed her but it doesn’t count so pack it in. She’s never gonna get with you. Not really.’

  Daisy gave a short, ironic laugh. ‘If it didn’t count, you wouldn’t be trying to warn me off. Face it, Reece, if you were any kind of boyfriend, she wouldn’t have let me kiss her in the first place. This is your fault for acting like a twat. And if she ends up choosing me, you’ll only have yourself to blame.’

  Reece seethed at that but said nothing. Eventually, he stormed out of the café.

  ‘CUT!’

  Daisy took a sip of the water in front of her as Jane came up. ‘Good work, we’re going to leave it at that today.’

  ‘Great’ Daisy said. She needed to get home and get ready for her second date with Alexa. Although, in reality, she was just going to wipe all the gloop off herself and wash her hair. The whole perfect hair and makeup thing had been fun, but she didn’t feel like Alexa had ever really seen her as she normally was. So when they’d arranged the date, Daisy has said ‘Can we just do a movie night at yours?’ Informal and casual, that was the tone she wanted.

  Plus, the idea of her face being made to look like that by someone Alexa had slept with felt plain wrong. But she told herself that’s all it was. The whole ‘Showmance’ thing that Abigail had brought up? Daisy was determined not to think about it. She was trying to enjoy this. She couldn’t let it get ruined before they’d even had a second date.

  Just as she was coming out of the wardrobe trailer, back in her civilian clothes, she saw Reece coming her way. He had a look on his face, one of purpose. She didn’t like it a bit.

  ‘Daisy!’

  Christ, he wanted to talk to her. That never really worked in Daisy’s favour.

  ‘Hi, Reece. Good scene earlier-’

  ‘I know about you and Alexa.’

  Daisy felt like she was having a Groundhog Day moment. Hadn’t they just done this?

  ‘Reece, the cameras are gone. You do realise that?’

  Reece looked confused for a second before he regained understanding. ‘No, no! In, like, reality.’

  How did he know?

  ‘Reece, that’s none of your business.’

  ‘Yes, it is! It’s supposed to be me and her!’

  ‘On the show, yes. But that’s it. It’s not your business if we’re dating.’

  Reece’s mouth dropped open. ‘Dating?’ he exploded. ‘Since when?’

  Daisy paused. ‘Is that not what you meant?’

  ‘I saw the photos of you two at Ricks. I was annoyed Ryan wasn’t getting me to do the publicity stuff. I’m the star, for god’s sakes. You’re just meant to be here for a few episodes. But wait, you’re like, actually doin’ it?’

  Oh fuck.

  ‘Reece-’

  ‘You know I’ve ‘ad her, don’t you? You’re not special or anything.’

  ‘Come on’ Daisy replied cynically. ‘Don’t do that.’

  ‘Ask her then, if you don’t believe me!’ Reece spat and spun on his heel, striding across the car park.

  Daisy watched him walk away, that ridiculous muscular walk, barely able to squeeze his huge thighs together to complete a step and she thought ‘She can’t have. Can she?’

  ‘Hi’ Alexa said brightly as she opened the door to
Daisy, now wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and distinctly less makeup than earlier. She was pleased to see that Alexa was also a lot more dressed down than she was normally. But she still looked great. If anything, she looked better. It was a hundred percent genuine Alexa. And it was sexy as hell.