Hollywood & Vine (35 page)

The director wants you on set.

Josie rolled her eyes but did as he said. She was beyond fed up with this week. She slipped onto the set, unnerved by the silence until she heard Anders groan. She took three quick steps forward and froze. Her heart stuttered in her chest and her eyes grew wide as she watched the scene before her. It wasn’t supposed to be today. Their scene was tomorrow.

“Josie,” Amelia whispered, her eyes glued to Anders and Aubrey.

“Why are they filming this today? It’s supposed to be tomorrow.” Josie turned her wide, glassy eyes to Amelia.

“Aubrey’s top for today’s scene is torn and the backup is missing.”

“What?” The word was no more than a hiss when she spoke. “How did it get torn?”

Amelia shrugged. “She caught it on something. The entire side ripped. When we couldn’t find the other, the director switched the scenes. We’ll need to make a completely new top.”

Amelia continued to prattle on, but Josie was no longer paying attention. The entire world disappeared the moment she looked at Aubrey and Anders again. She wanted to look away, turn and leave before she saw another second, but like most train wrecks, looking away was easier said than done.

Anders trailed his hands over Aubrey’s collarbone to the opening of her blouse. He popped each button and pushed the fabric away, his palms brushing over the swell of her breasts. Josie’s throat tightened as he dipped his head and kissed her neck, his arms encircling Aubrey and pulling her against his naked chest.

She tried to close her eyes as he pushed Aubrey to the bed, but the noises were worse than the visual. Her lungs burned from holding her breath as they shed their clothes, and her stomach twisted like a knife in the gut when he thrust against her. She knew it was acting. She knew it was all fake. But it looked real. And it sure as hell felt real.

“Why am I here?” She pressed her palm against her stomach, trying to soothe the ache building and gathering strength.

“My God, that’s hot,” Amelia exhaled, oblivious to Josie’s verging panic attack.

“Why am I here?” Josie asked again, blinking back hot, angry tears as she fought to hold her composure.

“Oh, the shirt. I have it for you. Hang on a second.” With a sad sigh, Amelia took off to fetch the torn garment.

Josie’s nails dug into her palms until they cut into her skin, the stinging pain barely registering as her rigid body shook with adrenaline. She needed to leave, to get as far away from the set as possible.

Aubrey threw her head back and moaned as Anders thrust harder, his pace increasing. He looked exactly like he did with Josie and the comparison made bile hit the back of her throat. She didn’t realize she’d moved forward until Anders’ voice sounded in her ears.

“Oh, God,” he groaned, the muscles in his arms and neck straining as they both hit the climax of the scene. “I love you, baby.”

Her broken inhale sounded like a cannon in her ears as a single fat tear rolled down her cheek. She spun on her heel and took off for the exit as soon as the director yelled cut.

“Josie! Hey, Josie, wait!” Amelia took off after her, Aubrey’s shirt clutched in her hand. Josie’s shoulders slumped as she slowed to a stop. “The shirt. You forgot the shirt.”

Anders’ head snapped to the far side of the set, his stomach bottoming out when his eyes landed on Josie. She wasn’t supposed to see this. He pulled his pants over his hips and tried to calm his breathing as he waited for the director to finishing speaking. As soon as he announced for everyone to take a break, Anders discreetly slipped away from the set. It was stupid to follow her, but he didn’t want to text or call. He wanted to wipe away her look of betrayal and the memories that expression evoked. Seeing that look on Josie’s face caused the long-forgotten emotion to sit like lead over his chest and all he wanted to do was stop the hurt it brought. Stop the reminders of a past he’d buried under layers of indifference years ago. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the closest room.

“Hey,” he whispered, pushing the door closed and twisting the lock. Josie turned away, her back rising with choppy hard breaths. “Ivy.” He wrapped his fingers over her shoulder, the contact causing her to jerk away and spin to face him. Her red-rimmed eyes were swollen and black smudges stained the skin below. Her cheeks were flushed and tear-tracked.

“Ivy, fuck. What…?” He never wanted her to see that, knowing how it would upset her. “Why? Why would you go there? What the fuck were you thinking?”

