Chapter 21

Ella

I tried to put aside my differences with the twins so that I’d be able to continue working for them without a grudge making things more difficult. If I had known what a challenge it would be for them to civil themselves, I might have reconsidered.

I was up in their room with them as they waited for word from their mother who was busy negotiating their latest contract for the reality show. It seems the renewal depended on the girls taking a cut because of their bad behavior, but Nola wasn’t having it.

Halle’s phone rang, and she and her sister huddled close to listen to Nola on speaker phone. “We’re going to be busy doing promos, so you two should be ready to work and in prime condition. I don’t want anything getting in the way of your work this season.”

“So, we’re in? And with the same contract amount as before?” I’d never seen Halle or Sadie nervous, but it seemed that the two were capable of human emotions. Who knew?

“Yes, and I fought tooth and nail for that, so don’t ruin it. Keep your noses clean, and we’ll be good for another two years at least.” Nola’s voice was stern, and I could imagine the look on her face was much the same. She’d worked hard for her girls, and even though I didn’t care for her, I couldn’t deny that she loved her children and would walk through fire for them.

Sadie’s chest swelled up as she huffed. “We should have gotten more this contract.”

“Yeah, well that little stunt of yours didn’t do us any favors.” Halle gave her sister a wide-eyed look, and from the look on Sadie’s face, she didn’t appreciate it.

Neither did her words. “You’re the one to talk! Why don’t you try keeping your legs together this season and maybe we won’t have as much scandal following us around.” It was almost comical when the two went after each other, and as long as I was out of the line of fire, I didn’t mind their constant bickering.

“You two stop it. I’d like you both to settle down this season, which leads me to my next request. I’ve promised the producers that we’ll see a different side of you. They’ve wanted to see romance with Halle and a love interest and for you, Sadie, they’d like you to either settle in a relationship or focus on a talent. The audience is turning on you, and they don’t know how long they can survive with your bullshit.” Both girls rolled their eyes at their mother’s voice, but I knew if she was in the room with them, they wouldn’t be.

Minutes later, Nola ended her call. Halle and Sadie were left to discuss the details alone.

“Well, at least one of us will have fun this season,” snapped Sadie. “Why is it that you get to have a relationship while I have to focus on being professional?”

“At least you get to do whatever you want. Mother will have me dating some loser I don’t even like just to get good ratings.”

“It won’t be the first time you dated a loser. I’m sure Zep Stewart wouldn’t mind being a part of the show.” Sadie cut me a glare. “You’ll have to make sure you keep a clear schedule, Ella. We’ll need you to be on call for our appointments. Things are about to get hectic while we do promos. You’ve been getting off easy lately.”

This was getting off easy? I wanted to roll my eyes, but I knew better. Instead, I nodded and went back to looking through my new planner that Nola had left on my dresser that very morning.

My phone rang, and I thought it might be Nola ready to relay a few of the promo dates and appointments to me, but one glance at the tiny screen revealed Aiden’s smile. He’d taken the selfie and added it to my contacts, a sleepy-eyed image of him with a smoldering, lazy grin from the morning we woke up at the beach house.

I tried to step away, but Halle shook her head. “Don’t run off.” My back tensed and I walked to the couch and sat on the end with my back turned to them trying to take what privacy I could.

“Good morning, Mr. Prince.” I kept my voice soft and glanced over my shoulder to see that I had both of the twin’s attention. Sadie was hovering like a hawk, while Halle sat on the back of the chair beside me perched like a vulture.

“Oh, so official, Ms. Ford. I’d complain, but that kind of turns me on.” My cheeks reddened at his words, and I remembered all too well how sexy he was while turned on.

“I’m at work and with my employers as we speak.” I was trying to hint that it wasn’t a good time, but at the same time, I wondered what he wanted.

“I won’t keep you, but I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch. I can come pick you up if you want?” The thought of having an intimate lunch with Aiden was enough to make me warm all over, but then Halle cleared her throat. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed she was still there, eyeballing me like I was wasting her precious time.

“Lunch sounds wonderful. What time would—

Halle stepped around into my line of sight and folded her arms. “We need you at lunchtime. We’re going to be talking about our schedules.”

“Lunch is not going to work today because the twins need me. They’ve been accepted for another season.”

“Then we’ll have dinner.”

“Dinner,” Halle stood shaking her head. “Dinner might not be a good idea either. Halle’s shaking her head.”

“Today is a bad day,” Sadie said stepping up beside her sister.

Aiden made a noise through the phone that made me worry how long his patience would hold out. “Then call me later when they set you free. I have a feeling anything we plan is going to be a bad time with those two.”

Halle leaned in close. “Have Aiden tell Zep I said hello.”

“Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, I’ll pass that right along. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. The two of them are supposed to be dating.” The tone of his voice told me he wasn’t too impressed with his best friend’s choice of relationships.

“Well, that should be great for ratings,” I mumbled, and he laughed letting me know he caught what I’d said.

“Yeah, that would be right up his alley.” He let out a long breath and then I heard his car start. I didn’t ask where he was going because I didn’t want him to think I needed to know his every move. “Call me. We’ll get together as soon as you’re free.”

“Sounds good.” I was glad that he was being understanding about my situation. Coming with such heavy baggage as the Blue Twins wasn’t something that most people would put up with considering their reputations.

I hung up the phone and lifted my head to meet Halle’s eyes. “He said he’d pass along your message.” I stood and closed my hands together in front of me and tried to look as relaxed as possible. I didn’t want the two to think that they’d rattled me, but I had something to say. “I understand that you don’t like the fact that Aiden and I are seeing each other, but trying to monopolize my personal time isn’t going to ruin what we have.”

Sadie smirked and stepped in front of me. “We’re not going to ruin what you have. You’ll do that all on your own. You see, we really did have a threesome with Zep Stewart, and there’s something he let us in on long before that happened. He and Aiden love to share their women.”

“Yes, Zep did admit that’s their thing when their relationships get a little stale. So, it’s only a matter of time before Aiden starts to get bored and decides to let Zep teach you a few new tricks.”

They were hoping to get a reaction from me, but I wasn’t going to let them rattle my feathers. “We should get ready for that lunch date.” I turned and picked up my bag and shoved my phone and the new planner into the outer pocket.

“We’re only trying to save the heartache, Ella.” Halle lifted her shoulders and raised her hands in a what do you do fashion. “Aiden Prince isn’t the type who settles for one woman relationships. He’s had hundreds of women and never a steady relationship. Why should it be any different with you? He’s a known playboy, a creature of habit. You’ll see.”

“I’ll just go ready for that lunch date. I’m starved.” I stepped out, leaving in the direction of my room. When I got there, I took out the phone and called Nola about lunch plans. She had only wanted to meet the girls for lunch to take them shopping, and just like that, I was excused. I decided not to say a word to the girls and hoped I could slip out before they called Nola themselves.

Once I was out of the house, I texted Aiden and told him to meet me down the road from the house.