Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing, thank you!
Hope you like it, please read and review! Evy x
All Star
Eileen Rand tapped her fingertips impatiently on the table top. He was late. It was normally her that was late and now she could see how much it annoyed him. She looked at the watch on her wrist.
Okay...so he was only a minute late...
She clenched her hands together then lay them flat out in front of her before repeating, her fingers went back to their tapping. Quiet, nervous, annoyed.
She stopped herself from looking back. Why? Why was it that every time she went out he was there? It was like he owned every restaurant in the city...and she knew he definitely did not.
Tonight he was with a little red haired slut with her skirt round her waist and her shirt cut so low that she wondered if the girl had actually heard of clothes.
She looked at her watch again. Two minutes late. Two minutes? Could that be right? Just two? Oh no...three...well...it may as well have been ten. Where was he?
She heard a laugh somewhere behind her. A dirty sort of girly laugh that made her skin crawl, it almost made her want to buy a drink just to throw it. Was he doing this just to spite her? Showing up everywhere and anywhere with a different piece of skin rash clutching him. Knowing him, actually, yes. Probably. Maybe. Okay, no. She knew it was probably just a coincidence. They had been married for god knows how long, they shared many things, including, it seemed, their love of the same restaurants. The giggle came again and Eileen shivered. Good god.
Oh stop it Eileen, she said to herself. Don't even let him get to you.
She took in a breath and reached for her bag on the seat next to her. She fished around in the bottom and pulled out her compact. She checked her make-up. Still fine. She positioned the mirror so she could check her hair but before she could do so she realised she could see the tables behind her. She brought her hand down slowly, getting just the right position to see her ex-husband at his table. He was laughing. She was laughing, the slut. Okay so, she probably wasn't a slut...to be fair. A fake laugh cut through the rest of the chattering sounds in the restaurant and she saw the red head lean forward towards her ex, pressing her large, fake, chest over the table. Okay...she had given her the benefit of the doubt. Slut. Fake, red head, slut. She glanced back to her husband, ex, ex-husband. He was still smiling, though it didn't quite meet his eyes, something was missing...it all happened in a flash and Eileen didn't have time to look away and close her mirror. He had seen her. He had seen her through the mirror. Damn. She threw the mirror back into her bag and snapped the top closed. She wanted to sink down in her seat. Make him not be able to see her, make herself invisible. She shook herself. No. He had seen her, that was it, no going back. She didn't need him, she was fine on her own. She sat up straight, laying her hands out on the table again. She held her breath slightly...then the laugh came. Slut. She knew It was all clear for now so she let down her guard.
She mentally 'tutted' herself, she could be so stupid sometimes. She sighed then jumped as someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Eileen. You alright?"
She laid a hand on her chest.
"Christ Derek." She muttered.
The British man screwed up his face in confusion, sliding into the seat in the booth opposite her.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You're late." She stated, a harsh flicker to her voice.
"Two minutes...calm down will you." He said.
She sighed again.
"I'm sorry. It's just..."
She motioned behind her and Derek looked round. He saw what she was trying to tell him and frowned.
"Does he just follow you or something? I swear he's in every restaurant we go to." He said, sitting back.
"It would be nice to find somewhere where he didn't like to go but we were
together years, we still move in the same circles." Eileen said.
Derek looked down to the red polished nails making hollow tapping sounds on the table.
"Eileen."
"I know."
"Don't let it get to you."
"I'm not..."
"She looks like a slut."
She laughed.
"I'm mean, god, even I wouldn't go for that."
She smiled at him as he lay his hands over hers.
"I mean it darling, don't let him get you worked up over him. He is so not worth it." He said, looking into her eyes.
She nodded.
"You're right, you are..!" She smiled.
"Of course I am." He shrugged, flashing her a smile.
She laughed.
"Come on. Look at that menu, I'm buying you dinner." He said, grabbing his own.
"I can't let you do that..." Eileen started.
"Yes you can, now shut up and read."
He winked at her and glanced down again at his menu before she could say
anything else in the subject.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
"And so I said to the girl, get a move on, we haven't got all bloody day! And she said, Marilyn wouldn't have rushed things...I mean, what is it with her and 'Marilyn this...Marilyn that...drives me bloody mad."
Eileen shrugged, digging her fork into the last vegetable left on her plate. She chewed and swallowed while he took a sip of his white wine.
