Hollywood Heartthrob
Clarissa Carlyle
Copyright 2013
Copyright 2013 by Clarissa Carlyle. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any for or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons either living or dead, as well as any events or locations is entirely coincidental.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, any means of reproduction, either electronic or physical, of any part of this book, without written permission is unlawful piracy and deemed a theft of the author's intellectual property. You may use the material from this book for review purposes only. Any other use requires written permission from the author or publisher.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Author Info
Chapter 1
“So have you heard about the movie that’s being filmed on campus?” Jenny Montgomery said excitedly as she walked with her colleague down the corridor.
Amy Prince rolled her eyes in boredom.
“I’m actually sick of hearing about the movie! It’s all the students want to talk about. It’s distracting them from actually learning!”
“Yes, but it is exciting though,” Jenny pointed out. “And the main star is Josh Roberts. He’s like, an Adonis.”
“Only on screen. I bet he’s nowhere near as good looking in person.”
“Well, now he’s filming here we will get to find out!”
Amy forced a smile and watched Jenny scurry away to teach her music class. All anyone wanted to talk about lately was the movie that was being filmed and Josh Roberts. In Amy’s English Literature class, she could barely get her students to focus on their text of Wuthering Heights because all any of them wanted to do was gaze out of the window in the vain hope of glimpsing some of the unfolding action on the film set.
Whoever Josh Roberts was, Amy already didn’t like him. He was interrupting her teaching during only her second semester at the college and she needed to make a good impression. This was her first job since graduating and she had to make it count.
As soon as she entered her classroom she caught the snippets of excited whispers.
“Oh my gosh, he’s so hot.”
“He like, totally looked right at me!”
It was evident that her class were still in the grip of Josh Roberts fever. Sighing, Amy made her way to the front and placed down her bag. As she did so, a few of the students looked up and smiled to greet her.
“Hey, Miss. P” said Emily Smith from her usual seat on the front row.
“Hi, Emily.”
“Hey, Miss. Prince, have you met any of the cast yet?” a male student called out from the back of the room.
“No, I’ve not.” Amy replied curtly, wanting all chatter about the film to stop quickly so that she could commence teaching.
“We heard that all faculty staff gets to meet the cast,” the guy continued, sounding disappointed that she’d not actually met any of the stars yet.
“I can assure you we don’t get to meet them,” Amy explained. “Now, if you can turn to page twenty three in your books-”
“Well that’s a shame!” Donna Clark interrupted and a few other students made noises in agreement.
“I’m actually not that bothered,” Amy said, getting increasingly annoyed. “What does bother me is whether or not you guys pass your mid-terms which are coming up. So please, page twenty three and the next person to mention the movie being filmed here is going to write me a three thousand word essay on why prose is more absorbing than film as a medium!”
That shut them up. No one ever liked getting extra work.
****
Amy Prince had always dreamt of being a teacher. As a little girl she would line her dolls up and stand before them, conducting a class.
Her parents thought it was cute and were also pleased that she’d chosen such a sensible dream, unlike her sister Tanya who dreamed of being a movie star. Amy’s dream was obtainable which meant her life wouldn’t be filled with bitter disappointment.
Tanya on the other hand kept being knocked back in the film world, despite her tenacity. So now she was twenty eight and waiting tables, refusing to accept the fact that her big break was probably never coming.
The whole thing made Amy resent the film industry and the stars and the falsehoods they presented to the world. People like her sister wasted their lives on a notion that one day they’d be famous and everything would change. Amy knew that hard work was what would ultimately bring her reward. There was no quick fix in life.
But had Amy wanted to be a film star, she’d have stood more chance than her sister.
Tanya Prince was short, with stubby legs and dark brown hair. Her face was too angular and none of her features seemed to fit in place. In contrast to this was Amy, who was tall and lean with flowing blonde hair and bright blue eyes. People were always surprised to learn they were sisters and it was true that there was little which the two had in common; both in looks and in personality.
****
“So, your assignment for this week,” Amy began as her class came to a close but she realized that hardly anyone was paying attention to her. Instead they were all gazing dumbly out of the vast glass windows on the far side of the room.
“Excuse me!” Amy called out. “Does anyone appreciate that you are in class right now!”
