Chapter Seventeen
Thin white curtains fluttered from the breeze wafting through the window in the quiet bedroom. Sunlight danced over the floor and crawled across the bed where Josie lay on her stomach, her head turned toward the wall. Warmth caressed her cheek and sweat-soaked tendrils clung to her forehead. She blinked over red, swollen eyes, not bothering to move or focus on anything other than the blank surface of the wall.
When she’d stormed out of the studio after her fight with Anders, she hadn’t fully processed his accusations. However, once she was home and the remaining traces of adrenaline seeped from her body, everything came crashing down. She cried more that night than she’d ever cried in her life. The realization that she didn’t know Anders at all, and he didn’t know her, was a painful one.
She’d spent the following day wrestling with the truth that her first run at love had been a disaster. Maybe this was the path fate had planned for her. She’d spent her entire life so focused on first school, then work, that she’d managed to close herself off from any emotional attachments. Perhaps the only way for her to start living again was to have those walls shattered, brought down by an explosion of intense emotions.
Her conviction that what happened with Anders was for the best―that it was only a stepping stone along the path of her life―gave her comfort. He wasn’t remorseful or apologetic. She just needed to treat what they had with the same detached, apathetic attitude.
She put on a brave front and held her smile in place, even when Madison harassed her for every last detail. Josie explained as best she could, but it was all still a mystery to her.
Madison felt there was very little mystery involved. She believed Aubrey was behind it all. Josie agreed, but what she couldn’t understand was why Aubrey would expose a story that made her look like a fool. However, going down that path brought up questions that made Josie’s stomach flip. Theories she didn’t want to entertain swam in her head until she felt like she was drowning.
It was later that night when her conviction burst like a broken dam, all because of the single harmless beep of the cell phone she’d ignored since the night before. She had unlocked the screen, expecting a missed call from Madison or Holden, but instead, she found text after text from Anders. The first one was mere hours after she left the studio, and the most recent was from two hours earlier. Twenty-seven texts covered her screen, and every one said the same thing.
I’m so fucking sorry.
All but the last.
You were right. I am a piece of shit. You never deserved any of this.
Angry tears blurred her vision. She didn’t want his apology. She wasn’t even sure what his apology was for: his accusations or what he’d done with Aubrey. The seed of doubt planted by her conversation with Madison split open and a sliver of hope began to sprout. She wondered if it was possible he’d told the truth, but just as quickly as hope appeared, it withered and retreated, leaving a gaping hole. The reality was, it didn’t matter. Sometimes sorry just wasn’t enough. Everything Anders said was lip service. There was no conviction. Being sorry changed nothing.
Of course, as she lay in bed, hair slick with sweat and eyes tired and swollen, she knew even though it changed nothing, it didn’t stop the questions. It didn’t stop the hurt. Growling in annoyance, she flung the sheets back and stood from the bed.
She didn’t have time to lie in bed and mope like a teenager. With only one day of filming left, and the studio wanting the casts’ wardrobe packed away immediately after it wrapped, the next two days would be insanely busy. With that thought in mind, she stepped into the shower, her shoulders a little more relaxed. At least part of her nightmare would soon be over.
While the movie might have been a wrap for Josie, the same could not be said for Anders. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he spat, glaring at the two men in front of him.
“Look, I’m not sure how it happened. It was an accident,” the man to the left argued.
“Accident? Or incompetence?” Anders was furious, and the men in front of him were receiving the full brunt of his fury.
“Now, Anders. Calm down. These things happen. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days and we’ll be done. Consider it a mini vacation from all the recent bullshit.” The director lifted his brow, a knowing expression on his face.
Anders blew out a heavy breath. When he received a call at six in the morning requesting he come to the studio, of all the scenarios he imagined, being told several scenes from Arizona had to be redone was not one of them.
“When do we leave?” It was pointless to argue.
The director smiled. “We’re going to shoot the last of your scenes today while a skeleton crew gets a head start to Arizona. They’ll set up so we can get started as soon as we arrive.”
“Then let’s get to it,” Anders sighed.
The director turned to the man next to him. “Chris, will you contact Craig or Josie and tell them which outfits we’ll need?”
Anders spun on his heel, his heart hammering. “Is she coming?”
The hopeful look on his face caused both men to gape in surprise. Their matching expressions made Anders want to slam his head against the wall, but he’d already asked, and he couldn’t take it back. Standing tall, he waited for an answer. It was the director who broke the silence.
