Phoebe
We had only just finished our starters and to say Sue-Ann was pissed was an understatement. She’d downed half the bottle of vodka she’d insisted on having brought to the table, interspersing each shot with a swig of wine. She’d barely touched her scallops, pushing the plate away after just one mouthful. And, of course she was getting louder with each passing minute.
“So Phoebe,” she slurred, draping her arm over the back of her chair. “How many of your leading actors have you slept with?”
I shifted in my seat and inhaled a long, patient breath.
“Keep your voice down,” Grantley hissed, looking over at a table of business men who kept looking over.
It may well have been him that they’d recognised, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it wasn’t the drunken, pitiful figure of his mother that had drawn their attention.
“Jus askin a quesion,” Sue-Ann said almost incoherently. “Well?”
“None,” I replied, through gritted teeth.
“Sue-Ann.” Grantley snarled her name out in warning. “Keep your dirty mouth shut.”
“Oh chill out, I’m only asking your girlfrien a quesion any mother would ask. I mean,” she said, pointing at me, her eyelids drooping. “You don’t wan her givin you somein nasy, do you?”
It was getting more and more difficult to understand her, and Grantley was definitely about to lose his temper, big style.
“Hey,” Grantley hissed, leaning over the table and pointing a long finger at her. “Shut your damn drunken mouth and give me that bottle. Now.”
Su-Ann clutched the bottle to her like she was cradling a child, which was bloody ironic, considering the sort of mother she was.
“I haven’t finished yet,” she pouted.
“Oh yes you fucking have.” Marcia reached across and grabbed it from Sue-Ann’s arms. “You’re a damn embarrassment. All it takes is for someone to snap a picture of you and it’ll be all over the press.”
“Thas wha happens when you a movie star.” Sue-Ann reached for Grantley’s hand. “Baby boy, you know I jus lookin out for you, right?”
“Don’t call me that,” Grantley snapped, his body stiffening. “I’m neither a baby nor a boy.”
“You’re my baby boy,” she simpered with a childlike giggle.
“Sue-Ann,” Barney said softly. “Why don’t you go to the bathroom and freshen up a little. By the time you get back your chicken parmigiana will be here.”
“I don’t need to freshen up, Barnabus.”
Her head lolled as she sneered at poor Barney, who was merely trying to play the peace maker.
“Go to the damn john, Sue-Ann.”
“Wha you gonna do if I don’t, Marcia?”
Marcia gave her the sweetest of smiles and grabbed Sue-Ann’s hand and evidently squeezed it a little too hard, because Sue-Ann let out a little yelp.
A couple more heads turned our way and I could see Grantley was becoming more uncomfortable. His eyes looked around the restaurant, searching out anyone with a camera.
“It’s okay,” I whispered, putting a hand on his. “No one can see us that well.”
We were positioned in a corner behind a couple of huge plants. Yes, they’d hear us, but no one would know it was Grantley, unless they’d seen us walk in.
“If you don’t go and fucking sort yourself out, I’ll damn well march you in there myself and flush your head down the fucking toilet. Understand?”
Sue-Ann grabbed at Marcia’s hand, pulling it free of her own. “Fuck you.”
As she pushed up from the table and wobbled towards the bathroom, I heard Grantley exhale and saw him place an unsteady hand onto the table.
“I need her to leave. I want her on an airplane back home as soon as fucking possible.”
“Just fucking tell her to go,” Marcia said, looking in the direction that Sue-Ann had gone. “Give her a fucking check and a plane ticket and say sayonara bitch.”
“It’s not that easy, you know that.”
“He gave her a check,” Barney added. “He told her to name her price, but she didn’t want it.”
I looked from one to the other, feeling totally out of my depth as to how I could help. There was nothing that I could offer, except be there for Grantley.
I placed my hand over his and leaned into him. “She’ll slip up soon enough and once she does, you’ll know how to deal with her. I think you’re right, her saying she doesn’t want money is a load of old codswallop.”
“What?” Grantley gave a short laugh. “Cods what?”
I rolled my eyes. “Codswallop. A load of rubbish.”
Grantley kissed the end of my nose and sighed. “Thank fuck for you being here.”
“I haven’t done anything, except annoy her.”
“Nah, it’s not you, pretty girl. She’s just naturally mean.”
“She’s not mean, Grantley,” Marcia said, reaching for the wine. “She’s just a fucking drunk, cock-sucking bitch.”
“Who unfortunately is my fucking mom.”
Grantley dropped his head to my shoulder and groaned. “Can we just go and leave her in the bathroom?”
“Nope,” I said, kissing the top of his head. “We can’t. Just think of it as your payment for entry into heaven.”
“Well if that’s what’s required, I’ll take hell.”
“She’s on her way back,” Barney said.
I watched him as he watched Sue-Ann stumble her way back. His face was full of concern and I wondered why he never seemed to lose it with her in the same way that Grantley and Marcia did. I didn’t think it was anything sexual, she was much older than him for a start, but Barney most definitely gave Sue-Ann a little more leeway than anyone else.
“Okay?” Barney asked her.
“Wha ever.” She waved a hand at him and reached for her wine glass.
Barney cleared his throat and pushed it away with a finger. “No more, Sue-Ann,” he said softly.
She looked at him for a few seconds and then snapped her head to Grantley, who was watching silently, his body tense.
“Where’s that damn chicken?” Sue-Ann finally asked and picked up a glass of water to take a long swig.
