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But she doesn’t look convinced, even if she looks at us gratefully.
“Thanks for the car,” I hear her whisper, and I’m extra annoyed that the guard ruined our moment.
I wish the cameras were off, so I could explain that Bennet and Forrest had chipped in, too, but that will have to wait.
“It’s too bad you didn’t get to take it out for a spin,” I sigh.
“Maybe later—after I get fired,” she offers lightly, and I reach for her hand.
“You’re not getting fired,” I vow. “You didn’t do a damn thing wrong.”
I hope I’m not giving her false hope because the guilt is gnawing at me. I should have controlled my temper.
“You’re lucky all of that was caught on camera.”
The director smirks at us as we sit in the living room, waiting for the verdict to the day’s events.
“You’re not putting that in the broadcast!” Stella says, aghast.
“Of course we are,” Anya says to me, not making eye contact with Stella. “That’s absolute entertainment gold. You’re lucky that the guard isn’t pressing charges!”
“He’s lucky I didn’t do worse,” I snap. “We had every right to be there.”
The director rolls her eyes. “Try not to go around punching anyone else.” Then she turns her eyes to Stella again. “Now hurry up and get ready for your event tonight. I swear, you guys forget you’re on a schedule.”
“I don’t,” Bennet retorts. “It’s you who has a hard time adhering to one.”
Stella rises and offers me another appreciative look before ambling toward the door for the trailer, Bennet behind her.
“Can I trust you to behave yourself, or do you need a babysitter?” Anya wants to know.
I scowl at her. “I’ve lived thirty years without anyone holding my hand.”
“Maybe someone should have,” she shoots back, heading out herself. “I’m getting a little tired of having to babysit you guys. It’s not a hard gig. We’ve gone out of our way to make the past seasons run themselves without these kinds of problems. I don’t know why you four are complicating things so much.”
With that, she’s gone, leaving Forrest and me alone, and he wastes no time laying into me.
“That was extra stupid,” he growls. “What the hell were you thinking with that guard? He had a gun!”
“I was thinking that he was assaulting Stella,” I snap back, leaning forward on the couch. “Maybe you didn’t notice.”
“He didn’t know who we were?—”
“Are you really sticking up for him?” I interject in disbelief. “I’ll be sure to tell Stella whose side you’re on when she gets back.”
Forrest’s eyes become slits. “Are you playing dirty, so she’ll choose you at the end of this?” he asks slowly. “For the show?”
The question takes me aback. The show and reality are becoming a blurred line now. I don’t like this line of questioning.
“I don’t give a shit who she chooses,” I say flatly. “None of this is real.”
“As long as you know that, Gabe.”
I stand without answering. “I’m going to take a shower.” With that, I head out of the living room, toward the stairs.
“There are better ways to show her that you care about her,” Forrest yells after me, but I ignore him, my pulse thrumming in my ears.
We’re just acting here. The sex, the attraction, is just an added bonus… isn’t it?
