CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - RACHEL
The nightmare continued on set when I returned the day after Star and Brock’s tantrums and apparently whatever they did to work things out it hadn’t worked.
The music from her video was blaring as she did a walk-through of the scene and since Brock was also directing the two were snapping each other’s heads off. But that wasn’t the worst thing that happened.
Once they got back into filming and things were finally going well, Star threw a ring into the air, and it hit the fake stone façade and set off a chain reaction that ended with chunks of plaster falling into her blue-tipped hair.
Her scream ripped through the music, and the sound man turned it off. “Are you fucking for real? This is my hair, dammit! It takes hours.” She stomped her bare feet around the stage, and I waited for her to fling herself to the floor and beat her fists, she was so pissed off.
I hurried onto the stage and surveyed the damage, but she wasn’t done bitching. She waved her arms and Brock hurried to her side along with the makeup artist who was picking little flecks of plaster from her hair and face.
Brock shot daggers in my direction. “How long is that going to take to fix? If it sends me over-budget, I’m taking the cost out of your sweet little ass.”
My temper flared, but before I could speak, Brock turned and started in on Star. “And you, get your shit together and let’s not worry about our fucking hair.”
I glanced down to see Patrick was standing near as if he didn’t like the tone Brock was taking with her. She walked over to where he was, and the two exchanged a smile. At that moment, something flashed in Star’s eyes and she and Brock exchanged a quick glance. It was as if there was something happening right before my nose, but I wasn’t privy to it. Like some secret that only the two of them knew, but then she turned back to Patrick and gave him a wink as she straightened the corset of her costume.
I called my team together and put them to work on the patch job and went to the back hoping to find that we still had the paint we needed. A few of the team members, including Jefferey, were mumbling under their breaths, but I didn’t have time for it. I made sure I was right in the middle of the repairs, taking full responsibility as needed.
Fifteen minutes later, things were back in place, and Star was on her mark. The music was blaring, and she was dancing around the set. When it came time to toss the damned prop again, I held my breath, but this time it was her catching ability that stopped things. Brock even went so far to call her a clumsy bitch under his breath within my earshot. Finally, after five takes, she caught the damned hoop.
After the first full run-through, Brock headed on stage and pulled her back behind a prop wall, and I saw him lean into her. Patrick was standing at the door where he belonged for the first time all morning, and I wished Duncan would arrive.
Something must have held him up at the office, and I leaned into Jefferey with a lifted brow. “Did they just kiss?”
“Mhm. Those two are so full of hormones today that I’m about to get a hot flash.” He glanced over to Patrick and then lifted his shoulder. “Guess that one’s not as hot as he looks.”
Five minutes later Brock called things into action, and it was then that I got a short message from Duncan who was running late, but wanted me to know he loved me. The sentiment made me smile, and as I enjoyed that moment of perfection, Brock suddenly yelled cut.
The music came to a halt. I knew by the end of it that I’d never want to hear another bubblegum pop song for the rest of my life.
Brock stormed the stage cursing and got in her face, and she stomped away a moment later, grabbing Patrick and pulling him into her dressing room. Brock wasn’t having that, and he called for us to take a break and joined the two.
Duncan entered the side door a moment later, and I hurried to greet him. I knew we’d been careful not to put our affection on public display, but I needed him.
“Where’s Patrick?” His voice was thicker than usual.
“He’s in back with Star and Brock.”
Jefferey approached giving me a warning glare. “This could take a while.” But Duncan wasn’t having it. He pulled his phone from his pocket and headed to the back, leaving Jeffery and me standing there helplessly. I had no idea what to do, but I knew Duncan was not happy with Patrick and I wasn’t getting in the middle of him and his employee.
“Someone’s about to get fired.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion, and I hurried back with Jefferey on my heels. When I arrived in the hall, Duncan was holding his phone like a camera and aiming it into the room.
“You didn’t lock the fucking door!” Star screamed at Patrick and Brock was pulling up his pants.
Patrick held his hands up and wore a crooked grin, the muscle in his jaw feathering as he glared at her. Then he took the time to put his shirt back on and button his own pants.
“Take that camera from him!” No one seemed to listen, and Duncan turned off his phone and put it in his pocket.
“Duncan, what are you doing?” Jefferey’s laughter took my attention away for just a moment and then Duncan clapped his hands at Patrick and told him to get back to work. The man wasted no time rushing out past me and Jefferey. I was a bit confused why the man still had a job to get back to.
“I’d suggest the two of you get back to work too, and everyone will keep nice and quiet about your little habits as long as you stop harassing Rachel and see to it that she’s paid.”
“You set me up!” Star balled her fists and then pushed past Duncan and me and hurried into the bathroom. Her manager, who stayed on her phone most of the time, came out of the office next door as if she’d only just heard the commotion. She rushed into the bathroom with Star.
“Duncan, what’s going on?”
“Hey, I said I wouldn’t kill him, I didn’t say I wouldn’t blackmail him.”
“Genius,” said Jefferey with a wide grin. “I like you better already.” He high-fived Duncan and I felt like I was losing my mind.
“We’ll get back to work in ten. I need a moment.” Brock’s expression was as if someone had died and he kicked his foot against the door to close it as Duncan took me by the hand.
“He’s not going to be harassing you anymore, and you’ll get your money, that’s all that matters. But to answer you, I called Patrick after you left last night and made him spill some information to keep his job. He admitted that Star was trying to arrange a threesome and I made him help me so I could get some dirt on Brock.”
“Wow, so Patrick was sleeping with them both?” I turned to look at Jefferey who was nodding slowly.
“Well, they were trying to make that happen, and though he admitted he’s open-minded, he wasn’t really interested in more than being with Star. He was going to deny the advances.” We continued hand in hand to the front door where Patrick was standing against the building, still stone-faced.
“I need to have another talk with him,” said Duncan. “At least to let him know his job’s safe and I won’t let the video leak.”
“You wouldn’t do that, would you?” I couldn’t believe that he’d do anything that cruel, even for me.
“No, of course not, but they don’t know that.” He met my eyes and rested his forehead to mine. “Are you upset?”
“No, I’m just surprised you did all this, that you thought of it.” But then I didn’t know why I was surprised. Anytime when we were kids and someone messed with me or Shauna, he’d always come to our rescue and defense, whether it was punching the kid in the stomach or setting up a booby trap in their fort.
He gave a little shrug. “You’re my girl. I’m not letting some asshole hold shit over you. I only showed him that two could play his game. I have a feeling these two have been using every opportunity to line this kind of thing up before, and I seriously doubt he’d want his daddy to find out about his preferences.”
“So, you’re not going to tell Shauna or Harris?” I couldn’t imagine either of them would be proud to know they were working with such an asshole and offering him support.
“Oh, hell yeah, Shauna already knows. Harris is going to tolerate the little prick until he can get his father’s contract and then he’s done with him, too. Business is business, but family is family. You’re part of it, you know—my family. You always have been.”
I lay my head against his chest and held him tight.
He’d stood up for me, and even though I hadn’t wanted him to get involved, I was glad now that he had. The past two days had been unbearable, and when I left him there and went back into that room, seeing Brock and Star take their place on the stage I created, when Brock called action, still straight-faced from being put in his place, I knew things would be okay.
There was just one more thing I had to do, and it was far past time I made it right.