“Alright, alright,” he held his hands up, standing and paying for their breakfast. “But I want to know what happened at some point.”
“Rico, just stop. That’s enough. Stop asking me.”
“Alright,” he said again, and this time, he did, obviously knowing better than to argue when she was in a mood like that.
He drove her back to the hotel.
“I’ll…see you at work,” she mumbled, handing the helmet back to him before rushing off inside without giving him a kiss.
As soon as she was in her room, she threw herself onto the bed and burst into tears.
A part of her started to wonder whether what had happened in the audition had been her fault.
She should have been firmer with Francis from the offset, made it clear that she wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior and that she had no intentions of doing anything like that with him. Perhaps she’d been too nice to him, led him on, or given him misleading signals. Had she made it seem like she’d wanted him?
Maybe she shouldn’t have gone for dinner with him that time. It’d probably given him the wrong impression.
Or maybe she should have just done what he asked. Would she have gotten the part? Is that how hundreds of other girls got parts with him? She wondered how many times this had happened in the past and it made her feel sick all over again.
Her head was a mess.
She cried herself to sleep, and slept fitfully for most of the afternoon, waking up in the evening feeling awful all over again.
She had a couple of missed calls off Rico but she didn’t get back to him, ordering herself some room service and having a meal in.
Rico turned up unannounced while she was eating.
Or maybe he had announced it, she just hadn’t been responding. In fact, she’d turned her phone off completely. She didn’t want to be contacted by anyone that night.
“You’ve been crying,” he said immediately once he saw the bags around her red, puffy eyes.
He stepped into the room and took her by the hand.
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened? You can tell me.”
She pulled away from him and shook her head, turning her back and going over to sit on the bed.
“Ashleigh,” he persisted, walking towards her and sitting down next to her.
Her wrapped one arm around her shoulders.
She visibly tensed at the contact, not wanting to have anyone touch her right now. All she could think of was Francis, his disgusting hands, the look in his eye, the expression on his face as he was undoing his pants.
“Go away, Rico,” she mumbled, moving away from him.
“Baby, I’m–”
“I said go away! What part of that don’t you understand?” She stood up and turned to him accusingly. “I told you earlier I didn’t want to talk about it, and I meant it! And now you’re here trying to make me do it again! Get out!”
“Ashleigh! Please…”
He looked so distraught and upset by her behavior that she faltered, and her anger dissipated, turning into tears she struggled to hold back.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head. “But I can’t do this right now. Please…please, just go.”
He stood there a moment, looking at her sadly. Then he nodded. “Alright. But my phone’s always on…call me…”
She didn’t call him.
She couldn’t bring herself to.
Instead, she flopped back down on the bed and cried herself to sleep again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After rejecting him twice and so insistently the day before, Ashleigh wasn’t expecting to hear anything from Rico for a while. In fact, when she woke up the next day, she lay awake in bed, worrying about how she’d treated him, worrying that she may have scared him away for good; her first day of being his girlfriend and she’d pushed him out, rejected him, wouldn’t talk to him about anything. She sighed in frustration, the tears threatening to well up again even though she’d already cried so much yesterday. Just when she’d thought things were going so well in her life, everything had started to go wrong again. This is just typical, she thought to herself with a shaky sigh.
She reached for her phone and turned it on, ignoring the missed calls and texts from Rico, and instead going through her phone book and finding her old friends’ numbers from back home. She’d barely been in touch at all since she arrived, except once, just to let people know she’d gotten there safe. She’d been too busy, enjoying herself too much. It was exactly as Trina had suspected – she’d left her old life behind for the glitz of Hollywood and practically forgotten all about them. She felt pretty bad for that too, and so took the time to send Trina a text, asking her how she was and how things were going at the gym. She was still scared, and she didn’t want to lose contact, especially since at this point, it seemed as though she was probably going to end up going back home after the shoot had finished. There was no way Francis was going to hire here after what had happened, and she’d probably never see Rico again outside of the set. He’d only just found it in himself to commit to being a boyfriend and now she was giving him such a difficult time. That wasn’t exactly going to encourage him further, was it?
She hit send on her text and waited for a reply before realizing she probably wasn’t going to get one, not with the slight time difference. Trina would still be in bed.
She sighed and put the phone down, rolling onto her back again and staring up at the ceiling.
There was a knock on her door.
Frowning a bit, she got up out of bed. She definitely wasn’t expecting anyone, and although a part of her hoped it might be Rico showing up to bother her again, she knew that was unlikely after yesterday.
She twisted the handle and pulled the door back a bit, then released a soft gasp.
It was Rico!
What on earth was he doing here?
She opened up the door fully, standing there in her pyjamas while he stood there in his shirt and pants looking all smart and handsome.
She’d been intending to spend the day in her room alone and cry, but now he was here, and it was throwing her off, confusing her. Why was he here?
