Starbright (52 page)

“I see what you mean, sir. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. After all, you know this business better than I do. And you’re right—I definitely wouldn’t want to do anything that might hinder
Golden Gloves
’
success.”

Mr. Mertz folded his hands on his desk. “I have high hopes for you and believe everything will work out in your favor, if you are patient.”

“You really think one day Aidan and I won’t have to hide our relationship anymore?”

Mr. Mertz’s wide grin reappeared. “Absolutely.”

Beth exhaled in relief. “That’s wonderful to hear, sir. Thank you.”

Mr. Mertz stood from his desk and walked around to her side. He dragged the nearest vacant chair toward him and sat in front of her, leaning in close enough that she felt his stale breath against her face.

“First, I need you to officially confirm your relationship with Mr. Evans.”

A strange warning drifted across Beth’s nape. “My career is safe, right?”

“My dear girl.” Mr. Mertz placed his hand on her knee. If Beth thought she felt a chill before, that was nothing compared to the glacial reaction she had now. “Why would I terminate your career when you have more than proven you’re an asset to my studio? Withholding the truth about your relationship with Aidan from the public is simply a precaution until after
Golden Gloves
is released. I already told you I’m optimistic about the motion picture, so I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t support the two of you later on. The outcome is tilting in your favor.

“Now, I know you are seeing each other romantically. That much is clear. But it’s much deeper than that, isn’t it?” Mr. Mertz curled his fingers over her knee in a gentle manner, but her stomach roiled. “Tell me, Miss Sutton, how far has your relationship progressed? And I warn you—do not
insult my intelligence any longer.”

“You are correct, sir.” Beth dropped her gaze but refused to look at his hand on her knee. “Aidan and I are in love.”

She drew in a sharp breath, waiting for the backlash.

“Well, isn’t that nice.” Surprisingly, Mr. Mertz’s reply was void of contention. “As long as you two don’t cause trouble for me and agree to keep your relationship a secret for now, I’m happy for you.”

“All right, then.” Beth squirmed in her seat. The weight of his hand was unbearable. “Yes, I will agree to your terms.”

“That’s a good girl.” Mr. Mertz moved his hand above her knee. Before her uneasiness overwhelmed her, he patted her thigh and stood, motioning to the door with a large grin on his face again. “You better get back to the set, Miss Sutton.”

Beth rose from her seat and picked up her telegram and car keys. She put on her best smile. “It was a pleasure speaking with you, sir.”

Mr. Mertz replaced the chair he used to its proper position. “And you as well, Miss Sutton.”

Beth turned toward the door.

“Oh, and Miss Sutton?” Mr. Mertz’s gruff manner returned.

She regarded him quizzically over her shoulder. “Yes, sir?”

“William Everett will escort you to the Academy Awards.” He flipped through a file folder on his desk. “However, given your role with Aidan in
Golden Gloves
, I find it fitting that the two of you be photographed together on the red carpet. Therefore, you have my permission to pose with him in a professional capacity.”

Beth placed her hand to her heart. “Golly, that’s wonderful. Thank you, sir!”

He nodded curtly. “That will be all, Miss Sutton.”

Beth left his office with a large smile on her face. She waved good-bye to Ethel and Caroline after they informed that her Nathan still hadn’t returned, and made an eager trip back to the soundstage.

Aidan interrupted his conversation with one of the camera operators upon her arrival.

“Come with me. I have some great news.” She gripped his forearm, leading him off set and into her dressing room.

“What is it?” he asked, shutting the door.

Beth took his hands in hers and swung them side-to-side. “Nathan got called away, so we couldn’t have our meeting, and then Mr. Mertz—”

“Mertz what?” Aidan yanked out of her grasp.

“Let me finish explaining, please.”

Aidan’s nostrils flared. “Go on.”

“Mr. Mertz told me he’d heard from multiple sources that you and I were at Romanoff’s together on Valentine’s Day as a romantic couple.”

Aidan shoved his hands through his hair. “Man, I knew that was a bad idea.”

Beth giggled. “Will you let me finish?”

Aidan jammed his hands into his pockets, sulking like a child. “Fine.”

“Mr. Mertz asked me if we were seeing each other romantically. He promised if I admitted the truth that he would allow us to continue doing so, as long as we kept our relationship a secret from the public for the time being.”

