Hollywood & Vine

by Olivia Evans

  With a flick of his wrist, Anders turned off the lamp and crawled into bed. Even though his body sagged with fatigue, his mind refused to rest. Unable to ignore the reason for his sleepless nights any longer, he reached for his phone and pulled up the messages from Josie. His anger rose as the memory of their last conversation replayed in his mind. While he might have gotten what he wanted, something didn’t sit right. She obviously lied about believing him and he wanted to know why.

  The cursor blinked in the Google search box as he typed out his name. As soon as the page loaded, he understood. To anyone outside of Hollywood, the pictures attached made the bullshit article appear credible. Josie should have known better. Again, he wondered why she cared if he was with someone else. The last time they spoke, she made her feelings about their relationship crystal clear.

  He shook his head. There was no relationship. They weren’t even friends. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her or how bothered he was that she believed he lied. Sure, he’d lied before, but this was different. For whatever messed up reason, he missed seeing and talking to her. She was a smart-ass with a quick temper and stubborn as hell, but strange as it was, those were things he liked about her. He wondered if they could be friends.

  “Right,” he muttered. Opening his text messages again, he stopped fighting what he’d wanted to do from the beginning.

  Hey.

  Josie bobbed to the beat of the music blaring through the headphones and studied the drawing on the paper. It was after one in the morning, but after spending most of the day going over a new script, the design ideas were flowing. She reached for a glass of water on the table, but paused when the screen of her phone lit with a notification.

  With furrowed brows, she removed the headphones and killed the music. No one texted at this time of night except Anders. The moment the thought entered her mind she tried to wipe it away, but it was too late. His name hung in the air like the blade of a guillotine.

  Like Anders, Josie had spent the week battling her own feelings of guilt and regret. Guilt for the way she’d handled the situation. She’d treated Anders as he treated everyone else, and regardless of whether he deserved it, she cheapened herself to prove a point.

  Josie’s parents always told her to trust her instincts, but she didn’t listen. No matter how many warning bells told her to walk away, she thought she could handle him. She never imagined having any kind of emotional response to him where anger wasn’t the motivating factor. Somewhere along the way, though, Anders had gotten under her skin. Avoiding him on the set was almost impossible. She was always aware of his presence. His gaze made her skin prickle and her breathing accelerate.

  Even now, her heart beat a little faster when she realized the text was from Anders. Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, she tossed the phone on the table. He was probably drunk, and she was done being a pawn in his game. When it came to Anders Ellis, she was out of her league.

  The following day, in the heat of the late afternoon sun, Anders stalked across the lot toward his trailer. The combination of his late night activities and hellish day on set had his temper balancing on a knife’s edge. Not to mention, he never heard back from Josie. Sure he was being presumptuous, but none of that mattered. He didn’t like being ignored.

  Agitation caused his teeth to clench until his jaw ached. He didn’t understand what had changed over the course of the last week, but staying away from her took more energy than chasing her. The level of annoyance this revelation created was astronomical.

  “Fuck it.” Tired of her avoidance and the obsession it created, he changed direction and headed toward the costume department. With his hands shoved into his pockets and his trademark cocky confidence, he sauntered down the hall. Music floated through the speakers as he approached a set of conference rooms. One of the doors stood ajar, and when he peeked inside, he spotted Josie on the other side of a long table. Sucking in a deep breath, he knocked on the frame twice.

  Josie looked up, her eyes widening. He pushed his hand back into his pocket and crossed one leg in front of the other. “Hey.”

  Josie sat unmoving, the sight of him standing in the doorway, the picture of calm, rendered her speechless. When she didn’t respond, Anders shifted, his defenses kicking up. Seeking her out was a dumb idea. They would never have a conversation like normal people. He scoffed and pushed off the door. He wasn’t going to look like a fool. “Whatever.”

  He turned to leave, the movement causing Josie to find her voice. “What do you want?”

  “Wow. Is that how people greet each other these days? Looks like I need to brush up on my social skills.” Even though he was annoyed with the sharp tone in her voice and the hostility of her question, his shoulders relaxed. As weird as it sounded, sparring with her created an odd sense of familiarity that wasn’t unwelcome.

  “I wasn’t aware that ‘let’s have coffee and fuck’ was an acceptable greeting either, but it seems to work well for you.”

  Anders smiled and walked into the room, falling into the chair across from Josie. She didn’t have to invite him in; her smart-ass response was all the invitation he needed. “It does, doesn’t it?”

  “Oh my God,” Josie sighed, dropping her pen on the desk. “What do you want, Anders?”

  He leaned back and studied her face. The skin under her eyes seemed a little darker, her posture slumped. “Are you sick?”

  “What? No, I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look so hot.” He knew the moment he spoke she was about to tear into him. “Wait.” He held up his hands to ward off her verbal assault. “I mean you look tired, and no, I don’t mean by tired you look like shit. We both know I’d tell you if that was the case. Just, fuck. Are you okay?”

  “Are you high?” It was the only response she had for the rambling man sitting across from her.

  “No, I’m not high. Jesus Christ.” He blew out a breath and wiped his palms down the front of his pants.

