I stretched my hands above my head as I yawned, and turned to Alex, but he wasn’t there. The sheets were flung back on his side of the bed, and I presumed he had got up to cook breakfast. He was quickly becoming an expert in the kitchen, and he had promised bacon and eggs this morning.
I lay still, listening to the birds singing as a light breeze brushed through the open doors of the bedroom. But the peacefulness never lasted long. Alex was shouting in the kitchen, and from what I could make out, he wasn’t happy. It sounded like he was arguing with someone. I propped myself up on my elbows, frowning as I tried to catch the other person’s voice. Who was here? And why was he arguing with them?
As quickly as the shouting had started, it stopped. There was a deathly silence which was suddenly broken by several loud crashes. I sprang from the bed, and pulled my robe on as I ran into the main room. Alex was sitting on the sofa, his head in his hands. I glanced around the room, checking to see if anyone else was there. But there wasn’t anyone, just Alex and an array of broken plates scattered across the floor.
“Alex?” I asked softly as I approached him.
He looked up, his face one of despair, a look that I’d seen too many times in the past.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I sat next to him on the sofa. I placed my arm across his slumped shoulders.
He shook his head and concentrated on the floor.
“Alex?”
He pulled his hands through his hair before standing up. “Remember the sex scenes that we did for Starshine?”
I offered a smile before nodding. “How could I forget?”
“Well, it seems that they are already circulating the internet. They’ve been leaked, Ella. Someone has leaked them to the media. Apparently, it’s all anyone back in England is talking about. It’ll hit America as they wake up, and then the rest of the fucking world. We’ve even made the news headlines in the UK!”
My eyes widened. “But how? The only people who’ve seem them are me, the two production staff, and . . .” my voice trailed off.
“Rowan!” Alex snarled. “Exactly. Fucking Rowan Busby!”
“Alex, you don’t know that for certain.” I didn’t believe that Rowan could be so spiteful, but then again, if he was still involved with Amy, then maybe he could do this.
“Who else can it be?” he asked.
I frowned and tried to think of anyone else who would want to hurt us, and who had access to the footage that had been leaked. There was no-one.
“What I don’t understand is why he’s done it.” Alex pulled at his hair as he paced from one side of the fireplace to the other.
“Well, if he’s still involved with Amy, maybe she’s blackmailing him again. You know how easily he fell in with her plans last time.”
Alex shook his head. “You’ve seen the footage. You even edited some of it, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“What was it like? Did it look good?”
Again, I nodded. Even though I hated that it was me on the screen, I appreciated how stunning we had looked together, and how the intenseness of the scene had come across so effortlessly.
“We looked good together. In fact, I think we looked incredible.”
Alex’s eyes locked with mine. His worried expression was replaced with a huge grin. “She’s shot herself in the foot. So has Rowan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I never wanted to work with Amy or Rowan again. Rowan will be fired for leaking the footage. There is no way that the franchise will risk employing him for the next film. I reckon he’ll already be fired. They’ll be bringing someone else in to finish the production.”
I sighed. I’d liked Rowan, but if it was proved that he had leaked the footage, then he’d left the franchise team with no choice but to sack him.
“And Amy.” Alex grinned. “I know how she works. And I’m confident that she thought the scenes would be bad. She doesn’t think that there’s a better actress than herself out there. She’ll have wanted to show you up. She wanted the public to see you making a fool of yourself. Well, that plan has certainly backfired.”
I curled my legs underneath me on the sofa. Even after everything that had happened, it still upset me that she hated me so much. She seemed to blame me for stealing Alex away from her, when he had never been hers to start with.
“Hey.” Alex rushed to me and pulled me against his chest. “Don’t worry about it. She’s just given me a perfect excuse not to work with her ever again. I had no intention of doing so, but now, after this, I can damn well demand that I don’t.”
He kissed the side of my head as I breathed in his familiar scent. He’d managed to halt my tears before they even escaped. I cuddled up to him, resting my head against his shoulder.
“Why can’t they just leave us alone?” I said, my voice weak and uncertain. “Just let us get on with our lives without all this hate and upset?”
“It’s because I’m famous, Ella. Unfortunately, everyone seems to think that they’re entitled to a part of me, including my life and everyone in it. Even though Amy has fame in her own right, she still wants more. And I’m her link to it.”
“Why would anyone want this though? Do you?”
Alex guffawed at my question. “It’s my job. I enjoy acting. I like the challenges it presents me with. I love the whole process of creating something from nothing, from ideas in someone’s head to a script, and seeing it come to life.” He paused and kissed my forehead. “I have no idea what I’d do if I didn’t act. But, if I could take away all the shit that comes with it then, believe me, I would. That’s why I hide away as best I can, keep out of the way of the stupid camera men, never commenting about things and, up until last week, never talking to the reporters.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I’d best clear this mess up. I flipped a bit back then, I’m sorry.”
“I think I would have gone a bit crazy as well when I first heard that. Was it Megan who rang you?”
He nodded before kissing me again and standing up. He headed across the room to where he’d thrown the plates.
The ringing of my phone sounded out, and I jumped off the sofa. Who was calling me?
“I’ve broken my phone,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows as he held several pieces of it up in the air. My phone was in the kitchen, and I grabbed it before heading back into the room.
The caller identification alerted me to who was calling.
“Hi Megan,” I said as I answered the call.
“Ella, shit! Are you okay? Is Alex alright?”
“Yes, yes, calm down. We’re both fine. Although, Alex has broken his phone. It’s currently in several pieces.”
“Stupid idiot!” she cursed.
