"Get it out of the system..." Gina repeated, feeling she was dying inside.
"Exactly. We're just taking a bit of time out from each other at the moment, letting things swing."
"Why are you telling me this?"
Michelle gave her a pained look. "I just had the feeling I might have made a bad judgement call with you. A widow, wanting a bit on the side, seemed right, but Alex is a prize in any woman's book, and it occurred to me you might think you can get your hooks in and end up making trouble that could be embarrassing for everyone."
"So you want me to understand it's just a little fling that will burn itself out. Enjoy it while I can."
"Well, looking at it sensibly...what do you think? I don't mean to be offensive, but...Alex King and you?" Her eyes mocked any image of lasting togetherness. "Can you really see it, Gina?"
That was the crux of the whole issue.
And the diamond ring on Michelle's left hand kept winking its devastating reality at Gina.
Time out.
It made more sense than anything else. No future with her...just time out for now.
Peter Owen sat in the Coral Reef Bar, sipping a whisky as he waited for Gina Terlizzi to join him. Normally it would amuse him to think of Alex King having it off with some woman other than Michelle. And serve Michelle right, the two-faced bitch. But Gina Terlizzi? He shook his head.
For all his cynicism about women, Gina was different. Just a sweet kid really, open-hearted, devoted to her little boy, not the kind to play around with. Even he recognised that. What the hell was wrong with Alex King's vision? Blinded by lust? Peter frowned, never having considered the highly controlled Alex King that kind of guy.
Still, difficult to doubt Michelle's version of events since he himself had seen the man leaving Gina's house last Sunday. All uptight he'd been about Peter calling there, too. And no doubt about Michelle being totally peeved last night, coming to his apartment and spilling her anger out to him after finding Alex's car outside Gina's house.
"He's taking it too far," she'd stormed. "I'll spike his guns. I'll lay it out to her it's just a payback for my little dalliance with you, Peter."
"You keep my name out of it, Michelle," he'd retorted with very deliberate menace. Gina Terlizzi was serious business and he didn't want her turned off him by something that was utterly meaningless.
He took another sip of whisky, thinking he'd rip a few mats out from under Michelle's slippery feet if she screwed up the deal he wanted to make with Gina. He had plans for that girl. Not only might she give his career a new shot in the arm, but...if he took the job as director of musicals for the Galaxy Theatre in Brisbane and he could produce a new star...the birth of two new careers...
He caught sight of Gina entering the lounge and swivelled on his bar stool with a warm smile of welcome to put her at ease. She didn't smile back. She aimed herself at him and moved forward like a sleepwalker on automatic propulsion, no vivacity at all in her body, blank face, dull eyes.
Michelle had done a real number on her, Peter thought savagely, and for once in his life, felt a deep shame for even being loosely connected to this consequence. The slaughter of innocence was a miserable thing. He rose from his chair to meet her, to gently steer her to an armchair and see her safely seated.
"I'll get you a drink. What would you like, Gina?"
Her name focused her gaze on him, but in her eyes was a struggle to come up with an answer.
"A gin and tonic?" he offered, thinking she needed a good slug of alcohol.
A relieved nod and a huskily whispered, "Thank you."
Gina tried to pull herself together as she watched Peter Owen go to the bar for drinks. He might offer her some kind of positive step into a real future. Not dreams. Not fantasy. Something she could do for herself. It was important to listen.
Alex didn't like him.
But what did it matter what Alex thought now?
What she decided to do wouldn't intrude on his life. Not his real life.
And however much she wanted to, she couldn't go to bed with him anymore, not knowing it was just a lustful fling on his part. That was too shaming, too humiliating.
Anger boiled up in her as she recalled Alex saying Peter was a user of women. How did he see himself? Of course, he could undoubtedly defend his actions on the grounds it was mutual desire, and where was the hurt in that? None at all if she was like Michelle.
So what if Peter Owen was a user! Having learnt such a salutary lesson from this experience with Alex, she wouldn't be so stupid as to think there was any caring for her beyond the talent she had for singing. And even Alex had conceded Peter could be helpful in establishing a professional career with her voice.
If it didn't interfere too much with being a proper mother for Marco, she would try it. At least it would be something to focus her energy on, something that might lead somewhere good in the days, weeks, years that stretched so emptily ahead of her right now.
Don't undersell yourself, Alex had said.
How could someone who was worth nothing undersell herself?
Totally soul-sick, Gina watched Peter carrying their drinks back to the table. Whatever he offered her was better than nothing. Listen to him, she fiercely told herself. If Peter had a proposition that was workable within her circumstances, not neglecting Marco's needs, she would say yes.
As to what terms would be fair, how could she judge? She would have to trust Peter on that. The end result had to be more money for her anyway. So best to say yes. Go home with something positive to think about, something positive to look forward to.
The dream of Alex King wanting to share her life, be her husband and the father of her children, was gone, and she couldn't see any other man ever filling that role.
Time to start building a different dream. "Here we are!"
Peter set the drinks on the table and settled himself in the chair opposite hers. No sexy flirtatiousness in his eyes today. He seemed to be viewing her with sympathetic concern. Was her inner distress so obvious?
"One thing I want to get straight first, Peter," she blurted out, realising there were some terms she had to enforce if she was to be comfortable working with him.
He nodded encouragingly. "This is business, right?" He nodded again.
"You have a...a sexy manner. I don't want you to come onto me in any shape or form. We sing together. That's it."
He heaved a sigh. A cynical disillusionment settled on his face. "If it's there, and I feel like it, I take it." His shrug dismissed that aspect of his life as non-consequential. "My experience is I'm no good at personal relationships, but a celibate life doesn't appeal, either." His eyes bored directly into hers. "I know it's not there with you, Gina. Nor do I want it to be there. It would interfere with business. So, believe me, no amount of randiness would make me risk losing your voice."
Could she believe him?
He leaned forward, forearms resting on the table, his hands spread in open appeal. "In this business, a sexy manner helps to sell a performance. It creates an intimacy with the audience. I'm not about to tone that down. On the other hand, should we come to an agreement, and I very much hope we can, at all times offstage I shall treat you as my little sister. I don't want any friction between us. I want us to work in harmony to produce the best act we can. Okay?"
He looked sincerely intent on persuading her this was so. "A little sister," she repeated, not quite seeing the very raffish Peter Owen in the role of big brother.
His mouth tilted ironically. "I've never had a family. You'll have to teach me how I should behave."
"No family?" That was unimaginable to Gina.
He grinned. "I'm just an orphan boy making my own way in the world." The grin winked out and a very focused energy was aimed at her as he added, "I have learnt how to protect my interests and you come under that umbrella, Gina. You won't get any grief from me. In fact, I'll be the first to stand between you and anything that might have a negative effect on your performance."
He was telling her that above everything else he was a professional. She could count on the success of their singing partnership being his prime consideration where she was concerned.
"Fair enough," she murmured gratefully. "What do you have in mind?"
He explained.
She liked the plan.
It was easy to agree to it.
It felt good to have something to look forward to.