Prologue
Xander
Ibelieved that my destiny consisted of my career and that alone. I was a man sent to protect women from the ugly outlooks of life with his own. My heart was meant to remain frozen solid, like a giant block of ice held in the depths of the Antarctic ocean. It was a life of solitude that I’d accepted due to my mistakes. I never thought that it could end up being salvaged; that it would thaw so fast that it would make me question my very existence.
It only took one woman to change my outlook on life: my kitten, Charlotte Baxterly. I didn’t expect the fight I’d I would have on my hands and the way that it would interlock with my past to make me feel again, but then, to shield my heart, it would be pointless when the only thing that mattered was her.
My love. My life. My woman.
ChapterOne
Charlotte
“Charlotte Baxterly. Lead actress. Stage Two. Trailer six.”
Are they kidding me? This has to be a mistake!
I had left my small town on the outskirts of Los Angeles and I had driven the short drive up to the city studios, with the anticipation radiating through me as I tapped my fingers the whole journey to the beat of the music to keep myself sat in my seat. I couldn’t quite believe that my dreams were finally becoming a reality.
I glanced up and down at the mobile metal home standing in front of me in the abandoned car park attached to the main studio before turning my attention to the people bustling past me, desperate to get to their destination without disturbance. It seemed like if they just stopped and gave me a quick second without turning back to their conversation, that would be sufficient to me. It would be an acknowledgement of who I am but instead, it was a bigger fuck you than a turned-up nose.
I couldn’t understand why it was so hard to introduce yourself. Where had common courtesy disappeared too? Sometimes the employees in these places thought they were the high and fucking mighty supporting us, forgetting what us actors and actresses actually go through on a daily basis. It frustrated me to no end.
On the door, a plastic envelope was hanging up with a white piece of paper inside showing my name. It made the anger ignite within me. I hated how it made me feel cheap. I wasn’t anything of the sort. I just wanted the respect that came with my job. It was a job that I had worked my ass off at. Even though I hid behind a façade of the limelight glory that I portrayed on the big screen—which celebrity didn’t in this day and age?—I wouldn’t stand for the bullshit that they were trying to imply. I’d fight and demand change, even if it did make heads turn.
“Hey, you!” I shouted at the guy walking across the lot. He was keeping his head low and attempting to avoid any confrontation with me. “No point trying to ignore me.” I started walking towards him, keeping my sight fixated on reaching him. I hoped that he could feel the impact of my fierce gaze on the back of his head.
He stopped and sighed as he turned around to face me before moving his gaze to mine.
“Can I help you, miss?” He crossed his arms over his chest, puffing it out a little. “I’m sort of busy.”
“Baxterly. Charlotte Baxterly.” I gave him my winning smile before flicking my long brown hair over my shoulder. “The sign on my trailer,” I began. “I’ll give whoever did it a break since it’s day one on the job, after all and I’m assuming it was the new kid’s assignment.” I rolled my eyes, hating how I always ended up lumbered with the trainees whenever I was on the stage.
“It’s not my job.” He turned around and shook his head, muttering to himself at the audacity of my line of questioning. I reached for his shoulder, making him halt in his stride. “Miss Baxterly, I am needed elsewhere. I’ll call someone to your trailer to deal with your request. Will that help?”
“Yes, Mr…” I left the sentence open and waited for him to fill in the blank.
“Mr. Lumsden,” he announced. I forced myself to use my highly trained acting skills when I realized who the man was. “It’s greatly appreciated. I’m sure we’ll get on like a house on fire.” He lowered his sunglasses and glanced at his watch before cocking his head back at me. “I’ll see you in less than two hours for your first take. Now, can I go and direct the next scene, so that I don’t cause a hold-up to your production? I could do without any more trivial concerns.”
“They arenottrivial,” I began but he just walked off in a huff.
Great. I’d managed to piss the director off and I had only just walked on set. Typical.
As a little girl I’d always loved watching the latest big hit on the television and being amazed at the cast who effortlessly portrayed the scenes. One moment it could be an emotional turmoil and the next, the greatest love story would be flashing across the screen. That was my aim. To be a leading lady in the cast of one of these shows.
I wanted to have a line of fans to swarm after me. I would imagine people screaming my name the moment I stepped out of my very own car; one of those long-stretch celebrity limousines. I wanted to offer everyone the opportunity to grab a second with me for a photograph or autograph. It was a childhood dream and one that my mother said would never amount to anything. If only she could see me now.
A famous television actress with fans galore.
I was definitely not a nobody like she said I’d be. I wasn’t someone who needed to apply for the supermarket position she’d handed me the application for when I turned sixteen.
I pushed for my dream and I used scholarships to cover my tuition, knowing that if I asked my mother for help, it would only cause a fight.
Now at twenty-seven-years-old, I livemydream,mylife.
I was somebody. I was me and I didn’t need anyone else but me.
I knocked on the trailer door and tapped my red painted toed heels on the gravel and dirt beneath my feet in anticipation. I hated being kept waiting. These shoes would never last here and at this rate, would be destroyed by the end of day one. It was a good thing I could afford to replace them but fuck, they were my favorites.