Everett had become worried when Rebecca hadn’t arrived on set on time. Since he’d arrived from his breakfast meeting with Nunzio, he’d been traveling back and forth between the sound stage and their dressing rooms looking for her. He only stopped doing that during his turn in the makeup chair. Currently, he didn't care about people staring at him. They filmed it and met with PR people for the romance plan. He still struggled to believe how quickly they’d come up with a plan. Now, he suspected they’d worked on it before either he or Rebecca agreed to the plan. “Have you seen Rebecca?” Everett stopped a grip as he walked by him. He’d asked anyone who passed him if they knew anything about Rebecca since he discovered she hadn’t arrived on time. It was so unlike her. Everett wanted to know how she took the comments online this morning. He prayed the comments didn’t cause her any unnecessary stress. Everett didn’t want her to get sick from it. “Not yet,
Rebecca thought the filming went well once she confirmed no one saw Everett kiss her. What was he thinking? His action could cause the Studio to fire them if they’re caught. If she slapped him, it would draw attention to their situation.They had a meeting with a PR Representative to discuss the foolishness. Sign some legal wavers and the like. Rebecca questioned how they could believe anyone would see them as a couple.However, they sat and listened as this individual explained the proceedings. “Rebecca, you’ll start off dating Yuri Johannes. The first date is a dinner date. The second date you’ll appear at the Children’s Hospital Fundraiser with Yuri. Everett will arrive and assume control of the date.” The PR Rep said to Rebecca. His knowing smile annoyed her because it proved to her that no one considered how she felt about any of this. All the while, he thought he’d achieved something remarkable. “Everett, you’ll come in and do whatever you need to. Your goal is to ma
With the meeting over, Everett glared at Yuri. Yuri’s presence would soon become a problem for him. Rebecca may not see it, but Everett did. It didn’t help that he didn’t have an agent right now. He expected the contract information by this afternoon, and then he’d have to explain this to Nunzio. Everyone would see him as a fool. “I’ll be right back after using the restroom. Please act like descent grown adult human beings and don’t kill each other while I’m gone. I won’t be the one cleaning up your blood.” Rebecca looked at them like they were a couple of rowdy teens who were ready to rumble over a girl. Neither Yuri nor Everett liked the meaning behind her words. This was work, not some territorial fight. “Don’t take long, Becca, or we won’t guarantee what you’ll find when you get back.” Everett tried to make his words sound like a joke, but the truth was he wanted to pound Yuri’s face in. He smirked like a begging ass. “Everett, we mu
Rebecca stood outside the conference door. Yuri and Everett didn’t realize the door was open a crack and she could hear their foolish posturing. She was clueless about their point, but she refused to be a prize they fought for. At first, Yuri seemed playful. However, Rebecca changed her mind upon hearing of his attempt to improve the deal. Hello! WTF? She was involved in this and neither took her feelings into account. Why did Yuri want to antagonize Everett? That was what Rebecca wanted to know. Everett acted like he had some prior claim on her and had some secret knowledge no one else had. Well, Rebecca would have to admit he might remember more than anyone else knew. She had to confront him and make him stop confirming her illness to others. Damn it, she’d end up losing everything this way if he had his way. Is that why he’s back? He’d slowly take everything she had. He could witness her gradual breakdown. Rebecca would die before tha
Yuri may have left before Rebecca returned, but Everett stayed. He didn’t want to make Rebecca feel like everyone abandoned her to her own devices. They believed her worth so little, only when she was absent. They didn’t give her a second thought.She hadn’t returned yet, and he couldn’t get his mind to forget the image of her lying on the bathroom floor. He checked if she had collapsed or left the meeting before Yuri. What he found eased his mind. Rebecca returned, at least for her things, with coffee in her hand.Did he use the men’s room? I brought coffee.” Rebecca entered the room, expecting them to have done nothing while waiting for her. At least, she tried to fix things with coffee. She appeared surprised when Yuri didn’t wait for her return. “He left saying he had things he needed to do. He believed you should go into this blind for the most authentic response you could give.” Everett couldn’t help himself. He must have informed her about Yuri’s true na
“I gave you a chance once already, Everett. You demanded a divorce. That means you gave up on us, long before I did. Why should I bother trying again? The first attempt proved unproductive. Disregard the emotional pain I endured. Why would I want another round? What guarantee do I have? That I’m not wasting my time again?” Rebecca couldn’t help herself. She needed to protect herself from the previous events their breakup created for her. Rebecca gave so much of herself into their marriage, she’d felt the too actual pain. “It won’t be like that. I promise you. Please listen to me and believe me? “Never again.” Everett’s sincere voice reached Rebecca’s ears. His words echoed with a desperate need. Rebecca knew how much she feared his mood’s influence on his decisions. She couldn’t take another upset like she’d had back then. Another thing he’d not done yet was accept the guilt of following his agent’s promises. He’d decided and done what his agent persuaded him
