Catherine Lawrence

by Carmenica Diaz

Part 15

  

David Carnegie waited until the laughter subsided from his last jokes and then he said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest probably doesn't need me to introduce her as you've probably seen her on television over the past few weeks after the premier of her fantastic new movie Vital Statistics but I'll introduce her anyway. Please welcome back to the show, the beautiful Catherine Lawrence.'

The applause was heavy as I walked on, took David's hand, kissed his cheek and smiled as he made a big thing out of the kiss.

'Wow,' he said as we sat, 'you look amazing, as usual.'

'And you're still dishy,' I smiled and he laughed.

'My wife is now your biggest fan, Catherine, even more after we saw Silken Memories.' The audience burst into applause and I smiled at them. 'What a great movie! You stole the show, Catherine!'

'No,' I said, 'it was a pleasure to work with the team again, it was fun.'

'There's a whisper you're going to be nominated for the Golden Globes and the Oscars – is that exciting or what?'

'Very exciting,' I deadpanned and everybody laughed.

'Typical English reserve?' David grinned.

 

I was the last guest on the show and was happily removing my makeup when there was a tap on the door. 'Catherine?' David called, 'Can I come in?'

I wrapped my robe around me and opened the door to find a grinning David with a red headed woman who was also grinning madly. 'Catherine, this is my wife Betty, she wanted to meet you and I thought you…'

'Please come in,' I smiled. 'It's a pleasure to meet you, Betty.'

'And you. I'm a big fan, I loved your movies and I laughed like crazy when you were on the show. David the Dish, I call him now.'

I laughed. 'I'm terribly nervous on these shows, I don't like them much, I'm afraid,' I said, glancing at David who grinned.

'Hey, I don't like them either and I run it! We just wanted to stop by, we're celebrating our wedding anniversary tonight.'

'Congratulations,' I said, interested.

'Yeah,' Betty said, 'we've been married twenty years. Unbelievable.'

'Twenty years?' Suddenly, I liked David Carnegie as I saw him look tenderly at his wife.

'Yeah,' he said, 'feels like twenty minutes but hey, that's the way it is.'

There was another knock on the door. 'Yes?' I called and the door swung open. Stephen stood in the doorway, a bunch of roses in his hand and he suddenly looked askance when he saw Betty and David.

'I'm terribly sorry, I'm intruding.'

'No,' I said quickly, heart pounding, 'come in. What are you doing here?'

'I just couldn't wait to see you again,' he said simply.

Betty cleared her throat, grinned and took David's hand. 'I think it's time we left, honey.' She kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear, 'Now, he's dishy.' She and David left and Stephen presented the roses to me.

'For you.'

'Stephen…' I began to say as I placed the roses in a vase but he wouldn't let me continue.

'Cate, I couldn't stay away, Lucy told me where you were and I flew over. I know it's a terrible intrusion but I have missed you so much.'

'Stephen…'

'I know what you're going to say. I should have called first but…'

'Stephen!'

'Yes, Cate?'

'Will you shut up and kiss me?'

The kiss was slow and so hot, I just melted into him, feeling his hardness pushing against my stomach. 'Oh my,' I whispered as we broke apart, fingers nervously arranging my hair.

'Oh Cate,' he whispered, 'I've missed you so much.'

The door opened and Lucy stood grinning in the doorway. 'Well, I was going to ask you to have dinner with Luc and I but I can see you're occupied.'

'Luc's here?' I asked, suddenly self-conscious in my robe and that I was holding Stephen's hand.

'We flew over together,' Stephen admitted and I glared at Lucy.

'I have to get dressed,' I said, smiling sweetly at Stephen. 'Will you wait for me?'

'Of course,' he said and quickly left.

'Now,' I hissed at Lucy, 'what's going on?'

'On?' Lucy asked innocently.

'You know exactly!'

Lucy sighed as she sat down. 'Cate, I'm sorry I meddled. Yes, I talked to him and yes, I suggested he call you and, yes, I confess I suggested he come over.' I opened my mouth but she looked at me keenly and said, 'Are you sorry he called you? Are you sorry he's here?'