“Sorry, Miss P,” Emily said apologetically on behalf of the class. “But they are filming just over there on the field. Look, you can see.”
Amy obliged and sure enough she could see lights, chairs, people, cameras, all the associated paraphernalia that comes with shooting a movie.
Inwardly she swore at the presence of the stupid movie for ruining her class for the second week in a row.
“Come on people, we saw it all last week, let’s focus!”
“Oh my God there he is!” a girl screamed from the back of the class and suddenly everyone was on their feet, running to the windows and craning their necks to get a good view.
Sighing, Amy accepted that she had lost them for that session and decided to work them extra hard the following week.
However, in spite of herself she couldn’t help but glance out the window to see who was getting the girls in such an excited state.
It was easy to spot the offender.
In the distance, a tall, dark haired man with lightly tanned skin strode out on the set wearing ripped jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Even from this distance Amy could see that he was strikingly good looking, with pronounced cheek bones and the slight presence of stubble darkening his face.
“Well, make sure you finish your chapter by next week,” Amy called to her class even though no one was paying attention.
The problem with her being so new to teaching and so young was that at times she struggled to get their respect as they regarded her as more of a peer than an authority figure. It was something Amy was working on and looking to Jenny for advice as she had five years experience on her. Not that you’d think it though, as sometimes Jenny could be the more immature one out of the two of them.
“You can’t tell me you don’t like him,” Donna cam
e over to Amy’s desk and raised her eyebrows suggestively.
“The guy is an absolute stud. He’s got just the right amount of bad boy but with all that good boy charm. And he’s recently single.”
“What should that matter?” Amy asked quizzically, hoping her students weren’t intending on going and sleeping with a guy just because he was famous; surely it was beneath them to do so.
“You’re not that old, Miss Prince. I bet you and Josh Roberts are around the same age. And for a teacher, you’re not all that bad looking.”
“I guess I should take that as a compliment.”
****
When at last her class had left, Amy sat down to do some grading of papers in her usually quiet classroom.
The time of day when lessons had concluded had always been her favorite as the grand old building would seem so calm after being full of young students all day. She liked to just sit and savor the silence and get her work done before heading home to her apartment on the outskirts of town.
But today was different. As she tried to focus on the papers before her she was constantly distracted by the sounds outside on the field where the filming continued.
“Action!”
“Again!”
“Cut!”
Accompanied by the sounds of gun shots and screaming. All of which startled her and she had to keep reminding herself that none of it was real.
In the end, Amy had to accept defeat and head home to finish the grading of her papers.
****
Walking out onto the now almost empty parking lot, the noises from the film set intensified. Amy wished that their time on campus was already up so that things could return to normal.
She stopped cold when she caught sight of her little Toyota Prius, dwarfed by the giant black movie trailer parked beside it.
“What a joke,” she muttered angrily to herself as she headed to her car, wondering how she’d ever be able to park next to something so monstrous.
Opening her trunk she threw the papers inside in an angry flurry and didn’t notice the door to the trailer beside her ease open.
She was about to get in her car and leave when a male voice addressed her.
“Bad day in class?” the voice asked. Bemused, Amy turned to find herself staring directly at Josh Roberts and blushing as she realized that she’d been wrong; he was just as handsome in person as he was on screen.
“Teacher giving you a hard time?” he asked, a cheeky smile pulling at the edge of his mouth which made her notice his luscious pink lips.
“I am the teacher.” Amy corrected and this just made him smile even more.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You look so young. I thought you were a student.” He held her gaze intently as they talked and it made Amy shuffle uncomfortably on the spot.
“Well, I’m not.” She replied flatly.
“So, was it a bad day? You looked pretty mad at the papers you threw in the back there?” his tone was flirtatious, as was his stance, and this angered Amy.
Clearly, Josh Roberts was accustomed to seducing each and every woman he met. Most women probably melted at his feet and jumped into his bed before he’d had the chance to even utter a greeting. Amy hated this arrogance. She’d met his type before; every guy Tanya brought home was a struggling actor with all the self-belief in the world. In Amy’s eyes it was a most unattractive quality.
As Josh Roberts stood undressing her with his eyes she could feel the fury begin to well up inside her.
“Yes, I’ve had a bad day!” she told him sternly.
