Free Plain Jane in the Spotlight by Lucy Gordon Page A

resulted.
    Strangely, Puck was the perfect role for Travis. His ‘romantic hero’ looks might seem more suitable for one of the lovers but the sense of delightfully wicked mischief that pervaded him suggested a different story. And something told Charlene that this was his true self.
    ‘I’m just staggered by the window in my room,’ she said. ‘Enormous. Floor to ceiling. And that long view down to the city. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’
    ‘The ones in my room are even better,’ he said. ‘Come and look. It’s a sight you’ll never forget.’
    Taking her hand, he drew her into his room and made a gesture of revelation. Charlene gasped as she saw the two huge breathtaking walls of glass, angled to form a corner. It wasn’t yet completely dark, but evening was closing in and the lights of Los Angeles gleamed against the shadows.
    ‘I was wrong before,’ she breathed. ‘ This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Nothing else could ever be like it. Oh, goodness!’
    ‘That’s how I feel,’ Travis agreed. ‘I look at the view every night before I go to bed.’
    ‘And the HOLLYWOOD sign,’ she said, pointing into the distance. ‘Just to remind you what it’s all about.’
    ‘All about,’ he murmured, his eyes fixed on the view. Briefly he glanced at her over his shoulder. ‘Do we ever really know what it’s all about?’
    ‘Perhaps it’s better not to,’ she suggested.
    ‘That could be the wisest thing you’ve ever said.’
    He gazed at the view a moment longer, then pulled the huge curtains closed and led her out of the room.
    ‘An early night for me. After this morning I was warned not to be late again.’
    Charlene tidied away plates in the kitchen, then glanced briefly out of a small window that looked out over the front of the building. Suddenly she tensed. Beneath the lamp at the gate she’d just glimpsed a woman followed by a man.
    And the woman had red hair.
    Pictures raged through her mind. The lap dancer who’d set her sights on Travis in the club—she had red hair, didn’t she?
    It was impossible.
    Was it?
    Like the sound of approaching fate, she heard the elevator rise and come to a halt. The next moment Travis’s bell rang.
    She flew into the hall as he approached the front door, catching him just as he reached out to open it. By using all her weight, she was just able to stop him.
    ‘Hey, what—?’
    ‘That girl who sat on your lap. She had red hair, didn’t she?’
    ‘Yes, but—’
    ‘It’s her out there.’
    ‘ What? Are you sure?’
    ‘I caught a glimpse of her hair as she went under the lamp. Don’t you see what they’re doing? If you open up, she’ll grab you and the photographer will pounce. Frank Brenton warned us that he’d try something else.’
    ‘Then it’s time I hit back. Stand aside.’
    He made a lunge for the front door. By using all her strength, she was just able to slam him back against the wall.
    ‘Hey, what are you doing?’
    ‘Stopping you making the biggest mistake of your life. Open that door and you’re finished. But you’re not going to, because I’m not going to let you.’
    ‘Oh, you’re not?’
    ‘No, I’m not.’
    ‘Look, I know you mean well, but it’s time for action. I’m going to put a stop to their tricks.’
    ‘But you won’t. You’ll simply hand them another weapon and there’ll be no end to it. Your only hope is to play it cool. Let them hammer on the door as much as they like. It won’t open.’
    ‘Won’t it?’ he growled.
    ‘No, because with your usual brilliance you’ve seen through their rotten little trick and you’re one up on them. That’ll teach Frank Brenton. He won’t enjoy being made a fool of.’
    Travis had been trying to free himself from her, but now he stopped, staring into her face as light dawned.
    ‘It could work,’ he said.
    ‘It’s going to work. Here’s what we do. Make sure all the lights are off and go to bed. When you’re in your room