Rumor Has It: A Bad Boy Romantic Comedy (7 page)

“
What did I do
? I didn’t do anything.”

“Tell me where you are. I’m coming over. We’ve got serious problems.”

“I know I saw the front page of the paper.”

“Then you haven’t been online yet?”

I could feel the pancakes and biscuits crawl up my throat. I swallowed hard and braced myself for bad news.

“No, why?”

“Where are you? I’m coming over. We need to discuss this in person.”

6

“No… no… no… This isn’t happening…”

“I’m afraid it is, Jamie.”

Shonda stood before me with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She looked furious, as if I’d done something wrong. I flipped through the images on Shonda’s phone. The front page of Gossip Guru was nothing but nude photos of me. Most of the pictures were selfies. I’d taken several nude photos of myself about six months ago. At the time, I was flirting with a director. The relationship ended up going nowhere. No one knew that we were sending each other sexy texts. I was extra careful to keep it on the down-low. If our budding romance ever became public, my contract with Louis would be invalidated- and more importantly- everyone would think I was cheating on him.

I was America’s Sweetheart; I was not supposed to fool around, or send naughty photos to men. Everyone loved Louis. I would be seen as the harlot who broke his heart.

“How did this happen?” I asked. “

That’s what I’d like to know.”

Besides the humiliation of seeing myself completely naked on the internet, I now had to contend with the possibility that my career was over. I scrolled through the front page of Gossip Guru’s website and saw a picture of me sitting on a couch with my legs spread and my breasts exposed. The comments below were disgusting. I handed the phone back to Shonda. I couldn’t take anymore.

“Who did you send these photos to?” she demanded.

“A director- Steve Anderson.”

“When?”

“Months ago.”

“Why would he leak them now? Did you piss off someone at the studio?”

“No! I didn’t do anything. This isn’t my fault,” I said on the verge of tears. I sat down on Theo’s couch and buried my face in my hands.

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not saying you deserve this. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of how it happened.”

Theo walked back into the house. He’d stepped outside to give us our privacy. “What’s going on?” he asked. “What happened? Are you okay?”

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. “Just look,” I said. “Show him, Shonda.”

“Are you sure you want him to see?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Shonda raised an eyebrow. I could tell she was picking up on a certain vibe between me and Theo. If she didn’t already know, then she certainly suspected we’d slept together. Shonda handed him her phone and showed him the front page of Gossip Guru. The headline screamed: ‘America’s Sweetheart Exposed!’

Theo’s face grew stern as he scrolled through the images. He didn’t get far before handing the phone back to Shonda in disgust.

“Louis’s team is going to have a fit over this,” she said.

“Is that all you care about?” Theo snapped. “Can’t you see she’s been humiliated in public? Don’t you think that’s more important? Not to mention the fact we’re dealing with a psychopath who’s determined to kidnap Jamie. Who gives a fuck about promoting your stupid movies?”

I started to cry in earnest. Between the stress of last night, almost losing Theo today, and then this, I was beyond spent. I felt like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Theo sat down beside me and pulled me to him. I rested my head on his chest and let the tears flow. I didn’t want to hold them back anymore.

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” Theo whispered.

“No, it’s not.”

I let out a choked sob. Someone was trying to kill me and now the world was making fun of my body. Gross men were picking apart every inch of me, criticizing the way I looked, or worse. The thought of a bunch of guys getting off to photos of me was enough to make me puke.

“I understand that we have serious problems right now,” Shonda said. She was doing her best to sound gentle, but it really wasn’t working. Shonda’s not the maternal type. “I’m not passing judgment, or blaming you, I just want to know who else you sent the pictures to.”

“No one. Steve was the only person.”

“Were they on your phone?” Theo asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Your phone is missing.”

“When did this happen?” Shonda demanded.

“Last night. I left my phone in the limo.”

“Girl, how many times have I told you to keep your phone on you at all times? When you lose it look what happens? Do you have any idea what a shit storm this is going to create with Louis’s team and the studio?”