“No. It’s unnecessary. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Completely unnecessary,” Anders agreed. “I’ll see you on set.”
Chris looked between the director and Anders’ retreating form and shrugged. He grabbed his notes and took off in search of Josie or Craig. It was Josie he spotted first. He chuckled at the sight before him. Garment racks covered every square inch of floor space. In the middle of the room stood Josie, her face red from exertion.
“I thought I was having a rough morning.” He grinned when she jumped and put her hand over her chest.
“Crap! You scared me.” Smoothing her hair into a ponytail she looked around the room, her face scrunched in displeasure. “I can’t imagine your morning sucking more than mine.”
“Oh, I beg to differ. I’ve spent the last hour with Anders Ellis. You can’t top that,” Chris joked. He pulled out the sheet of paper with the items he needed and extended it to Josie, unaware of the way her face had paled. He shook the paper when she made no move to take it.
Josie’s eyes darted between the paper and Chris. “What’s this?”
“We have to go back to Arizona and do some reshoots. I need you to get the clothes for the scenes listed and box them up before we go.”
“I’m not going to Arizona.” The words tumbled out of her mouth.
Chris’s eyes widened at the vehemence behind her words. “No,” he reassured her. “You don’t have to go. I just need you to get these clothes together. I know you’re packing all this stuff up, so you might want to snag what we need before they get lost in the shuffle.”
Josie’s shoulders slumped as she took the paper from Chris. “Sure. No problem. I’ll grab this stuff now.”
“Thanks. I’ll be around later to pick up the boxes.” Casting a final questioning glance over his shoulder, he disappeared down the hall.
“Fuck.” Josie released a shaky exhale.
“Damn, Josie. Are you robbing the place?” Madison laughed. She walked over to one of the racks and pulled a top from its hanger while keeping her eyes on Josie. “Because if so, this will look great with my white skirt.”
Josie rolled her eyes. “Put it back. I’m not stealing this stuff.”
“Ugh. Fine. You’re no fun.” She hung the shirt and with a dramatic sigh spun to face Josie. “Whatcha got there?”
Josie looked at her hands then back at Madison. “They have to do reshoots in Arizona. I’m getting the clothes together. Well, I’m going to have one of the interns do it. And before you ask, no I don’t have to go.”
Madison nodded before her eyes widened. “Oh, no. You don’t want to do that.”
“What are you talking about? Do what?”
“You don’t want to be around the interns. They’ve done nothing but talk about the article and speculate about the identity of Ivy. It’s all anyone can talk about.”
“Ah, hell,” Josie groaned and leaned against the desk. “I can’t wait for this movie to be done so I can put this bullshit behind me.”
“I can give the list to the interns if you want.”
“No.” Josie pushed off the desk. “Keep the interns busy so I don’t get blindsided. Anders should be on set. I’ll run in his trailer, grab what I need, and get out of there.”
“Okay. I’ll have them move a bunch of stuff around to keep them busy. It’ll be fun.”
“Ah, torturing the interns. Reminds me of the good old days.” Josie laughed at the mischievous glint in Madison’s eyes as she tiptoed out of the office. With a sigh, Josie grabbed a box and headed to Anders’ trailer. The sooner she packed his things, the sooner she could get out of there.
Of course that idea went to hell when she walked inside and found empty clothes racks and taped up boxes. She had no idea who packed his things, but she was certain whoever it was did so in hopes of finding something about Ivy.
With a frustrated grunt, she ripped open a box and began searching. She tried not to linger on the memories of her time with Anders in the trailer. Memories of the way he would pull her close and nip at her ear while she straightened his bow tie. Or how when he shed his clothes, he somehow managed to coax hers to the floor as well.
“Ivy?”
She stiffened at the sound of Anders’ voice. Quickly swiping her hands over her cheeks, she was grateful to find them dry. Clearing her throat, she put the last piece of clothing in the box she brought and closed the lid. She pushed up from the floor and looked at the surrounding boxes. The floor was a mess, but she couldn’t be bothered to clean it up. One of the interns would take care of it.
She glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. More than two hours had passed. Picking up the box, she turned and faced him. “Anders.”
“What…what are you doing here?”
She motioned with her head toward the box. “Gathering the stuff you’ll need for Arizona.”
“You don’t have to leave because I’m here.” Anders dragged a hand through his hair and shifted his weight. He wanted to ask if she got his messages, but he didn’t want to bring up the way he acted that night. He was just happy to see her.
