‘Thanks baby. But consider it delayed penance for shitty behaviour. I do.’
We’re at an impasse, and it’s made even more impassable when Mara comes to visit us on set one afternoon. Mike andGrosvenor’s publicist, Donna, have been working their arses off on damage limitation for Josh, because the last thing Azure needs is any negative publicity around their working practices.
We’re sitting down with Donna shortly, but given no one on theGrosvenorproduction team has any idea Josh and I are romantically involved, it makes sense to have a chat with Mara and Mike first.
Mara dials Mike in and they read us the riot act. I feel completely responsible for this whole situation with my stupid throwaway remarks on Gordon Kay, and Josh feels responsible because he behaved like a jackass five years ago (no argument here) and it’s coming back to bite him.
‘Mike and I have discussed this ad nauseam with Donna.’ Mara taps her pen on the table. ‘There is only one way out of this. That is that there’s no story. You two are colleagues. Nothing else. You’re getting along fine professionally, and you have no relationship off camera. Zero.’
‘That’s the only way this goes away,’ Mike chimes in. ‘I don’t know how strongly you guys feel about each other—I don’t wanna know. But given the way the press has come down as Team Elle this week, you wanna stay away from her, Josh.’
‘If anyone got a whiff of suspicion that you two are involved, the press would come down like a tonne of bricks onbothof you.’ Mara’s now brandishing her pen at us like aweapon. ‘Elle, I know how unbearable things were for you first time around.’
She shoots Josh a look of utter disgust (Mara isnotTeam Josh). ‘I won’t have you go through that again on my watch—not if I can help it. Right now, the press is firmly on your side. And you know how mercurial they are. You’re a success story. You’re a feminist queen. And you’re an inspiration. You’re karma in action.
‘Nobody would understand if you took Josh back. Not the press. Not your fans. Not the millions of young women who see you as a role model. Your only option is to distance yourself as much as possible from him, except as colleagues. I’m sorry, but there it is.’
She throws her pen on the table.
I stare at her in horror.
‘So I’m supposed to just sit there and take it? Let everyone else decide what I want?’
‘She’s right, baby.’ Josh grabs my hand, and I don’t miss Mara’s look of disgust at the gesture and his endearment. ‘They will fucking crucify you if they think you’ve taken me back—they’ll say you’re weak and pathetic. Believe me.’
‘What if I speak up? Tell my side of the story?’
I’m desperate now.
This man has just shown me who he truly is.
I’ve made peace with our past.
With his sins.
I’m not about to hang him out to dry.
And I’mnotabout to try to live without him when we have this second chance.
‘No, Elle.’ It’s Mike again. ‘Honestly. It won’t just damage you; it’ll damage Josh. He’ll be painted as predatory again. Doesn’t take no for an answer. The press has decided “guys like him”’—he uses his fingers to make quote marks—‘don’t deserve a second shot. He needs to lie low, and so do you.’
‘I’ve served all the hospital staff who saw Josh with NDAs,’ Mara says. ‘Obviously, the whole crew here has signed them. I’m working on The Grove staff. But I mean it. Stay away from each other. No trailer trysts. You run lines, you do it in public. And don’t even think about going into each other’s rooms at The Grove. There are security cameras in the corridors. There are maids. Room service. Remember what happened to Jackson?’
Mara’s scarred because Jackson James and his co-star got outed by a server from Chateau Marmont who’d delivered room service, found them together in bed, and sold her story. He was still married to Honor at the time.
I nod soberly. She keeps talking. ‘Azure is doing its own thing—Donna will speak to you shortly. We’re thinking a BTS shot with Kate on Insta, mentioning in the comments how great she is as an intimacy coordinator. Maybe a couple of selfies of you and Thor. We might even arrange drinks for the two of you. Throw them off the scent.’
Josh looks as furious as I feel. Thor asked me out last week. No way is he my type. I reckon he spends longer grooming his eyebrows than I do on my entire skincare regime.
‘Listen to me.’ Mara leans forward. She’s really scary when she’s in full-on damage-control mode. ‘The only story is no story. Unless you want them to paint you as a spineless pussy who rolls over and spreads her legs when Josh Lander smiles at her, stay. The fuck. Away from him.’
CHAPTER 46
Elle
After Mara and Mike set down the new ground rules for us, the only time Josh and I have together is on-camera.
The only way we can truly be together is as Dominic and Georgiana.