I snapped my mouth shut and felt myself smiling. 'No,' I said softly and quickly moved over to hug and kiss her. 'I love you, you're a control freak but I love you. Thank you.'

Lucy smiled through glistening eyes. 'I love you, Cate. I couldn't stand watching you tear your self apart.'

'I've been a total bitch, haven't I?'

Lucy looked away and then back at me with a huge smile. 'Well, actually, yes. But we all put up with you.'

'Thanks, Lucy,' I said, hugging her again.

She stood up and winked. 'I guess you don't want to join Luc and I?'

'No, I think Stephen and I have to talk.'

Lucy snapped back into super serious mode. 'You mean, you're going to tell him?'

'I have to,' I said simply. 'I love him, I really do,' I said happily, 'but I can't lie to him.'

'But…'

'He'll probably walk away but it's better to have loved and lost than…'

'Don't! God, you're stupid sometimes!' Lucy folded her arms and glared at me.

'Me?' I said, taken aback. 'What do you mean?'

'You don't know if he loves you and yet you're going to trust him with a secret of your past, a secret that could ruin everything you've achieved. You were born a male, so what! I was born a brunette but I'm a redhead now. What does it all mean?'

'This is a little more important than a rinse…'

'You know what I mean. Why tell him? He knows you can't have children, what other reason could you have?'

'Honesty?'

'Why? You are what you are. Look in the mirror, tell me what you are?'

'I'm a woman, we both know that…'

'Could you be a male?'

'No, of course not!'

'Then, why tell him? Why destroy his world and your world by telling him about something that has no meaning anymore?'

I was stunned by her onslaught, her passion and the anger that was bubbling just below the surface. Her words rang within me, made me think and my head swam. 'But, I would want to adopt, Lucy, that can't happen as any investigation would…'

'Find nothing out of the ordinary! I called in all my favours to create that history for you Cate, it's you and you exist! Chris Redden died a long time ago and no longer exists!'

'Oh…'

'Cate, be who you are,' she said gently, holding me and I nodded slowly.

'Lucy,' I said slowly, tears falling slowly, 'thank you.'

'Hadn't you better get ready?' she asked softly and I nodded. Lucy smiled and quickly left me alone.

Thirty minutes later, I walked into the corridor and looked around but Stephen was nowhere to be seen. I walked quickly down the hall, my heels sounding so loud in the confined space, my head pounding with the thought that he had heard Lucy and I talking, that he knew!

I turned the corner and saw Stephen seated with David and Betty, all three smiling at me. 'Sorry,' I said, 'I took forever.'

Stephen looked me up and down, smiling. 'It was worth it, it's always worth it.'

'We found him hovering so we got a drink,' David said smiling. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. 'What was that for?' he said, surprised.

'An apology,' I said simply. 'When I first met you, I thought you were something you're not. You're a terribly sweet man and I hope we are friends.'

Betty laughed. 'He puts on the hard exterior, Catherine, but he's a teddy bear.'

'I know that now,' I smiled, 'and please call me Cate.'

'We'll arrange some limos, huh?' David said and he and Stephen walked on.

'Cate,' Betty said, taking my arm, 'I hope you know that young man is head over heels in love with you. He couldn't stop talking about you.'

'I love him, Betty,' I said simply and she smiled, squeezing my hand. 'I can't stand being away from him but…'

'There are problems?' Betty asked gently. 'He said there was a misunderstanding?'

'His mother…'

'Hah! Mothers in law, I can tell you a thing or two about that. They're either a problem or part of the solution. David's mom hated me and now she loves me. I'm going to take you to lunch tomorrow and tell you how to handle it.'

I laughed. 'That sounds wonderful' I gave her a card. 'This is my telephone.'

David embraced me as the limousine waited at the kerb. 'If there's announcement of a wedding, I expect it to be on my show,' he said with a smile.

'If there is, it will be,' I said. 'Thank you, David, you've been really kind.'

'Not dishy?' He pretended to be hurt and I laughed.

