Chloe blushed, but tried not to make it obvious. That was the hardest thing for us, especially since we had grown so close in such a short time.
“Rebecca, listen,” I ran the lines, and pulled Mona closer to me with Chloe in my line of sight just behind her. “Why do we have to keep pretending this isn’t real? Fuck the obstacles. They don’t matter to me. Only you matter to me.”
Mona moved out of my grasp and turned her back to me. “I know, Maddox, I feel the same way, but… there are just so many obstacles. My family is threatening to disown me if we continue this path. I don’t know what to do. I love you,” she turned back towards me. “I truly do, but this is a mountain that I don’t know how to climb.”
I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to me. Her light brown eyes bubbled with false affection that was obvious to me, but for everyone else, they would never tell the difference. “Baby, you were never meant to climb it alone. We can climb it together.”
She leaned closer to me, but before we could kiss, Simon yelled out, “Alright, cut! Excellent! Wonderful!” Mona rolled her eyes at me and then stormed off set. I was used to her reactions by now. Even when we were appreciated for a job well done, she behaved as if I didn’t perform to her expectations. “Five minute break, everyone.”
Chloe brought me another cup of coffee. “Here you go, Mr. Andrews. You did a great job.”
“Thank you. Can you do me a favor? Will you walk me to my trailer? I have something I need to run by you, and if it’s acceptable, then maybe you can take it to Simon for me.”
“Oh, yeah, sure thing.”
We walked down a small pathway until we got to a vacant area of the lot. I dropped the coffee out of my hand and pulled her in for a kiss. Her lips were the missing pieces to a puzzle that I had been trying to put together for the past few years. “I was waiting all day for that,” I said as we released each other.
“Same. Simon has been on my ass ever since I got here. I can hardly catch a fucking break. But here it is.” She looked at her watch after the alarm went off. “And damn it. There it goes.” With a huff, she explained. “I am supposed to go and grab the new sides from the writers and if I don’t have them for him, he will eat me alive.”
I grumbled to myself, trying not to think about what Simon would do if he found out we were together. “Damn. Do you want to come over to my place tonight?”
“Absolutely.”
She pecked me on the lips before she walked in the opposite direction. I looked down at the cup of coffee that had spilled onto the cement. As I leaned down to pick it up, I heard Simon’s voice from behind me.
“Well, well, well.”
Startled, I spun around while he continued, “I see you and my assistant are close”
Fuck. “No, not at all. She was just helping me run some lines and…”
Simon held his hand up to stop me. “No, no, Mr. Andrews. That did NOT look like you two were just running lines. That looked a little more serious than that. Be honest with me. What exactly is going on between you two?”
“Nothing. Honestly, it is nothing. Just a little fun for now, you know?”
“Is that what the kids call it nowadays?” Simon growled. “How about you don’t try and feed me any bullshit lies? I spend enough time around actors to know when you are full of it. And you, Hudson, are up to your eyeballs. You’re screwing my assistant.”
“Simon,” I tried to interject, panicked.
“You can call me Mr. Dominik from here on out, Hudson. And things are about to change on this set, I can promise you that.”
I felt every nerve in my body begin to fire at the same time. Shit. I didn’t want to fuck things up for Chloe, and I sure as hell didn’t want to fuck things up for me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to double over in pain, or just throw up on Simon’s shoes. “Mister… Dominik… please.”
But Simon just shook his head. “Keep your phone on you, Hudson. When I call, you better answer. That’s all I’m saying. You better answer. Or go ahead and assume that you will never work in this town again.” He turned on his heel and started to walk away, leaving me standing in the alley, thinking that throwing up was the best option.
Oh, god. How the hell am I going to tell Chloe?
Chapter 15
Chloe
When I got home late that night, I got a phone call from my mom. I had barely spoken to her and my father since I moved to Cali a little over a month ago.
“Hey, sweetheart. How is everything going?” mom said, slightly distracted.
I curled up in my bed under the covers, exhausted. “It is going great, mom. The job is amazing, but I completely HATE my boss. It’s like he lives to make my life a living hell.”
“What does he do?”
“You would have a better chance of getting me to tell you what he didn’t do. The money is decent, and I appreciate the experience, but if this is life on the other side of the camera, I will just pursue acting 100%. Seriously.”
“Well, this is your first time doing something like this, so you know you have to work your way up. A lot of people don’t just get to come in and become a director’s assistant, so just consider this paying your dues. We all have to go through it, so be patient.”
“Yeah, I am trying,” I answer with a sigh.
She paused for a few moments. The voices on the television floated into our conversation until she decided to speak again. “Have you met anyone special out there yet?”
“Um.” I wasn’t sure how she would respond to the fact that I’d found someone in the short time that I’ve been here, especially since I was so adamant about pursuing my career before I made any time for a relationship. “Not really. I mean, I have a friend, but we are taking it slow.” Why am I lying to my mother?
“That is probably the best thing for you to do right now. You’ve only been there for a little over a month and that is hardly enough time to really get to know someone. Who they are in the first few weeks can change by the first few months, and then change again and again, so just be patient.”