“Oh, no. I’m done. But I need to get this over to Chris, so...” She tightened her grip on the box and waited for him to step to the side. His face twisted with indecision, his eyes darting between her face and the door. When he made no move to get out of her way, she pulled in a deep breath and stepped forward. “Okay then.”
“Ivy, wait.” His words were loud, abrupt, and caused Josie to jump in surprise. He wasn’t sure why he told her to wait. There was nothing he could say that wouldn’t end with an argument, but filming was over. The realization this could be the last time he saw her made him feel desperate. It caused a sense of loss to swell inside him like nothing he’d ever felt. He had to tell her one more time how sorry he was, whether it made a difference or not.
“Don’t do this. I need to go.” Josie kept her voice even and low. She didn’t want to fight and the damage between them wasn’t repairable. She hesitated another second to see if he would move. When he didn’t, she moved to step around him again.
“Just wait, goddamn it.” He reached out, grabbing her arms and pulling her to him. Their faces were a hairsbreadth apart. Anders pinched his eyes shut to control his reaction to her proximity. Her skin made his hands feel like they were on fire.
“I’m not doing this.”
The sound of her voice brought Anders out of his stupor. He released her and pulled the box from her hands, dropping it to the floor. With the box no longer providing a barrier, he stepped closer. “I just…” Blowing out a frustrated breath, he tried to relax the tension in his jaw. “I’m sorry about the other night. I wasn’t thinking. I should never―”
“I got your texts,” Josie interrupted. “It still doesn’t change anything.”
Anders cupped her jaw, his grip firm as he tilted her head. His gaze swept over her face, searching for a crack in her resolve. There wasn’t one. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he nodded. “You’re really done with us aren’t you?”
Josie’s heart screamed a silent cry when she nodded. “I really am.”
Anders released her and dragged a hand over his face. “All right.” He turned for the door. He couldn’t stand being alone with her for another second. His stomach bottomed out when he pushed the door open, and without a second thought, he turned back into the room and slammed it shut.
Before Josie could blink, Anders spun her around. She gasped when her back hit the door. Anders wasted no time covering her mouth with his, twisting his fingers in her hair and pinning her body. The kiss wasn’t sweet and tender, nor was it angry or hard. It was longing and desperate, every gasping breath and sweep of his tongue bound in sadness and regret.
He pulled back a little before touching his kiss-swollen lips to hers once more. This time his lips were soft, resigned. He stepped away, fighting the memories of the times he’d seen the same swept away, lust-filled look in her eyes. “For the record,” he said, his voice thick and his tone rough, “I didn’t fuck her.” Without another word he pulled her away from the door and disappeared into the lot.
Josie’s lips stung from the lingering traces of his kiss. He left her breathless and broken, angry and indignant. She snatched the box from the floor and stormed off in the opposite direction, hell-bent on pretending her heart wasn’t aching and torn to pieces.
Both trapped in their stubborn logic, Anders flew to Arizona and Josie carried on like she wasn’t unraveling at the seams. She tried her best to ignore the chatter, but even she faltered when Aubrey passed in the hall.
She wanted to see if she could spot some sort of clue, a telltale sign that Aubrey was behind the article, but there was nothing. Aubrey was the same as always. Josie’s only consolation was that when the day was over, the last day of filming, she wouldn’t have to see Aubrey’s smug face ever again.
That thought carried Josie through the remainder of the day and into the next. When she walked into the studio Friday morning, the atmosphere felt both lighter and heavier. The usual throngs of people bustling in the halls during filming were absent.
After putting away her things, she walked to Aubrey’s trailer to pack the last remnants of the wardrobe. Pushing open the door, Josie couldn’t stop from choking on the laugh lodged in her throat. “What are you doing?”
Madison spun around, a huge smile on her face. She waved the canary yellow feathers of the boa wrapped around her neck and laughed. “I found this in a side closet. I have no idea what it’s from or how long it’s been in here, but it’s fabulous and it’s mine.”
“Why on earth would you want that thing? I’m not even sure it’s sanitary.” Josie stepped closer and flicked one of the feathers before shuddering and taking a step back.
Madison shrugged. “To mess with Holden. You know how much he loves Big Bird.”
“If by love, you mean irrational hate, then yes, Holden adores Big Bird.”