“R-Rico…please go away,” she croaked out, almost on instinct after last night, except she didn’t sound as convincing. Did she really want him to go away? If he’d just come to tell her that she was dumped and he wanted nothing more to do with her, then yes. Why else would he come? Surely, it couldn’t be for–
“No,” he answered firmly. “I’m not going to be sent away this time.”
And with that, he produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, and offered it out to her with a small smile, but still a most serious expression on his face as he continued talking.
“I know I’m new to being someone’s boyfriend, but as far as I understand it, it’s my job to care for you, and make sure you’re okay. And if I keep leaving every time you ask me to, then I’m not doing my job. So…I’m sorry…but this time, I’m not leaving. I’m here to comfort you, and that’s what I’m going to do. You don’t have to tell me anything, but I can see you’ve been crying, so at least let me hold you. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready to talk, and I won’t push you. I promise.”
He stood there expectantly, still holding the flowers out.
How could she refuse them after a speech like that?
Her heart melted and her body almost collapsed into his, the tears welling in her eyes quickly. She wiped them in a hurry and took the flowers, then turned and walked back into the room.
“You can come in,” she mumbled, placing the flowers on the table carefully. She needed to go and buy a vase for them or something later. “They’re beautiful. Thank you. You didn’t have to.”
“I know I didn’t have to,” he replied, sliding both his arms around her waist from behind. “But I wanted to.”
She turned in his arms and leaned against his chest.
He hugged her gently, and together they s
wayed left and right, just standing there in the middle of the room for a moment.
“Come…come and sit down…” he murmured after a while, pulling back and taking her by the hand, gently leading her to the bed.
They sat together, side by side, and suddenly, Ashleigh realized she couldn’t hold back any longer.
Rico was being so nice to her; so gentle and kind, and he deserved so much more than what she was giving him. Besides that, she needed to tell someone; she needed to get this off her chest, it was crushing her.
She broke down and began to cry, and through her sobs, Rico held her close to his chest, as she explained everything, right from the beginning; from the filthy looks and inappropriate comments to the undoing of his pants and the suggestion that she should trade sexual favors for movie parts.
It was difficult at first, to say those things out loud, but the more she spoke, the more came out, and it actually felt pretty good to get everything out in the open. It was cathartic and cleansing; and afterwards she just curled up in Rico’s arms, on his lap, while he held her gently and stroked her hair, taking in the enormity of what she’d told him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“You’re not…you’re not angry at me…are you?” she asked him tentatively after a while of silence, sniffling and wiping at her sore cheeks and eyes.
Rico placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly helped her back up to a sitting position so that he could look seriously into her eyes. “Baby, of course I’m not. I’m angry at him. What he did was sexual harassment.”
“I…well…I maybe wouldn’t go that far,” she said tentatively.
But Rico held firm. “It was! And we need to go public about it. I’m so sorry that you’re gonna have to share your story again but…imagine if he does this to other young actresses? In fact, he probably already has.”
“Yeah…he probably has,” Ashleigh agreed. “But what’s the point in going public? No one else has come forward so it’s just my word against his, and he’s the most famous producer in Hollywood. I’m just some runner and wannabe actress. No one is gonna believe me at all.”
“But I’ll be there at your side, Ash,” Rico gave her a small, encouraging smile, reaching up and brushing his thumb over her cheek. “My friends and my co-stars will believe me, and in turn, they’ll believe you.”
Ashleigh bit her lip and looked away as she considered it, then asked quietly, “You really think I should?”
“Definitely,” he nodded. “And I’ll be with you the whole time. You’re not doing this alone, baby.”
She blushed a little. She liked it when he called her baby.
“Alright,” she quietly agreed. “We’ll do it.”
And he was right. She wasn’t alone, and at no point did she feel like she was. Rico made sure of that.
The first thing he did was call up his main co-stars, some of whom were also fairly big Hollywood names, although admittedly not as big as him. And straight away it was, “I have something to tell you about Francis.”
“I.” Not “Ashleigh.” He took responsibility for telling the tale, so that Ashleigh didn’t have to, and initially, he kept her name out of it.
“Some allegations have emerged regarding Francis, and I need to speak to everyone about it before we start filming again tomorrow.”
A meeting was arranged at Rico’s lavish hotel room suite a few blocks away that lunchtime.
Word had spread, thanks to Rico and his other co-stars, who had helped him place calls and get in touch with other cast and crew members, and they ended up with seventeen people crammed into his room that lunchtime.
Suddenly it didn’t seem so large and lavish anymore, and suddenly Ashleigh didn’t feel so alone anymore either.
She could have cried with joy. She felt so protected and safe already and they hadn’t even begun to discuss anything.
