“Hey.” My heart dropped into my stomach, “You’re not supposed to be here.” “I know Myra, I just want to talk-I want to congratulate you…on getting the job.” No words escaped my lips. “She’s very thankful, but she’ll appreciate it if you just leave.” Hannah said kindly. Lily frowned at all of us. Keeping Lily out of the loop was coming back to bite me in the bum. “Myra, can we talk in private, please.” Adams insisted again, moving closer. “My guy, maybe just leave? She doesn’t want to speak with you right now.” Bless Jeremy’s heart. He just met me and he was already standing up for me. Adams took a good look at him. Probably the first since he materialized at our table. “Who are you supposed to be?” “Right now, an acquaintance, hopefully we can be more than that while we work together on set.” He shot me a friendly wink and I smiled in return. Adams glowered at him, “Nobody’s going to be ‘more’ with Myra. She’s not in the market for a boyfriend.” His fingers c
Pierce stepped out of the shadows as he pushed his phone into his pocket. “Myra, I apologize for not being here to welcome you. I had to take a call.” He slowed to a stop opposite me.My heart sped up and I was arrested by his piercing gaze. The fairy lights cast a glow behind him giving him a look of an God with a halo around his head. A rugged one that would only drag me into the debts of hell.His hands rose gently to my face and caressed my nose gently, chasing the thought of him as a deity to the back of my mind.“Did you just boop my nose?”His lips twitched upwards in humor. “I thought you spaced out. You look beautiful as always.”I looked down at my pants, sweater and sneakers combo. It was hardly what Pierce would classify as beautiful, but I smiled. A compliment was a compliment. “So, what are we doing here?”He stepped to the side giving me a proper view of the gazebo again. Then he waved his hand like he was ushering me forward. Fighting the flutters in my stomach I wa
“Today really sucks huh?” Hannah sympathized. I let out a disgruntled breath in response. Since I joined her at our spot, I had planted my head permanently on the table with my eyes closed. To open them would mean I acknowledged my existence, and if I did, then my thoughts would stray to my evening with Pierce. And God, I wanted nothing more than to forget how willingly I gave myself to him. “And you refuse to tell me what Pierce did this time?” She poked my arm with a perfectly manicured finger.“I don’t wanna talk about it.” My voice came out muffled.“Gelato?”I propped my head up with my palms and watched as she gently pushed a bowl towards me. Pistacchio flavored. I grabbed a spoon.“You’re not ready to talk about Pierce, so let’s talk about work.”I let out a defeated groan and planted my head on the table again. Hannah chuckled, “Oh come on.”“My life so far has been one mistake after the other.”“Oof, that’s a bit harsh.”I raised my head. “I went through my script, Hannah
I shrugged and pulled him along. The conference room contained over two dozen people. Excitement buzzed the air as we all waited for O’Malley’s briefing. “Oh my God, that’s Sophia Bennett!” Jeremy gasped, tapping me in excitement. “She was in my favorite show. Too bad they had to end it prematurely. And now I’ll never know if Brady was in love with Sylvia or Jesse.” He sighed dramatically.“You could ask her.”“Why didn’t t I think of that?”I chuckled and glanced around the room in search of one man.“O’Malley’s not here?”“He was, but he had a bad coughing fit and left for a bit. But he’ll be out in…” -he checked his phone- “two minutes.”“How about Jace? I can’t see him.”“He stepped out after O’Malley. Speak of the devil.”I turned towards the door and found Jace weaving his way to us at a leisurely pace. He stopped beside me. “Room looks fuller than when I left.”“How’s your sister by the way?” Jeremy asked. “I heard we’re shooting stunt scenes first. We could sneak her in on o
I blinked rapidly, no I wasn’t seeing things, it was really her.“Did you say… assistant director?” I asked. Her eyes met mine, accompanied by a gentle unsure smile. I understood why she glanced in my direction before introducing Tami. If she had done her research, then she had probably seen the rumors about me and Pierce.“Yeah, apparently her parents encouraged her to put her degree to use. I can’t tell if she approached O’Malley or he approached her.” She shrugged. “But I have a hunch that says she’s one of the sponsors for this film.”Sophia spoke animatedly while Tami smiled sweetly and listened. I stopped hearing Bianca’s words, the ringing in my ear, overshadowing the noise around me. So far Tami had only wielded Pierce’s attention to hurt me, both of us on set would be bad for me.My mind flashed to my evening with Pierce and I winced. Was this going to be a regular for the three of us?“Okay everyone, grab a seat around the table.” Rhonda announced. I didn’t notice when O’Ma
O’Malley’s words had brewed a new worry for me, and for the dozenth time during my pregnancy I got nervous. As Lily got ready in the room, I chatted with Hannah in the kitchen. I moved my head to the side to make sure Lily wasn’t coming out before I raised my top up to show her my belly.“Look at me, do I look pregnant to you?”“Myra, I just think you have a little Houdini, it’s perfectly normal. A simple google search would tell you that.” she scrolled through her phone. “This is like a cryptic pregnancy.”“Isn’t that like, bad?” “No, I don’t think so…”She tugged on the hem of her T-shirt and my eyes were drawn to the texts scrawled across. ‘I watch you while you sleep.’ A gift from Damien, no doubt. These two were kooky. “You should see a doctor if it’s bothering you so much. They’ll put your fears to rest.”“I know, this week had me choked up with rehearsals. I’m glad it’s over, and I’ve made an appointment already.“My phone rang in my bag and I rushed to get it. With reh
