Starshine

by Melody Winter

  “And you think you’re that man?” I said. “Do you seriously think that I could ever find your greasy hair, and your over-sized body squeezed into that horrendous shiny pinstripe suit attractive? That I would ever want to have your nicotine stained grubby, stumpy little fingers touching my body? You’re more of a fool than I would have ever thought.” I screwed my nose up. “Firstly, you got involved with a woman who clearly has no morals whatsoever, and secondly, are you so damn stupid that you think any woman would find you attractive. It’s your money, Pierce. It’s all they want. It’s all Amy wants you for. I wonder how many hand-outs you’ve given her in the past years. New dresses, new shoes, holidays, birthday presents. Oh, the list will be endless. You’re not attractive, you’re a fool. Women don’t love you, they laugh at you. You’re pathetic!”

  Pierce glared at me, but I refused to drop my gaze.

  “No-one wants you here, Pierce. I suggest you back down graciously for once in your life. Do the decent thing. Sell your shares to Alex, get out of here. Run to Amy. Leave all of us alone. We don’t want you anymore.”

  He took in a breath as if he was about to speak, but Thomas started clapping slowly, the action quickly became louder as Verity joined in. It was mere seconds before the rest of the them also joined in.

  Encouraged by their response, I raised the volume of my voice so it was heard above the sound of the clapping. “Get out, Pierce. You’re fired!”

  I didn’t expect him to go. But to my surprise, he rose from his chair and headed to the door. He gave me one last lingering stare, and I stuck my middle finger up at him.

  My adrenaline kicked in and I reached blindly for Alex.

  “Ella” he said pulling me against him and hugging me. “You were unbelievable.”

  I welcomed his hold on my shaking body, and when he kissed me, I forgot there were other people in the room and kissed him back, eagerly.

  A quiet cough sounded out, but I was too lost in the sensation of kissing Alex. It was only when Alex smiled against my lips, that I remembered where I was. I slowly pulled away from him as I turned to face the many smiling faces in the room.

  “Sorry,” I said quietly, embarrassed at my enthusiastic show of affection.

  “Yeah, sorry,” Alex added, sounding anything but. His hands remained wrapped around me as he sat down and pulled me onto his knee.

  “No need to apologise,” Clarissa said. “We need a lot more of that from both of you if Ella’s going to star in Solarflare with you.”

  “What?” Alex and I asked at the same time.

  Verity nodded at us. “We made the decision before we asked Ella to chat with us. We saw the way you two were with each other. It’s the sort of chemistry we need for the final film. We think that Ella will be the perfect actress to play Evelyn. We’re aware that Ella’s acting career only spans to this little clip that’s doing the rounds. And you need to be aware that we’re placing a lot of trust in both of you and a lot of responsibility. You two are going to have to make this film a success!”

  Alex nodded, and I tried desperately not to go into meltdown over the whole thing.

  “Is that all okay with you, Ella? You seem a bit shocked,” Amber asked.

  “Yes. But do you all think I can do it? I mean like you said, I’ve only done that one scene with Alex. That is my acting career. There’s nothing else before it.”

  Thomas cleared his throat. “Ella, the last film is the raunchiest of the lot. Clarissa has insisted from the very beginning that we need to put across the depth of the character’s relationship, show how completely and utterly in love they are with each other. Are you telling us you can’t do that?”

  “No. I think I can do that.”

  Alex tightened his arms around me as he nuzzled my neck.

  “You two are just how I imagined Ryan and Evelyn,” Clarissa said, tears wetting the corner of her eyes. “I think you’ll both do wonderfully. Ella, you just need to let your emotions run true to how you feel for Alex, and Alex, well . . . you know what you need to do.”

  He nodded. “I was dreading filming it with Amy, particularly after I read the script. But now, with Ella alongside me, I know it’ll be so easy to capture everything you want.”

