He laughed. ‘That’s the star. Dirk Chain. Do you want me to introduce you?’
I tried to act cool, responding with a vague nod. ‘Sure.’
‘Dirk, over here,’ Phil shouted. ‘There’s someone I want you to meet.’
Dirk swaggered over, flicking his long copper hair as he walked. Every inch of him was perfect: his wavy hair that gleamed, his deep blue eyes framed with the blackest of eyelashes, his gorgeous pouting lips that seemed to shine, beckoning me to attach myself to them. I looked him up and down, trying not to show that I was blatantly objectifying him.
Phil looked on, a grin of amusement overtaking his face.
‘Hi, babe’, Dirk drawled in a Texan accent. I’d seen Dallas, I knew these things.
Before I could even reply, someone interrupted us and pulled Dirk away.
Phil handed me a damp cloth from the bar.
‘He has that effect on all the women,’ he chuckled. ‘Girls stampede over us to get to him.’
I realised how rude I was being. I snapped myself back from fantasy land.
‘I’m sorry, Phil. Tell me what you’ll be doing here.’
Phil Lowery told me about himself. He was twenty-five, and a cameraman from New York. Taurus. Two brothers and three sisters. Parents happily married for thirty years. Liked animals, sport. comedy shows and he had aspirations to give stand up a try. Single. Split up from five year fiancée six months ago. Had a soft spot for old movies and had been to Scotland twice and loved it.
I liked him already. He was funny, with a dry, sarcastic sense of humour that had me in creases. And he was genuinely interested in hearing about me, too. Phil Lowery was, I decided, one of the good guys. But where had Dirk gone? My radar kicked into action and as the music slowed down for the final songs of the evening, I spotted him heading back from the gents and cornered him.
‘So, Dirk, there’s a party in my room tonight and you’re welcome to join us.’ Shit, my mouth was talking crap before informing my brain again. What party?
He nodded. ‘Sure, sweetcheeks. But I can’t stay too long, need my beauty sleep. You know how it is.’ He winked at me. How was it? Was he trying to tell me something? Okay, so I knew that my face looked like a well-slapped bum after months in this humid, daylight-free environment, but I didn’t need beauty tips from a male Julia Roberts look-alike. I decided that I must have misinterpreted him.
I rushed back over to Phil and announced the party. He was delighted and quickly spread the word, rounding up a dozen others who were up for carrying on the revelry.
We all headed to my room, cranked up the stereo and emptied the minibar. I hoped the noise wouldn’t disturb Ritza and Olga, in their rooms on either side of mine.
I made an effort to talk to everyone, always keeping one eye on Dirk. I must have looked like I had a sight impediment. He frequently caught me staring and smiled back lazily.
Phil kept the party going with jokes and anecdotes until 6 a.m., when the guys finally drifted away. Soon there was only him, me and Dirk. Phil gave me a kiss on the cheek.
‘It’s been great meeting you, Carly. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.’
I forgot I’d suggested that. I chose not to point out that lunch was only six hours from now and I’d still had no sleep. I’d worry about that later. I showed Phil out and turned to face Dirk. Without saying a word, he stepped towards me and kissed me. What was that taste? Bloody strawberry lip gloss. So that’s why he kept disappearing to the toilet – to reapply his lip gloss. I’d thought he just had a weak bladder.
I ran my fingers through his hair and nearly lost a thumb. Hair extensions. Still, it didn’t dent my libido, which – after almost a year in solitary - felt like it had been let out of jail. He pulled me over to the bed and laid me down.
‘Just wait there, baby doll, I’ll be right back.’ He dived into the bathroom.
What was he doing, for God’s sake? And what was I supposed to do in the meantime?
After several minutes, a voice came from the depths of the bathroom.
‘Carly, pumpkin, have you got some moisturiser?’
What? Tell me he wanted the cream to lather it over my back and blow my mind with a sensuous massage. Somehow, I didn’t think so.
I took some in to him and stopped in my tracks. The guy in front of the bathroom mirror looked different. I glanced down. On the sink top was a small white case with two blue contact lenses floating in it.
He took the moisturiser and applied it to his face, then took a tissue to remove his mascara.
I couldn’t contain my giggles.
Dirk looked confused and slightly wounded.
‘A man’s got to take care of himself, you know,’ he said defensively.
I struggled to compose myself, by this time feeling as turned-on as a TV in a power cut.
‘I understand,’ I promised, trying to assume a straight face. ‘Listen, Dirk, I’m really sorry, but I’ve just had a call to say that there’s some drama down in the lobby that I have to attend to, so if you don’t mind…’ I gestured to the door.
He couldn’t hide his surprise. ‘Eh, sure. Rain check?’ he asked, as I pulled the handle and then stood back to let him past.
‘Mmm, I’m not sure. Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something here,’ I replied, trying to force some regret into my voice.
Before he could respond, I closed the door, then leaned against it and laughed until my sides hurt. So much for my wild night of passion with a movie star. Just wait until I told the girls at home about this one. I’d kept in touch with occasional letters since I arrived in China. Kate and Jess wrote
