Page 72 of Breaking Hollywood

“Nothing.”

“You can’t say that to someone like me!” I sit up on my haunches. “That’s like dangling a cigarette in front of you and not letting you smoke it.”

“Talking of cigarette.” He pulls a pack out of his shorts pocket and lights one up.

I watch him suck on the cigarette and blow the smoke out into the air.

“Gabe.”

“Ava.”

Containing my shiver, I press my hands to my hips and tip my head to the side.

“Fine.” He sighs. “We fucked a few times, and she got a little…hung up on me.”

I ignore the stab of jealousy I feel at knowing he had sex with Harriett Jenkins—the beautiful once-child star, now full-on bona fide movie star.

“She went Fatal Attraction on you?”

“She didn’t boil any bunnies on my stove, but it did get a little weird for a time. She was turning up at my apartment at all hours of the night. Went bitch crazy on some chick I was talking to in a club. Scratched my car. When I woke up in the middle of the night to find her in my bed, I had it.”

My mouth pops open. “She was in your bed? How did she get in your apartment? The only way I know up there is via the elevator.”

“There’s a service elevator in the back—that other door in the kitchen.”

“Oh. I thought that was just a cupboard.”

“No.” He laughs.

“So, how did she get in?”

“She bribed one of the building staff and got the elevator key from them. I was so close to calling the cops, but I didn’t want the press attention. So, I kicked her ass out and called my lawyer. He threatened her people with a restraining order, knowing they wouldn’t want that to get out in the press. It would be killer for her golden-girl image. So, they checked her into rehab for ‘exhaustion.’” He air-quotes. “I haven’t heard from her since. That was three years ago.

“But no way am I working with her. So, I told the studio that I didn’t want to work with her for personal reasons, and I was happy to pull out. But they wanted me for the role, so she was taken out of the picture.”

“Oh, well, I’m glad for you. And any future bunnies that might have been boiled in your name.”

“It goes without saying, this is just between you and me.”

I make the locking motion over my lips and pretend to throw away the key.

“You know, I usually have my staff sign an NDA,” he says in a thoughtful tone.

“I can sign one if you’d like.”

His eyes soften on me. “No. You’re good. I trust you.”

That warms me all over.

I glance over at my Gucci, who’s walking around, sniffing the grass.

“You don’t think Harriett will go weird if she finds out I’m staying with you?”

“Gucci’s safe, Speedy. She won’t come back. It’s been a long time now. She’s probably off stalking some other poor bastard.”

“Sucks that you had to go through that.”

He shrugs. “It was more annoying than anything.”