The next hour went surprisingly quick. I was relieved that there were no awkward silences between Hazel and myself after what we’d discussed in the kitchen. She seemed happy that Alex and I were together. I noted how she observed every little movement he made toward me as we sat on the sofa. His hand was either on my knee, or holding mine. He kissed my cheek at one point, and she positively beamed.
When they eventually left, Alex leaned back against the door.
“I thought they’d never leave,” he said as I carried the empty mugs and plates back into the kitchen. He followed me.
“I think Charlie’s stories will keep us laughing for days,” I said.
Alex wrapped his arms around me from behind. “They really like you.”
“Well, of course they do. What’s not to like?”
He kissed the back of my head, squeezing me in his arms. “We need to leave in a couple of hours. I’ll order us a car. Do you want to go out for drinks and a meal straight after, or come back and get changed before-hand?”
Today wasn’t going to go down in history as one of my favourites. I’d not forgotten about the meeting this afternoon, but I’d managed to push it to the back of my mind whilst Alex’s parents were here.
“I’m not bothered. But perhaps we should go out straight afterwards. If we come back here, we’ll never leave.”
He nuzzled the back of my neck, moaning his agreement. “We could eat early, then we’ll not get back too late.”
“We can just come back and not go out again if you’d prefer.”
“No. Tonight I am taking you out. I promised.”
I was just about to turn in his arms and kiss him when the doorbell rang.
“That’ll be Hazel,” he said. “She’ll have forgotten something. Can you answer it? I’ll go and have a look in the room to see if I can see anything of hers?”
“Sure.”
I headed to the front door, opening it wide, expecting Hazel and Charlie to be on the door step.
But it wasn’t them. It was Amy.
I didn’t know who was the most shocked to see who—her to see me answering Alex’s front door, or me to see her on the door step. Even though I hated her, I didn’t slam the door in her face. The paps were already taking numerous photographs of our doorstep exchange.
“I want to see Alex,” she hissed.
“You’d better come in then,” I replied, stepping aside so she could enter the house. She pushed past me and waited for me to shut the door.
“So, you worked your way into his bed, now his house? She snarled. “What’s next? What more do you want from him?”
I ignored her comment, pointing to the living room where Alex was. “He’s in there, if you want to see him.”
She smirked, as if all her birthdays had come at once, and something inside me snapped. As she marched toward the door I grabbed her arm.
“If you say one nasty word, I will not be responsible for my actions.”
“What I have to say to Alex is of no concern to you.”
I gripped her arm even tighter. “But it is. You see, what you don’t seem to realise is that we are together. We are a team. I won’t watch you try to destroy him with your pathetic lies and sob stories. He doesn’t want you, Amy.”
She tried to shake my hand off her, but I still didn’t release my grip.
“I should have had you fired when you attacked me in the studio the other week,” she sneered.
“I didn’t attack you. You know I didn’t.”
“I know what you did. I know what you’re doing. This work experience of yours was all just a plan to get onto the set and try to steal Alex from me as well as my career.”
“Are you serious?”
“Look at the evidence. You slept with him within days of meeting him, and then insisted on acting out the sex scene with him. My sex scene!”
“You seriously need to see a shrink,” I replied, unable to hide the contempt in my voice.
The room door opened, and Alex strode into the hall.
“Amy!” he exclaimed. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
As soon as Alex appeared Amy started crying. “She’s hurting me.” She pulled at my hand that was still tightly wrapped around her wrist. As soon as I released my hold on her, she ran to Alex, throwing herself into his arms. He pushed her away.
“Alex, I need to talk to you.” She sobbed as she spoke, and I found myself silently congratulating her on what a good actress she was. “Why have you cleared my room out? That bitch sister of yours had all my things delivered to me the other day. Boxes and boxes of it.”
“It’s not your room anymore,” Alex said. “I wanted you out of my life once and for all. I should have done it years ago.”
“Is she moving in there?” Her gaze snapped to me.
“No.” Alex said. “Ella sleeps with me every night.”
She seemed momentarily stunned, but recovered quickly. “I want to talk to you alone.”
“Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of Ella,” he said, nodding toward me.
She narrowed her eyes before turning back to Alex.
A new flood of tears started, and I clenched my hands into fists, trying desperately not to lose my temper with her.
Her whiney voice continued. “I need you to talk to the Starshine bosses. You have to convince them that I’ll play Evelyn in the last film.”
“No,” Alex said.
“Why won’t you do it? Is it because of her?” She inclined her head toward me.
Alex pulled his hand through his hair. “I told you I’d never work with you again. I’m not going to try and convince anyone of anything different.”
“But we are good together. It’s what the fans want. Even now, they want us to get back together in real life. I’ve seen their tweets. I know the public. She is nothing but a fling. You know I’ll take you back. You only have to ask.”
“Ella is not a fling!” Alex shouted, making me jump. “I love her.”
“Love?” Her pathetic act abruptly stopped. Here was the real Amy, spitting out her vile and angry remarks. “What do you know about love? You said you loved me, and look how you treated me.”
Alex lifted his hand to the bridge of his nose and pinched it between his fingers. I hated the way she made him feel guilty about things when he had never done anything wrong.
“I so wish that this baby had been yours. I’d not have got rid of it. It would have all been so different.”
Alex’s Adam’s apple rose and fell. His eyes glistened before he closed them. Memories of the baby she had got rid of, the one he had thought was his, still hurt. And she knew it was the perfect way to get to him.
She had to go.