  “Then why are you here?” Josie clasped her hands and twisted her fingers together to distract herself. As much as she willed her mind to stay in the present, memories of the last time they were alone together came rushing back.

  “You lied to me.” That wasn’t how Anders wanted to start the conversation, but it was out there now.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You said you believed me, but you didn’t.”

  Josie nodded. “I know.”

  “Why?”

  “Why would I? You have the shittiest reputation of anyone in Hollywood. And besides, it doesn’t matter anyway. You don’t owe me anything. We’re not friends.”

  Anders ignored the comment about his reputation. There wasn’t much of an argument on that front. Instead, he focused on her other comment, a smirk threatening the corner of his mouth. “We could be.”

  “Friends?” Josie laughed. “We can’t be friends. Better yet, why would we be? You…you don’t even like me.” By the time she finished speaking, her once clasped hands were moving animatedly in the air. Clearly, Anders had lost his mind.

  “I like you,” Anders argued. “Sometimes.”

  At Josie’s incredulous expression, Anders blew out a frustrated breath.

  “Well, I’m not very fond of you right this moment because you won’t even entertain the idea of us being friends. And you still think I’m a liar.”

  “Anders.” Josie’s voice had taken on a gentle tone, one that was unfamiliar to Anders. Somehow, it diffused his building anger. “Why do you want to be friends? We’ve yet to have a conversation without one of us being hateful. That’s not friendship.”

  “Would it be so bad to try? We can grab coffee or something.”

  “Is that code for sex? Because you played that card already. I’m not having sex with you again.”

  “I’m not trying to have sex with you, damn it. Not that I would turn you down if you offered, but in case you haven’t noticed, you’re the one that keeps bringing it up. Why is that, Josie?”

  S
he stared for a moment. Either she could answer with a snarky reply and piss him off, or be honest. Snark had yet to make him go away, so maybe a little honesty would do the trick. “Because that’s what I equate you to, Anders. Sex. It’s how we met and how our arrangement ended. It was always physical. Why should I expect anything different now?”

  Josie had a point, but something kept Anders glued to his seat. Before he realized what he was doing, he answered with the same level of honesty.

  “I think I miss you.”

  Josie’s stomach fluttered as her mouth fell open in shock. Of all the answers she expected, that wasn’t one. “You think you miss me?”

  Anders looked around the room before locking eyes with her. Determination set in his features as his head and heart fought against one another. “Yeah. Don’t ask me why, because you’re the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever met, but I do.”

  “Well.” Josie paused, trying to find an appropriate response. “That’s unexpected.”

  “How the fuck do you think I feel?” Indignation colored his tone, but a playful half-smile softened his words.

  “How awful for you.”

  “The worst.” He leaned forward. “So what do you say? Will you try?”

  Josie’s smile slipped. They had crossed so many lines. Any attempt at friendship was doomed. Still, if she was honest, she missed him too. “I don’t know how this will work. I don’t have time for anything except work.”

  “That explains why you’re so damn uptight.” Anders snapped his jaw shut at the sight of Josie’s familiar angry glare. “Look, all I mean is, I want to speak to you and know you’ll answer with something other than fuck off. I’m not suggesting we sign up for pottery classes.”

  “Of course we wouldn’t. People might get the wrong idea.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her tone, but Anders’ expression confirmed she failed.

  “I don’t want to do this again, okay? It has nothing to do with you. I just don’t want our picture plastered all over the Internet with assumptions about us.”

  “What am I then? A friend? But not like Owen, who you have no problem going out with. And not like the women you’re always pictured with. Am I like an imaginary friend? One only you can see?”

  “It’s just different. You’re a girl. I can’t go out with you like I do with Owen. And those women are not friends, Ivy. As you said, they’re a means to an end. There’s no confusion about the nature of our involvement. Do you want the paps hounding you with questions? It’s not pleasant. Trust me.” If she pushed for something like that, no matter how much it bothered him, he’d walk away.

  “If we’re going to be friends, answer one question. What happened to you?” She leaned back in her chair, more interested in his answer than she wanted to admit.

  Anders balked. “What do you mean? Nothing happened to me.” He swallowed hard and made sure his expression didn’t give away his lie.

  Josie shook her head. “That’s what I thought. Everything has to be on your terms.”

  “Well damn, Ivy, most people start with questions about favorite colors and music. Maybe what sports they’re into. You might as well have asked for my social security number.” The truth was, he was more willing to give his social security number, bank account information, or pretty much anything else to avoid talking about that part of his past.

  “When you’re ready to really try to be friends, let me know. Otherwise, I have work to do.” Josie wasn’t going to let him dictate everything.

  Tense silence filled the room as Anders stood and moved to the door. There was nothing left to say. With a shake of his head he moved into the hallway. “See ya around, Ivy.”

  Josie closed her eyes and dropped her chin. “See ya.”

  However, over the next few days she didn’t see him. There were no surprise visits to her department and somehow she even managed to miss him on set. The loss of communication bothered her more than expected.