Madison gave her a roguish smile as she slid the feathers from around her neck and dropped them to the floor. “Exactly. Plus it makes me laugh when he gets all freaked out at just the sight of yellow feathers.”
Josie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ll get video if you come up with something good, right?”
“You betcha.” Madison giggled before propping her hands on her hips and looking around the room. “Are you ready to get this packed then have a few drinks?”
“It’s not even ten in the morning.”
“Who cares? We’re done with the movie and rid of that vile bitch.”
“Are we talking about a wine bar or a tequila bar?”
Madison shrugged and grabbed a box. “We’ll play it by ear.”
While Josie and Madison set to work packing up the clothes, Aubrey sat fuming in Clarence’s office. He breathed out a tired sigh, propped his elbows on the desk between them, and tented his hands. “Aubrey, the decision is made. I don’t understand what more you want from me.”
“I want”—she said her jaw clenched in anger—“to know why you’re doing this.”
Clarence shook his head in annoyance. “Anders wants out. It’s as simple as that.”
“And what Anders wants, Anders gets, right?” she sneered, her cool veneer slipping more with every second.
Clarence sat back in his chair, a humorless chuckle bubbling from his chest. “That’s exactly it. In all honesty, this has been more trouble than it’s worth.”
“How can you even say that?” Aubrey gasped. “Our relationship increased the interest in this film far more than any other marketing attempts.”
Clarence nodded. “It did. But at this point, your relationship with Anders is unnecessary. Anders has an enormous fan base. His marketability alone is all we need.”
“This is ridiculous.”
Clarence’s eyes hardened and his polite smile disappeared. “Listen, Aubrey. I agreed to your idea of a fake relationship because I saw the benefit for the movie. But from the moment Anders agreed, he’s been insufferable. He’s my moneymaker. If he wants to be done with this charade, then that’s what will happen. Now”—he exhaled, waving his hand toward the door—“if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to. It’s been a pleasure.”
Aubrey pulled in several deep breaths before rising from the chair and plastering a fake smile on her face. “Of course. Thank you for the opportunity, Clarence. I look forward to working with you again.” After several silent seconds she turned and left the room, her fists clenched as rage pulsed through her. Pulling in another deep breath, Aubrey headed to her trailer where Josie worked to heave the final boxes to the door so they could load them on the dolly just outside.
“How is there so much stuff in here?”
“Hell if I know.” Madison exhaled, wiping her forehead. “But we’re almost done. Then it’s the Josie and Maddie drunk show.”
Just as Josie was about to make a smart-ass comment, the door to the trailer flew open, and Kate and Amelia stumbled in. Josie raised a brow at their giggles, both of them holding a cup in each hand.
“It looks like we’ll get the Amelia and Kate drunk show first,” Josie surmised. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to keep her face stern when the girls looked at her with matching horrified expressions.
“What? No! We’re not drunk. It’s just that one of the guys in production―”
Amelia elbowed Kate and shot her a withering glare that cut off Kate’s words.
“We grabbed a couple of Cokes and thought you guys might be thirsty, so we brought extras.” Amelia pushed past Kate and extended her hand to Josie.
“Is there rum in this?” Josie sniffed over the straw as she pulled the drink from Amelia’s hand.
“I swear it’s just Coke,” Amelia promised.
“Pity,” Madison mumbled, pulling the cup from Kate’s extended hand.
“Do you guys need any help? We’re all done with the list you gave us.”
“Um…” Josie looked at the few things lying around on the floor. “Go over to that stack and pack it up.”
Amelia nodded and dropped to the floor. She gasped when she picked up the piece of clothing closest to her. It was the lingerie Aubrey wore the day of her sex scene with Anders. “I don’t get it,” she exhaled, stretching the material between her hands. “How could Anders want anyone else when he has Aubrey Nash begging for his cock?”
Josie choked on her soda at the exact moment the underwear stretched between Amelia’s hands flew like a slingshot from her fingertips and hit Josie square in the face.
“What the hell?” Josie screeched. The cup slipped, the contents spilling down the front of her shirt and pants as she batted the underwear from her face.
“Oh my God! Josie, I’m so sorry!”
“Oh, shit! Josie, is that the new outfit you bought last week?” Madison’s face paled as she watched the sugary, caramel-colored liquid seep into the material of Josie’s expensive shirt and pants.
