Carolyn smiled and stroked his cheek. ‘I bet you say that to all the girls,’ she said.
‘Trust me, I don’t. You should talk to your agent, get him to get you some stage work.’
Carolyn shook her head. ‘The theatre doesn’t pay, you know that. Not unless you’re in a West End hit and even then it’s got to be Shrek or Les Mis.’
‘You could play Shrek, darling,’ said Day.
‘And you’d make a great donkey,’ said Carolyn.
The MC was bringing the show to a close, thanking the sponsors one by one. Once he’d finished, there was more applause, then the doors behind them were opened. Carolyn felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look up at Martin Waites. Waites was in his late twenties but looked as if he was barely out of his teens, with gelled blonde hair and a girl’s cheekbones. He was wearing a black Armani suit and a grey shirt, buttoned up and tie-less. ‘You were fantastic, Carolyn,’ he said. ‘And never was an honour more well-deserved.’ He flashed her a beaming smile and she caught his eyes flicking down to her cleavage and back to her face.
‘Why thank you, kind sir,’ she said.
‘And I can tell you that everyone at our table was chuffed to bits that you mentioned us all by name. That was a nice touch.’
‘I meant what I said. The show would be nothing without the network.’
‘I wish everyone on the show felt the same,’ said Waites. He smiled at Day. ‘There are those who think we’re the enemy.’
‘We have different expectations of what a show should be,’ said Day, rising to the bait. ‘We want to make the best show we can, you want to sell as much advertising as you can with the minimum up-front expenditure.’
‘Paul, you know full well your budget is way above that of EastEnders, Corrie, even Holby. They look at your location budget and salivate.’
‘And the money we spend shows on the screen,’ said Day. ‘That’s why we get the viewers. Because we have a quality product.’
‘And the best stars,’ said Waites. He’d moved to stand behind Carolyn and he reached down and began massaging Carolyn’s shoulders. ‘We wiped the floor tonight. That demonstrated how much the fans love the show.’ He patted Carolyn’s arms. ‘Now a Bafta or two, that would be nice.’
Carolyn looked up at him. She wanted to ask him to stop touching her shoulders but she didn’t want to sound over-sensitive. He looked down at her and winked. She smiled tightly.
Day waved at an empty seat. ‘Sit yourself down, Martin. You need to spend some time with the troops.’
Waites laughed and sat down between Andrea’s boyfriend and Phillippa. Carolyn smiled at Day and he winked at her. She realised he’d noticed her discomfort and done something about it. She raised her glass and mouthed ‘thank you’.
CHAPTER 11
Carolyn finished her wine and looked at her watch. It was just before eleven. She looked over at Harrington and caught his eye. ‘What time are you heading back to London?’ she asked him.
‘Sorry, didn’t I say? I’m booked in for the night.’
‘You’re staying here?’
‘I thought it best. I haven’t had a boozy night for months. Figured I’d nurse my hangover in style. Frank’s staying over, too.’
‘Are you looking for a lift, Carolyn?’ asked Waites from across the table. ‘I’m ready to push off.’
Carolyn hesitated. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be stuck with the network executive for the hour or so it would take to drive home.
Waites held up a glass of iced water. ‘I haven’t been drinking,’ he said. ‘Where do you live?’
‘Notting Hill Gate.’
He grinned. ‘I’m just down the road from you,’ he said. ‘More than happy to drop you off, and I’d much rather have someone in the car with me.’
‘Okay, thank you,’ said Carolyn. She bent down and picked up her bag, and put the statuette in it. She took out her phone. Eddie hadn’t called or sent a text message. She put the phone back in the bag and smiled brightly. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Ready when you are.’
She said goodbye to everyone at the table with either a hug or an air kiss, then threaded her way through the tables to the entrance receiving more congratulations on the way. From a pretty brunette in a long black evening dress she collected her coat and a goody bag packed with perfume, chocolates and trinkets, most of which she knew she’d be giving away to friends.
Waites collected a goody bag, too, and they walked outside. She laughed when she saw his car. A red Porsche 911. ‘I sort of guessed you’d have a Porsche,’ she said.
‘It’s only two years old,’ he said, opening the door for her. ‘It goes like a rocket.’ He took her goody bag from her and tossed it and his onto the back seat.
‘Good to know,’ she said, fastening her seatbelt.
He slammed her door shut and climbed into the driver’s seat. The engine roared and he gunned it a couple of times before driving away from the hotel. He drove too fast, accelerating into curves and braking harder than necessary. Carolyn tried not to show how uncomfortable she was. It was her own fault for not arranging for Billy to take her.
‘Are you okay, Carolyn?’ he asked as he changed up a gear and stamped on the accelerator.
‘Bit queasy, actually,’ she said. ‘Would you mind slowing down, just a bit.’ She flashed him her little-girl-lost smile.
‘Sure, of course,’ he said, and braked sharply so that the seat belt tightened against her chest. ‘That was a good night, wasn’t it?’
‘Terrific,’ she said.
‘Bet you’ve been to a lot over the years?’
‘A fair few.’
‘They’re still a new thing for me,’ he said. He slowed as they approached a hump-backed bridge but still went over it so quickly that Carolyn felt herself rise out of her seat. Her stomach lurched. ‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘Where were you before?’
‘Before? In what way?’
‘Before the network? Where did you work?’
‘I joined straight from university,’ he said. ‘Graduate entrant. Six hundred applied and they only took three of us.’
‘Impressive,’ said Carolyn, wincing as he almost lost control of the car and missed scraping a dry stone wall by inches.
‘Yeah, the selection process was brutal. But I got through and they sent me on several shows to learn the ropes and now I’m on Rags To Riches.’
‘It’s a great show.’
‘Absolutely. But we can make it better. We should be getting another million or so viewers.’
‘And how will you do that?’ asked Carolyn.
‘We might have to take the show in a different direction,’ said Waites.
She looked across at him. ‘How would you do that?’
He shrugged carelessly. ‘There’s lots of options,’ he said. He grinned. ‘Do you want to do a line?’
‘A line?’
‘Coke,’ he said. He patted his jacket pocket. ‘Got some great stuff here.’
Carolyn shook her head. ‘I don’t…’
‘What, never? I thought all actors did.’
‘When I was younger, maybe. But these days, alcohol and nicotine are my drugs of choice.’
‘Coke is way better for you than booze,’ he said. ‘No hangover, no weight gain.’
‘You’re not telling me I look fat, are you?’
Waites laughed. ‘God, no,’ he said. ‘You’re amazing for…’
He left the sentence unfinished but she knew what he was going to say. For her age.
‘I tell you, Carolyn, I’ve always fancied you. At uni you were always at the top of my “to do” list.’
‘Excuse me?’ said Carolyn.
He grinned. ‘The list of stars you’d like to… you know.’
‘And I was top of yours?’
Waites nodded enthusiastically. ‘Bloody right.’
‘I suppose I should be flattered. Who else was on your list?
Waites laughed. ‘You really want to know?’
‘Sure.’
‘Angelina Jolie for one. Megan Fox.’
‘So I’m in good company,’ she said. ‘But I don’t get why I was on your list.’
‘I was a big fan of the show at uni,’ said Waites. ‘Me and my mates used to watch it together. You know, four years ago the show had a much younger viewer profile. That’s something we need to address.’