“I believe you,” she whispers. Stepping out of my embrace, she looks at me warmly. “Put on some pants. And expect a hefty bill today. I’m thinking the diamond and gold flake massage and wrap.”
“Good thing your dad set up that trust for me, huh?”
“Yep.”
And as usual, the thought of my parents leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If it weren’t for the syndication royalties and the trust my uncle set up, I’d have nothing.
Tessa stays with me while I finish getting ready for the event today and as we make our way down to the lobby I kiss the top of her head and send her to the spa just as Elena and her assistant, Michael, come out of the elevator. He’s trailing behind her like a puppy and the way his eyes never stray from his boss leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. Even more so when he sneers in my direction.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Elena purrs as if we hadn’t had an awkward encounter in my bed this morning.
“It is a bit of a surprise I must say.” I lean in and politely kiss her cheek, keeping up pretenses. I’m aware of the cameras pointed toward us and do my best to play nice. I pull back, noticing the scorn on Elena’s assistant’s lips, and I have to bite back a chuckle. The man hasn’t liked me since I asked him to get myself and Tessa a cup of coffee on set because he was already heading out for Elena.
We’re interrupted by a waiflike woman in a black business suit as she announces that my agent, Dominique, is ready. I turn to follow her, but I’m not prepared for Elena and Michael to do the same.
“Oh, I suppose I failed to mention that we’ll be working together on Fire & Vice. I’ll be your love interest Gianna.” I’m shocked at the revelation. When I had done the screen tests with a few actresses, many of them A-listers in their own right, Elena had never come up as an option.
While I stare at her, mouth agape, she slithers up beside me and slips her arm between mine.
“Shall we?” she insists, and next to this viper in a red dress, I feel as if I’m being escorted to my
trial.
~
It’s the same scene, but a different day as I roll over in my hotel bed and come face to face with a pillow covered in dark curls. I’m not even sure how Elena convinced me to repeat our tryst or why she would even want to after the way I treated her yesterday.
My phone vibrates on the desk across the room, jostling itself across the glass top. I don’t need to view the screen, I know it’s Tessa calling, she’s the only one with this number. She wants to know how I’m feeling about the marketing ploy the studio is trying to make happen. They insist that if Elena and I pretend to be a couple then we could get some great free publicity for the movie. I’m told it’s a win-win.
It’s not even that the studio wants to make it happen. It’s that Quinn okayed the option. As America’s sweetheart, she’s never been roped into a situation like this. But me, proverbial bad boy in Hollywood, and Elena, a beautiful rising star, could help each other. That’s what my agent said in our meeting. She could help me look as if I’ve tamed my wild ways, at the same time, it could help launch Elena’s career.
All I said in the meeting before storming out was, “Talent apparently means nothing anymore.”
The phone stops shaking and I finally get out of bed just as it begins to vibrate again. Looking down at the device, I confirm my suspicions that Tessa is the one reaching out before I answer.
“Hey, Tes-” I begin, but she quickly interrupts.
“Devyn, I’m so so sorry.”
I immediately go on alert. Tessa apologizing is about as rare as an albino Humpback whale.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s your parents.”
My back stiffens, each muscle locking up against the bone at the mention of the two people that brought me to life and then tried to work me to death, all for their own selfishness.
I know she’s not calling to tell me that they’ve passed away, she’d be cheering for that. No this has to be something far worse even though I pray that I’m wrong.
“They reached out to my dad, Devyn. They say they want money or they’ll sue.”
“I’m not scared of them, Tessa.”
“It gets worse. They. . . ugh. . .they want to see you. They said they’ll go through any means necessary.”
My lungs inhale sharply at Tessa’s confession. I’ve gone almost three weeks without a drink and at this moment I wish that I had a bottle of Jim Beam close by.
“Devyn? Devyn, are you still there?”