“That’s not a problem. I assume you’ve been to the restaurant Phillip’s Fresh Foods.” The jerk’s smile explained nothing and left Rebecca confused. She remained confused and out of touch with the restaurant scene, preferring to avoid dining out to sidestep any problems. “Then it’s my treat. They specialize in serving food for allergies and medical needs.” Rebecca rolled her eyes as she stopped and looked at him. They now stood outside the main corporate building of the Studio. He stood there as he handed her back the coffee tray and smiled as if he believed he’d scored a point or something like that. “Sounds expensive, Everett, and you need a reservation for a restaurant like that? They’re very trendy and overpriced with a waitlist a mile long.” Rebecca didn’t want to hold out any hope. The restaurant will be full of gluten-free dieters because of the diet trend. “I may have called in a few favors, and I may have reserved a t
Everett did as she expected he would. Did he wait with the car while she made it to her appointment? No, of course not. Everett insisted on parking and escorting her into the office. Waiting with her and followed her into the appointment. When the nurse tried to stop him, he glared at her and informed her he had something to report on Rebecca’s condition with her doctor. As her partner, it was his responsibility to tell him. The nurse threw up her hands and stormed off, saying she’d inform the doctor of this irregularity. She didn’t receive a large enough paycheck to strong arm a large man like him. Her constant simpering towards him while they waited was irrelevant. No, of course it did. The nurse’s jealousy was clear when she learned Everett was with Rebecca. They sat in the doctor’s outer office, awaiting him. “Everett, you could have been nice and flirted with her. I wouldn’t have said anything. Your presence in the consu
“I lost our first baby. It’s my fault Everett didn’t know about it. I didn’t tell him because it would’ve killed him and I feared he’d think I was using it as an excuse to cling to him. If I told him he’d want to know why it happened and then blame me for it. I was too tired from losing the baby that I’ve agreed to almost anything. Mentioning pregnancy, I indeed recall feeling the same way before. Rebecca leaned against the door jamb and gave a heavy sigh. Hopefully, this time yields better results. Can’t do it again.” “Then I’ll go call them now and see if I can catch the receptionist before she leaves for lunch. I hope it’s a baby and nothing bad.” Jill left the dressing room and the other to speak between themselves. “A baby…” Rebecca sounded like she was stunned. “Oh, good grief. I hope the doctor was correct when he told you I could still have children.” “We’ll find out soon enough.”(SEVEN MONTHS LATER- MERCY GENERAL HOSPITAL, LABOR, AND DELIVE
“Are you alright love? Should I call your doctor for an appointment?” Everett asked Rebecca when she left the bathroom of the dressing room they now shared at work. He looked at her with concern in his eyes. “I don’t know. I’m nauseous but there’s no pain. “Perhaps I’m coming down with something,” Rebecca said, her pale face lacking its usual smile. “This will pass soon too.” “Perhaps we should secure the appointment now, rather than later. We’ll play it safe and catch whatever it is early. Why don’t you go sit down and relax? I know our lunch will arrive at the set soon. Then we can enjoy it and see how you’re feeling.” “The truth is I’m a little tired and nauseous. That’s it. No headaches, no pain, or weakness. There’re no mystery rashes, and my breathing is fine. I can’t find even a simple mystery bruise, and no strange bouts of acne. My hair isn’t falling out like it was, at least not yet.” “Can we sit and list your exper
Coming out of the interview with Everett, Josalyn sat down an hour later with the man she knew was her father. She’d spent hours researching stories and coming up with questions. The writers added questions to the lists well in advance. The questions went through the Studio’s legal department and her father’s legal team went through them as well. It became a lengthy-drawn-out process because of all the legal complications. Everett insisted on staying with her for support and sat in the dark shadows off to the side, away from the cameras, watching everything. He’d become protective and a little obsessive of Rebecca, but at this point she didn’t mind so much. Rebecca still basked in his attention and his attention hadn’t become intrusive yet in her eyes. Something had changed and Rebecca knew that. Her father sat there and shifted in his seat. He didn’t appear comfortable, and she’d not hesitate to say he appeared nervous. She attributed it to his pri
(SIX WEEKS AFTER THEIR WEDDING) Everett took a seat beside Rebecca on a sound stage. He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. Then his smile changed from the genuine one he gave her to the smile he’s known for when he looked at the interviewer. This was their explanation of events. Legal advice urged them to take a preemptive measure to defend against Gena’s potential slander. “Thank you for being here Mr. Stone and Ms. Jones.” Ken Douglas said to them as he settled into his own seat after greeting them. The cameras were rolling and picking up everything. “Thank you, Mr. Douglas. But it’s Mrs. Stone now.” Everett said to Ken. He corrected the interviewer before Rebecca could. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize you changed your name.” Ken Douglas looked at his notes, already off kilter with this interview. “It’s a recent development. My wife and I decided it would better reflect our leaving the past in the past.