  Megan cleared her throat. “New contracts,” she said, bringing the meeting back to a business one. “Alex will need a new contract, and Ella will need one. I hope she will be getting at least what Amy was. She’s stepping in as an immediate replacement that’ll ensure that the film has no hold ups—a fact that works to your advantage.”

  Verity glanced at Thomas, who nodded at her. “We’ll pay her twice what Amy was due,” she said. “We honestly think she’ll be worth it.”

  I gasped. I was going to be paid what I imagined to be quite a lot of money just for acting myself around Alex.

  “We’ll need a lot from Ella for this,” Verity said, leaning toward Megan. “You’ll need to look through the contracts properly. We expect to start filming in a months’ time, and we will also need Ella to be available for promoting Starshine.”

  Megan nodded, but I frowned. “But I thought I was only doing Solarflare. I wasn’t in Starshine. Well, only one scene.”

  “Do you honestly think that fans will want to see Amy doing the promotions with Alex after all this?” he said. “No, Ella. They’ll want you. You will increase the popularity of the film. I think you’re even more popular than Alex at the moment.”

  Alex kissed my neck before rubbing his lips back and forth across the skin. Everyone in the room fell silent.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t help myself.”

  Clarissa smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said, the love between Ryan and Evelyn is the major part of this last film. To be honest, I was dreading you filming it with Amy. It would never have worked. But you two, well . . . it’ll be very intense—exactly what we need.”

  “Can we go?” Alex asked. “Megan can sort the contracts with you. I need some fresh air, and I want to take Ella somewhere special.”

  Verity nodded. “Can you both try and keep a low profile for the next month. It’ll create a lot more of a buzz if you can lay low until we start the promotional tour with Starshine.”

  “Okay,” Alex agreed. “It seems we may be visiting Felix again.”

  I nearly shrieked with excitement about going back to Sao Miguel with him. We’d had a glorious time there, and even though we’d only come back yesterday, I was already missing it.

  Alex pushed me off his knee. “Come on gorgeous, let’s go and celebrate down by the river. I know a beautiful pub. It’s nice and quiet there. We won’t be spotted by anyone.”

  He moved around the room, shaking hands with everyone. I followed, doing the same. Clarissa hugged me when I reached her. “Just believe in yourself, Ella,” she whispered as she embraced me. “You are more than capable of doing this.”

  I nodded as the enormity of what I was about to do washed over me.

  I was going to star alongside Alex in Solarflare.

  Alex practically ran with me across the reception to the elevator. As we waited for the lift, he stood behind me, one arm wrapped tightly around my waist. After only a short time of waiting he pressed the lift call button several times.

  “Hey,” I said. “Calm down. What’s the rush?”

  “I want to get you in the lift, and seriously attack you Ella.” He spoke huskily against my ear. “I can’t do it in front of everyone. It’ll be more than X-rated.”

  I was about to respond, when the lift doors opened. Alex shuffled forward with me, both of his arms now wrapped tightly around my waist. Luckily, there was no-one in the lift as we stumbled into it. Alex reached behind him, hit the console and pressed the 'zero' button for the ground floor.

  “Lift going down,” a posh voice announced over the speakers.

  His lips crashed onto mine. His tongue urgently pushed into my mouth as he pressed his body against me, forcing me backward into a corner. His hands immediately went
to my legs, lifting the bottom of my dress up as he purposely thrust his hips against me. I had a strong suspicion what he was insinuating with his actions, but it was too risky. We’d just been told to keep a low profile, and he was behaving as if he wanted a lot more than just a kiss in the lift. I wriggled against him, managing to break away from his demanding lips.

  “Alex! Someone might stop the lift, get in on another floor,” I protested.

  He sighed, backing away from me steadily. I watched his face, waiting for the look of pure need and desire to wash away from it. It did none of the sort. He slowly licked his lips, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “I want you,” he practically growled. “I really, really want you.”

  I whimpered at the demanding way he spoke, but shook my head.

