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I hoped that she hadn’t seen it or heard about it yet, and hopefully, no one on the set would have said anything about it to her. She had always gotten to the set much earlier than me, as I was known for being fashionably late, but today, I hoped she had taken her time. Better I deal with it first. I was pretty sure that she didn’t know how to handle this kind of press—or any, for that matter.
All I had to do was explain mine and Kate’s past, and hopefully, things would be straightened out. Now that the world already knew all about us, it was time to make it official.
As I hit the lot, the first encounter was with Portia. She was wearing her Jake Storm T-shirt and she ran over with the magazine in her hand and a deep look of regret creasing her brow. “Oh, Jake. Thank God you’re here. Are you okay? Have you made a statement yet?” She was falling all over me, and I had to take a few steps back.
“I’m fine. In fact, I don’t see what the fuss is about. This is a big misunderstanding.” I continued across the lot to Ben’s office, and Portia did her best to keep up with me.
“You are so strong,” she said, getting in my personal space by holding on to my arm. “I just want to let you know that I’m here for you, and so are your fans. We love you, Jake, no one more than me. And I want you to know that we have your back through this. We understand that you made a huge mistake, and now you’re paying for it.”
I tried to get some space and dodged around her. “I appreciate that you’re concerned, but you are acting as if something terrible has happened, and I think we all just need to reel it in a bit.” She needed to fuck off was what she needed to do. I was not in any mood for anyone to try and mess with me.
All I wanted to do was find Kate and take her before Ben tried to straighten the whole thing out.
I decided since she knew so much or at least thought she did, I’d put her nosiness to use. “Have you seen Kate?”
She looked confused, but it wasn’t the first time. “Don’t worry, Jake. Security is on it. They escorted her off the property ten minutes ago.”
“What?” That stopped me in my tracks. “Escorted her? You mean to tell me that she was kicked off the lot?”
“Yeah, I mean, they were nicer than I’d have been about it, but sure.”
I had such a big shot of adrenaline hit me that I thought my heart might explode in my chest. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I don’t see why you’re so angry. You can’t really like her. Do you have any idea how much that would crush your fans? Are you out of your mind?”
“But that’s just it. I do like her. Why is that so hard to believe?” I didn’t have time to explain things to that bubblehead. She wouldn’t get it anyway.
Portia’s eyes widened. “Because she’s a nobody, Jake. She’s not good enough for more than a romp.”
“Watch your mouth Portia.”
“Well, your fans are not going to approve of her, Jake. They are already upset, and your favorability has diminished on the hottest bachelor list.”
“I don’t really care what you and the Angels think. If you were really my fans, you’d want me to be happy with the woman I am in love with.”
Portia’s mouth dropped open. “In love? Not after I get done with her. You’ll see just how much influence your fans have. It’s for your own good, Jake.”
I couldn’t believe her. She was the nastiest, evilest person I knew, and I was finally tired of her thinking she could lord over my career. “If you so much as dare to come for Kate, I’m going to come for you. You will not only be banned from the lots, but I’ll make sure that your following knows they don’t have to follow you to be my fans. I’m pretty sure they’ll choose me over you. You don’t have anything without me. No following at all. Do you want that to happen, Portia?”
She stood there dumbstruck, and I didn’t wait for her to answer. I stormed even faster to the building, and when I reached it, I threw open the door, turning heads of all who stood watching as if hoping to catch a glimpse of what I did next.
Ben was in his office with Ally, and he was not happy to see me when I threw open the door. “Hey, what the hell is going on? You’ve got some fucking balls, man. You threw Kate off the lot?”