“I’m trying to teach my class in English Lit but I can’t because all anybody wants to talk about is your stupid movie! And then when class finishes I can’t grade my papers because I can hear gunshots and shouting! This is supposed to be a quiet, rural area! I feel as though I’m back in New York City!”
Josh didn’t seem phased by her outburst; his expression seemed mildly amused as he watched Amy’s nostrils flare out in anger as she yelled at him.
“So you’re from the big apple?” he asked when she’d finished, his eyes teasing her, mocking how gorgeous he was to women, begging her to just drop the pretence and sleep with him.
“Where I’m from is none of your business,” Amy declared, knowing that in her rage her true accent had appeared, just slightly, which would have already given away her roots.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get home and grade some papers- some place where I can get some peace and quiet!”
“Wait, you’re leaving?” Josh sounded surprised now.
“Imminently.”
“Why? You should hang around. Let me make it up to you for my movie causing you to have such a bad day.”
Amy knew exactly how Josh planned on making things up to her and she wasn’t the slightest bit interested.
No, that was a lie. She thought he was handsome, sexy even. But then she was only a woman and he really was an Adonis. His hair danced slightly in the wind as they talked, not that she noticed as his dark eyes were mesmerising. But she reminded herself that he was just an actor. Just somebody with crazy dreams like Tanya. Dreams that only paid off if you were lucky.
“Once I get home and finish these papers I’ll be fine,” Amy told him politely. “It was nice to meet you Mr…” she hovered over the name, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of already knowing it.
“Roberts. Josh Roberts,” he answered as he awkwardly extended his hand which Amy took and amiably shook.
“Good luck with the film, Mr. Roberts,” she smiled sweetly, glad that she had managed to put a dent in his armor.
“Thanks…Miss?” he had gathered himself again after being briefly caught off guard and was back to being suave and seductive as he enquired about her name.
“Miss Prince.”
“See you again, Miss Prince.”
As she got into her car, Amy tried to focus her thoughts on the task of driving but her interaction with the heartthrob on campus had left her heart racing even though she found him arrogant and vulgar.
As she drove away, she knew how much fun it would be to tell Jenny who’d want every bit of the meeting told in finite detail. She decided she’d invite her over and they could gossip till the small hours over a glass of wine. Amy knew she was lucky to have made such a good friend at the college. Jenny was her life-line there even if at times she could be overly quirky and annoying.
****
Watching the small Prius leave, Josh Roberts couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt strange. Admittedly, it was weird for an attractive woman to turn him down, but it wasn’t that. He assumed the sexy teacher was just being hard to get, at least that’s what he hoped as now she’d rebuffed him it made him want her even more.
No, what was weird, he realized, was that it was the first time in five years that he’d been asked his name. Before that, everyone always knew who he was. But he’d liked having to answer who he was. It made him feel…normal. And Josh Roberts hadn’t felt normal for a long time.
Chapter 2
Amy Prince felt tired and drained as she braced herself for yet another day of difficult teaching.
Driving into campus that morning she saw that the film crew was already on site, hard at work and covering the entire inner quad area. She sighed to herself as she knew that once again her students would rather attempt to stop a celebrity than focus on their studies.
And why they felt the need to gawp at the famous, Amy didn’t understand as she herself had a close encounter with the film’s main star, Josh Roberts, and she’d been left feeling unimpressed. She hoped that she wouldn’t run into him again.
As she came into her classroom that morning Amy realized that her hopes were dashed.
Josh Roberts stood leaning against her desk, his gaze settled beyond the window outside. The early morning light shone off his chiselled features and the faint scent of lemon grass carried on the air over to Amy who stood frozen in shock in the doorway.
“Ah, good
morning,” Josh sensed her presence and turned and give her a broad smile which revealed blindingly white teeth.
“Morning,” Amy replied politely, tentatively edging into her classroom, unsure what her impromptu visitor wanted.
“So this is your classroom?” Josh asked, looking around the vast room with seats which rose up towards the far wall.
“Yep, this is it.”
Amy suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious as she realized that her hair was a mess and she’d not put any make up on that day. She hated herself for caring but couldn’t help it. Josh Roberts looked so perfect it was difficult to feel anything other than a mess beside him.
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