Pain sliced through his eyes and she saw the second he closed down. His eyes went cold and his body stiffened. With a gentleness that belied his present feelings, he slid her off his knee onto the couch and stood up.
“I see. Well, I should have expected it, really.” He coughed and she saw the glimmer of moisture in his eyes. Her heart lurched. “What do I have to offer but a ready-made family you’re not ready for and hard work? Not much of a catch to someone in your position, I guess.” He leaned down to pick up his hat, dropped when he punched Brad. He smacked it against his leg and shrugged his shoulders. “This is the place you should be, Del. Surrounded by beautiful things and nice restaurants and people of your kind.” He looked down at his feet. “Want me to do anything with him before I go?”
“Blake, listen to me, please. It’s not…”
“Don’t, Del.” He held up his hand and avoided making eye contact with her. “I couldn’t stand if you tried to be nice to me right now. I’m going to drag this guy outside and then I’m heading home.” He reached down and grabbed hold of the collar of Brad’s shirt, dragging him across the polished wooden floor and into the hallway. He paused at the door and for a moment she hoped he was coming back in…a hope soon dashed. “If I was you, I’d call the cops and lay charges before he wakes up and comes for you again.”
Del stood watching, the tears flowing down her face, cringing when the front door slammed behind them. She walked on shaky legs over to the window, leaned on the cool glass and looked down. Blake dragged Brad out and dumped him unceremoniously on the sidewalk. He fell like a rag doll and didn’t move. Then Blake walked toward his car. He glanced up fleetingly before climbing in and reversing out. He drove away, leaving her with her heart in tatters.
She curled up on the couch, pulling a cushion into her stomach for comfort and let the tears flow freely. It had all gone horribly wrong and it was all her fault. She had made a mess of everything.
Later that night, a pounding on her door startled Delilah and she huddled against the corner of her couch. “Delilah, are you in there?” She sighed in relief when she recognised the voice.
Paul Steenburg stood with his arms in his coat pockets when she opened the door. He brushed past her and walked into the lounge. “What the hell is going on, Del? I had Brad in my office this afternoon screaming your boyfriend assaulted him and he wants to call the police. His face was a mess. What happened?”
She shook her head, forcing the tears back before sinking into a chair and curling up her feet. “He came over this afternoon all fired up because Kim must have told him I wasn’t writing another season.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Seems his career will go down the drain if I give up on him, since he can’t find any other studio to take him on.”
“And what happened with Blake? Did he hit him?”
“Yes, he did.” She sniffed into a tissue before gripping it tight in her palm.
“Hell, this is turning into a damned awful mess. I never would have given him your address if I thought things would turn out this way. This is going to be a nightmare for the studio. Not something I really wanted, but it’s done now.” He wiped a hand over his face before looking at her again. “I’m going to have to let him press charges.”
“Fine, but if he can do it, so can I. That bastard tried to strangle me, Paul.” She stood up and walked toward him, pissed off more than upset now after the appalling day. She pulled her blouse open exposing the darkening bruises that ringed her throat. “Look at the marks on my skin, he tried to choke me and he would have succeeded if Blake hadn’t arrived when he did.” She shuddered thinking about how close she had come to losing her life today.
“Nothing is worth what he tried to do to me, Paul. I know what people mean when they say their lives flashed before their eyes. All I could think of was how I’ve managed to mess up my relationship with Blake and the children. This life here means nothing to me anymore. If being popular in the movie industry comes with this kind of baggage, you can keep it.” She dropped down onto the couch, all the fight going from her body. “That’s why Blake let him have it.”
“What? He hit you first? That mongrel is going to hear from me.” He stood up and walked toward her, crouching down with one hand on her chair. “Are you alright, Del?” His concerned gaze brushed over the marks on her throat and she tried to smile to reassure him.
She patted his hand. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It was a shock, you know? I never took him for the violent type. Way to influence me to write him into more instalments. He even had the nerve to threaten to sue me for ruining his career. Go figure.”
Paul stood and looked down at her, making up his mind. “His contract will be cancelled immediately. I won’t stand for this kind of behavior from any of our actors. I don’t care how big and untouchable they think they are.”
“You don’t have…” Del started, immediately worried he would be back to hurt her.
Paul stopped her. “Don’t argue with me. He’s gone, final.