I had to stifle an eye roll, even though I suspected she was a little bit right. “I know, mom.”
We stayed on the phone for a while longer until I told her I had to rest for work in the morning. After I hung up, I thought about what she said. She was right; I hadn’t known Hudson for that long. What if he is putting up a front? I mean, he is an actor. What if he really has other women in his life right now, or he really doesn’t like me as much as he says? I tried to push the thoughts out of my head, but as much as I tried, they came back even stronger with more logic. A part of me wanted to call him just to see what he was doing. Just to check and see what he was doing… but I resisted the urge and forced myself to go to sleep.
Chapter 16
Hudson
I paced back and forth in my room, thinking about what I was going to do about Simon. He had me by the balls, and if I didn’t handle this right, I could ruin Chloe’s career and risk both of us being blackballed by the movie industry. I had heard stories about things like this happening before I even started acting, but for whatever reason, I never imagined it could actually happen to me. When I heard my phone ring, I saw that it was Chloe, but I couldn’t answer her. Not yet, at least. I was at a crossroads; I could either give into Simon’s demands, or just allow everything to go to shit. The phone stopped ringing, and then a few moments later, a text message popped up on my screen.
Reluctantly, I read it.
Chloe: Hey. Haven’t heard from you much all day. I know that we have a few days off from shooting, so I figured that we could hang out or something, but… if you’re busy, just let me know.
I cared about Chloe, enough that I didn’t want to risk her entire career in the industry just for our relationship. I thought about going to someone to tell them, but I was sure that it would make things worse. How could I explain that I wanted to break the director’s rule to date his assistant? Everyone would side with Simon. All anyone would s
ee was that I was violating the basic tenants of working on a set. No one would care that Chloe and I met before the movie, or that Simon was a complete douchebag.
As I sat there beating myself up, a new text message pinged on my phone. This time, it was from Simon.
Simon: I want you to talk my personal assistant, Ariel. She is going to give you instructions on how to move forward. Meet her at Pierre’s at 7pm.
My stomach lurched at the thought of whatever Simon was planning on unloading on me.
Me: Pierre’s? Does it have to be there? Anywhere else, please?
Simon: No. Pierre’s. Be there at 7 or find a new job. Ask the host to take you to Ariel. She’ll be in a booth in the back.
I had to stop myself from chucking my phone across the room and into the wall. I couldn’t believe that he had put me in this position. It was either meet his assistant and deal with whatever she was about to demand of me, or risk everything. I scrolled through my phone until I landed on selfies of me and Chloe that were in my photo album. We looked so happy, but now, I couldn’t image what would happen between us, especially if somebody saw me out in public with Simon’s assistant. I dialed Chloe’s number with shaking hands.
“Jeez, Hudson. It took you long enough to call me back. Are you okay? I thought you wanted me to come over tonight?”
The fact she was worried about me made me feel worse. “I’m good. I was just wiped out after shooting all day.”
“Oh. Well, if you’re tired, maybe I can just come by there and we can watch a movie? I can bring some pizza with me and we can just pig out. Does that sound good to you?”
Normally, that would’ve been perfect. I was a homebody, so anything that involved staying home and ended in sex was perfect. I massaged my temples, dreading my response. “No. I think I just need to be alone tonight. Honestly, I wouldn’t be good company for you anyways. I would probably just end up falling asleep on you.”
She laughed. “That’s fine. I mean, you’ve done it before...” Chloe paused for a second. “Hudson, what is going on? You aren’t acting like yourself.”
I hated myself for what I was about to do. And I hadn’t even done anything yet. “I know, I just said I’m tired, Chloe. That’s it. I’m emotionally exhausted and I need to sleep. I need some peace and quiet tonight. So, let’s just drop it. Please. Can we just drop it for once?” I heard her steady breathing on the other end of the line. I wasn’t mad at her at all; I was upset with my situation and she just happened to be the person that I took it out on. “Chloe, I am sorry. I just…”
“No, Hudson, you’ve made your point. You need some time alone. I get it. We have been spending a lot of time together for the past month. Working together and then spending our time off together, so I get it. I’ll just give you some space, so you can get some rest.”
“Chloe?”
“No,” she said, masking her pain with soft chuckling, “it’s fine. I get it, and honestly, I should get some sleep too. So, you sleep. I’ll sleep. Then I’ll just talk to you later or something.”
“Chloe, please…”
“Goodbye, Hudson.”
She hung up before I could say anything else to her, but honestly, I had no clue how to make anything better. I was being forced to go meet this Ariel girl at the very place where me and Chloe met. It made me feel like an even bigger jerk, especially because I didn’t know what I was walking into.
* * *
I walked into Pierre’s wearing shades and dark clothing, doing all I could to remain inconspicuous. I stopped near the bar and gestured to the bartender for a shot to calm my nerves. I was actually starting to calm down when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Unknown Number: Hey Hudson… this is Ariel. I’m here. Meet me in the booths up the stairs. I have pink hair.
