I was getting sick of hearing that. “I’ve heard,” I drawled, then immediately regretted it. Manning didn’t deserve my sass.
He didn’t seem to notice. “The man’s reputation precedes him. I’d only ever heard the name until now. He’s helped a lot of others in the industry but you’d never know it. He keeps an extremely low profile.”
“That will be hard to maintain if he’s in the limelight with me,” I said softly as a few more of the crew walked past us. “Not to mention he’s not an actor.”
“Actors aren’t the only ones able to play a part.”
I looked Marc’s way. He hadn’t moved. I couldn’t see his eyes because he wore dark sunglasses. The sun reflecting off the Pacific Ocean appeared to make him glow and his tall frame cast long shadows across the ground. If Marc was playing the role of a good guy, it certainly didn’t seem that way.
I swallowed a feeling of unease and returned my gaze to Manning. “Maybe. I’d better go. We’ve got another big day tomorrow.”
“We certainly do,” he agreed. “Try not to think about things too much, if you can.”
I nodded again and watched Manning walk off. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to my protective detail or the stalking.
I walked toward the man waiting silently for me. He was like a chiseled statue amid the buzz of activity surrounding us. The crew was still busy packing up, while cars full of the cast and extras were already leaving. In the distance, I could make out a small crowd of people standing near the parking lot entrance. Most likely locals and passersby trying to get a glimpse of one of us. They were unable to come any closer due to the line of security blocking their way.
When I arrived in front of Marc he simply nodded and gestured for me to walk to the car.
Instead of getting into the driver’s seat, he went around and opened the door for me. I wasn’t sure why the action bothered me so much, but it was enough to make me pause.
He tilted his head and waited.
For some reason, his silent patience only added to my annoyance.
Don’t let him get to you, Lena. The gravel crunched underneath my feet as I forced myself to move again.
“Lena! How does it feel to be working on a production that isn’t Duncan’s? Are you enjoying the freedom?”
I swung around to see a balding man striding toward us with a determined look on his face.
Before I could open my mouth, Marc positioned himself between me and the stranger. His back was so close I was sure he could feel my erratic breathing tickling his neck.
“Stop.” His words were quiet but there was no mistaking the menacing tone.
The balding man, who I now recognized as a reporter I’d seen on another occasion, shot Marc a withering look and went to push past him.
I sucked in a sharp breath as Marc, in a flash of movement so fast I almost missed it, twisted the guy’s arm behind his back.
The man cried out in pain and struggled against Marc’s hold, but Marc only tightened his grip.
“Ow. Let me go! This is assault, you asshole! I’ll have you fined. I’ll have you—”
I cried out in surprise as the man hit ground with a loud thud.
Marc knelt over him. “I’ll tell you what this is,” he said in a voice so low I could barely hear it. “This is a secure area, you bastard, and if you ever attempt to pull a stunt like this again, you’ll have me up on more than assault charges. Do you understand?”
The man was obviously winded and he nodded, his eyes wide with shock.
“Good.” Marc stood up and didn’t spare the reporter a second glance. He came to my side. The hands that had only a moment ago effortlessly tossed a man onto the ground like a rag doll rested gently on my hips and guided me to the car.
When I went to open my mouth, he shook his head.
“Get in the car, Lena.”
I allowed him to escort me the rest of the way, then slid into the passenger seat. Marc closed the door firmly. A crowd had formed nearby and I caught Chloe’s concerned look as she watched the production company’s security men lead the reporter away.
I kept my eyes firmly on my lap and didn’t say anything when Marc got in the driver’s seat. I didn’t feel like acknowledging the group of onlookers waiting near the entrance to the parking lot. I had no idea if any of their smartphones had captured the altercation on camera, but I didn’t want to think about it.
When we were cruising on the highway, I cleared my throat quietly. “He was just a reporter.”
A muscle in Marc’s jaw twitched. “And you’re just an actress? Give me a break, Lena.”