“Amy. You need to leave. Now,” I said slowly and calmly. If she didn’t go, I would throw her out.
“It’s not your house. If Alex wants me to leave, then I will.”
I willed Alex to speak out, but he was already crumbling inside—memories of what she had done were back in his head.
Amy took advantage of his emotional state by moving closer and wrapping her arms around his middle. He stepped backward, but she moved with him. When he caught my gaze with his own I knew I had to do something. It was all too much for him. He didn’t want to fight with her.
But I did, and I would.
“Amy!” I shouted. “Leave!”
She rested her head against Alex’s chest.
I stepped across the hall purposely, making my way to grab her and then throw her out of the house, but she twisted away from me. At least she let go of Alex to move out of reach.
I reached for her shoulder, and pulled her toward me, intending to head to the door.
I didn’t expect her to fight.
She screamed, her hands flying to my face. A stinging pain charged across my cheek as she clawed at me with both hands.
“I’ll kill you!” she shrieked. “I swear I’ll kill you!”
I’d had more than enough, and without any preconceived thought about what I was doing I curled my hand into a fist and threw a punch at her face. The pathetic sound of flesh hitting flesh sounded out before she staggered backward against the wall.
I stood over her crouched figure. “Get out!” I yelled. “Get your filthy scummy ass out of here, now. And don’t ever come back!”
I grabbed her under her arm, and pulled her to her feet. Alex was already at the door, opening it as I dragged her toward it. I practically threw her outside, not caring that the reporters and photographers were going mental, shouting out both our names.
“And don’t ever come back!” I yelled, slamming the door shut.
I breathed deeply before turning to look at Alex.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rushing toward him. I took his face in both of my hands, looked into his eyes and kissed him. He responded willing, like he always did, and when we broke apart his former hurt expression had disappeared.
“I’m not imagining any of this, am I?” he said.
I shook my head.
“You actually punched her?”
I nodded.”
“Fuck, Ella! That’ll be all over the papers.”
“I don’t care. I actually think quite a few people will love that we chucked her out the way we did.”
“But you punched her.” A grin was creeping across his face.
“My dad may not have been much of a father, but he taught me how to defend myself, and punch properly.”
Alex stared at me, almost as if in a trance. Then he widened his eyes, snapping out of his reverie.
“Your face, good god! She’s scratched you.” His hand rose to my left cheek where her nails had made contact.
“I know she scratched me. I didn’t just lash out at her for the hell of it. It was self-defence. Owww!” I winced at his finger-tips touched my cheek.
“Let’s get this cleaned up. Antiseptic wipes or something. Kitchen, now,” he ordered.
I followed him into the kitchen, and he pulled out a stool from under the central island, nodding his head, indicating for me to sit.
He opened one of the many cupboards, located a small green plastic first aid box, and placed it on the counter. Pulling up another stool, he sat next to me to tend to my wound.
“At least it’s not too deep, more a surface scratch. But it’s going to look pretty bad for a few days.”
“Not as bad as her black eye.” I knew from the way I’d caught her, that the top of her cheek would already be bruising a nice shade of yellow and purple.
He grinned, gently pressing a cold wipe on my cheek.
“Shit!” I backed away from the stinging article.
“Sit still, Ella.”
I huffed, knowing he had to clean my cheek, but it hurt like hell when he pressed the wipe against it.
“You’re a nightmare patient. And there I was, thinking we could engage in a bit of role play one day with me as Doctor Denton, and you as my patient. You’ll need to be braver than this if you want Doctor Denton to make you feel better.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I burst out laughing.
“Please, don’t tell me that he has a magic thermometer.”
“No, he doesn’t, but you should see his stethoscope!”
I laughed even more. Alex took the opportunity to press the wipe against my cheek with even more force. I swore at him, and tried to swat his hand away, but he continued pressing my cheek.
“All done,” he announced gleefully, moving away and returning the first aid box to the cupboard. “God knows what the Starshine bosses will think of you when you turn up with battle scars.”
I groaned at the mention of the meeting. “I’m not looking forward to it at all.”
“You just need to be yourself, Ella. There’s nothing to worry about,” he said.
“You seem so sure of everything. I mean, acting a sex scene with you was one thing, but acting in a whole film? I’ve no experience.” I wasn’t sure about any of this. But I also wondered how I’d feel if anyone else apart from me performed alongside him in the final film. There were several X-rated scenes in that book as well.
“I’ll help you. We can practise at home every night. You can do it, Ella. You’re a natural.” He positioned himself directly in front of me. “Now, are you going to get changed, or shall we just head out as we are?”
“Do I need to get changed?” I glanced down at my black skinny jeans and t-shirt. “Should I wear one of my dresses?”
Alex leaned forward and kissed my lips softly. “It’s completely up to you. They’ll all be in suits, but I’m going as I am.”
“But you don’t need to make an impression.”
“Neither do you. Remember that the reason they want to see us is because of our chemistry on screen. They’ll not be interested in what you wear.” He grabbed my ass and grinned. “I love your jeans because they cling to this gorgeous ass of yours, and I love your dresses because I can slide my hands up your thighs.”
He kissed me again, harder this time, before backing away.
“When do we have to be there?” I asked, wondering how much time we had to fill before we left.
“Just over an hour.”
“Really?” I grabbed his thighs, pulling him toward me. “What on earth are we going to do to pass the time?”
Alex placed his hands under my arms, lifting me off the stool and into a standing position.
“Race you upstairs; winner gets to go on top,” he challenged.
Why did I get the feeling that he’d let me win?