Someone knocks at the door and I’m grateful for the distraction. I hope Xander will use the time to realize that his overzealous reaction isn’t required and that if he apologized and left, all of this could be put in the past. I head across the room, aiming to open the door when Barrett blocks my path.
“I’ll do it,” he states firmly.
I cross my arms over my chest and stomp my foot, glaring daggers into his back.
“You can get mad all you want, little kitten. Sharpen those claws and attempt to mark me because all it will do is make me more firm in my actions,” Xander snapped back. “I’m not risking anyone else.”
“What do you mean?” I turned to face him but the moment Barrett opened the door, the interruption was clear. Alexia, Raphael and a very stressed out and angry looking Travis Lumsden are stood in the doorway and they do not look very amused. “Ah, this should be fun. Xander, I’d like you to meet my director and team. I need to get ready for today’s filming.” I smirked at him. “I think you’ve taken enough of my time up and I have to get on.”
“That she does,” Travis replied in a demanding tone. “I don’t take lightly to being disturbed from my schedule by a damn hairdresser…” He gazes over at Alexia, running his eyes up and down her length before turning and pointing to Raphael. “And the bloody wardrobe team. I’m not a runner. I have a job to do and you’re costing us all time and money.”
“Once you see this…” Xander stood up and walked over to Travis, handing him the letter before I could reach out to stop him. The tut from his mouth went straight to my apex, making my core throb in desire. Fuck. “I’m sure you’ll be glad to have us on site to protect your asset.”
“I’m nobody’s asset.” I threw my hands in the air and turned around, walking over to the wall. I placed my hands against the wall and leaned my forehead against it as I began to take in some deep breaths. “I’m me. I belong to nobody.”
“Charlotte, nothing matters anymore. Yes, you may be a leading lady, a star in your own right,” Xander continued, “but that doesn’t matter to this person.”
“Why not?” Travis asked. “Why not get the police involved?”
“Whoever this person is, they seem familiar,” Xander admitted. “I believe that a potential stalker may be after your leading lady and wants her dead. If they put out a hit, no one can stop it unless we stop them first.”
“Dead! Dead?” I turned around, keeping my back flat against the wall and began to drag in large, drawn out breaths in an attempt to try and calm my racing heart. “You can’t know that!”
“I do. I really do.” Xander pronounced the words slowly as he headed toward me and I saw the slight nod from Cass in my peripheral vision. “It’s happening again but this time I know the signs. I know what to look for…” He breathed out heavily. “I know what not to do.”
“Then there is no choice,” Travis announced with a clap of his hands, diverting all our attention directly to him. “Charlotte doesn’t go anywhere without someone on her tail. Xander, you protect her at all costs.”
“That I will.”
“Do I not get a say in this?” I asked, making everyone stop and face me. “You’re talking about me like I don’t exist. That I’m not even in the damn fucking room.” I threw my hands in the air and headed straight to my dressing table. Looking at myself in the mirror I had only one thought running through my mind: what had I done to deserve this? “I want everyone out. I want time…”
“That’s not possible and you know it. Filming starts in an hour, Charlotte. I’ll see you in the studio. You have a contract to fulfill,” Travis firmly said.
I watched his mirror reflection head toward the door before coming to a halt in the doorway as the rest of the team cautiously made their way in my direction. “You know deep down this is for the best, whether you like it or not.”
“Fuck!” I slammed my hand down on the dressing table as Barrett shut the door and took a seat on the sofa alongside Xander. “Best get to work then. The sooner I’m ready, the sooner I can get these scenes filmed and go home.” I sighed.
I watched the team scurry to their feet and crowd around me. I fought to see who could start first on getting me prepped in time. The clock was certainly against us. Maybe, they were petrified that Travis would come back and lay into them and fire them for their lack of commitment to the job. I hoped not. Alongside the fact that I now had to have personal bodyguards on my tail, I didn’t want any more added strain on my shoulders. I couldn’t deal with any more pressure.
The mighty trio of Cass, Alexia and Raphael managed to have me dressed and prepped for the first scene with just moments to spare. I headed to the dressing room door in my scrubs and croc shoes, ready to film. I didn’t need to turn around to feel the heat of watchful eyes focused on me. I knew Xander and his team would be on my heel the moment I attempted to leave the room.
“Charlotte, wait!” Xander’s voice hit my ears. Even though I wanted to ignore his commands and open it wide and run, it made my hand freeze around the door handle. “You can’t go first. Barrett, you take the front and I’ll take the rear.”
“How did I guess you’d want to be last? Bigger risk?” Barrett asked, cocking his head to the side before he indicated for me to step to the side so he could open the door and check the corridor that Memphis was still standing outside in. I felt the heat of Xander’s breath near my ear as I waited for Barrett’s confirmation that we could leave.
“Xander?” I questioned. “Can we—”
“Better view,” he whispered as Barrett turned to face us, looking unfazed.
“Clear, let’s go!”
I forced my legs to carry me down the corridor to the studio behind Barrett for my first scenes filming and not turn around to call Xander out. Had he really said that to me? He was forbidden territory; a Clark Kent heart-throb, master of disguise in which deep inside his soul I hoped that a Superman existed to save me from this nightmare I’d been thrown into. He couldn’t have, could he? I don’t know but I knew for a fact that I was going to find out what game he was up to.
What was meant to be an easy first-day shoot dragged by with Xander and Travis continually stopping and needing to discuss security measures. It was as if I was watching my life from behind the lens of a camera and not actually the person involved in the threat. It was almost like it was inconsequential for me to just do as I was told. I wasn’t a fucking wallflower and I didn’t want to be treated as such.
“Cassandra,” I said sternly as I grabbed her arm and pulled her away to the side of the large-draped curtains, disappearing out of view of the guys. “I need to get out of here.”
“Let me go grab Xander and Memphis, then. I think Barrett has gone to provide some updates to the backstage team,” she uttered back to me as I groaned, dragging my palm down my face. “Watch your make-up.”