“I’ll take my chances.”
He shook his head looking betrayed, but I didn’t care.
When the front door slammed, Rami exhaled heavily. “About fucking time.”
“Seriously,” said Asha without looking up from her screen.
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing and every time it did, I checked just to make sure it wasn’t Elena before rejecting the call.
“No breakup statement,” I told Asha. “Not right now when Elena needs public favor. If she issues it, I can’t stop her, but it’s not coming from us. As far as anyone is concerned, she’s still my girlfriend. That might slow a few of the shots at her down, but it won’t be enough.”
Rami said, “Why did she go public now? Did something happen?”
I was pretty sure it was my fault. I let out a heavy sigh, dragging my fingers through my hair in frustration. “Doesn’t matter now. I’m pulling out of the film.” I was starting to realize how far reaching the implications of this were.
“Do we do that now or wait and see how things look when the dust settles? What if they pull Max off?” Rami said.
“Unlikely. But even if they do, it’s one more way I can show support now when people are still forming opinions. Issuing a statement doesn’t cost me anything. Dropping out of a film everyone knows is important to me is putting my money where my mouth is and showing them how serious I am about it.”
I checked my phone and rejected the same number again.
“I can work it all into one statement supporting her,” Asha said, still typing.
I rubbed my forehead, wishing the throbbing would stop long enough to think clearly.
“He’s already responded,” Rami said, sounding pissed. He turned his computer so we could see it.
Max was threatening to sue the magazine for defamation and essentially called Elena a lying, fame-hungry whore. He’d illustrated his point by including a picture of her from some kind of fetish shoot in which she was clad in latex and a male sub on a leash was licking her stiletto. He’d framed me as the latest victim of her machinations, making it sound like I’d been blind to her real motives in dating me. Exactly what I’d accused her of that night.
He’d taken the legs out from under us so that any defense from me would only make her look worse because people would feel bad for me for being naive.
Knocking his front teeth out was sounding better and better by the minute.
“Well, he came out swinging,” Asha blew out a breath. “He’s so aggressive and there are enough veiled threats in here and references to industry people who’ll back him that this is going to make this much tougher. We know Elena, so we want to help her, but if she was just some woman to us, I’d be advising my clients against getting mixed up in this right now. She won’t look reliable to the public. I’m not saying we leave Elena out to dry, but it might be better for her to try to keep this from escalating.”
She glanced down at her phone and answered it. After a few seconds of murmuring, she said, “Alex, evidently Kate Brannan has been trying to get you and you’re not picking up. Here.”
Kate’s crisp English accent came on the line. “Alex, darling. Can you pop round for a cup of tea?”
I exhaled, trying to be patient. “I’m sort of in the middle of a crisis right now, Kate. Can I take a rain check?”
“Oh, I’m aware. I’ll see you shortly.”
She hung up without waiting for confirmation. She lived less than a mile from me down the coast, so I had my keys in my hand before I’d even told the others what I was doing.
“Kate wants to talk.”
Rami whistled. “Dame Kate Brannan, three-time Oscar winner and basically the classiest lady on the planet would be enough to wipe Max off the map if something happened between them and she’s willing to speak up.”
He was right, but I couldn’t stomach hoping that was the case. Just how blind had I been?
It was onlywhen I reached Kate’s door that I looked down and realized I hadn’t even changed out of the clothes I’d slept in. It’s a good thing she was a friend because I was basically showing up in my underwear. I was surprised I’d even remembered to pull shoes on.
“Rough day?” she asked with a wry smile.
“You’ve seen the news?”
She nodded, offering me a bag of candy, watching me closely over her teacup. “I’m sure you’re aware I won’t work with Maximilian Gates. I haven’t made it a secret, but I also haven’t talked about why.” She paused and set the cup down on the saucer. “He’s a predatory bastard who took advantage of me when I was still younger and new to the business. I got bullied into staying quiet back then and for years since, I’ve told myself it was just me. Now I know for certain it wasn’t just me.”