'Extremely dishy,' I said and slipped into the vehicle.

'David has suggested a restaurant,' Stephen said as the car sped away.

'I'm not hungry,' I said and he looked at me with a worried expression.

'Well, we could…'

'Stephen,' I said, my heart pounding, 'I have to say something, I have to get it out in the open. Do you know what I'm going to say?'

I looked at him, my eyes searching his for a clue. Did he know? Had he heard anything or had David and Betty whisked him away in time?

Stephen blinked and shrugged. 'No, I'm afraid I don't know. I suspect you're going to tell me we should be friends or something like that but I have no idea…'

'Stephen!'

'I'm terribly sorry, Cate but when I'm nervous I just ramble on. It's an annoying trait, I'm afraid.'

I moved closer and kissed him, kissed him hungrily and he held me strongly, his arms tight and hard around me while I felt so soft in the middle of those iron arms.

'Stephen,' I whispered, 'I'm in love with you. I've tried to hide from that simple fact but I am.'

His eyes were wide and staring. 'Cate, do you mean that?' He shook his head as if to clear his mind. 'I've been in love with you since the first time I saw you. I couldn't help it, I love everything about you.'

'Where to?' The driver's voice was like a cold dash of water and Stephen turned to say something but I put my finger on his lips while I gave the driver the name of my hotel.

'Cate?'

'Shush,' I said, kissing his nose. 'Don't you want to?'

'You have no idea how much I want to,' he whispered, kissing my neck.

'Stephen? Your mother?'

'What about her?' he murmured as the car sped towards the hotel.

'She has expectations.'

'I rather have expectations at the moment,' he said with a low chuckle.

'But you're a nice boy and your mother…'

He gripped my arms and stared fiercely at me. 'Thjis nice boy just wants to get you to the hotel and make love to you all night. I frankly don't give a fuck about my mother!'

'Oh my,' I said softly.

'But,' he whispered, nuzzling into my neck, 'I do rather want to fuck you, nice boys do know how to fuck.'

'Oh my,' I whispered again.

 

Sunlight was peeking through the curtains when I managed to open my eyes. I moved and immediately felt a little sore but delightfully so. The memories of the night came back in a rush and I blushingly smiled as I rolled over on my back, remembering, remembering it all.

When I finally opened my eyes, I started as Stephen was seated in a char in his robe, smiling at me.

'Stephen?' I said groggily. 'What are you doing, darling?'

'Watching you sleep,' he said softly. 'You are still like an angel, I could watch you sleep forever.'

I slipped naked from the bed and perched on his knee, kissing his neck. 'That would be boring, wouldn't it?'

'No,' he protested, 'not at all,' and then sighed as my fingers moved down to find him hard and ready.

'Are you sure?' I teased; kissing his ear as my fingers gently stroked him.

'Oh, Cate,' he murmured. I kissed him hard and long, pushing against him as my hand moved up and down. Suddenly, he stiffened, gasped in my ear and came, soaking the robe and spilling his hot stickiness over my hand.

'Was that nice?' I murmured, snuggling against him.

'You have no idea,' he said, hugging me fiercely. Maybe I do, I thought to myself with a small grin, maybe I do have an idea.

Epilogue

David grinned at the cameras. 'It's been a while since Cate Lawrence has been a guest on my show. But, I'm pleased to say I twisted her arm and here is the Oscar winning Catherine Lawrence!'

The applause boomed through the set and millions of viewers leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the famous actress as she greeted David Carnegie and smiled at the cameras

'This is the first time since the wedding that I've been able to publicly say, congratulations Mrs Edwardes!'

More applause and Cate flushed under the lights. 'Thank you, although you were at the wedding.'

'Yes, but I didn't have a camera!'

'Oh what a pity!' Catherine raised an eyebrow at the camera.

Laughter rang through the set and David waited until it subsided.

'Cate, there's been a lot of talk after it was announced that you and Stephen had adopted a baby girl.' Cate nodded and the audience grew quiet. 'There has been some criticisms about actors adopting children rather than having children naturally, I wonder if you would like to comment?' He reached out and held Cate's hand, a move that was not ignored by the press watching.