Aidan’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you did.”

“Of course I did.” Beth waved her hand vaguely, ignoring his incredulous expression. “I told him we were in love, and we’d continue to keep it hidden until he felt it was all right to come out publicly with the news.”

“Damn it, baby, what were you thinking?”

She placed her hand on her hip. “I
also
told Mr. Mertz that I was suspicious of his change in tune, but he said after watching the
Golden Gloves
rushes, he expects great things from the film and sees no reason why the public won’t approve of our relationship. He just wants to make sure before he openly supports us.”

Wariness clouded Aidan’s eyes like an approaching storm. “He actually told you he was okay with us seeing each other?”

“Yes, isn’t that exciting?”

“No way.” Aidan paced the room. “The man’s got something up his sleeve. You may have put your career at risk with your confession.”

“Think about it, Aidan. Mr. Mertz can’t fire me over this! I have
Venus Rising
coming out soon, which already has a lot of positive buzz, and he’s sunk so much money into
Golden Gloves
, he won’t halt production now. He’s looking to profit from our onscreen pairing, so why not off-screen, too, if the public accepts us together?”

Aidan turned to her. The air between them was charged and heavy. “You should’ve gotten Mertz to put it in writing or something. Call Saul. Maybe he can draft up a—”

“It’s best not to get too many people involved. If I tell Mr. Stern, then Mr. Mertz will be cross with me because we’re supposed to be keeping our relationship a secret.”

Aidan threw his hands up in the air. “It doesn’t make any damn sense, baby! Why would Mertz accept us now, yet before Christmas, he didn’t even want us in the same vicinity?”

“At that time, we hadn’t filmed any of
Golden Gloves
, so he hadn’t seen the rushes.”

Aidan shook his head. “Regardless of how easygoing Mertz may seem about all this, the guy can’t be trusted.”

“I didn’t think so, either, but considering I walked out of his office with my contract intact and zero punishment, I believe he’s actually telling the truth about supporting us. Just think—there will be no more spies hanging around the set. We can go out in a group like we did on Valentine’s Day without worrying if he’ll find out and reprimand me for it. It’s not exactly what we wanted, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Aidan scowled. “That’s another thing. I don’t like that Mertz has set ground rules for our relationship and wants to use our love for his own financial gain. We’re not his goddamn puppets.”

“If the time comes, let him promote us to the papers. As long as we’re together, who cares?”

“I care.” Aidan’s eyes illuminated with a fierce, feral passion. “When it comes to you, baby, I care a hell of a lot. It’s up to me to protect you.” He drove his hands through his hair again. “Damn it, I wish you’d told him you’d get back to him and talked to me first before admitting everything.”

Beth frowned. “I don’t need you taking care of everything for me.”

Aidan hung his head and rubbed his temples. “You said Mertz won’t fire you now, but what if he fires you after the
Golden Gloves
buzz has died down?”

“That won’t make any sense from a business standpoint. If the film is a hit, like we expect it to be, Mr. Mertz will want to cast me in more films to capitalize on my popularity. And you’re always safe because you’re not under contract.”

“Something tells me this isn’t over.” Aidan’s words sounded low and dangerous, spoken through lips that barely moved. “If Mertz is lying to you…” He closed his eyes, as if seeking divine guidance, but Beth knew better.

She linked her hands behind his neck. “Please, Aidan, can’t you be happy for us? I’m willing to have faith in Mr. Mertz if it means we can be together without interference from him. What do you say?”

Aidan snaked his arms around her waist and dropped his chin to her shoulder.

“This is going to turn out badly, baby. I just know it,” he said, but he clung to her like he hoped he was wrong.

Beth stroked his hair, winding the wild strands around her fingers. “Well, how about this for added assurance—Mr. Mertz said we’re allowed to pose together on the red carpet at the Academy Awards to promote
Golden Gloves
. He wouldn’t have sanctioned that if he truly wanted to keep us apart, right?”

Aidan’s features softened. “Promise me if Mertz pulls something like this again you’ll talk to me first before agreeing to anything.”

“But Aidan—”

“Promise me, Beth.”

He looked so concerned she couldn’t dare refuse him. “I promise.”

Aidan brought his lips to hers. Beth immersed in their kisses until a knock at the door interrupted them.

“Hello? Beth?” Nathan called from the hallway.