I frowned at his brittle tone. “Well, yes, I am an actress. I’m just doing my job and so is he.”
“What? So you think what he did back there was perfectly acceptable?”
I didn’t answer immediately and turned to look out the window at the ocean, golden in the setting sun. “He was just doing his job,” I repeated eventually.
“And I was doing mine.”
I bit my lip and kept my gaze locked on the horizon. He did have a point, not that I wanted to admit it. “And violence is part of your job?”
“Sometimes. When it’s necessary.”
“I’m not sure it was necessary back there.”
“Is it necessary for you to wear bikinis or do sex scenes?”
I blinked and turned back to him but his eyes were on the road. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. It’s part of the job so you do it whether you like it or not.”
“I might like it.” I bit back a smile as his palms tightened on the steering wheel. What was it about this man that made me want to rile him? It was so unlike me.
“And I might have liked to punch that guy’s lights out.”
Touché.
I hid another smile as I turned toward the window again, but it faded as his earlier words haunted me. “And I’m not just an actress.” As much as I loved my career, I was more than who I played on-screen—something my ex had never seemed to appreciate.
“No, you’re not,” he agreed, to my surprise. “You’re an award-winning actress with one of the largest social media followings of any actress worldwide. You’re a household name. Young women either long to be you or despise you because they’ll never be like you. Men fantasize about you. And you don’t need me to tell you that most of those fantasies aren’t pure. You’re not just an actress, Lena. You’re an icon. Which is why I assumed that guy was more than just a reporter, and I’ll continue to do so while you’re under my protection.”
I fell quiet, glad for the distraction of the view, but it didn’t stop my whirling thoughts. Award-winning actress. Icon. Household name. I closed my eyes, bitterness tugging at my heart. I loved my job more than anything. What it did to the people around me, less so.
“I’m more than an actress,” I said with that soft note of steely persistence I’d become respected for. I’m a person, I wanted to say. A human being.
Instead, I held my tongue, feeling weary of everything: the long day of filming, the unexpected reporter, and my public persona that seemed to follow me around even in private.
“Yes, you are,” he agreed. “A lot more.”
Judging from his lecture, I doubted we meant the same thing, but I didn’t bother to argue my point. We rode in silence for the rest of the trip.
Chapter 7
“This is exactly what I needed,” announced Chloe, wiggling her bright red-painted toes in the water. She sat by the pool, her legs dangling over the edge. “An indulgent girly day.”
“I would have thought you’d be sick of hair and make-up,” commented Ally from the sun lounge behind us.
The Californian sun was directly overhead and we’d positioned ourselves around my pool to soak up the afternoon rays. While it never really got too cold in LA, we all knew that in a few weeks autumn would be over.
“This wasn’t hair and make-up,” Chloe told us. “This was therapy.”
I coul
dn’t argue with that. We’d spent the morning getting massages and pedicures, gorged on a delicious lunch Ally prepared, then listened to Chloe complaining while Ally took her measurements afterward.
“I’m so happy Lena and I had a day off scheduled at the same time,” Chloe said. “This is bliss. Except the part where you proved I’m putting on weight, Ally.”
Ally lifted the hat that had slipped down over her eyes and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You are not fat, Chloe Kemp, and you know it. You also know I won’t put up with any of that indulgent movie-star talk when I’m around.”
“Hear, hear.” That was the first sign we’d had that Faith was awake. She’d positioned herself face-down on the sun lounge after Ally’s feast and been silent for the last half-hour. “A strong breeze would blow you away.”
“I’m not that little!” Chloe protested.
“You’re not that big either,” Faith countered.
Chloe sighed. “I wish I was tall like you and Lena. It’s not fair.”
“You hardly have anything to complain about,” Ally said.
“I know. I must sound so vain. I guess with me turning twenty-one soon I thought some height would make me feel more grown-up, that’s all.”
“Height won’t make any difference,” Faith told her.