'Yes,' Cate said. 'There has been some talk, some of it quite hurtful. You would think I would be used to it but I'm not.' She blinked and the audience wondered if she was going to cry. 'The simple fact is,' she said turning to the camera,' is that I cannot have children, it's now, I'm told,' she said with a wry smile, 'medically impossible. My heart goes out to those women who are trying with fertility treatments everyday, it's heartbreaking.' Cate stopped for a moment and then looked back at the camera, her eyes glistening. 'If I could have my own children, I would in a heartbeat. I would drop everything, walk away from the theatre, movies, everything just to have children but,' she said, voice breaking, 'I can't. I just can't, so we adopted.'

David smiled tenderly at her. 'And now you have a daughter?'

'Yes,' Catherine smiled. 'She's beautiful. I was worried,' Cate said with alarmingly honesty and the women in the audience hung on every word, 'that I wouldn't bond with her, that it wouldn't work but,' she said with a smile, 'it did and we love her, love her so much.'

The applause thundered through the set and the millions of women watching reached for their tissues and smiled at the television screen.

David leaned forward and smiled, still clasping her hand. 'But you're still going to make movies?'

Cate shrugged. 'Maybe. If I can take Shira with me, ok but at the end of the day, I'm a mother first, an actor second.'

'And where is that husband of yours?'

Cate laughed and pointed off camera. 'He's right there actually, waiting patiently with Shira.'

David got up and quickly moved off stage and then reappeared, bringing Stephen and Shira cradled in his arms, with him.

'Ladies and gentleman, Stephen Edwardes and the beautiful Shira.'

More applause.

'You look at home there with that babe,' David said jokingly at Stephen who was cradling Shira.

'Well, actually, I am,' Stephen said with a smile. 'She's easy to love.'

'Stephen, what's it like being married to a superstar?'

'Superstar? Me? It's just Cate.' Laughter and applause.

'How did you two meet?'

Stephen and Catherine looked at each other and smiled. 'It was in a restaurant, actually,' Catherine said. 'I was with friends and this dishy young man came up to me.'

'That was you?' David said to Stephen with mock indignation. 'I thought I was dishy?' More laughter.

'My friends were saying she had to be a movie star or something so I thought I would ask her. She was celebrating her first part in a play so I sent her a bottle of champagne.'

'Very romantic,' Catherine smiled, winking at the audience and the women giggled. 'Champagne will work every time and it wasn't cheap champagne either.'

'And what happened after that?'

'I thought she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen.'

'Had? Oh, you've gone off me, have you?' Catherine arched an eyebrow at the camera, laughter erupted and she reached over to take the baby from Stephen cradling her daughter against her, smiling at her husband.

'I could never go off you, darling,' he smiled.

'And,' David said with a wink, 'didn't you call her a cake or something?'

Stephen and Catherine burst into laughter. 'Actually no,' Stephen managed to say. 'I said to a friend she was the thinking man's crumpet.'

'Crumpet?'

'Yes,' Catherine said, extending her wrist to display a bracelet. 'Read the inscription, David.'

He undid the bracelet and read, 'Cate Lawrence, a great actress and the thinking mans crumpet. S.E. I take it that's a compliment.'

'Definitely yes,' Catherine said, smiling at Stephen.

'Ladies and gentlemen, please thank this lovely family.' David smiled at them. 'Thanks for setting the record straight and I know everyone wishes you well.'

Catherine kissed his cheek, and then they walked from the set.

'Thanks darling,' Cate murmured as they walked to the dressing room, Shira making gurgling noises.

'I quite enjoyed it, actually,' Stephen smiled. 'Now what?'

'Let's go home.'

 

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Thank you for persevering with such a long story. I hope it has not been boring. I would also like to thank those who have sent me comments and encouragement. Regards,

Carmenica.

  

  

  

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© 2004 by Carmenica Diaz. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of StorySite and the copyright holder.