A million miles and a million dollars away from the kind of places I could afford when I worked for Joe lugging soil, sand, and plants in his landscaping business.
‘You always were a lucky fuck.’ Joe’s good-natured grousing echoes down the line again.
‘Hey, if I’d known you had a thing for London, I’d have invited you. Pretty sure no one would’ve noticed one extra member in the entourage.’ Too many surround me already, and God knows I could’ve done with someone I trust. It wasn’t too long ago I had an agent who rarely took my calls. Now, I can’t get the fucker to leave me alone. I’m looking to sign with another agency; someone with a better rep. But for now, I have enough with Ric, a publicist, and a lawyer who’s billing me for some substantial hours. But so long as we win, I don’t give a shit.
‘Get you, Mr. Big Shot,’ my friend taunts again.My friend. He’s one of the very few who stuck around for what will probably be referred to in the coming years as myasshole year.My actions over the last few months have pissed too many people off as I drowned my sorrows in the bottle while acting every inch the arrogant movie star. Not that I’m short for company; those who want to be pap’d with the right people are always around. People in the business. People looking to get a hand up. Plenty of pussy, too, if I want it, which I haven’t lately. Not since—
Not gonna think about it.
‘Think you could make it two?’ Joe’s voice brings me back to the phone in my hand. ‘Can’t afford to leave Todd behind. The man would be dead before I got back; he can’t boil an egg.’
‘You married him. Can’t clean, can’t cook, so what does he do for you?’
‘You want me to go there?’ he asks in a tone that makes me answer immediately.
‘Hell, no!’
He does anyway. Deadpan. ‘The man cuts my hair good.’
We both set off laughing. God, I miss hanging out. Him and Todd, me and Ivy. We had some laughs.
‘You do look more presentable since you met him.’
‘That’s all Todd’s doing. He’s all about the metro. But seriously, the thing you called to talk about—this legal deal—is there anything you want me to do? I could go tear up some fool’s garden with the machine? Poison his plants?’
‘Nah. I appreciate it, but legal are on it. They’ve filed a suit against distribution, whatever the fuck that will do.’ The air between us is filled with a sudden pause, and I know what’s coming next.
‘Why’d you do a fool thing like that? Filming her is one thing but keeping it after you were through?’Joe’s tone is filled with censure, as though the girl in question is his daughter and not my wife.
‘I didn’t do it to her. I did itwith her.’ With her consent and incitement. Not that anyone would believe me. Sweet, innocent Ivy. Everyone’s nice girl—a nice girl who just happened to like fucking in front of a camera, I guess.
If the lawyers can’t swing this case my way, the world just might find out how sweet Ivy really is. How hot she is. How sweet she sounds when she comes. See, I’m not sure who or how, but it seems Dynamic Entertainment has a recording of Ivy and me. Yeah, that kind of recording. And they’re talking about releasing it.
I can’t let that happen. I can’t do that to her.
‘Y’all into some freaky shit and I just don’t know what to think. But you shoulda hit delete the minute you were through. That’s just—’
‘I get it. Please. I do.’
‘And you’ve got to let her go,’ he says softly.
I thought I had. Was so sure my fucked-up plan would work—get her to LA, make her hurt, send her on her way, and then move the fuck on. Instead, I’m having trouble living with myself.
‘So this legal thing.’ His deep voice brings me out of my thoughts again. ‘Think it’ll work?’
‘I hope so.’ I let out a breath; my chin dips to my chest, my shoulders sagging along with the exhale.
‘And failing that?’
‘Her ass is painted all over the internet.’
Plain and simple. If she’s not broken after the way I treated her in LA, then she’s about to be. The thought causes the fist around my heart to tighten; the lack of control I have over this whole fucked-up situation continues to take my blood to boiling point. The fact that Joe doesn’t know there’s already a recording of us fucking out there on the internet is something I’m not going to change. Because then I’d have to tell him I’d blackmailed her into coming to LA. I’d have to admit my sick motivations to one of the few people I’d call a true friend, which would be painful enough, but then I’d also have to tell him my attempt at revenge failed.
Instead, my reality was tipped on its head. When it came down to it, I couldn’t let her fuck another man. I had to have her again, opening up wounds I’d covered with nothing more than an anger Band-Aid.
I’m beginning to think I’ll never understand.Or get over her.And then my lawyer tells me this first recording—the one I’m responsible for releasing, the one from the whole fucked-up blackmail plan—might work in our disfavour. He says it could harm our case against the porn fucks who want to make it the next pay-per-view sensation.
‘Who sold it to the porn people, anyway? One of the trolls you’ve been fucking, no doubt.’
