* * *
He had showered, changed into his tracksuit bottoms and an old T-shirt and was sitting on his small balcony drinking a cool lager when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and, not recognising the number and not wishing to interrupt the peace and quiet, was about to ignore the call when he remembered he had given Tasha his number.
He accepted the call. ‘Hello?’
‘Callum? This is Tasha Dodds, Riley Sharp’s PA.’
Callum smiled at Tasha’s expectation that he wouldn’t know who she was unless she mentioned Riley. ‘Hi, Tasha. Can I assume this call is to give me good news?’ he asked before taking a drink from the bottle.
‘It is. Riley took a little persuading because he’s not one for interviews, but I convinced him that the show needs all the promotion he can give it and, for once, he agreed with me.’
‘That’s great news. Did he have a day and time in mind to visit the studio?’
He listened as she told him when Riley could make it. ‘That’s great. Thanks for making this happen, Tasha, and I’ll see you then.’
He rang off and punched the air. Getting Riley Sharp to agree to come on his show was a massive coup.
Knowing he would be seeing Tasha again soon was an added bonus.
4
TASHA
Tasha stood to the side and watched Riley Sharp charm the blushing receptionist as she stepped from behind the desk and went to shake his hand.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Sh… Sh… Sharp.’
‘Please,’ he said, taking her hand and lowering his head to kiss the back of it, keeping eye contact at all times. ‘Call me Riley,’ he said in his sultriest voice, causing the receptionist to sigh and look for a moment as if she might faint.
Poor girl, Tasha thought, understanding only too well the effect her boss had on people when they met him in the flesh for the first time. His piercing blue eyes, six-foot-plus frame, toned physique as well as his perfectly symmetrical face and dark, almost black, perfectly styled hair were breathtaking. Initially. Knowing Riley as she now had for the past three years since starting work as his personal assistant, she thought he had probably spent most of his teenage years perfecting this first impression. She was relieved that his deep voice and beauty no longer made her feel weak at the knees.
He still had the ability to magnify her stress levels though. He was a master of that, she mused, frustrated that so many of her more recent working days and evenings were spent doing damage control after he had upset yet another actor, director or member of the crew he was working with. She caught his sideways glance in her direction as he lowered the receptionist’s hand and turned slightly towards Tasha. She tensed, aware that if the radio host didn’t appear soon Riley would almost certainly leave without going through with the interview.
She took a steadying breath and willed the man to appear, closing her eyes in relief when the door opened and a flustered man burst into the reception from a door at the back of the room.
‘I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.’ He took Riley’s hand in both of his and shook it enthusiastically. ‘Thanks for welcoming our guests, JoJo,’ he said, giving the receptionist a grateful smile. Then turning his attention back to Tasha and Riley, he stepped to one side and held out an arm. ‘Let me show you through to the studio.’
She followed the men upstairs and took a seat next to Riley, hoping this idea of hers had been as good as Riley’s manager presumed. It wasn’t common knowledge outside of the cast and crew, but Riley’s cheerful, friendly personality was as fake as his posh English accent. The past two months filming on the island’s picturesque beaches and secret valleys had been exhausting, with one tantrum or argument after another.
Most of the crew were no longer speaking with Riley unless their lines called for them to, and three assistants had been fired after offending him in some imagined way. His previous two shows and last year’s film might have been a roaring success, but she wondered how long it might be until people began to talk outside filming circles about his rude manner.
Thankfully, today he seemed to be on his best behaviour, and Tasha was enormously relieved. He was here to help raise interest for the TV cop series, aware that he now needed to do something to rectify all the damage he had done by his disruptions on the film set.
She glanced down at her tablet, which showed the running order of the questions she had agreed with the radio host prior to Riley consenting to take part in the interview. So far so good. She listened to host Callum’s lovely voice as he ran through what he intended doing.
‘I’ve got a shout-out to make and will then introduce you,’ he explained to Riley, shooting a glance at Tasha. ‘Then we’ll get straight into it if that’s OK with you?’
‘Sounds fine.’ Riley gave his brightest smile that he saved for people he wanted to charm. Tasha knew that look, though, and could tell he wasn’t happy the host hadn’t seemed more enthusiastic to see him again. ‘We’re happy as long as you are.’
Tasha also knew that was untrue and by the brief movement of surprise in Callum’s eyebrows she sensed he did too.
‘Great, let’s do this.’ Callum gave them a nod and focused his attention onto the sound panel. ‘Welcome to another sunny afternoon at BBC Island Radio. I’m your host Callum Preston and today, as most of you know, we have a very special guest who’s been filming on the island for the past couple of months. He’s a star of television and film.’ He lowered his voice and moved slightly closer to the microphone as if he was sharing a secret with his audience. ‘Mr Riley Sharp has kindly agreed to come into the studio. Yes, that Riley Sharp – and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him here.’ He sat back and looked at Riley. ‘Welcome, Riley. Thank you again for agreeing to come and speak to us.’
‘It’s my pleasure, Callum,’ Riley said, seeming, Tasha was relieved to note, happier now he had been given the sort of attention he had grown to expect.
She thought back three years to first meeting Riley when he had seemed far less arrogant and still surprised and grateful to have been in the top-ranking psychological thriller series on television that year. It was only a few months after that when he was offered a supporting role in a massive film and had been nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. After that, there was no stopping his ego. How the mighty can rise only for their behaviour to be reported on. He had developed a reputation, at least in the acting world, for being difficult to junior cast members and crew. It had completely changed that meteoric trajectory when more and more directors refused to work with him. It served him right, as far as Tasha was concerned.
Riley brought the microphone closer to him. ‘Hello, listeners in Jersey. Thanks for inviting me here today, Callum. I am delighted to be on your show and share some behind-the-scenes news about our brand-new seriesSam Thorne Investigateswith your wonderful listeners. I hope they all look forward to watching.’
