Page 122 of Good Enough
“Thank you for joining me, Kubrick.”
The voice came from her right, and she turned to an unexpected sight. Sitting in a dark brown high-backed wicker chair with gold cushions, a movie-star quality man in his mid-forties sat facing her, his forearms resting on the chair arms. A linen suit coat hung over the back of the chair. He wore a white dress shirt and sky-blue tie; his hair was dark blond, cut short, and parted over his left eye. His eyes were a lively green and while he wasn’t smiling, one corner of his mouth ticked up in a sort of smirk, like he was enjoying her discomfort.
“Sit. Cherry is just bringing breakfast.”
“Well, I’m really not—”
“I don’t recall phrasing it as a question.”
Wow. He’s as bossy as before, but otherwise, totally not what I pictured.
Kai sat across from God, unfolding the linen napkin into her lap. Cherry appeared suddenly to her right, placing a plate in front of her. Three fluffy pancakes, chock full of chocolate chips, drizzled with chocolate sauce, real whipped cream, and raspberry garnished on top.
Kai looked at God, one eyebrow raised. “Someone’s done their homework. Is this why Waters didn’t feed me this morning?”
“Told him you were having breakfast with me and wanted to know what you actually ate. Some of what he told me was appalling. This seemed safest, but he said despite the crap content, the sexiest thing he’s ever seen you do is eat.”
“I’m not sure whether to be insulted or turned on that eating is my sexiest feature.” She took her first bite of the pancakes, and her eyes rolled back in her head.
God stared. “I didn’t believe him yesterday when I talked to him, but he was right.
Kai opened her eyes to dive into another bite. “Right about what?”
“That watching you eat is sexy as fuck.” He snorted and shook his head.
Kai stopped mid-bite, the fork still in her mouth, lips wrapped around it.
These men are so weird.
She dragged the fork from between her lips, desperately working to keep from acting like a total heathen and licking the chocolate sauce left behind on the tines. She almost didn’t succeed. “Dare I ask why?” she questioned after she was done chewing.
“We’re in L.A., Kubrick. Women subsist on kale, water, and somehow air. I’ve rarely seen any of them eat. And when they do, it is not with the abandon and enjoyment that causes moaning. Food orgasms, indeed.”
“I did not moan,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid you did. He warned me you would. He also warned me about your filter that causes you to say things out loud that you shouldn’t. No wonder he couldn’t resist. I’m actually a little jealous.”
“How embarrassing.” She blushed and began to set her fork down.
“Don’t you dare, Kubrick,” God growled. “Eat. I prefer women who enjoy things. Then we need to talk.”
Breakfast was quiet, but not nearly as scary as she had thought it would be. By the last bite, her bravado had reined in, and her curiosity was going full throttle.
“So,” she began, “why am I really here? I know it truly wasn’t to watch me eat.”
God sat back in his chair, dabbing his face with the napkin to catch any stray food crumbs or chocolate sauce. “I wanted to let you know that your producer has gone missing. It was quite the mystery for three or four days.” His inflection was deceptively light, like he had no clue himself what had happened. “Eventually, the authorities discovered that a large number of his personal items were missing, as well. And a Mr. Kowalski informed the police that a large amount of studio funds is also gone. A string of airline tickets, paid for in cash and under a variety of names, has led the local authorities to believe he has absconded with his embezzled funds to South America. Of course, they’ve been unable to catch him on any security cameras or other means.
“They’ll continue to watch for a while, but eventually, something bigger will come along, and he’ll be long forgotten,” he reassured her. “Probably sooner rather than later. You know Hollywood and its scandals.”
There was a pregnant pause as they studied each other.
“I owe you a thank you. For not turning me over to the police and for helping him escape, so to speak.”
He waved her thanks aside. “He deserved worse. The guy was a total fuckwitch.”
Kai smiled.
“However, more importantly than giving you that news, I wanted to see you up close and personal. I’m good, but despite my reputation, there are a few things that I can’t tell through a computer screen. Normally, that’s when Waters comes in handy, but he’s not exactly unbiased in this instance. Besides, this is a little more personal.”