All the air left Josie’s body in one angry exhale. “Do you think I wanted to see that? Craig sent me to get Aubrey’s torn shirt. I had no fucking clue. None.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Anders lowered his voice as he tried to calm her. The last thing they needed was an audience.

He cupped her jaw, and the moment he did, all Josie could see was him with Aubrey. When he dipped his head and kissed her, the smell and taste of Aubrey was overwhelming.

“Stop,” Josie choked and pushed him away. “Don’t fucking kiss me.”

Anders shook his head and batted her hands away from his chest as he pressed them together again. “You stop.”

“You smell like her, Anders. You taste like her. Oh my God.” She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, trying to scrub away the taste of Aubrey’s fruity lip balm.

“Stop fighting me, Ivy.” Anders locked his arms around her. His grip so firm it bordered on the edge of pain as he pressed her against the table and trapped her body with his.

“Let me go!” She pushed again, causing Anders to stumble back.

“Lower your fucking voice,” he hissed, his eyes blazing.

The hateful tone of his voice made her feel small and chastised, vulnerable. “Get out.”

“No.” Anders took a couple of steps forward. “Ivy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

“I said get out.” She reached behind her and clutched the edge of the desk to keep her hands from shaking.

Anders shook his head. “I’m not leaving you like this. You’re pissed at me about something I had no control over and that pisses me off and makes me say stupid shit, but you’re going to listen to me. I’m not leaving until you do.”

Josie kept her jaw clenched and her eyes hard. Her face was a mask of stubborn determination. There was nothing Anders could say, no explanation that would break through the hurt and anger clouding her mind.

Anders hated explaining himself. It seemed to be all he did lately, and he’d had just about all he could stand. “Do you remember the other night when you asked me about acting? How I told you I become the character and Anders no longer exists?”

Josie continued to meet the intensity of his gaze but didn’t speak. If she opened her mouth, all the hurt she felt would pour out. Her pride refused to give in.

Anders huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re going to give me the silent treatment? Fuck, I didn’t realize we’d reverted back to being children. Fine, you sit there and pout. I’ll talk. I don’t want Aubrey. I don’t know how many ways I can say it, and I don’t think it’s fucking fair I have to. What do you want me to do? This is my job.”

“The only thing I want you to do is give me a chance to collect myself. I know you think I’m being ridiculous, but that’s nothing new is it? You love to belittle my feelings.”

Anders snapped. For once, he wasn’t the one to blame. “You know what? Fuck you, Josie. You wanna talk about belittling feelings? Let’s do that. We can talk about how I constantly have to defend myself. I get it. You don’t fucking trust me. But I’m tired of always being the bad guy. I was acting. It’s what I do for a living. But you don’t want to think about that. You want to feel justified for acting like a child. Well, let me tell you, it’s not justified. Being upset is one thing, but acting like a complete bitch? No fucking way. Let me know when you’re ready to have a rational fucking conversation.” Anders didn’t wait for an answer as he wrenched the door open and stormed down the hall.

“Fuck.” Josie sniffed. Her pulse thrummed in her ears as she willed her shaking body away from the table and out into the hall. She ignored the curious stares of a couple of young kids she’d never seen before and made her way toward the bathroom.

As soon as the stall door closed behind her, she cradled her face and let the tears she’d kept at bay fall. Their entire conversation had spun out of control. They’d fought about something she had no right to be angry about. The issue was it didn’t make a difference how many times he explained his job or tried to make her understand, she never would. Her job, like most, didn’t involve touching or kissing. It didn’t involve undressing other people and pretending to make love to them.

She was wrong to take her anger and jealousy out on him. She wished he hadn’t followed her, had given her a chance to clear her mind. She wasn’t sure if time would have helped, but to have him not smell and taste like Aubrey would have been a start. She needed to apologize, and she would, but she had to get her emotions under control first. After the way he stormed out, she figured it would be best to let him do the same.

In his trailer, Anders pushed his arms through the sleeves of his button-down shirt and sighed. Flattening his palms on the counter of the vanity, he dropped his head and tried to clear his head. He hated leaving Josie like that, knowing how upset she was, but there was no point in staying. She was acting ridiculous, and until she calmed down, there was no reasoning with her.

