Paulo told Gena about how out of luck Everett was because Rebecca had found a new man named Yuri. He’d paid so little attention these days since his wife became pregnant with yet another brat. Paulo couldn’t remember Yuri’s last name. Gena had to look it up. Paulo’s phone rang not long after Gena returned to their table. He’d ordered food for them while she was taking care of business. “I’m sorry, love. But something’s come up at home and I must leave you to deal with it. Will you be okay alone while you eat? I’ll have my driver pick you up when you’re done.” “No need. I can have someone do that. But I hate that you’re abandoning me again.” “Gena, I have responsibilities and you knew that when this all started. Now be a good girl and leave daddy to do the arduous work.” “Fine, this time. But you must bring me something shiny next time.” “Of course, love. Anything you want.” Paulo was so easy to manipul
Rebecca questioned the reason for Yuri’s extended absence from the men’s room. But he returned in time for their meal to arrive and still felt warm. She saw Gena skulk back to her table. Ugh, this could turn into a disaster. “Don’t look at her, Rebecca. Don’t engage with her. I’ve settled her down for now, so she won’t be a problem.” “What do you mean, Yuri?” The few hours Rebecca spent with Yuri before they arrived at the restaurant told her everything, she needed to know about him. He wasn’t her type at all. He pushed and instructed her, annoying her. She’d been alone for years and in control of everything in her life. She lacked interest in going back. “Don’t worry about it. It’s none of your business. I’ve dealt with her, and she knows her place is there right now. Now let’s have an enjoyable meal.” Yuri broke off the conversation, denying her the right to know his actions. Now he left her wondering what he hid from her. That was som
Rebecca dragged him outside from the spectacle. He felt confident about leaving with her. Everett hated revealing Becca’s health issues, even if it wasn’t too detailed. He hoped the server, and the Chef understood they’d done nothing wrong. He’d have Nunzio tip them well. Everett wanted to avoid being banned from the establishment. Rebecca looked furious with him. God, he loved to see her full of life like this. In the beginning, she seemed lifeless. Like she’d lost her will because she didn’t see her purpose. It added onto what weight down Everett’s guilt. They had plenty to discuss, leaving him unsure where to begin. Sex was not the matter for either of them. She tried to turn her life into that of a silent martyr, which he vehemently opposed. Everett couldn’t take the guilt of how self-centered he’d become at the hands of Paulo. “Love, please get in my car now. Everett turned the tables on her as soon as they stood beside the limo tha
Yuri thought he’d receive pity when Everett horned in, then stole her away. He didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to eat gluten? When did it kill anyone? It's a fad diet. Did that account for Rebecca’s weight loss? He knew she was skinny. Yuri had assumed she’d dieted. One rumor floating around was that she’d become addicted to pills. People often dropped weight from addiction and explained her time in rehab. It’s possible Rebecca was in rehab for other reasons. They worked with many conditions. How sick was she? Yuri didn’t know or care. Whether Everett was a fine actor or the dude was that concerned, it wasn't Yuri's business. Did the Studio know something that he didn't? Were they in a relationship? Everett had mentioned a lot of Rebecca's personal information. He possessed an intimate knowledge of her life, surpassing that of a colleague. Yuri thought Everett was getting into character. Yuri thought about when they signed their contracts at the mee
Again, Jake took her back to his condo, not the house they’d once shared. Jake had held her even though they’d argued. He wasn’t happy with her response and her following explanation of what there was she could give. Now she worried that she’d said too much, and he did something foolish. Something foolish that would trigger events that would ruin her life and many others. She avoided responsibility for potential deaths during the unfolding events. Jake held her. He didn’t kiss her, just held her. No more words passed between them. Josalyn found the silence didn’t bother her as much as she believed it would. It didn’t take them long to arrive, and they went through security. Jake whisked her up to his condo again. This time, he didn’t hesitate to kiss her hungrily as the elevator rose to his condo. Inside his condo, Jake guided her to the sofa after they abandoned their coats by the door, forgotten for now on the floor. He rushed nothing once he had
Jake sat in his condo hours later. He’d found a food service that delivered specialized meals and ordered from them. They’d eaten, and he now scrolled on his laptop in bed with his soon-to-be wife beside him. He brought his laptop to bed to check if anyone had mentioned their restaurant stunt. Sure enough, it appeared across several entertainment sites already. Their fans were talking about it in the feeds. His old laptop could barely keep up with the rate the comments flooded in on one forum. “Jake, will we stay here after we marry, or will you move back home?” Josalyn was uncertain about their relationship dynamics. When he left, she’d tied herself to their home. She hadn’t wanted to lose the anchor she had unless she had to. Without an anchor in her upbringing, she aimed to avoid a similar lifestyle in adulthood. “I guess that’s something we should discuss. You must admit the house would work well when we had children. Selling this pl
Gena lay on the bed the next morning. After the night she’d had, Gena couldn’t believe the gold she’d found. Yuri and his driver friend knew how to work a girl over. Her body thrummed as her muscles screamed with satisfaction and fatigue. She only had one problem. Gena didn’t know where she was, and he’d locked the door. She should fear them and try to escape. However, she had mastered the art of manipulating men to achieve her desires. Gena had decades of practice. She manipulated them and always emerged victorious. She remembered the two men from yesterday. It was Gena’s initial experience of pleasing the two men together. She’d have to remember to try that again. Few men consented to share a woman. But she could get what she wanted when they’re happy and satisfied. She found it easier to get what she wanted from them. Last night, she had one man in her mouth while the other satisfied her. Gena felt they’d not expected her to keep up w
Rebecca had to charge her phone. Otherwise, it won’t have enough charge to function. When the power returned to her phone, she found a cryptic text message from someone she’d hoped never to hear from again. A message she didn’t want to encounter in any form. It was a death knell of the life she’d made for herself. Rebecca forced herself to remember. This message stood as a warning. It didn’t pull the plug on who she’d become, and everything she’d worked for. [We’re watching you. You’re running a risk being so high profile. Remember, you aren’t the only one you endanger. We’ll be in touch if anything changes.] If she wondered whether they still monitored things, she had her answer. Yes, whoever was her handler still watched her. Rebecca assumed the same person still filled the position. She was unaware of the change, but not the secret’s focus. Her mother was. Rebecca just came along for the ride because her mother feared they’d use Rebecca against h
“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