"Maybe she just cares." She said.
Derek snorted.
"Or maybe she's just a busy body know it all..."
"With talent."
"Hmm."
"How's it going with Tom?" She asked, changing the subject, hopefully for the better.
"Same as ever. Busy body know it all."
She laughed.
"With talent."
"Why must they all have talent..." He groaned.
"It'll get better." She assured. "These are just the early stages. We haven't even had call backs yet."
"Hm."
"It will."
"Well, you'd better be right."
She lay her fork down on her empty plate and brought her glass up to her lips. She sipped then returned it to the table, she crossed her arms on the table.
"So who's got the part then?" She asked.
"We haven't even done call backs yet...remember..."
"No. I mean, who do you think has the part?" She said, raising an eyebrow
slightly.
"I have no clue."
"You don't?"
"Why are you so surprised?" He asked, frowning.
"Oh...no reason."
"Eileen."
She laughed at his serious tone.
"I know you too well Derek..."
He scowled, leaning back in the seat.
"This is different."
Eileen raised her hands.
"Okay, I believe you."
"Anyway...who do you like?" He asked her, leaning his arms on the table.
"They're both different aren't they. That's quite unusual."
He nodded, willing her to go on.
"I like Ivy, she has the looks, the Marilyn...pizazz."
"Pizazz...?"
"Yes. Pizazz. She's pretty, her boobs go to her chin. She has a good mouth,
voice, she can dance."
"And the other one..?"
"Karen. She's good, you can tell she has something, what that something is I can't quite tell..."
"She's very light."
"Yes. But you know, she could be just the thing we have been looking for. She could be Marilyn."
"So you like them both?"
"Yeah."
"Some help you are!"
"I thought I made some very good points!"
Derek laughed.
"Dinner with you, that's all I ever need." He said.
"That's what everybody needs darling." She smiled into her glass.
He smiled and was about to say something else when a sharp, rather dirty, so he thought, laugh cut across him. Eileen moaned, setting down her glass.
"The slut?" He asked.
"Yes. Well at least he's making somebody laugh..." She said.
He looked behind her again to the table of her ex-husband. He had never really liked him much. Truth be told when he had first met them he had actually wondered what Eileen had seen in him. He seemed power hungry, blokes like that annoyed him...well, the rich ones. The ones that thought they were god. He knew Eileen was finding it hard, the divorce. Like she had said, they had been together for years, in love, that does something to a person. He was making sure now though that he was looking out for her, making sure she was okay, sane, the usual stuff friends do...he assumed. Maybe this Marilyn project would be the making of her. He loved 'My Fair Lady' and they had been working on it for three years but this project, it seemed to be going somewhere, it seemed destined to be a success and it was still very early days. Think baby, think nursery years...no, not even that, think the first stages of a foetus...no, this project was just the sperm, swimming for the egg, getting there but no need to paint the nursery yet. It seemed to make her happy and dare he say it, excited. She hadn't been excited for ages, and it was nice to see. He wanted this Eileen to stay. He
definitely didn't want her to dwell on Jerry. He was a tosser, pure and simple. The man couldn't keep his legs shut during their marriage, he certainly didn't deserve Eileen. Not at all. He couldn't stand the man and though the offers he was receiving from him were hard to refuse he found himself doing just that, refusing. It was like he couldn't bare to be around him anymore. All the man wanted was to take him away from her and he knew he was starting to get the message that that was certainly not going to happen. He noticed Jerry had seen him so as the man gave him a smile and a slight nod of the head Derek just looked away. Oh suffer, you man whore.
"He see you?" Eileen asked.
"Yup." He nodded.
"He's not coming over is he?" She asked.
He began to shake his head but as he looked back over to the man's table he
realised he was indeed walking towards them.
"Shit." He cursed.
She shrugged but moaned.
"I knew he would, but at least you're here." She said.
"Always darling."
She smiled.
"Derek, Eileen." Jerry's voice boomed out.
He shook Derek's hand, ignoring the fact that the Brit was pulling away in his grip. He stood at the end of the table.
"Well, don't you seem to be everywhere." Eileen said, smiling sickly sweetly.
"Nice to see you too Eileen." He said, he turned back to Derek.
"And how are you old man?" He boomed.
"I'm alright." Derek said.