“It might help,” Chloe said. “Maybe it would stop people assuming I’m so innocent.”
“You are innocent,” Faith said.
“I am not!” Chloe’s pout turned down into a frown. “Alright, maybe I am a bit.”
“What’s wrong with being innocent?” I asked, and they all turned to me. “It’s working for your career right now, isn’t it? I’d just go with the flow.”
“Says the world’s most carefully controlled celebrity persona,” Faith said.
I shifted on the sun lounge. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. You have one of the most thought-out brands of all of us.”
“I’m not a brand,” I said, the memory of my conversation with Marc earlier that week still stinging.
“Yes, you are. And you know it. Everything you do in public is deliberate.”
I shrugged, but my shoulders felt tight. “So? Isn’t that what we do?”
“It’s what you do,” Ally said. “And you do it really well. Why is that a problem, Faith?”
I tried not to smile at Ally’s overprotectiveness. The truth was, one of the reasons I was friends with Faith was because of her tendency to speak her mind.
“It’s not,” Faith said. “I’ve been in the industry way longer than you and I can’t stay on brand to save myself.”
“Isn’t impulsiveness your brand, Faith?” Chloe teased.
Faith grunted. “Something like that.” She was probably trying not to recall her heady party days in her twenties. Her ‘impulsive’ antics had landed her in the media more times than we could count. Followed by a string of high-profile boyfriends in her early thirties.
“I wish I could be more like you, Faith. No offense, Lena,” Chloe added. “Now I’m going to be an adult, I’d love to live a bit more. Do something ‘off brand’ every now and then.”
“You do know that means hot men, drugs or alcohol,” Faith told her.
Chloe waved her hands at us. “Oh, goodness no. I’d never do anything silly.”
Ally giggled. “Your innocence kind of is your brand, Chloe.”
Chloe dropped her hands and sighed. “I know. Just like Lena’s is her cool sophistication and Faith’s is her don’t give a —”
“Fuck?” Faith finished. “Yeah. My publicist doesn’t recommend it. I think she’d much rather work with someone like Lena.”
“I’m not that controlled,” I said, smoothing the towel down I was laying on. “I’m just private.”
“Whatever,” said Faith. “It’s who you are.”
I could feel Ally’s eyes on me despite the sunglasses she was wearing. Ally had known me the longest, since we were sixteen. She was probably the only person—besides my mother—who had seen me less controlled. Before she could contribute any further to the conversation, I changed the subject.
“I can’t wait to see your twenty-first party dress, Chloe.”
Chloe’s blue eyes lit up. “I know. As far as birthday parties go, it’s going to be huge. And with Ally’s fashion sense, my party dress is going to be awesome. I’m so excited! I probably shouldn’t admit to that, I guess.”
“Why?” asked Ally.
Chloe shrugged. “I don’t know. When you’re an adult, aren’t you supposed to be less affected by these sorts of things?”
“Nope,” said Faith, her wide mouth turning upwards into a thoughtful smile. “You just party a bit differently, that’s all.”
“Yeah, we’ve already covered that,” Ally said.
Faith smirked.
Chloe pulled her feet out of the water and grinned at us. “And you’ll never believe who I’ve booked to play at my party, but you have to promise to keep it a secret.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” said Ally, and Faith rolled her eyes.
Chloe clapped her hands together, her full lips breaking into a jubilant smile. “Gypsy Hour!”
Faith’s eyebrows shot up. “No shit?”
“No shit!” cried Chloe, and Ally and I laughed.
“I didn’t figure you for a fan,” Faith said.
“Why not?”
“Some of their songs are pretty heavy,” she replied.
“I love them! Like really, really love them. I’ve been following them since they started.”
“I guess they’re pretty hot,” Faith admitted.
Chloe dropped her eyes and her rosy cheeks appeared brighter than usual. “I guess.”
Ally sat forward in her chair. “Have you got a crush on one of them?”