The room went deadly silent. A nurse passed outside the door with a trolley before a word was uttered. “P-pregnant?” Mum asked, wide-eyed.I nodded. Lily chortled. She looked at my sober expression, chuckled again, and resumed flipping her magazine. “I am.” I deadpanned. Lily ignored me while mum laughed, her eyes shining“Tiny? You’re pregnant. Well are you sure-how long have you known?”“A couple weeks.” I smiled. Lily finally put down her paper and frowned at me. “You’re actually serious.”Excitement built in my chest. “Yes. You’re gonna be an aunt soon.”“Oh Myra!” Mum arms went around me, startling me. She squeezed my shoulders tightly. “And I’m gonna be a grandmother.”I chuckled, relief flooding my chest. They were taking the news better than I expected. Lily looked confused for a few more second before she stretched to hug me too.“You’re actually pregnant? No faking.” she whispered on last time. “No faking.” I whispered back.“Boy or girl?”Mum released me so she could
I spared at glance at my stunt double as she did a backflip to escape her ‘enemies’I was in luck today, because the rehearsal didn’t require any emotional acting from us today. Just for the actors to find their groove with the doubles.All I could think about was my sister and mum and Genevieve…Jeremy nudged my shoulder. “You okay?”I forced a smile to my face. “Yeah.”“It’s last days of rehearsals she’s probably worried about it.” Bianca concluded on my behalf. “From next week we start the real thing.” She bounced on the spot. “And we make possible movie history.” Jace added, stopping beside us. He hoisted himself up the speakers we were sitting on, his arms sheened with sweat. While the rest of us had stunt doubles at ATLEAST one point of the film, Jace had opted to do his own stunts. I thought of O’Malley’s admission the last time we spoke. He was counting on this movie being a part of movie history. “Okay people, great job so far. That will be all for today, see you next week
Later that night Pierce curled up against me. I pressed my back into him and shut my eyes. After I left the art room, he had stayed a while before moving into his office where he stayed the rest of the day. I, on the other hand, gathered the snacks Angie had given me, and spent the rest of the day curled up in bed reading- that was until I started drifting off and Pierce joined me. “Finished your book yet?” He asked in my ear. “Not yet. Reading isn’t one of my strong suits. Especially self help books. But I’m pushing through, thanks for asking.” “What have you learnt so far?” I rooted in my mind for a non traumatizing fact I could remember. “It’s better to have the baby squatting than on my back. But most hospitals insist on laying down so…”-I shrugged- “doesn’t really matter.” “We’ll see about that.” “How was your painting?” “Turns out it was a vagina-ish drawing.” I giggled. “I like it anyway, so I added a couple other flowers, painted and called it a day.” “We both did good
It didn’t come as a shock that when I woke up he was gone. I wondered if he was still in the house, or had left for work. I went from hating when he was home to hating when he wasn’t, and I wasn’t sure when that change had happened. I stood up with the intention to look for him but changed my mind and decided to shower and brush instead. When I was through, I curled up in bed cradling my new book with a weird sense of excitement. I was so engrossed in it that I didn’t notice when Pierce entered the room, till he snatched it from my hands.“Hey!” I squealed. “The mama natural... cool.”He was wearing gym shorts and a tank top, and his body glistened with sweat. Pierce had a wonderful physique but his body appeared a little more toned of recent. He gave me back my book and I stopped ogling him.“Is there a dad version of that?” He asked casually, as he moved towards the bathroom. “I donno. Angie gave it to me.” I bragged, “and then she hugged me.” His brows furrowed, “I’m not big
I took my first step forward and felt an arm pull me in the opposite direction. “Hey little lady.” Pierce called. “Let’s not go that way.”“But my mum, she’s calling me.” Why was everywhere so freaking dark??“Open you eyes, love.” Open my- ohI did as I was told. To find Pierce looking at me, white as a ghost. My shoulder’s sagged, “I was sleepwalking again.” I could faintly remember my mum calling me. But she was in a hospital far away, and probably alone. “I have a favor to ask.” I started when Pierce led me back to the room.“Tell me.”“My mum, she’s alone there and I don’t want her to get hurt.”“I know Myra. I assigned security details to her room. She is safe.” I sighed in relief and climbed back into bed. “You in the other hand are a tough nut. I might have to tie a bell around your leg. You were very quiet today.”“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake anyone up?” That’s what was going through my head. “Maybe a house arrest collar would be more dignified-what are you doing?”“