Beth stepped out of Aidan’s arms and straightened her dress. “Come in.”

Nathan opened the door and entered the dressing room, looking as dapper as usual in his charcoal gray suit and fedora.

“Sorry I missed you. I—” He caught sight of Aidan and his grin widened in warm recognition. “Oh, hey, I didn’t know you were in here, too.”

“Hey, Nate.” Aidan sounded quieter than usual.

Nathan removed his fedora. “Beth, I’m sorry I missed our meeting. After I handed over the telegram, I received an urgent call from Luther regarding a matter that had to be resolved immediately on the other side of the lot. I tried to catch the messenger, but he was long gone by then.”

Aidan eyed Nathan skeptically. “What was the urgent matter you had to resolve?”

“It’s the strangest thing. Apparently, one of the lighting technicians on Marlene Dietrich’s new film was in a rift with one of the sound guys. Usually, Luther’s union representative deals with such matters, but he was on lunch…” Nathan waved his hand frivolously. “Anyway, whatever serious issue they were having was resolved in the time it took me to drive over there. Everything was under control by the time I arrived.”

“I see.” Aidan folded his arms over his chest. “Nate, I wanna run something by you, okay?”

Nathan shrugged. “Sure. What is it?”

“While you were off on your errand across the lot, Mertz took advantage of your absence and called Beth into his office.”

Nathan fiddled with the brim of his fedora. “Oh no. I’m sorry.”

Beth let out a frustrated sigh. She refused to believe Mr. Mertz had some sort of conspiracy against her and Aidan. “What my beau failed to mention is the meeting was in regards to a positive matter. He wanted me to confirm Aidan and I were dating after he heard we were together at Romanoff’s on Valentine’s Day.”

Worry flitted across Nathan’s face. “And you said…?”

“Well, I couldn’t lie to him again!” Beth shook her head, exasperated that they thought she was unable to make such important decisions on her own. “He obviously had a lot of reliable sources this time. Romanoff’s was packed with his employees.”

Beth launched into the story about what happened during the meeting, leaving out the part about Mr. Mertz’s hand on her knee. There was no point getting Aidan angry for no reason.

“What do you think, Nate?” Aidan asked when she finished. “Fishy, ain’t it?”

Nathan’s gaze drifted to Beth, revealing nothing. “Did Luther threaten you to get you to talk?”

She shook her head.

“And he said your contract is safe as well as your role in
Golden Gloves
?”

She nodded. “Aidan’s role, too.”

Nathan sighed. “It’s tricky. I mean, if Luther was angry, he would’ve fined you already, at the very least, and he certainly wouldn’t have told you it was all right to be photographed with Aidan at the Oscars. I’d be worried that he’d fire you after
Golden Gloves
, but the picture is guaranteed to make him a ton of money. He’ll want to capitalize on your popularity and put you in other films.”

Beth snapped her fingers. “That’s exactly what I told Aidan.”

Nathan looked at her beau. “Luther’s done stranger things for money before. He may not be fond of you, but perhaps he’s willing to overlook that to make a buck. My advice is to take whatever slack he’s given you but don’t push him.”

Aidan nodded, but he still didn’t look convinced.

“I’d never encourage you to make a deal with Luther if I had a bad feeling about it.” A disconcerting frown crept upon Nathan’s face.

Beth and Aidan exchanged puzzled glances. Before Beth could inquire into his sudden sullen mood, he looked his cheerful self again.

“In all honesty, this deal doesn’t seem so bad.” Nathan placed his fedora on his head. “There’s a good chance the public will be overjoyed to find out
Golden Gloves
’ leading stars fell in love in real life. Even if Luther doesn’t want to openly support your relationship, you two will be so big by the time the film is released that Beth’s career will be unstoppable. She can probably announce your love to the world against his wishes with only minor consequences.”

Beth flashed an appreciative smile. “I’m glad you’re confident I made the right decision by telling the truth.”

Aidan placed his hands in the pockets of his trousers. “Nate, you know Mertz better than anyone. So if you’re okay with it, I’ll try to be, too.”

Nathan offered another grin. “Don’t worry, you two. The ball is in your court now. Luther needs you just as much as you need him, and if he ever pretends you don’t mean anything to him, it wouldn’t hurt to remind him of this fact.”