I closed my phone and slid it into my pocket, then made my way through the crowd, avoiding eye contact with anyone in my path for fear that they would know who I was and ask who I was there with. I made it up the stairs without being spotted. When I got to the top, I saw a girl who looked younger than Chloe with pretty pastel pink hair sitting in the back, fiddling nervously with a spoon. When she spotted me, she waved happily for a second, but then… she looked sad. I walked over to her and slid in to the booth.
“So… you do Simon’s dirty work?” I asked as I finished the drink I’d brought with me. A VIP waiter showed up with seconds later with two drinks and a tray of appetizers that I had no desire to eat. My stomach was in knots. Ariel just shook her head.
“I heard stories when I took the job, but I wasn’t expecting it. It’s doesn’t make me feel any better, if that makes you feel any better.”
I snort laughed. “Not really. Why am I here Ariel? I’d really like to get this over with.”
Ariel sighed. “Simon wants you to back off Chloe. He won’t say anything about you to anyone. But if you don’t, he will fire you both by the end of the week.”
“And why didn’t Simon come here and tell me all of this himself?”
“Because,” Ariel said with a sad laugh, “he doesn’t like being seen in public with his actors. Something about ruining his mystique.”
“Does he ever care that I met her before the movie started?” I grumbled as chugged down the drink in front of me. I didn’t even care what it was. I just needed to not care about anything that was happening.
“Listen, Hudson… I’m really sorry about all of this. Simon is a shit and I hate that he zeroed in on you two. I wish there was something I could do. But he is super strict on his rules. Let me buy you a drink, at least, okay?”
Ariel raised her hand to order more drinks from the waiter, and while I waited for her, I looked through the window beside us. It overlooked the dancefloor and most of the bar area. I was happy that we were at least up here and away from the regular crowd. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with people. But then, out in the crowd, I saw a familiar face.
Fuck.
I squinted my eyes and looked closer. It was Jade and Mariah. They were both at the bar ordering drinks when Jade looked into the VIP section where we were seated. We locked eyes for a few seconds until I quickly ducked my head and moved away from the window, nudging the table in the process.
“Hudson? Is everything alright?” Ariel asked.
I remained low with my head beneath the table. “Yeah, I just, um, I dropped my cell phone on the floor.” I pulled it out of my pocket and placed it on the ground, then kicked it further into the middle of the room so I could get up. “Shoot, I don’t know how that happened. I need to go and get it. Excuse me. And I am going to go to the restroom. Um, do you need anything?”
“From the restroom?”
“Oh, right. I just um… I’ll be back.”
I got up and went to the middle of the floor to grab my cell phone. As soon as I picked it up, I scrolled through my text messages until I found Chloe’s thread. I texted her frantically as I walked to the restroom.
Me: Hey… are you out tonight?
I waited in front of the bathroom mirror for her to respond.
Chloe: No, I stayed home like I said I was going to. But Jade and Mariah went to Pierre’s. Why?
Goddamn it. I knew Jade saw me. We locked eyes long enough for her to recognize me, and if she was as close to Chloe as they’d led me to believe, then I knew I was fucked. I should have been honest with Chloe from the start and now there was no way to fix this without ruining everything for both of us.
Chapter 17
Chloe
“Are you sure it was him? A lot of people look like Hudson in LA.”
Jade, Mariah, and I were sitting in the living room, and the bomb Jade had dropped on me was making my whole body vibrate with stress. I felt like I was going to throw up.
Jade shook her head sadly. “Chloe, it was him. I’ve seen him enough times to know that it was Hudson in the VIP with another woman. We locked eyes for a second and then he ducked down. If it wasn’t him, then why would he act so guilty?”
“Yeah, Chloe,” Mariah added. “It wouldn’t make sense for a random guy to avoid Jade like that. Have you texted him or anything?”
I sighed and hunkered down lower into the couch. “No, not tonight. Well, wait… he did text me and ask me if I was out tonight.”
“When?” Jade asked with her eyebrow raised.
“I don’t know.” I grabbed my phone to look at the time he sent the text message. “It was 8:45.”
“Yup. That is around the time I saw him, and I remember because I had my phone in my hand at the time. It was him, Chloe. Trust me, it was him and he was with a little chick with pink hair and a bunch of tattoos. I could see her too.”
The conversation me and my mother had just a couple of days ago echoed through my mind. I wasn’t sure how my mother had managed to be right without knowing the situation, but that was pretty standard for her. I didn’t want to believe it though. Not right away. “Hold on. I can call him, and we can get to the bottom of it right now.”
Jade nodded resolutely. “Yeah, call him. Put his ass on speakerphone, too. If he tries to deny it, I will call him out on it. I’ll even tell you what he had on. A black, collared shirt, and sunglasses on his head. That’s all I could see because he was so high up.”
I called his cell phone, but he didn’t answer. It was almost midnight and it was unusual for him not to be awake now. Even if he was sleep, he would pick up with a groggy voice and ask me if everything was alright. I called him again, but it was the same response. “He didn’t answer.”
“You should just take my car and go over there, Chloe. Go to his house and see what’s up. There’s no point in letting this fester all night and driving yourself crazy wondering who he’s with. Just go. Do you want us to drive over there with you?” Jade asked.
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