My cell rings, and I pull it out, my eyes watering so bad I can hardly see the screen.
“Bobby,” I murmur to Hudson, and he rolls his eyes. He’s not a fan of Bobby either.
“Hey, Bobby,” I answer, my voice normal, even though my lips hardly move.
“Sutton, my man!” I cringe, hating it. My shoulders tense immediately.
“What’s up?” I want to get to the point. I’m already cursing that I even answered his call.
“There's a lot going on, a lot of balls in the air. I need to talk to you. I need a face-to-face.” What would he think if he saw my actual face right now?
“We can chat now. Over the phone is fine.”
“But I need to know where you are.”
“Why?” I don’t know why I no longer trust my manager. But I don’t.
“What do you mean, why? I’m your manager, and I’ve let you go off for over a month now, but it’s time to come back now, man. You’ve had your little break, time to get back to it. Soooo…?”
I suppress a sigh. “Soooo what?”
“So I need to know where you are.”
“No, you don’t. I'm having time away. I told you that.”
“Well, you're not in New York.”
“How do you know?”
“The paps are eager to find you, and I heard the price on a photo of you is up around half a million.”
Half a million. Fuck. Frustrated, I scrub my swollen face. They’re vultures.
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.”
“No one has found me yet. So I think I’m doing a good job of protecting myself, Bobby.”
“They will. It’s only a matter of time.” His words sound like a threat, so much so, Hudson looks at me with a frown.
“I have so many new projects for you, man. So much for us to talk about.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m working on something.” I throw him a bone so he can lay off me for a bit.
He jumps right on it. “What? What deals are you doing?”
“Just something.” I’m not telling him. Contractually, I can’t. The Whiteman’s Whiskey launch is firmly confidential. A small team knows; they’re all flying in next week to get filming done.
“Why are you being so sketchy?”
“I’m not being sketchy. I’m just having a go at doing something close to my heart.”
I think about Nikki, looking at the clock again, thankful that the rain stopped for her ride home and feeling bad that I missed her today.
“Get your ass back here. I’ve lined up a movie.” I know exactly what he’s lined up. I’ve seen the gossip. I’ve heard the rumors. And while it has potential to be a blockbuster, it isn’t what I want to do.
“Not yet.”
“It’s a multimillion-dollar deal!” I know he thinks I’m crazy. Hell, most people probably think I am.