  “No. We can’t. It’s too risky.”

  The lift stopped and the doors opened.

  Alex leaned over me, shielding me in the corner whilst he had his back to the person who had got into the lift. As the doors pinged shut, he kissed me, not caring about there being anyone there.

  When the lift stopped again the friendly voice announced we were on the ground floor. Alex grabbed my hand and spun around before pulling me with him into the foyer.

  “Now,” he said. “Let’s get to that damn pub I was on about? I think we both have something to celebrate.”

  The car that had collected me and Alex from his house was waiting for us outside the offices, and we quickly stumbled into the back of it. He placed his arm across the back of the seats, behind my head, and I nestled into his side.

  “I know you’re going to like this place,” he said.

  “What place? The pub?”

  He nodded. “It’s not just any pub though. It’s a special one.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He didn’t say anything else, and I didn’t push for information, my head was already full, my mind running at a hundred miles an hour. It was all a bit of a blur. Alex had seemed certain of the result of the meeting before we arrived. Although I was positive he hadn’t expected Pierce to drop his bomb-shell about being the child of Amy’s aborted baby. He seemed to be coping with the news okay, but I was worried he may think back to it later.

  I was still shell-shocked about what my future entailed. Everyone had been so supportive with their decision for me to star in Solarflare. I had to pinch myself yet again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I was petrified of letting them down but I was confident that with Alex by my side, guiding me through everything, that I’d be okay—maybe I’d be more than okay.

  I glanced out of the front window and realised we were heading away from London.

  “Where is this pub?” I asked as I turned my scrutiny back to Alex.

  “Just outside London.”

  “So, you just pop there for a quick drink. Just outside of London?”

  “No. I happen to know the landlord pretty well. He’s a good friend of mine. I occasionally stay there to escape city life.”

  I frowned. “Do I know him at all?”

  “I doubt it. But, I think you may have heard of him. He’s the man I bought my shares off the other year.”

  I recalled the conversations from this afternoon. They mentioned that Alex had bought shares from the man who originally sided with Pierce.

  “Ben?” I asked.

  “That’s the man. He’s another person that I trust. There aren’t many of them, but he’s an absolute star.”

  I failed to see how.

  “Trust me, Ella. When we get there, I’ll explain everything, I promise.”

  The car eventually parked outside the most beautiful and quaint pub I had ever seen. The building was whitewashed with a thatched roof, and a flurry of colourful roses climbed around the door. It was like a picture postcard of a traditional English pub. Who’d have thought that Alex would come to a place like this?

  “Wait there a minute,” he said before climbing out of the car. He walked around the back of the car, and pulled something from the boot, before opening my door. He held out his spare hand for me to take.

  “Come on, Ella.”

  “When did you put that in?” I asked, seeing the familiar holdall in his other hand.

  “This?” he said, holding the bag up.

  I nodded.

  “I asked Megan to ring Anthony and pick a few things up for us from mine. I hope you don’t mind.”

  I frowned.

  “Come on, please. Out you get. I’ve told you, I’ll explain everything.”

  Alex wrapped his arm around me as he led me to the side of the building. I walked beside him, confused as to why we weren’t going through the main door of the pub. Was it because he was worried he’d be recognised? But then why did he say he came to stay out here?

  “This way,” he said, pushing open a high gate connected to the side of the pub. As we walked through the gate, my confusion grew even more when Alex didn’t turn toward the main building. He guided me away from it, through the gardens, and along a track that meandered down a gentle slope.

  “Alex, where are we going?” I asked as our journey continued.

  “Not far now, Ella.”

  I stopped when a sign stating, ‘PRIVATE PROPERTY – KEEP OUT,’ appeared before us.

  “Alex,” I hissed, pointing to the sign.

  “I know,” he replied. “But that’s not for us. Ben’s quite happy that I come down here.”