“Excuse me for not thinking to grab my cell phone while I was in the middle of being kidnapped. I apologize for making your life so hard. This must so stressful for
you
.”

“I don’t need attitude right now,” she replied.

“This isn’t helpful,” Theo said through gritted teeth.

“And where were you when all this was going down?” Shonda demanded. “Didn’t I hire you to protect her? You should have been there.”

“I’m not going to listen to your bullshit. If you think-”

“Stop fighting!” I screamed.

Everyone fell silent. I saw Connor outside the window. He peeked into check us out. He must have heard me scream. He shook his head and went back to staring at the street.

“Just stop,” I said lowering my voice. “I don’t want to hear any more arguing. What can we do to fix this?”

“I’ve already sent a cease and desist letter to Gossip Guru. Those pictures are your property. If the phone was stolen, then they have no right to publish the images. The next thing I’m going to do is find out which cop took your phone and leaked the photos, then personally destroy their life. I’ve already got my people on it. It won’t take long to figure out who GG purchased the photos from.”

“I want to know the name of the person they were purchased from as soon as you find out,” Theo said.

“Sure, but why?”

“It may be nothing, but I’d like to check it out.”

“The good news,” Shonda said, “is that Louis’s team was able to pivot so well when news of the kidnapping broke. They planted that story about how he came to your rescue. They’re not happy about being kept in the dark, but they managed to spin a story that’s given them a lot of good press. When I talked to them this morning they wanted to set up a photo shoot with you Jamie, something intimate and romantic.” Shonda rolled her eyes. “At least that was the plan until these photos were leaked.”

“I’m not going to pose in front of the paparazzi with Louis. I’m done with them forever.”

“Stop. Do I really need to explain how show business works, like you’re some dumb girl fresh off the bus in Hollywood looking to get famous? You know how important your image is to your brand. Without the paparazzi you have no image, no brand.”

“But Shonda-”

“But nothing. It doesn’t matter anyway. Louis’s team doesn’t want paparazzi shots. They want something more professional. They want you to sit down together to do a photo shoot and an interview. We’ll release the photos somewhere like People magazine. They love puff pieces like this. They’re always soft on celebrities. We’ll have to find a way to coordinate with his team on how to spin these nude pictures. It won’t be easy, but I’ll make it work.”

“I’m going to need to speak with Louis’s security team. I need to know his movements and schedule,” Theo said.

“Why?”

“If he’s going to be with Jamie, then I need to know everything. I can’t put her life in danger.”

“In danger again, you mean?” Shonda smiled smugly at Theo. She was not going to let him forget that my near-kidnapping happened on his watch.

“Please, stop fighting,” I said, not for the first time today. “Your bickering is exhausting.”

I rubbed my face hard and ran my fingers through my wild, curly hair.

“Stop that,” Shonda said. “If you keep rubbing your face like that you’ll give yourself wrinkles.”

“What difference does it make? My career is over.”

“No, it’s not. I haven’t even begun to fight these assholes. They don’t know who they’re fucking with. I’m going to take care of Gossip Guru and Louis’s people. You just do what I say, when I say.”

“That story they leaked to the paper was one hundred percent bullshit,” I said. “What if the truth gets out?”

“It won’t. It’s my job to see that it doesn’t. I made you famous and I’m going to make sure you stay that way.”

I looked to Shonda, then Theo, then back to Shonda. If we were going to war with the tabloids, I had two good soldiers by my side. Shonda would give them hell on the PR front and Theo would shut down my stalker on the security side of things. Or so I hoped.

Shonda’s phone beeped. She looked at the screen and smiled.

“What?” I said. “Please tell me you have good news.”

“It’s a text from the studio. We’re back on.”

The studio had threatened to fire me from their latest superhero franchise; it would have cost me a ton of money. With all the drama unfolding, I’d forgotten all about it.

“Do they know about the nude photos?” I asked.

“Yeah. They love it. They think you’re the new bad girl of Hollywood.”