"What's this I've been hearing about you directing this new Marilyn musical?" He asked.
"You heard right."
"Oh did I?"
"Yes..."
"Who's writing it?"
"Tom Levitt and Julia Huston."
"Tom Levitt...not bad. What about a producer?"
Derek glanced at Eileen who had gone oddly straight.
"That's all sorted Jerry." He said.
"So you have one? Who is it?"
"A good friend..."
It was at this that Jerry seemed to twig onto who he was talking about , he
turned to Eileen.
"I should have known..." He said.
"Oh Jerry." She said, her voice like velvet. "Yes, you really should have."
The man seemed to growl slightly before turning back to Derek.
"You give them this." He said, pulling out one of his small business cards.
He took it, looking down at the small writing.
'Jerry Rand. Finest Producer in New York.'
He was actually doing this? In front of Eileen? He looked back up at the man, smiling as nicely as he could. He handed back the card.
"I don't think they're interested." He stated.
Jerry just looked at him.
"They have a pretty good producer already. Best in New York. Finest, I would say...makes your business card a little misleading really now doesn't it..."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eileen take a sharp breath in, a slight
smile dancing across her lips. Jerry though did not look at all pleased.
"So, here, take your business card." He said.
"You're making a big mistake old man." Jerry said, voice low.
"Oh really?" Derek responded, matching his tone.
The man stood up straight, he took a step away from the table and looked down at his ex-wife.
"Try not to ruin this one, hey Eileen."
Derek stood up in a flash, almost knocking his drink to the floor. He could
speak to him like that, why not? But Eileen? That was uncalled for. It was him he was angry at.
"Don't speak to her like that."
"Excuse me?"
"I said leave her."
Eileen stood too.
"Derek..."
He was aware he was causing a scene but screw them.
"Look, I wasn't speaking to you old man, I was talking to my wife." Jerry said.
"Yeah well if you ask me you don't bloody deserve her, so on you go mate. Back to your daughter...oh, that's right, she's not actually your daughter is she..? just young enough to be."
"You don't know who you're talking too."
"I think I do. Oh I do. Now piss off."
Jerry was about to retort but I high girly voice rang out. Eileen spun round as Derek sat down again, swigging a mouthful of his wine.
"Baby..?"
Jerry looked round to the young girl, holding a finger up in front of her.
"One moment, Kati." He said, impatiently.
"Oh so this one's called Katy?"
"Kati." The girl said. "Short for Katarina. I'm Polish."
"And I'm Eileen, pleased to meet you. And must I say, you're a vast improvement on the blonde he had last week. Jerry, what was her name again..?"
Derek smirked. The red head frowned and pouted, looking over to Jerry.
"I think we should go now Jer-Jer." She whined.
Eileen dropped her head to one side.
"Jer-Jer? Oh that's so cute." She mocked.
Jerry looked round at the young woman in annoyance while Derek stifled a small laugh. It didn't take long for the older man to compose himself though and he turned to Derek one last time.
"Take it, I insist." He handed him back the business card.
"I don't want it, I told-"
"Just incase."
Derek took it from him sharply where he proceeded to rip the small card into little pieces before Jerry's eyes.
"Off you go mate." He said, in a low voice.
The girl tugged at the man's arm as he backed away from the table.
"I'll see you later...I have no doubt." He said.
He turned to go when Eileen spoke up.
"Oh and Jerry..?"
He turned just as a glass of clear liquid hit his face.
"Have a nice night won't you?" She finished.
He rubbed the drink out of his eyes and scowled as he walked away, redhead on his arm, without saying another word.
She grabbed her bag and her coat.
"Come on. Let's find a sushi bar and gorge ourselves until we feel we need to lose one of our thighs..."
Derek laughed and pulled on his coat, standing up too.
"Here." He said, offering out his arm to her.
She smiled, taking the offering.
"Thanks Derek."
"What for darling?"
"For...well...for being you."
He snorted a laugh.
"First time I've heard that."
"Well, you mean the world to me."
He looked at her sideways.
"If I hadn't just seen you empty your entire glass over your ex, I would be sure you had had too much to drink." He said.
She laughed.
"Come on you."
Eileen was glad she had Derek. He was her best friend. She was pretty sure he would do anything for her too, that's all you need in a friend and besides who better to have as a friend? It was Derek Wills for goodness sake!