Starshine
Page 1
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
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Thank You
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Melody Winter
Starshine
Melody Winter
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
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Thank You
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Melody Winter
First Kindle edition © 2017 Melody Winter.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserves. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form other than that in which it was purchased and without the written permission of the author.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover art and design by J C Clarke, The Graphics Shed
Formatting by J C Clarke, The Graphics Shed
To Denise, for being her persuasive self.
I hugged my newly acquired clipboard to my chest, and shuffled from one foot to the other. Nerves—they always got the better of me, but I was determined not to let them ruin what was, hopefully, going to be the best day of my life.
I moved around, trying to walk-out my twitchy muscles, and calm my fluttering stomach. I flipped thought the papers on my clipboard, running through what would happen today. This was all a bit crazy. I’d lost count of the number of times I’d read the director’s notes, and I’d memorised the script that was attached to the back of them. I couldn’t stand still, and my focus kept darting to the main doors of the studio every time a person entered the room.
“Ella,” Rowan, the director called. He waved me toward him, offering a wide smile as I approached. “Alex is on his way. Just don’t expect too much from him. He’s cranky at the best of times first thing on a morning, and he doesn’t like strangers on set.”
I nodded my understanding. But I didn’t take his words as a warning, more a joke, something to worry me before the main man arrived.
“This is it,” I muttered to myself, my eyes fixed trance-like on the doors. This was about to happen. I was about to meet him.
I had never been a lucky person, no four-leaf clovers ever found their way to me; no pot of gold waiting at the end of the rainbow. Hell—if I ever reached the end of a rainbow I would probably find my ex-boyfriend waiting for me.
How I ever got picked for four weeks’ work experience on this movie would always remain a mystery. But I didn’t care. If I’d had any money left over from my scavenging student days I’d have paid every penny I had to just be here, never mind included in the production crew. And all my excitement was because he was in the film.
So here I was on the set of Starshine, the most eagerly anticipated film to be released later this year, waiting for the star of the film to appear for his first scene of the day.
When the studio doors flew open, my clipboard slipped in my hand and I juggled it several times before grasping hold of it again. There he stood, glaring around the room before he strolled forward.
Nothing could have prepared me for the physical presence of this man. The television interviews, the films, even the pictures that regularly appeared in magazines, did not do him justice. He was soul melting gorgeous. A dark blue shirt hung from his broad shoulders—the neckline of a black t-shirt showing underneath, black, worn jeans hugged his slim hips, and his tall frame was somehow accentuated by the casual way he had his thumbs hooked into his front pockets.
I stared, unabashed, as he swaggered into the room. He almost looked as if he was growling at the crew as he passed them.
As he headed toward Rowan, his eyes flashed to me.
“Who’s this?” he snapped, inclining his head in my direction.
“Ella. She’s on work experience,” Rowan said.
Alex’s hands pushed through his hair, and I nearly whimpered out loud at seeing him caress his locks—how many times had I seen him do that in interviews and wished it were me who could run my hands through it.
“Fuck!” he snarled. “Today’s already up shit creek and then we have fucking work experience watching it all. I hope she’s signed the confidentiality clause. Because if she hasn’t, someone had better kick her scrawny ass out of here.”
His eyes wandered to me again, his face set in a stony expression.
I took a step backward, wanting to hide from his overly knowing gaze. My heartbeat raced and I lifted my hand to my chest, spreading my fingers against the base of my throat. This wasn’t how I imagined he would be. He was never like this in interviews.
His cold eyes pierced into mine as he continued with his rant. “I bet she has posters of me all over her bedroom wall—don’t you, sweetheart?”
I gulped audibly at his question that seemed more like an accusation. I only had one poster of him, and that would be ripped to the floor and thrown in the rubbish bin when I got home.
My fantasy man had just disappeared—he was nothing like the person I thought he was.
A predatory smirk pulled at his mouth before he turned back to Rowan. “Let’s get on with this shit then. I don’t have all fucking day.”
That was my introduction to Alex Denton.
Frozen to the spot, I continued to observe Alex’s unsettling display of character. He pulled his shirt off, threw it on the flo
or and clicked his fingers in the direction of one of the crew members. I presumed it was his signal for one of them to pick his shirt up, and I held in a shuddering breath as a woman scurried over to the discarded item before folding it neatly and placing it across the back of a vacant chair.
