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“There’s this one as well.” Clarissa handed them another newssheet. It clearly showed Nicole taking a swing at Reece.
He read the headline, “Hollywood Hottie gets spanked by girlfriend. Who really wears the pants in the relationship?” Reece started laughing and didn’t stop for three minutes.
Nicole blushed, looking away. “I told you we didn’t need to be fodder for the newspapers.”
“Who cares?”
“Your adoring public, that’s who. They want to help you get out of this abusive relationship,” Marcus stated, glowering at them.
“There’s nothing abusive about it. I made a wisecrack. Nicole smacked me for it. Case closed.”
“This could be detrimental to both your careers. No one is going to believe a wimpy guy who gets his ass kicked at home is a super spy.”
Reece tossed the newspapers into a chair. “That’s good, because I don’t want to be a super spy.”
“And no one’s going to buy Nicole’s books if she’s abusive to her own hero," Audrey chimed in.
Nicole threw up her hands. “Oh for God’s sake, this is ridiculous. I can’t win for losing.” She turned on her heels, stomping to the front door. While the others watched from the office, she opened the door, stepping outside.
“Who took those pictures of me last night?”
One of the photographers raised his hand. “I did, madam.”
“And did you print the headline as well?”
“Yes, madam.”
She nodded. “Good, then I’ll know who to kill off in my next novel.” There were chuckles from the surrounding photographers. “Did you hear anything that Mr. Collins and I were saying last night?”
“No, madam.”
“So, when you saw me smack him, you assumed it was an abusive gesture?”
“Yes, madam.”
“I see. I’ve just killed off your parents and best friend.” More guffaws. “Next time you print a statement or even a picture, try getting some of your facts straight. I didn’t harm Mr. Collins. It was a playful slap—a gut reaction to something he’d said to me. You took what should have been a friendly moment for us, destroying it. How can you sleep at night when you set out, day in and day out, to ruin people’s lives?” The cameras began to lower as the photographers stopped to listen.
“I’m pretty sure you get paid a lot of money for these shots. I’m all for trying to make an honest living, but this wasn’t honest. This was downright cruel.” More cameras turned downward.
“If you have any decency in you, you’ll go home. We’re dealing with some disturbing issues right now. We don’t need to be bombarded with camera flashes, questions, or invasions of our privacy. Reece Collins may owe his public image to his fans, but he doesn’t owe them his life. What he does in the privacy of his home or that of his friends and family is of no one else’s concern. How would you feel if it was your life? I seriously doubt you’d appreciate having a camera stuck in your face while you’re walking down the street.” She moved to re-enter the house, but the photographer asked her one last, intrusive question.
“Are you and Mr. Collins dating, madam?”
She turned back to him. “That question has just cost you your faithful pooch.” She bowed to the cameras, shutting the door behind her. The group assembled inside stood in stunned speechlessness.
“Why are you all looking at me that way?”
Reece chuckled. “You just put the entire media circus in their place.”
She snorted. “Fat lot of good it’ll do me. If I continue to associate with you, I’m going to be gossip over the breakfast table for the rest of my life. I feel like a long-lost member of the Kardashians.”
“Or the Royal family.”
“Yeah, them too.” She moved down the hall, wiggling through the crowd. “So now that I’ve dealt with one problem, can we tackle the next?” She walked straight up to Marcus, standing toe to toe with him. “So, Slime-ball, I understand you stole my manuscript. I hear you had one of your sleazy friends rewrite it, pitching it to the studio as Reece’s new movie project.” She paused. “Am I wrong so far?”
Marcus backed up a step. “You’re invading my personal space.”
She grinned, scrunching up her nose. “So sorry,” she said, taking a step closer. “Not so much fun, is it? Having someone invade your life this way?”
