Page 41 of Beneath the Fame

“You’re already getting paid off it—all your music is trending and charting again.”

“That’s not the point, not even a little,” I replied, annoyed that I even had to explain. “It’s a complete violation, and I’m tired of accepting those. Being a public figure shouldnotmean I don’t get to have a private life. I deserve to have shit to myself—including my relationship with Alec.”

“So thereisa relationship?”

“Annie…”

“I’m just saying—the pictures of him tonguing you down at the sushi place went viral, youknowthat, Van. If you don’t say you’re in a relationship, people are going to make their assumptions, and I’m sure you already know what that’s going to be. That you’re a hoe. Which fits with allll the other messaging. Is that what you want?”

“You know good and well it isn’t,” I snapped.

She shrugged, putting her car in park before she pulled her phone from where it had been mounted so I could really see her face.

“Yeah, I do—but if you want the narrative changed, you have to know it’s not going to happen just because you want it to.Youhave to change it. And what better way to combat being seen as the biggest whore in the industry than locking down a man like Alec?”

I shook my head.

As much as I understood her angle, and unfortunately kinda agreed…I couldn’t do that.

“This is too important to me to use in that way,” I told her, and she groaned. “I get it, I do, but…Ihaveto keep something for me. And this is that thing. If people can’t see past my ass, that’s just going to have to be on them. I can’t take on that responsibility.”

“So you…what, expect me to just do nothing?” Annie asked, looking at me like I was crazy. “I’m your manager, Van?—”

“Exactly,” I said. “You’re my manager—supposed to be on my side, onmyteam. I’ve told you what I wanted, so…that’s it. Make it work for me.”

Nostrils flared, she shook her head at the phone.

Peeved.

But I didn’t care, not really.

We only exchanged a few more words before getting off the phone, and I couldn’t dial Alec fast enough after that. He’d barely gotten out a greeting before I was already putting in a request.

Hey…do you feel like company?

ChapterEleven

ALEC

“Of coursehe gave you the greenlight—he’d be stupid not to,” Vee huffed, popping another grape in her mouth. I grinned at her as she lounged, stretched long across a chaise next to my pool, not a care in the world except how soon she’d hit the bottom of that bowl.

Exactly how I wanted it to be.

Time had been passing in a blur lately, just a whirlwind of chaos, increased stakes on the show, script changes, and media negativity. These little moments Vanessa and I managed to carve out for ourselves were the only reprieve from…everything.

“You been writing?”

All the eager energy Vee had held about the topic at hand dissipated—she dropped her oversized shades back down over her eyes and turned away, taking a pointed sip from her drink.

“Noooope.” I laughed, grabbing her by the legs to turn her back in my direction. “You were all gung-ho to talk about my thing, don’t get shy now. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

Somehow, I’d managed to convince her to give me a look at the unfinished script—even in my head, where I got to be completely honest with myself, her romantic comedy wastrulygood stuff. Funny, sexy, compelling, all the things actors looked for in a memorable role, and all the things audiences wanted to see.

It needed polishing, of course, but so dideveryscript.

For her to have not produced, or even held a major acting role before, it was lowkey impressive.

And yet, she always got like this about it.

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