Chapter 16
Hudson
I paced back and forth in my room, thinking about what I was going to do about Simon. He had me by the balls, and if I didn’t handle this right, I could ruin Chloe’s career and risk both of us being blackballed by the movie industry. I had heard stories about things like this happening before I even started acting, but for whatever reason, I never imagined it could actually happen to me. When I heard my phone ring, I saw that it was Chloe, but I couldn’t answer her. Not yet, at least. I was at a crossroads; I could either give into Simon’s demands, or just allow everything to go to shit. The phone stopped ringing, and then a few moments later, a text message popped up on my screen.
Reluctantly, I read it.
Chloe: Hey. Haven’t heard from you much all day. I know that we have a few days off from shooting, so I figured that we could hang out or something, but… if you’re busy, just let me know.
I cared about Chloe, enough that I didn’t want to risk her entire career in the industry just for our relationship. I thought about going to someone to tell them, but I was sure that it would make things worse. How could I explain that I wanted to break the director’s rule to date his assistant? Everyone would side with Simon. All anyone would see was that I was violating the basic tenants of working on a set. No one would care that Chloe and I met before the movie, or that Simon was a complete douchebag.
As I sat there beating myself up, a new text message pinged on my phone. This time, it was from Simon.
Simon: I want you to talk my personal assistant, Ariel. She is going to give you instructions on how to move forward. Meet her at Pierre’s at 7pm.
My stomach lurched at the thought of whatever Simon was planning on unloading on me.
Me: Pierre’s? Does it have to be there? Anywhere else, please?
Simon: No. Pierre’s. Be there at 7 or find a new job. Ask the host to take you to Ariel. She’ll be in a booth in the back.
I had to stop myself from chucking my phone across the room and into the wall. I couldn’t believe that he had put me in this position. It was either meet his assistant and deal with whatever she was about to demand of me, or risk everything. I scrolled through my phone until I landed on selfies of me and Chloe that were in my photo album. We looked so happy, but now, I couldn’t image what would happen between us, especially if somebody saw me out in public with Simon’s assistant. I dialed Chloe’s number with shaking hands.
“Jeez, Hudson. It took you long enough to call me back. Are you okay? I thought you wanted me to come over tonight?”
The fact she was worried about me made me feel worse. “I’m good. I was just wiped out after shooting all day.”
“Oh. Well, if you’re tired, maybe I can just come by there and we can watch a movie? I can bring some pizza with me and we can just pig out. Does that sound good to you?”
Normally, that would’ve been perfect. I was a homebody, so anything that involved staying home and ended in sex was perfect. I massaged my temples, dreading my response. “No. I think I just need to be alone tonight. Honestly, I wouldn’t be good company for you anyways. I would probably just end up falling asleep on you.”
She laughed. “That’s fine. I mean, you’ve done it before...” Chloe paused for a second. “Hudson, what is going on? You aren’t acting like yourself.”
I hated myself for what I was about to do. And I hadn’t even done anything yet. “I know, I just said I’m tired, Chloe. That’s it. I’m emotionally exhausted and I need to sleep. I need some peace and quiet tonight. So, let’s just drop it. Please. Can we just drop it for once?” I heard her steady breathing on the other end of the line. I wasn’t mad at her at all; I was upset with my situation and she just happened to be the person that I took it out on. “Chloe, I am sorry. I just…”
“No, Hudson, you’ve made your point. You need some time alone. I get it. We have been spending a lot of time together for the past month. Working together and then spending our time off together, so I get it. I’ll just give you some space, so you can get some rest.”
“Chloe?”
“No,” she said, masking her pain with soft chuckling, “it’s fine. I get it, and honestly, I should get some sleep too. So, you sleep. I’ll sleep. Then I’ll just talk to you later or something.”
“Chloe, please…”
“Goodbye, Hudson.”
She hung up before I could say anything else to her, but honestly, I had no clue how to make anything better. I was being forced to go meet this Ariel girl at the very place where me and Chloe met. It made me feel like an even bigger jerk, especially because I didn’t know what I was walking into.
* * *
I walked into Pierre’s wearing shades and dark clothing, doing all I could to remain inconspicuous. I stopped near the bar and gestured to the bartender for a shot to calm my nerves. I was actually starting to calm down when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Unknown Number: Hey Hudson… this is Ariel. I’m here. Meet me in the booths up the stairs. I have pink hair.
I closed my phone and slid it into my pocket, then made my way through the crowd, avoiding eye contact with anyone in my path for fear that they would know who I was and ask who I was there with. I made it up the stairs without being spotted. When I got to the top, I saw a girl who looked younger than Chloe with pretty pastel pink hair sitting in the back, fiddling nervously with a spoon. When she spotted me, she waved happily for a second, but then… she looked sad. I walked over to her and slid in to the booth.
“So… you do Simon’s dirty work?” I asked as I finished the drink I’d brought with me. A VIP waiter showed up with seconds later with two drinks and a tray of appetizers that I had no desire to eat. My stomach was in knots. Ariel just shook her head.
“I heard stories when I took the job, but I wasn’t expecting it. It’s doesn’t make me feel any better, if that makes you feel any better.”
I snort laughed. “Not really. Why am I here Ariel? I’d really like to get this over with.”
Ariel sighed. “Simon wants you to back off Chloe. He won’t say anything about you to anyone. But if you don’t, he will fire you both by the end of the week.”
“And why didn’t Simon come here and tell me all of this himself?”
“Because,” Ariel said with a sad laugh, “he doesn’t like being seen in public with his actors. Something about ruining his mystique.”
“Does he ever care that I met her before the movie started?” I grumbled as chugged down the drink in front of me. I didn’t even care what it was. I just needed to not care about anything that was happening.
“Listen, Hudson… I’m really sorry about all of this. Simon is a shit and I hate that he zeroed in on you two. I wish there was something I could do. But he is super strict on his rules. Let me buy you a drink, at least, okay?”
Ariel raised her hand to order more drinks from the waiter, and while I waited for her, I looked through the window beside us. It overlooked the dancefloor and most of the bar area. I was happy that we were at least up here and away from the regular crowd. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with people. But then, out in the crowd, I saw a familiar face.
Fuck.
I squinted my eyes and looked closer. It was Jade and Mariah. They were both at the bar ordering drinks when Jade looked into the VIP section where we were seated. We locked eyes for a few seconds until I quickly ducked my head and moved away from the window, nudging the table in the process.
“Hudson? Is everything alright?” Ariel asked.
I remained low with my head beneath the table. “Yeah, I just, um, I dropped my cell phone on the floor.” I pulled it out of my pocket and placed it on the ground, then kicked it further into the middle of the room so I could get up. “Shoot, I don’t know how that happened. I need to go and get it. Excuse me. And I am going to go to the restroom. Um, do you need anything?”
“From the restroom?”
“Oh, right. I just um… I’ll be back.”
I got up and went to the middle of the floor to grab my cell phone. As soon as I picked it up, I scrolled through my text messages until I found Chloe’s thread. I texted her frantically as I walked to the restroom.
Me: Hey… are you out tonight?
I waited in front of the bathroom mirror for her to respond.
Chloe: No, I stayed home like I said I was going to. But Jade and Mariah went to Pierre’s. Why?
Goddamn it. I knew Jade saw me. We locked eyes long enough for her to recognize me, and if she was as close to Chloe as they’d led me to believe, then I knew I was fucked. I should have been honest with Chloe from the start and now there was no way to fix this without ruining everything for both of us.