  Had he never approached with his “let’s be friends” insanity, she wouldn’t have cared. Now, she was plagued with confusion. Because the truth was, the way she felt when she thought about him was far from friendly. Surely she hadn’t developed feelings for him. Impossible. In all the years she’d dated, not once had she become invested in a relationship. There was no way fate would be so cruel as to make it happen now, and certainly not with someone like Anders Ellis.

  Sighing, she stepped into the hall and moved toward the set. The crew was preparing to go on location in two days, and she needed to make sure everything was ready. When Craig had inquired about her travel plans, she confirmed she’d taken care of everything. The fact that Anders had yet to mention the trip reinforced that she was in the clear.

  Josie opened her notepad and began checking off items on the list. In her distraction, she failed to notice someone had stepped beside her until an arm wrapped around her shoulders and a quick kiss landed on her cheek.

  “Hey, stranger.” Holden grinned and tightened his arm around Josie’s neck.

  “Shit.” Josie laughed and smacked his stomach while trying to twist out of his grasp. “You scared the crap out of me. Let me go, fool.”

  “No way. You’ve been MIA all week. If I let go, you’ll scurry off to whatever hole you’ve been hiding in.”

  Josie dropped her arms in defeat and scowled. “You’re a jerk. And I do not scurry. Dart maybe, but not scurry.” Rolling her eyes, she waved her hand toward him. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

  “I stopped by to take Maddie to lunch, but it seems her slave driver boss has her working nonstop. I figured since you were so good at the whole disappearing thing, you’d be able to scurry—I mean dart—away.”

  “I’m about to hit you. And does it look like I have any free time? I’m trying to make sure the crew has everything they need before they leave.”

  “Don’t you mean before you leave?”

  Josie jerked her head to the side at the abrupt sound of Anders’ angry voice. “What?”

  Anders flicked his gaze to the guy standing next to Josie, focusing on the arm draped over her shoulder. He wanted to break it. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  “Um…” Josie looked at Holden, who was scowling at Anders, then back to Anders, whose gaze burned into her like fire. The situation had potential to get out of hand, especially if she understood Anders correctly. “Sure, give me five minutes. I’ll meet you in your trailer.”

  Anders nodded and spun on his heel. If he lingered a second longer, he wasn’t sure he could control the impulse to rip off the guy’s arm. Since leaving Josie a few days earlier, his head had been a mess. Nothing made sense. After her question about his past, that should have been the end of it. They were at an impasse. Game over.

  Of course his resolve went to hell the moment he saw some douchebag hanging all over her. It had been a long time since Anders experienced jealousy, but he recognized it immediately. Possessiveness burned in his chest and caused his fists to clench and jaw to tighten. He only planned to walk by, make his presence known, but when he realized she had no intention of going on location, the threadbare hold on his emotions snapped in two.

  The second hand of his watch mocked him as he paced around the room. Only a couple of minutes had passed and already he wanted to storm back to the set and throw her over his shoulder.

  “Took you long enough.” His words hit Josie like a bucket of ice water as soon as she stepped inside.

  “What the hell is your problem?”

  “Who was the guy?”

  “What?”

  “The guy. Who was he, Ivy?” Anders clenched his fists as curiosity and a feeling of dread washed over him.

  “Not that it’s any of your damn business, but that was my brother you just acted like a complete dick in front of.”

  “Your brother?” He exhaled, the tension loosening in his shoulders.

  “Why do you care? Were you”―Josie smiled―“were you jealous?” She would be a flat-out liar if she said th
e thought didn’t make her happy.

  Instead of answering her question, because there was no way he would admit he was jealous, he answered her with one of his own. “Are you packed?”

  Josie pulled in a deep breath. He was in rare form and fighting would make things worse. “Packed for what?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Ivy. We leave the day after tomorrow to go on location. So I’m going to ask again, are you packed?”

  “You can’t be serious. Why on Earth would I go to Arizona? The only reason you wanted me there was on the off chance that we hadn’t slept together. But we have, so why would I go?”

  Anders’ mouth fell open as realization dawned on him. “That’s why you did it. You thought if we fucked, you wouldn’t have to go to Arizona.”

  “Of course that’s why. My God, Anders, you have done nothing but lie and manipulate every situation since we met.” Josie threw her arms out wide, her exasperation clear.

  “I’ve had it with you calling me a liar.” He pulled out his phone, tapping a few keys as he moved in front of her. “Look.” He shoved the phone in her hands, crossed his arms, and waited.

  Josie looked at him like he’d lost his mind before glancing at the phone. As soon as she did, she stopped breathing. Moving the pad of her thumb over the screen, she scrolled through the girl’s Facebook pictures. The captions caused her heart to stutter. “How did you find these?”

  Anders shook his head. “It’s not hard to find shit when you want to. I Googled my name and the name of the place I had dinner with Owen. The girl, Jana, had posted pictures online. It was one of the first hits. She was there with her boyfriend, Josie. She came over and asked for a picture and an autograph. That’s all. I wasn’t on a date with anyone.” His voice had lowered by the time he finished speaking, his tone softer.

  “Fuck.” Josie covered her face and sucked in a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t believe you, okay? You can’t blame me, though. Can you say you’ve never lied to me?”

  Anders clamped his lower lip between his teeth and shook his head. “No. I can’t.”