Rico had ordered up platters of sandwiches, snacks and drinks from the restaurant for everyone’s lunch, and although it wasn’t a party, Ashleigh felt in a surprisingly jubilant mood over the whole thing, especially when Rico clinked a spoon against a glass to quieten everyone down and began to speak. She stayed close to him the whole time, literally hanging off his arm. If people hadn’t already been wondering about the closeness of their friendship before, they certainly would now, but Ashleigh didn’t care anymore, and it looked like Rico didn’t either.
“The reason I’ve called you all here today, and I’d like to thank so many of you for coming, by the way,” he began, “is that some very serious allegations of sexual harassment have emerged regarding Francis Romero, and I felt we needed to discuss them before we went back to set tomorrow.”
“What happened?” someone called out.
“Yesterday, Ashleigh went to an audition… he undid his goddamned pants and basically, in not so many words, told her she could get the part really easily if she did something for him…”
There were a few gasps, then suddenly Ashleigh found her confidence and spoke up.
“That wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, that was just the culmination of it all,” she explained. “He’s been making inappropriate comments, looking at me in a way that makes me feel really uncomfortable, flirting with me, touching my arm and my leg and stuff like that…”
“He’s done that to me too,” one of the costume girls spoke up.
“Yeah, and me,” mumbled one of the other actresses.
There was a general murmur of consensus around the room as more people began to speak up and come forward, other girls who’d had problems with him, who had felt uncomfortable or harassed from his behavior.
“Sometimes I don’t even want to come into work,” one of them admitted.
“Yeah, me too,” agreed someone else. “The film isn’t worth all the hassle of having to deal with his crap.”
“He’s a creep!”
Rico and Ashleigh looked at each other in amazement, and he smiled at her, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
“See?” He murmured near her ear. “I told you they’d believe us. And I’m proud of you for speaking up.”
She blushed a bit and found his hand with hers, intertwining their fingers, then Rico raised his other hand for calm, trying to speak up over the din, talking like some motivational speaker at a political rally.
“I propose…that tomorrow morning, on the set, we stage a walk out. To show him we’re not going to accept this kind of behavior. Then we go to the press, and tell them everything that’s been happening! And we expose this guy for the predatory creep he really is! What do you say?”
Everyone cheered, the motion seconded and the wheels set in motion for the downfall of Francis Romero.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Two weeks later, and the entertainment industry was still reeling from the news Rico and the others had gone public with.
The walk out had happened, as planned. The look on Francis’s face was absolutely priceless, and Ashleigh felt triumphant and righteous, no longer frightened and disgusted. It had definitely helped seal her and Rico’s relationship too, as she knew now that she could rely on him, that he would always stand by her and that, together, they could achieve anything.
The filming was put on hold until a new producer could be found, and the press had dozens of questions and requests for interviews with Ashleigh and the others who had allegations against Francis. They all wanted to get the juicy details and hear her side of the story, but Rico stayed close to her the whole time, holding her hand or linking her arm. This, of course, led to questions about their own relationship, and a few days after the walk out, they came public about that too.
The news was generally well received, although it led to reporters and paparazzi camping out both of their hotels, and since there was no real need for them to be in central Hollywood anyway anymore, Rico suggested they withdraw away from the public eye and retreat to his apartment in Palm Springs. It was a proposition that Ashleigh was only too happy to accept,
but not before she attended another audition, or rather, a re-audition.
The musical that had ultimately led to Francis Romero’s downfall had been assigned a brand new director, and she’d been invited along for an audition. This time, he didn’t try and solicit sexual favors from her. He was a nice guy, and everything went really well. So well, in fact, that she was offered the part, starting filming in two months’ time. She hoped the other movie would be over by then but, if not, she’d just have to retire from her position as runner. This was, after all, the opportunity she’d been waiting for.
As she lay in bed that morning on another bright, sunny day in Palm Springs, Ashleigh reflected on everything that had happened over the past couple of months, since her arrival in Los Angeles, and how much her life had changed. She stretched out in Rico’s large double poster bed after a peaceful night’s sleep, smiling to herself and gazing out of the window at the amazing view overlooking the valley. She wasn’t sure where he’d gotten to, but she didn’t mind. She knew he’d be back soon.
When she applied for that position as runner, all she wanted was a shot at learning how the movie business worked, getting her foot in the door, and now here she was, dating one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and having landed her first role in a musical film adaptation. It was everything she’d ever wanted, and despite the setbacks she and Rico had gone through, and despite having to deal with creepy Francis, things had ultimately worked out for the better.
She heard the soft creak of the door being pushed open, and rolled over to see Rico walking into the room carrying a tray with some breakfast on it.
She gasped a little and sat up, fluffing the pillows to support her back.
“You brought me breakfast in bed? Are you kidding?”
“Nope. Breakfast in bed for my queen. You deserve it.”
He placed the tray on her lap then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Wow. You’re doing pretty well at this boyfriend stuff, considering…” She teased him with a small smile, her cheeks flushed.
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