He didn’t offer any thanks, just sauntered over to the interior set design and settled at the table that was prepared for the scene he would be shooting today. Another female, a young blonde, hurried over to him before touching up his make-up.
“So, where is she? The least she could do is get here on time.” He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the wooden table, glowering at Rowan who was flicking through a handful of loose papers.
“Alex, I’m sorry. You know what Amy is like. She’s very delicate . . .”
“Delicate, my ass. She’s lazy, completely fucking lazy. Slept in again I should think. Too busy spreading her legs for that hippy boyfriend of hers.”
“Alex, please. I don’t need any animosity between you two today. It’s the main reason we’re having to completely re-shoot these scenes. Your anger toward each other shows through on film.”
Alex sprung to his feet, the chair clattering behind him as he marched toward Rowan.
“Are you saying that I can’t act, huh? Is that what you’re saying? Because if you are, you’d better watch yourself. I’m the star around here. Not you. Not sweet, fucking, pathetic Amy Strickland!”
“No, no . . . Alex. That’s not what I meant. Of course you can act.”
I watched their interchange with growing disbelief and anger. Alex Denton was an absolute shit. My fantasies that had revolved around him for the past seven years were crashing down around me every time he opened his mouth or glared at some-one. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, or see.
And still he continued. “If I walked from this movie the whole thing would be one major big fail. No Alex Denton! No fucking movie!”
I couldn’t help myself as I guffawed loudly at his egotistical words.
The general buzz of people quietly chatting, pretending not to listen, stopped. All eyes in the room turned to me, including the coldest blue eyes I had ever had the misfortune to meet. They were the same eyes I had seen staring into mine, night after night when I dreamt about him.
“You got something to say, Work Experience?” he sneered.
I swallowed hard, fighting the bile that was rising in my throat.
“N-no.” I managed to stutter.
“Didn’t think you would. Your sort never does.”
I curled my right hand into a clenched fist, and found my voice. “My sort?”
“Yeah, your sort.” His lips curled into an even wider sneer. “Always the fucking same.”
I straightened my shoulders. “And what exactly does that mean?”
He narrowed his eyes, as if contemplating his reply. I didn’t miss the way he lowered his gaze to scan my body. I felt naked, as if he was ogling me, sizing me up against every other female he had known. I was sure there were many. I tried to stay positive, and lifted my clipboard to my chest before crossing my arms over it. It was the only physical barrier between us.
“Ah, Alex, Amy is here,” Rowan said, breaking mine and Alex’s silent standoff.
He rushed over to the studio doors to greet the arrival of the other star of Starshine, but I was very much aware of a penetrating stare that was fixed to my face—the glare of Alex Denton.
I turned my attention to him, and was met, once again, by his piercing eyes. This time though, he wasn’t sneering, he was pouting, his lips twitching. His jaw tensed and relaxed several times as he continued to stare at me. I refused to look away, and our eyes locked for several seconds, neither one of us willing to be the first one to break the contact.
“Well, maybe you’re not the same,” he said. “But what the fuck do I care?”
He spun around and headed back to the set. I couldn’t help but follow his path across the room. Unfortunately, my attention was fixed on his ass.
I snapped out of my reverie when he turned around and caught me checking out his behind. He tutted, and shook his head before picking the chair up that he’d tipped over.
“Shit,” I swore quietly to myself. The last thing I had wanted was for the walking, talking ego to see me checking out his rear, even if it was incredibly nice.
“Evening,” he drawled as Amy positioned herself in the chair opposite him at the table.
“Alex.” Her response was cold, her body language stiff.
“So, what kept you?” he hissed. “No, don’t tell me. I can guess. But I’m confused. You never used to be a morning person.”
Amy’s shoulders rose and then fell as she sighed.
“Some things never change,” he added.
She flicked her dark auburn hair over her shoulder, the gesture so dramatic I immediately visualised her in a shampoo advertisement. “Alex, I’ll refuse to work with you if this constant verbal abuse keeps up.”
Alex slotted his fingers together before placing them behind his head. He tipped the chair on its back legs. “Just go then. I wanted you to fuck off after the first film. I never thought you’d stick around when you knew you weren’t wanted. Not for this long.”