“Morning, everyone. Thank you for settling down so quickly. Let’s start immediately. I’m afraid we have had several events in the past few weeks and several rather disturbing events last night.” Surprisingly, the Studio handler, who never attended a meeting like this before, assumed control. He let the comments and surprises fill the room. “It’s with a heavy heart that I must tell everyone that Yuri will not return to the set as he and his driver were found early yesterday morning dead in their cell. The cause of their deaths isn’t known, but suicide has not been ruled out yet.”Shock spread among everyone, including Josalyn. Though she knew the reputation of Gena’s family and two suicides this early didn’t sound right to her. Gena’s family had conflicting feelings about the women in their family. Hurting their own women was one thing, but an outsider doing so was another. Then there’s the baby. She wondered if they could have killed Yuri not for harming Gena, but for caus
They had two weeks for their honeymoon. Jake promised to arrange for something better later. He wouldn’t tell her where they’d go. It would be a surprise. He believes it’s important to be nearby for her health since her recent injuries stopped her from doing physical activities in a foreign country. If something happened, he didn’t trust the medical system of a foreign nation. Jake let her decide if she would show up at the studios without her wig. It’s odd to see the reaction she received when they arrived at the gate this morning. “Well, here we go.” Jake’s choice of driver eased their way through security and fans. They’d been lying in wait for them. Nunzio and Ben, both warned them that there’d been clashes between two groups of fans. One group supported their marriage, and a second group opposed it. “Yeah, I wonder what they’ll do when they learn we were married before this.” Josalyn asked Jake, “What they would make of that?” Their
Jake and Josalyn relaxed and enjoyed their usual activities at the cottage. Without the crowd of friends, of course. This time they weren’t window shopping for antiques. They could go through the shops and buy whatever they wanted. Though Jake found Josalyn hesitant to use his money. He couldn’t risk lowering his guard. He had to watch her to see what caught her eye and then ensure that he purchased it. These pieces weren’t for the cottage, but for their city house. Once they completed the renovations, they needed to refurnish the entire house. They needed everything from the floorboards to the ceiling. They won’t understand everything right away, but they can start. Afterwards, he would hire a professional to finish the space. “Jake, over here. Look at this. I love these cabinets; wouldn’t they make perfect nightstands for the master bedroom?” “Found a blanket box bench over there. Place it at the bed’s foot. It’s not just a box but has several dra
The next morning, they ate their breakfast on the back deck overlooking the lake and enjoyed the silence of nature as the sun rose. Josalyn forgot the joy of sitting without worrying about schedules, scripts, or getting through the day. Jake’s presence was soothing rather than grating on her nerves. She viewed him differently last night, absorbing new information about her long-held experiences. Her fears were unfounded sometimes and in others she found herself exposed to far too much. This time, when she tried to bring up the problems, Jake stood with her, and they formed a consensus. With that consensus came a plan. The plan’s activation is uncertain, but it would provide clarity to the public. They agreed not to involve the Studio’s PR handler. They’d handle it alone and let the chips fall where they may. She came clean about her finances and today they’d hand them to Jake’s family’s accounting firm and allow them to sort out her debts. Jake wasn
Josalyn lay on their bed at Jake’s teasing mercy. His hungry gazed followed his hands, and he toyed with her body. He’d just told her he wanted to see her orgasm before he satisfied himself. Then, without missing a beat, his fingers found her depths and thrust into her core, searching for that spot that would send her spiraling out of control. Her breath became heavy. “I want to share this pleasure with you. Let me touch you, Jake.” “Later. Now focus on what I’m doing and enjoy it. Breathe and focus. His other hands slid along her inner thighs with gentle caresses that left her thighs shaking and her mind forgetting to breathe. Along with her rich moans, the room filled with the slick sound of his fingers thrusting in and out of her. Josalyn knew he loved to hear what his actions did to her body. “Jake, oh god. Please I want to touch you.” “You know the rules love. I want to start tonight off right. Come on my hand. Show me h