“Damn, you make brooding look good.”

Anders lifted his gaze to the mirror and saw Aubrey standing a few feet behind him. Turning to face her, he leaned against the vanity and folded his arms over his chest. “Did you need something?”

“I wanted to know what time I should expect you tonight.”

Anders’ brows knitted together in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Aubrey tried to hide her annoyance that he didn’t remember. “Our date, silly. We’re going to that new club tonight.”

“Motherfucker,” Anders exhaled. Between switching the scenes and his fight with Josie, he’d completely forgotten. He would have to go out with Aubrey and be photographed as a couple while Josie sat at home pissed off and hurt.

“I’m going to pretend you’re distracted because of our scene earlier and not because you really forgot about tonight. Now, what time will you be picking me up? Shall we have dinner first?”

“Fuck no,” Anders answered immediately.

Aubrey lifted her brows, her gaze intense. “Is there a reason why the thought of having dinner with me would warrant that kind of reaction?”

Anders could think of several reasons, but he couldn’t tell her the most important one. Running his hand over his face, he sighed. “I have shit to do when I leave here. By the time I’m done, it’ll be time to go to the club. Plus I have no interest in being hounded by the paps any more than necessary.” He pushed off the vanity and buttoned his shirt. “I’ll pick you up at ten.” Without waiting for a rebuttal, he left a fuming Aubrey standing in the middle of his trailer.

Over the next few hours, Anders lost himself in his head. As soon as he got home, he changed into his running clothes and took off for the hills behind his house. His lungs burned and his muscles ached as he tried to push past the bullshit clouding his mind. His relationship with Josie was splitting at the seams and he didn’t know how to stop it or even if he should.

He knew she was different than Eva. Josie didn’t have an ulterior motive or inside knowledge about his life to use against him. That didn’t mean she wasn’t just as capable as Eva of tearing down everything he’d built over the last few years.

After his run and a shower, he called Owen to make sure everyone was still coming. As much as he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Aubrey, he was ready to go out. He wanted to relax, have a few drinks, and hang out with his friend. After Owen reassured Anders he’d meet him there, he hung up and stared at his phone for a moment before tossing it on the bed.

He pulled on his shirt and pants and looked himself over in the mirror. He dressed as he always did when he went to a club: wealthy and available. The same as always, except it wasn’t. Something felt off, and he knew it had everything to do with Josie. Looking at his clock, he sighed. It was show time.

He scooped up his phone, shoved it in his pocket, and headed to his SUV. He was determined not to call Josie, but every turn, stop sign, and red light that brought him closer to Aubrey’s weakened his resolve. As pissed as he was
―
and he was pissed
―
he didn’t want to go out without at least trying to call her first. With a frustrated grunt he pulled to the side of the road, grabbed his phone, and dialed her number. It rang several times before her voice mail picked up. Pressing his finger over the end call button with a little more force than necessary, he debated what to do next.

Part of him wanted to say forget it, but the other part that decided to call her in the first place wouldn’t let him. He’d call her one more time, and if she didn’t pick up, he’d leave her a message. Only, when he dialed her number again, it went straight to voice mail. She’d turned her phone off. His lip curled up in a sneer and he huffed out a disbelieving laugh as he tossed his phone in the cup holder. He wasn’t calling again.

He pulled onto the road and drove to Aubrey’s. She was walking out her front door as he drove up her driveway. Her cream colored dress hugged her curves like a second skin. Her hair was loose and falling over her shoulders, and her shoes put at least five inches on her legs.

She slid into the passenger seat with a smile and closed the door. “Hi.”

“You ready?” Anders asked, already shifting the vehicle into drive.

“God, yes. I need a drink. This afternoon was a nightmare. I’m ready to relax and have a little fun.” Aubrey looked away from Anders’ curious stare and started rummaging around in her clutch. Her afternoon had been fine, but just before leaving the studio earlier, she’d come across a couple of kids regaling their friends with a story about how they’d seen Anders lose his shit, how he’d gotten into a yelling match with an employee at the studio and stormed down the hall mad as hell.