The rest of the meal went without incident, if you could ignore Sue-Ann falling asleep with her head lolled forward. Grantley managed to keep up a cool demeanour throughout, talking about the film and a future project that Marcia thought would be good for him.
Finally, we were all finished; coffee cups drained and my nerves were on high alert. I assumed that Barney would be taking me home, but nothing had been mentioned. Barney hadn’t had any wine over dinner, so he could drive me if necessary, but I didn’t want to assume. Plus, I really wasn’t ready to go. We were having a day off from filming the next day, so it would be okay to have a few more drinks and maybe go dancing.
God, who was I kidding? I didn’t want to go dancing, I wanted to be kissed for a few hours by Grantley. Although dancing would be great too.
“We’d better get you home,” Barney announced. “Just let me get Sue-Ann up to the suite.”
Grantley inhaled sharply and moved around in his seat. “I…erm.was wondering whether you wanted to stay tonight?” he asked, his voice unusually unsure.
“Grantley,” Marcia warned. “What the hell have I told you about fucking the staff?”
As Grantley’s hand banged down on the table, I jumped in surprise.
“Marcia, do not start on me. After this fucking sideshow of a dinner, I don’t need or want your advice. If Phoebe wants to stay, I’ll take the other couch by Barney.”
“Shit man,” Barney growled. “It’ll be like damn summer camp. You wanna get some torches and we’ll tell ghost stories?”
Grantley chuckled and flipped Barney his middle finger. He turned to me and licked his lips.
“It’s up to you. I just thought we could have a few more drinks.” He paused and glanced over at Sue-Ann. “I’m not ready to let you go home just yet. But I swear there’s no pressure. I’m happy to sleep on the couch.”
I looked at his dark eyes, which were full of sadness and knew I wasn’t ready to go home either. However, I wasn’t sure I was ready to share his bed just yet. I wasn’t a prude or a virgin, but I wasn’t stupid either. I wasn’t a girl who got all dreamy about a man just because they’d smiled at me. I said it before, my heart was cold – before Grantley. My problem was, Grantley had the power to ruin me. He had the power to melt the ice around my heart and leave me broken beyond repair. I knew that my feelings were already more than they should be at this stage. We were barely at the second date stage if this was a normal relationship, in a normal life, but everything about this relationship seemed heightened because it was Grantley and because we were conducting it around the filming of a movie.
So, for now I would be that stupid girl, because I didn’t care. I felt alive and I wanted this.
Leaning closer to Grantley, I whispered. “You don’t need to take the couch, but I’m not ready for that next step. So, if you don’t think you can manage that, well you’ll be going to summer camp with Barney.”
Grantley’s eyes raked over my face as his hand came up to cup my cheek.
“I can manage whatever you want,” he whispered. “But I will want to hold you.”
“You will?”
He nodded. “Yeah, what can I say, I’m a clinger.”
I tilted my head and perused him. “Okay, but your hands stay above the waist.”
He looked at my knockers and grinned, giving a little chuckle.
“I’m definitely on board with that.”
I smacked his arm. “Behave. You know what I mean.”
He smiled slowly and then dropped a soft kiss to my lips.
“Yeah, I do,” he replied as he pulled away. “And I’m totally on board with that too.”
“Good.”
“When you two have stopped acting like high school sweethearts, you think we can go?” Marcia asked impatiently. “I need to be up early in the morning, I’ve got a five am call.”
“Yeah,” Grantley breathed out, looking at Sue-Ann. “Let’s go. You okay to get her upstairs, buddy?”
Barney gave him a two-fingered salute and pushed up from his seat. Moving over to Sue-Ann, he shook her shoulder, gently rousing her.
“I’ll get a taxi from the lobby,” Marcia said as she rummaged through her bag. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Not too early. I have a day off remember.”
“How could I forget.”
As Barney lifted Sue-Ann to her feet, Marcia gave a wave over her shoulder and weaved her way out of the restaurant. It was strange, no one had really taken much notice of Grantley throughout the evening, but the wiry, skinny, elderly woman drew everyone’s gaze.
“Night guys,” Barney said, putting an arm around a drowsy Sue-Ann. “Try not to wake me when you get up to the room.”
“Hah, whatever,” Grantley scoffed. “You know you’ll be engrossed in Suits for the next few hours.”
Barney let out a deep chuckle and with a wave of his hand, slowly moved away with Sue-Ann.
“So,” Grantley said. “You want to go to a club?”
“Really? Won’t you be recognised?”
Grantley shrugged. “Maybe, but the concierge told me there’s a club not far from here that is full of local TV celebrities. If I’ve learned anything from this business, it’s that celebrities will go out of their way to ignore another celebrity.”
I thought about it for a nanosecond and nodded my head. “Let’s go.”
“I hope you have your dancing shoes on, pretty girl, because we’re not stopping until we drop.”
“One thing I need to ask,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“What am I going to wear in bed?”
Grantley moaned quietly and closed his eyes for a couple of seconds. When his eyes landed on mine, his were full of desire.
“I’d say me,” he said with a smirk. “But I’m guessing that’s a poor joke, so I’ll say I have plenty of t-shirts that you can wear.”
I nodded but deep down was thinking, yeah I’d be up for wearing Grantley James, and maybe I should just sod the consequences. After all, wasn’t that why I’d packed a spare pair of knickers in my handbag?