“No. I’m too old for crushes.” She still wasn’t looking at us.
Ally grinned. “Which one?”
“I don’t have a crush on him!”
“Hmm. Him,” I said grinning at Ally, not able to help myself.
“Not you too!” protested Chloe. “Stop ganging up on me, will you? So they’re hot. It doesn’t mean anything. I saw the way you were looking at Marc on-set and you’re not in love with him.”
I stiffened and Chloe’s expression immediately turned contrite.
“Sorry, Lena. I didn’t mean anything by that. It just came out.”
“What sort of way were you looking at Marc?” demanded Faith.
“No different to usual,” I said quickly.
“Yeah, it was just that he was walking around the beach in these tiny shorts that showed off his ass and he wasn’t wearing a shirt either and—” She winced at my pained expression. “Shit. Sorry.”
“Damn,” breathed Faith. “I’m sorry I missed it.”
“It’s better you did,” I muttered.
She shot me a sharp look. “Why?”
I hesitated before I spoke. “Because some things should remain a mystery about one’s security specialist.”
The others cracked up and I sighed.
“No, really,” I said. “I wasn’t prepared for it. He was pretending to be an extra and the next thing I know he’s, he’s—” I waved a hand in front of me. “Strutting across the sand half-naked and I mess up my line.”
Faith raised an eyebrow. “Strutting?”
“Strutting,” I confirmed. “Like some sort of male model.”
“With a really great ass,” Chloe added, helpfully.
I stifled another sigh.
Chloe’s eyes rounded. “And then, later on, he takes down this reporter guy in one move! You should have seen it! Sexy and badass.” Chloe frowned. “Hmm. I think that’s a tautology, isn’t it? Badass pretty much covers the sexy part.”
“Whoa. Back up,” Faith said. “He decked some reporter?”
Chloe glanced at me, worried she’d overstepped the mark again, and I just shrugged. She may as well tell them.
A week on, I was amazed it hadn’t made the news. For once, luck must have been on my side and it seemed like no one had caught it on their camera phone. My PR team had been quick to contact the reporter’s paper and encourage them to keep it quiet. They politely reminded them the reporter had been in a restricted area and, after some negotiation, had agreed I’d do an interview on my upcoming movie with exclusive behind-the-scenes shots. I’d just have to make sure Jay or Tim was with me instead of Marc when the interview was held.
Faith and Ally listened while Chloe relayed the story. When she was done, they waited for me to speak.
“He told me he was doing his job,” I said.
“He kind of was, wasn’t he?” Ally said.
“Maybe. I’m not sure I agree with the degree of force.”
“The reporter was getting really close, though,” Chloe said. “Not that I’m defending him, but Marc only had a split second to act and I’d say his response was automatic.”
“Do you think so?” I asked. I’d been in the middle of it so it was hard to be objective about it.
“Yes, absolutely,” Chloe said. “He saw a threat and he handled it. It’s his job to protect you.”
“No,” I corrected her. “It’s his job to find out who came into my trailer.”
Ally cleared her throat. “It’s his job to do both, Lena.”
My response was to stand up. My head pounded as I did. I’d probably had too much sun and was ready to go inside. I’d also had enough of this conversation. “Well, it’s my job to look good in front of the camera. I’ve got a premiere to go to on Friday and I’ve been informed he’ll be attending.”
“As your boyfriend,” Faith added, observing my dark look. “Come on, I’m sure badass can pull it off.”
“Maybe. Let’s just pray he can do his job without making mine any more difficult.”
Chapter 8
Usually I’d feel at home on the red carpet. The spotlights and flash photography didn’t dazzle me like they had at my first movie premiere. My years of modeling meant I could maintain my composure for as long as required, a smile at the ready.
Tonight it wasn’t proving so easy.
It probably had something to do with the man standing beside me wearing a serious expression, his arm casually draped around my waist.
Heartbreaker (Hollywood Hearts Book 2) Page 4
