Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
I was hurt bad enough at the quiz night comment, reeling that it spelled the end of the true love triangle in all ways but via The Agency app, but now, seeing the rage on Heath’s face, I don’t know what the hell to think.
Josh walks over to the dresser, leaning back against it as he takes the stage.
“This has nothing the fuck to do with cargo ships, Heath, and nothing to do with Ella’s opinions. We haven’t come here with a plan all mapped out.”
I clear my throat.
“No, we haven’t. And I’m sorry, Heath. The ship thing was on me. It wasn’t Josh playing things down. He hasn’t been playing anything down. Neither of us have.”
Heath’s eyes soften just a touch. He nods just once.
His stare stays on me as he gives me a smile.
“Thank you for the sentiment, Ella. You’re a gem for a reason. I’ve heard whispers on the wind that you’re a creature in quite a lot of demand.”
My eyes narrow. Confused.
“Sorry, what?”
Heath tips his head. “I know someone, who knows someone, who knows people who know more people, and they aren’t like me, keeping their mouths shut and living behind high walls. They don’t stop yapping on every filming break, name dropping whenever they can.”
“Name dropping?”
“Hmm, yes. There is word going around of a golden hooker. A London trophy that people are going to be wanting a piece of.”
My stomach does a massive flip at the thought of Vinnie Hampton, and his talk of me being in demand.
“Word from where?” I ask. “Other actors?”
“The someone that I know who knows someone who knows people, has a lot of contacts in the US. In the music industry, actually. They starred in a music video for one of them once.”
“This kind of stuff is confidential,” Josh butts in, but Heath rolls his eyes.
“So’s everything in this bloody business, and the acting one. Don’t you see? It’s all the bloody same. Gossip, scandal, big pay checks and people using them.” Heath smiles at me. “Well done, Ella. It seems you’re doing extremely well. What may have seemed to be a hurricane, might well turn out to be a sunny day.”
I nod, focusing on Heath rather than Josh’s conservative grip on the rules.
“Yeah, I’ve heard rumours of that myself, but there’s only one type of sunny day that my heart is really crying out for. And that’s us. The three of us. In France.”
“Ditto for me, sweet curva. I’ve been craving that myself.”
Josh curses under his breath.
“Put another proposal in, then. France for fourteen weeks, if you really want to. If you want to risk the paps in your face, and your reputation being smashed all over social media, then go for it. We’ll charge a fee, you book us. Bingo. Job done.”
“And what if I did want to risk it?”
Josh’s eyes widen.
“You two have lost your minds. The pair of you.”
Heath looks back at me.
“At least two of us are on the same page.”
“I’d do fourteen weeks in France,” I say. “I don’t care who knows shit about me anymore. I just want to be me, doing what I love, being with people I love.” I shoot my boyfriend a stare. “That might make me crazy, but we all need to be crazy sometimes, don’t we?”
“This is madness,” Josh says, rubbing his forehead. “I’m only trying to protect everyone.”
Heath gets to his feet. “Protect us from what, exactly? People talking about us?” He wiggles his fingers like a ghost. “Ooooh, petrifying.”
Josh scoffs. “Whatever, Heath. You really have gone crazy. You’re the one who wants to hide in the shadows whenever you’re not filming.”
My boyfriend walks over to the minibar and pulls out a beer.
“What if I was wrong?” Heath says. “What if there is a life worth far more than being a reclusive TV star? Everyone has rumours surrounding them. I just choose not to notice mine. Why would it be any different if they were about hookers?”
“BECAUSE IT MIGHT COST YOU YOUR WHOLE CAREER!”
Whoa, I rarely ever see Josh lose it. He turns away from us and curses under his breath again. The silence is deafening. My ears pulsing with the tension.
Things calm down, slowly. Heath’s shoulders ease up, and he shakes his head, and Josh sighs, and turns back from the window.
“Sorry,” Josh says. “I just don’t want you to lose what’s important to you. Your career has been your life blood for years. No pun intended.”
“Maybe that was my mistake all along,” Heath says. “Does loving your career really mean that you can’t be who you want to be? If it does, then maybe I was wrong all along.”
Josh stares at him head on. I feel like a spectator as the two forces battle it out.
“Vinnie Hampton is a bit different to you. People expect it from him. He’s a rockstar, known for being a wild thing.”