“What? Just yesterday they were ready to fire me for ruining my squeaky clean image.”

“Have you seen the comments people are leaving online?”

“I had the displeasure of reading a couple of them. People are gross.”

“Everyone thinks you’re hot,” Shonda said. “No offense, but you were never hot in the eyes of the public- until now.”

“People think I’m ugly?”

“No, they think you’re America’s Sweetheart. America’s Sweetheart isn’t hot- she’s cute and relatable. Now you’re sexy, a bad girl. You know, now that I think about it, I’ve been going about this all wrong. This is the perfect opportunity for a reinvention.”

Shonda started to pace the room. When she got excited it was impossible for her to sit still. She tapped her nails on her cell phone screen. Beside me, Theo grew impatient. He couldn’t care less about my career, or ‘Hollywood bullshit,’ as he referred to it. He squeezed my hand. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding onto him until that moment. I smiled at him weakly.

“I was such a fool. Why didn’t I see it?” Shonda said, talking to herself. “I was never going to rehabilitate your image. This is the perfect time to transition your brand. You’re dangerous now. People are out to kill you; you have a secret life hidden from the public. You’re the good girl gone bad. It’s perfect. I’ve got to talk to Louis’s people. In the meantime, I’m going to send over your Glam Squad to get you ready for your photo shoot. You need a new image.”

“No,” Theo and I said at the same time.

“No one can know where Jamie is. This is supposed to be a safe house,” Theo said.

“And I don’t want to meet with the Glam Squad. I’ll do my hair and makeup myself.”

Shonda looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Do you need to see a doctor? Did you hit your head or something? You cannot do your own hair and makeup for a magazine shoot.”

“Fine,” I relented.

“Jamie will meet them at the hotel. I’ll drive her,” Theo said.

“Whatever. I leave the security issues in your hands. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ll be in touch.”

With that, Shonda left to go put out the fires that had been set the last twenty-four hours.

7

Within a block of the hotel, the paparazzi, fans and pedestrians curious about the circus on the street, gathered to catch a glimpse of me. Media vans had traffic backed up for a mile. Police had to direct traffic within five miles of the hotel. It was a nightmare.

I sank down in my seat as we slowed to a stop. Theo took a hard left and circled around the hotel. Traffic wasn’t any lighter, but we were able to slip into an underground parking garage unnoticed. Theo kept me behind him protectively as we walked across the parking lot. His eyes darted around, on alert for the slightest hint of movement.

Danger was everywhere as far as I was concerned. When a car came screeching around the corner from an upper deck, I screamed. Theo pushed me against the wall. The car drove on, unaware and unconcerned about us. He frowned as the crazy driver took off, nearly hitting someone walking on the street outside the parking garage.

Theo took my hand and led me to the hotel. We didn’t bother going inside the lobby, we took the stairs in the garage. After walking up fifteen flights, I was sweating like a pig. The climb didn’t seem to bother Theo at all. He didn’t even break a sweat.

“I really need to start working out more,” I said breathlessly.

“You’re going to start today. I want you to change into gym clothes. We’re going to start training as soon as…”

I opened my hotel room door to find a madhouse. Not only was my Glam Squad in the room, but so was Louis and his entire entourage and PR team.

“Who are all these people?” Theo demanded of Louis. “None of you have authorization to be here.

“Easy, brother,” Louis responded. “These are my mates, Sebs, Henry, Nate, Aiden, and Max. The rest work for me. They’re cool, so why don’t you try and be cool? Eh?”

Theo got in Louis’s face. “I want everyone out except for you. You stay.”

His words were an icy warning, but that didn’t stop Louis from arguing. “Brother, it’s not that serious. We party together all the time. They’re not out to kidnap Jamie,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

Theo grabbed Louis by the collar and pushed him against the wall. “We almost lost Jamie last night. She could have died. Do you understand that?”

Louis looked panicked. His eyes darted across the room looking for someone to save him. The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. No one was rushing to Louis’s aide. He was on his own.