“Well, I think he was a bit upset about what you told him,” I said, trying to explain as I glanced at Alex who was still picking up the remains of his throwing fit.
“But if he’d let me continue, he would have heard the rest of what I had to say.”
“There’s more?” I asked.
“Quite a bit actually. You see, Rowan rang Anthony last night. He wanted to sell him his story about everything.” She spoke quickly. “Oh, Anthony is such a clever man, Ella.”
I frowned before looking over to Alex who had stopped what he was doing and was watching me. I shrugged. I had no idea what Megan was about to say.
“He managed to get the whole story from Rowan without offering him any money. And, he refused to print anything that Rowan said. He got the information for me to pass on to you two. He recorded it as well.”
“He’s not printing anything at all?” I couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“Ella?” Alex questioned.
“It seems that Rowan’s talked to Anthony,” I explained as quickly as possible.
Megan continued gushing about Anthony. “Oh, Ella, I’m so proud of him. He did it for me, and to prove that he’s serious about our relationship, and how his job affects Alex and you.”
“What did Rowan say?” I asked, impatient to get the details.
“That he was the daddy! And that he’d gone to the clinic with Amy yesterday afternoon. It seems he’s not going to be a daddy any longer.”
I raised my hand to my mouth, hating that she aborted her babies so easily. I’d never been pregnant but assumed it was never an easy decision to make. Amy seemed to have no concern about being pregnant, unless she could use it to blackmail someone.
“But, the reason she got rid of it was because she made Rowan leak the film footage of you two.”
“I thought Rowan was a good guy,” I muttered. “Stupid, but good.”
Alex tutted. “He thinks with his dick, always has. Why do you think I didn’t like the idea of him taking you out the other week?”
I scowled at Alex. Did he think I was that stupid? That I would have handed myself to him on a plate the way Amy had done?
“Anyway,” Megan continued. “That’s not all. He said he knew how amazing the footage was of you two, and that Amy had no way of knowing just how sensational it was. She wanted it released so that you looked like an idiot. I can tell you, Ella, that you don’t. You look incredible!”
“You’ve watched it?” I screeched. Alex was at my side, wanting to take my phone from me. I held him off.
“Anthony was quite impressed as well,” she continued.
“I didn’t need to know that, Megan,” I told her, cringing at the thought.
“So, Amy’s plan has backfired tenfold. Tell my brother that Rowan has been sacked. He’ll have a new producer for the last film, Solarflare. I’m negotiating for him to have a new co-star for the film as well. It won’t be Amy.” She giggled quietly.
“Now what’s so funny?” I asked.
“Well, I’ve already had calls from some very reputable film critics today. It seems that you are their favourite actress to play Evelyn in the final film.”
“What?”
“This film leak has catapulted you right up there, Ella. The top ten trends on twitter are all about the clip, and you. Everyone wants to talk to you. I’ve lost count of the number of chat shows from around the world that want you as a guest.”
My head started to spin with what I was hearing. I handed my phone to Alex and wandered back to the sofa.
“What have you just said to Ella?” Alex growled into the phone.
* * *
When Alex had finished speaking to Megan, he leapt over the sofa, scooped me in his arms and swung me around the room.
When he released me, he kissed me urgently, his several day-old beard scratching me.
“You need a shave,” I said.
He narrowed his eyes. “You said you liked my beard.”
“I do, but my face is breaking out in one hell of a rash because of it. And, for the record, I prefer the stubble. You always look so sexy with your stubble.”
“I’ll shave it off before we head home.”
“When is that? I gathered from your conversation with Megan that she wants us back in England.”
“I’m sorry, Ella. We need to go back earlier than planned. I managed to rescue tomorrow for us, but we’ll be leaving the day after.”
I plonked onto the sofa. Our perfect getaway had to end at some point, but I wanted to prolong our time away together before we were thrown into chaos back home. The stress and drama wasn’t something I either wanted or needed.
“Why does she want us back? Can’t we leave the madness to go on by itself, and hide away here forever?” I asked.
“That’s a nice thought, but I’m sure you’d get bored with me eventually.”
“Probably,” I teased.
He rubbed his chin and then stroked his beard. “Megan wants me back because there’s a load of stuff that I need to sort out with her, contract wise. Things have just got very complicated because of all this. And, you need to get back because you need to meet the Starshine team.”
“Why?”
“Because, if what Megan tells me is true, and I have no reason not to believe her, you are the top person in line for the role alongside me in Solarflare.”
“No way! I thought she was kidding?”
Alex shook his head. “No, she’s organised a meeting for you with the Starshine gods that make all the decisions. You’ve made quite an impact out there. The fans love you, the press love you, the film critics love you.” He leaned over me and kissed the top of my head. “And I love you.”
His lips trailed across my forehead, along my nose and onto my mouth.
“Seems like I’m not the only star around here, Ella,” he said as his lips moved against mine. He kissed me before settling next to me on the sofa. “So, what have you enjoyed the most about your stay here?” he asked.
I pondered his question for a while, trying to decide on one thing. It was impossible. “I’ll miss the quietness the most, the pool, the Jacuzzi.”
Alex’s brow creased with a frown. “Oh, I see. You’ve not enjoyed the time alone with me then?”
I caught his acting abilities coming into play. “Naaa, not really. I mean, I can get you to fuck me whenever I want, can’t I? It’s not that difficult.”
His expression melted into a smirk. “You are such a tease, Ella.”
“Yeah, but you love it,” I added before snaking my hand around the back of his neck and pulling him toward me.
“I do,” he said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”