Never was there a doubt in my head that I was anything but a stand in, of course towards the end of our relationship- end meaning when Tami returned-I began to think that he liked me for me.“Jealousy looks good on you.” He answered with a shrug. I furrowed my brows. He had said those exact words that night. But I didn’t pay attention to it because it rivaled everything I knew about him. Pierce didn’t do jealousy, or possessiveness. Not when he was on the receiving end of it.“You like it when I was jealous?”“That’s your fourth question, I think I’ve been charitable.” All I was left with was more questions. If he didn’t date me for Tami, it meant he dated me for me. Which was fucking annoying because I spent the majority of our time together trying to fit whatever mold she’d left in his heart. And it raised more questions on why he still insisted on keeping me around even though he was certain he was getting married to Tami! I took a deep breath, let it out, and when that wasn’t e
“Lily.” I called, going in to comfort her, but then she noticed my bloodied shirt. “What happened to you?”“Someone stabbed me when I went to the studio.”Her eyes widened, “dad?”“No, it was a woman.” She stepped out of the room and clasped me in a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”“Me too, I don’t want you going out.”“Alright.” She agreed immediately.“I’m sorry dad showed up.”“It was gonna happen sooner or later. I’m sorry about your interview.”“No harm done. Sweetie.”“I’m also sorry I didn’t do more after your nightmare. I didn’t know what to do-“I held her face with my good hand. “It’s not your job to know.” She nodded. “Do you wanna hang out with me? Pierce is ordering pizza.”“No, I think I’m gonna take a nap.”I understood she still needed time alone to process. “I’m over there. If you need me.”Pierce was back in the room when I returned, he was arranging two boxes of sweet smelling pizza and a sealed cup with mango smoothie. My heart softened at the gesture. I didn’t thi
The sound of sirens started and panic really spread among the crowd. The group scattered in different directions pushing me from side to side. While I followed with my injured arm pinned to my side and the other clutching my wound to stop the bleeding. In the chaos I saw Derek ripping people out of the way to get to me.“Shit!” He cursed when he saw all the blood. “It’s not a big wound, I just bleed a lot.” I assured him as men in uniform jogged to the area, and tackled some of the reporters. There were grunts and the sound of bodies hitting the ground around me, not to mention the moans of people who got trampled on, while trying to make their escape.I grabbed Derek with my bloodied hand to draw his attention to me. “I want to go home.” He eyed my arm again. “Please.” He nodded reluctantly and led me to the car, which was parked at the back of the building for some reason. The drive home was the most tense and quickest ride of my life, and I did not mind it one bit.“We’ll have
When I woke up the next morning to the sound of Pierce showering, I went straight down to turn on the television. My heart dropping with every channel that had my face or name written in it. Angie brought breakfast to me while I was still glued to the Tv.“What a pain that is.” Ruth said as she came to give me meds. “I never was a fan of TV, at the end of the day it’s all about the ratings isn’t it?” I didn’t give a response. “Are you still having bad morning sickness?”I shook my head.“Okay. I’ll leave you to it then.”My phone rang and I grabbed it, my eyes still glued to the television. “This is Rhonda, Myra. We need you to come in for a meeting this morning.”I chewed on my thumb and forefinger nervously. We’re they planning on recasting me because of the interview? “What time would be good?”She hesitated, “now.”I nodded, then realised it was a voice call. “Yeah, I’m on my way.”As soon as the line went dead I raced back upstairs. Pierce was slipping on a t-shirt when I got
My eyes filled with tears. “He’s the one I’ve been seeing in my nightmares okay?! The man who has me so scared that I get out of bed while sleeping just to get away from him.” His confused face morphed into concern then anger. “What did he do to you. Tell me, I’ll make him regret the day that he touched you.”“Like you did to Adams? News flash, that text you saw that night? it was from my dad, not Adams. And I don’t know what you did, but Adams is getting deported now.”His eyes changed, “It was going to happen sooner or later.”I scoffed and wiped tears from my eyes furiously. “You’re just like him.”“What?”“I said you’re a just like him! You both ruin peoples lives. Except you do it with money and he did it with his fists. Why did you do that to Adams? To protect your possession? Guess what? That’s what he thought of me, that’s what he thought of my sister. Property. Do you know how many times he tried to sell me off to his friends, I was just a thing! he could use.”“That’s not
He grinned at me as the audience below clapped. “Everyone, this is Myra Thompson’s father. We know how secretive our girl is, so what better person to give in ept to her life than her father.” Destan said jovially while my throat closed up. I glanced at the audience frantically in search of Lily or Hannah as I took a quick step back.Then back at my father. He looked unrecognizable, a far cry from the intimidating figure that loomed over my childhood. The man who had long haunted my dreams had changed; his gaunt frame had filled out, and his face was now smooth-shaven. But it was his smile that unsettled me the most - once a rare and menacing sight, now seemed cunning and deliberate, a calculated gesture that unsettled me more than his anger could.“Come on darling, won’t you give your father a hug.” His voice sounded smoother better than when he was drowning in liquor. He crushed me into a hug and whispered in my ear, “It’s a shame I have to go to such length to see you, doll.” An