“Do you understand?” Theo said. “I’m not going to ask you a third time.”

“Ye- yes.”

“And I’m not your brother. If you call me that again, I’ll throw you from the roof of this hotel. You get me?” Theo released him.

“Guys, why don’t you take off for the day, eh? Jamie and I need some time alone,” he stammered.

Louis’s entourage slowly filed out of the room; his PR team remained behind. It was at that moment Shonda walked in.

“What’s going on?” she said. “You all look like you just found out your mothers are dead.”

“We should get down to business,” Louis’s publicist said.

“I need to talk to Louis alone first,” Theo said. He grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced him out of the room.

“But, I- wait…” Louis protested, to no avail.

Theo pushed him into one of the guest bedrooms and slammed the door shut behind him. There was a loud crash as if a piece of furniture was thrown at the wall followed by a second loud bang. We stared at each other awkwardly. Then the guest bedroom door opened and Louis emerged. His eye was swollen and his normally perfectly styled hair was a mess. His publicist’s mouth dropped open.

“What did you do?” she demanded of Theo. “Don’t you know who he is?”

“I know exactly who he is,” Theo said with an edge to his voice that made his words sound more like an insult that a compliment.

“Then you know how he makes his living. He can’t have bruising on his face! Couldn’t you have punched him in the stomach?”

“Hey!” Louis protested. “Or you could have just not hit me at all, y’know?”

Theo turned to him causing Louis to jump behind his publicist for protection. He looked like a little boy hiding behind his mommy’s skirts.

“I don’t see how it matters. I mean, he saved Jamie’s life, right?” Shonda said drily. “He’s bound to have a couple of bruises after fighting off her attacker.”

“Of course. And that’s exactly how we’ll spin it. Understood?” his publicist replied.

There was a not-so-subtle warning in her voice. If we didn’t stick to the story, she’d make us pay. I didn’t doubt her threat for a second. She represented some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. She didn’t get to where she was by making idle threats.

“So, I hear you want to go with a new angle: ‘Jamie King Bad Girl’?” the publicist said blandly. “I don’t like it. She needs to be a victim.”

“No,” Shonda said. “She’s a survivor.”

“A victim is better. If she’s seen as a bad girl, then it’s implied she can take care of herself. Louis has to be her savior.”

I rolled my eyes. “How are we going to explain the nude photos?”

The publicist shrugged. “She sent them to her boyfriend-
Louis
. We’ll leak to the press that his phone was hacked. We’ll say how deeply upset we are at this attempt to re-victimize Jamie. It’s disgusting. The photos were an intimate moment between two lovers and not meant to be shared with the world. Blah, blah… They’re deeply in love. We’re greatly offended… You get the idea.”

“That doesn’t work for me,” Shonda said.

Her phone beeped. She glanced at the screen then showed it to Theo. He immediately turned and left the room. I started to follow after him. He pulled me aside out of earshot of the fight brewing in the living room.

“I’ve got to go,” he said. He opened the door and looked down the hallway. “Connor is here. You can trust him. He’s going to stay by your side until I come back.”

“When will you be back? Where are you going?”

“I need to check something out.”

“What happened? What did Shonda show you?”

“The website that published your nude photos-”

“Gossip Guru.”

“Right. Well, they’re claiming they didn’t pay for the photos. They said they were sent to them anonymously.”

“What? That’s bullshit. No one leaks photos of celebrities for free. What’s the point if you’re not going to get paid?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. Just stay here at the hotel. Stick with Connor. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

Theo leaned in as if to kiss me, then thought better of it. He touched my shoulder and turned and left. I preferred a kiss to a friendly shoulder squeeze, but apparently that was the best I could hope for at the moment.

I sighed and turned back to the room. They were still arguing over the details of the new PR campaign. Louis lingered in the corner chewing on his thumbnail. He watched me suspiciously. Pretending to be in love with him was going to be a nightmare. I deserved an Oscar for keeping up this charade for so long. It was going to be a long day.