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“Girl, sit down. It’s your house.”
“You did all the cooking. All I did was set the table.”
Todd keeps gathering our plates. “And you did a fabulous job.”
He reaches for Athena’s plate. She scowls at him and walks into the kitchen. Todd looks at me and lets out an exasperated sigh.
“How do you put up with her?”
“Easily.” Grinning at him, he shakes his head and follows Athena into the kitchen.
“How’s the movie going?” asks Clive.
Shannon stands. “I’m just going to go help with dessert.”
“Do you need help?” asks Clive as he rises.
She waves a hand at him. “No, no, no. You two chat.”
I wait until Shannon has left before I speak.
“It’s all gone to hell.”
“How so?”
Leaning back in my chair, I rest an arm over the one next to me. “Have you seen the tabloids or social media saying I’m an addict? Or hell, what about the photo of me hitting a known drug dealer? So, of course, it must all be true. Never mind, he insulted Athena, and I punched him for it.”
Clive straightens up and leans toward me. “Who was he? What did he say?”
Closing my eyes, I rub them before I answer. “No idea. I don’t even know if he’s a drug dealer. He made a comment about Athena calling her a slut.”
“Was that all?”
“He said she liked to do five guys at once.”
“That’s oddly specific.”
Sighing, I lower my voice. “Athena was raped years ago. It was brutal, and there were five of them.”
Clive’s head jerks back. “Jesus! I had no idea.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t know. Since Athena and I have been together, it’s become fodder for the press. It was years ago.”
His top lip curls. “Bottom feeders.” Clive leans forward again. “Is that how you got your black eye?”
“Yeah.”
“Is the studio going to bat for you?”
A self-deprecating laugh escapes me. “No. In fact, they seem to believe it all. I’ve been asked not to go back to filming until further notice.”
“Can they do that?”
I shrug. “There’s a clause in my contract about morals and upholding a positive public image. They could conceivably say I’ve breached my contract and fire me.”
“I thought you and Andy were friends?”
Standing, I walk over to the bar and pour us a brandy. “Yeah, so did I.”