  A high stone wall climbed in front of us, but Alex carried on, heading to another wooden gate. Lifting the latch on this gate, he eagerly pulled my hesitant body through the opening before shutting it again.

  Another thatched building stood before us. This one was covered in even more roses, but was significantly smaller than the main building we had left behind. The walled garden made this area incredibly private, and all the trees and plants that surrounded it created the perfect camouflage.

  I couldn’t help but gasp. “It’s beautiful,” I said.

  “We’re staying here tonight,” Alex whispered, as he kissed my ear.

  “What?”

  “Ben and his wife finished decorating this cottage last year. They were going to rent it out to holiday-makers. When I saw it, I offered to pay them for the whole year. It’s the perfect get-away for me if city life gets too much to cope with.”

  “But, you said we’re staying here?”

  He nodded. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? You wait until you see what’s inside.”

  I stumbled forward as he continued to the front door at a faster pace.

  He pulled a key from the side pocket of the hold-all and unlocked the door.

  “Let me just put the bag in the bedroom, and then we’ll wander down to the river.”

  My eyes darted around the room that I’d stepped into. It was cosy and small. But the size of the cottage added to its charm. There were beams running across the ceiling, an open fireplace, and a huge sofa that practically filled the room. A vase of coloured roses sat in one of the tiny windows and was responsible for the sweet perfume that filled the air. Alex disappeared into a door at the far side of the room, but soon came out.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  He walked toward me, and pulled me into his arms as he kissed the top of my head.

  “Come on, then. Let’s go and sit outside. I’ll attempt to explain things a bit better.”

  He led me along a different path to the one that led to the front door, and we hadn’t; gone far when a river came into view. I squinted as the sun reflected a glint from something shiny. A few strides forward through some overhanging trees and our destination came into view. A wooden jetty stretched over the water, two chairs and a small table were on the side of the deck, and as we got nearer, I saw a silver bucket, the item that had caught the sun’s glare. The table had a white cloth over it and a huge vase of roses positioned in the centre. There also appeared to be what looked like two tall wine glasses.

 
Alex’s arm snaked around my waist as we stepped onto the deck.

  “I asked Ben to do this, but I think he got carried away. I just asked for the champagne.” He guided me to one of the chairs. “I hoped we’d have something to celebrate. Luckily, we do.”

  He stood behind my chair as I sat down.

  “Ella, are you sure you’re okay. You’ve not said a word since we got here?”

  “I’m fine,” I reassured him.

  “Fine’s nowhere near good enough,” he joked as he sat down and pulled his chair next to mine. “You do realise what’s happened today. We managed to secure you as the actress to star in Solarflare with me. Amy’s pimp got thrown off the board. She’s not going to have anything to do with the promotion of Starshine. We never need to deal with her or Pierce again. It’s just us two.”

  He reached for the champagne bottle, pulling it from the bucket of ice. He strained to open the bottle, eventually pushing the cork off, letting it fly out into the garden, lost forever in the foliage and plants. The fizzy liquid flowed out of the top of the bottle, spilling on the deck before Alex poured it into the glasses.

  He handed me a glass of champagne, and continued explaining things, but I was hardly listening. My head was struggling to register anything. My brain was too full. I just wanted to stop and recharge.

  “Ella? Are you sure you’re okay?” Alex asked.

  I took a deep breath. “My head’s a mess. I’m not sure how much more I can take of today.”

  Alex placed his glass down on the table before taking my hand. “Bring your glass with you,” he said. “Let’s go for a little walk.”

  I nodded, letting him lead me along the jetty. When we got to the end of the wooden walk-way, he crouched down and sat on the edge of it, his feet hanging over the edge. I joined him, sitting closely, and he placed his arm around my shoulders.

  “Ben’s done us proud,” he said before sipping his champagne.

  “How do you know him?” I asked. “I thought he’d be number one enemy up there with Pierce. Didn’t he vote with Pierce to have you take the blame for the break up with Amy?”