Josie sat frozen as she stared at her clothes. Madison snapped out of her daze first. “Go to the bathroom and strip, Josie.” She turned to Kate. “Grab some club soda from the mini fridge.”
Kate scrambled for the mini fridge as Josie stripped out of her clothes. Amelia looked abashed while Madison grabbed a towel to clean up the mess. As the four girls moved to the back of the trailer, Aubrey twisted the knob of the door. She froze when she heard voices. Peeking around the door, she listened to the women inside.
“Madison, I’m so sorry,” Amelia choked. “I didn’t mean to do that. I just…I watched the sex scene with Aubrey and Anders. I can’t imagine him finding anyone more attractive than her.”
Madison bit her tongue and smiled. “It’s okay. It was an accident.”
Clueless to Madison’s mounting tension, Amelia continued. “Like, the chemistry between them was insane. I can’t imagine how some stripper could compete with Aubrey. And what kind of name is Ivy…” Her voice died in her throat when Josie stepped out of the bathroom.
“I need the club soda. My shirt looks okay, but if I don’t put something on my pants now, I might as well use them for dusting.”
Everyone froze at the sight of Josie in nothing but her bra and panties. The bottle of club soda slipped from Kate’s hand and Amelia gasped while Madison’s eyes widened with panic. Josie looked between the three of them in confusion until Amelia spoke.
“Oh my God. Your tattoo.” She extended her hand and pointed at the ivy peeking out from Josie’s panties and curving over her hip.
Josie’s eyebrows dipped in confusion as she looked down at her abdomen. “What about it?”
“It’s ivy. You have an ivy tattoo. You’re Ivy!” Kate exclaimed, her face bright red. “I knew he wasn’t seeing a stripper. I told Amelia that didn’t make any sense.”
Josie’s eyes snapped to Kate, then Amelia, before settling on Madison. “No,” she protested, backing toward the bathroom.
“You were right, Kate. It makes so much sense now,” Amelia exhaled, her expression colored with shock. “The reason he demanded you dress him every day. The weird tension between you two whenever any of us were around―”
“Not to mention,” Kate interrupted, “the way he always stared at you.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Josie tried to wave them off, but she saw the resolve in their faces. “What makes you think he stares at me?” she asked pointlessly. They would not be swayed.
“Um, he’s Anders Ellis. If he was in the room, we were looking at him. And if you were in the room, he was looking at you. We didn’t understand at first, but it makes perfect sense now. You guys were together. Oh my God, are you the one who released the article? Did he lie to you? Josie, you knew he and Aubrey were dating.” The slight accusation in Amelia’s voice caused Madison to snap.
“He was never dating Aubrey. That was nothing more than a publicity stunt for the film.” The anger behind Madison’s words left no room for argument. Everyone knew she was telling the truth.
Josie swore under her breath as she yanked the wet shirt over her head. She had to convince Amelia and Kate to keep their mouths shut, and she couldn’t do that half naked.
Aubrey shook her head in disbelief as she covered her mouth. The person Anders had been seeing was right under her nose the entire time. Her face heated with anger and embarrassment when she remembered the day she’d asked Josie to adjust her lingerie.
She thought she’d feel better after discovering Ivy’s identity, but that was when she believed Ivy was a stripper. The knowledge that Ivy was associated with the industry and someone she knew made her blood boil with jealousy.
Turning away from the door, she pulled out her phone and walked to her car. She dialed Levi’s number as soon as she was inside and wasted no time telling him who Ivy was and what she expected him to do with the information. She wasn’t prepared for Levi’s reluctance.
“I’m sick of you questioning me, Levi,” she seethed.
Levi pinched his eyes shut. “I’m just looking out for you, Aubrey,” he replied, his voice smooth, not betraying the anger he felt.
“I look out for me, Levi. Did you forget why we entered into this arrangement in the first place? Or have you found another way to repay the huge loan you had to take out to pay restitution to Anders?”
“You know I haven’t,” he answered quietly.
“Well, if you’re not willing to run with this, I’ll find someone who will.”
After several seconds of silence, Levi breathed out a resigned sigh. “I’ll do it.”
“Of course you will.” Aubrey smiled.
Hours after Aubrey’s conversation with Levi, Josie and Madison sat at a bar, each holding a shot of tequila.
“Do you think they’ll keep their mouths shut?” Madison asked, already knowing the chances were slim to none.
Josie gave her a grim smile and shrugged before knocking back her shot. “Not even a little. I’m fucked, Maddie.”