I gasped. Not only was he making no effort to keep his conversation quiet, he seemed to be excelling at upsetting Amy. As far as I was aware, Amy had only started dating her new boyfriend, Simon, at the start of filming Starshine, this film, the third in the series. Alex and Amy had been an item up until then. But Alex had said that he didn’t want her around after the first film. Did that mean that he’d behaved like this toward Amy all through Sunspark, the second film as well? I had no idea how she managed to put up with him.
I quickly recalled all the public appearances they had made together to promote the films. They always looked so in love—touching each other, small gestures like holding hands, the lingering looks. Was it all an act?
Many fans had been heartbroken when they announced their break-up. Amy had sited Alex’s wandering eye, and the pressures of working together as well as living together, as the reasons they split. But he was still adored by the female fans who now all thought that they stood a change with him. Amy’s statement about his wandering eye had given him a reputation that had only increased his fans obsessive interest in him.
“Oh look!” Alex shot a glare in my direction. “Seems I’m surprising Work Experience Girl.”
“Alex,” Amy hissed before reaching across the table toward him.
Alex raised an eyebrow at her. “Why? What are you worried about?”
“Alex. Stop it!”
“Come on, tell me.” Alex teased, obviously enjoying the reaction he was causing.
Amy pushed her chair away from the table. “Rowan, please tell him to stop.”
Rowan looked over to them. “Why can’t you two just get along? We’ve only got two weeks of filming. We’ve got a lot to get through if you don’t want to be hauled back for more re-shoots.”
Amy stomped her foot. I widened my eyes at her childish reaction. Amy’s foot stomping seemed to amuse Alex. “Now, now, Miss Perfect.”
She stamped her foot again and screamed before heading toward Rowan. “If he doesn’t stop annoying me I’m going back to my dressing room. I will not come out for the rest of the day.”
“Alex, please?” Rowan implored as he turned to face him.
Alex motioned with his hand for Amy to sit down. “Get the camera’s rolling then, Rowan. At least when I’m acting I can pretend to like her.”
I shook my head at the animosity between them. How on earth had they managed to convince the public as well as film buffs that they liked each other and that the characters they played loved each other?
Everything I’d read and seen about them had been a complete lie. I couldn’t get a grasp on the reality of it all, and how easily they’d deceived the public. But there was one thing I was sure of: the statement that Alex had thrown at Rowan a few minutes ago, the one when
he thought his acting abilities were being called into question, had never been so correct. I was confident that Alex Denton was the best actor around. The problem was that he didn’t only act in his films, he acted every second of when he was in the public domain.
I hated him for it. But I hated myself even more for having ever believed it.
As soon as Amy was settled, filming started. And, just as Alex had said, all the animosity between them faded as they became the characters in the film. I wouldn’t have believed that such a change could happen if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. The difference in them both was astonishing. The characters they were playing were madly in love with each other, and whilst acting, the look of love in Alex’s eyes was so real.
As soon as Rowan shouted, “Cut!”, and the scene was over, Alex returned to his snarling self. After each scene, he headed toward the corner of the room. He sunk onto a chair where he drank from bottles of water and studied the script. If anyone dared to approach him, he scowled at them. If anyone was stupid enough to talk to him, he snapped at them.
Amy surprised me. She wasn’t much better than Alex. Although she did anything but remain quiet in between scenes. She shrieked at her make-up artist for more coverage, she continually moaned about the clothes the costume department had organised for her, and she rudely bossed everyone around, ordering them to fetch her coffees and snacks from external coffee houses rather than the canteen attached to the studios. But she wasn’t bothered. If she wanted it, she made sure somebody fetched it for her.
I got to see just how rude she could be when Rowan decided to introduce me to her. I was nervous about meeting her, but nowhere near as nervous as I had been with Alex.
“Amy, this is Ella, she—” Rowan started.
“Work experience. I know. Alex mentioned her.” She didn’t lift her gaze away from the magazine she was reading.
“Hi,” I said, speaking as clearly as my nerves would let me.
Any hopes I had of her being friendly toward me completely disappeared as she waved her hand in the air, dismissing me.
Heat rose across my face, and I dipped my head as I shuffled away. Embarrassed at the way she had spoken to me, I took a surreptitious glance around the studio, hoping no-one else had witnessed the event. No such luck. Alex was watching, a frown on his forehead.