Page 19 of The Producer: Aaron

I should get up from here and go back to my room instead of watching her every little movement like one of those crappy pigs I was having dinner with. She’s barely twenty-three. Yet, I can’t move, not even when she opens her eyes and notices me sitting here in the armchair, undressing her with my eyes without any shame. And it wouldn’t be Dakota if she didn’t surprise me even now, staring back at me. She reciprocates my attention with such intensity that she ignites every single cell in my body, awakening an erection I should not feel for a woman thirteen years younger than me and my employee.

“I really don’t need to be escorted into Starbucks. No one is going to attack me unless I steal their coffee, but I swear I don’t plan to do so,” I beg Gaspard, the middle-aged driver that Aaron has assigned me for my every move, even to get coffee after following me step by step during all my exercises at the gym. I was terrified he would also want to get into the shower.

When I tried to object, Aaron pointed out that I shouldn’t go out alone if I’m under threat from a madman. The story of the stalker seems to have taken hold after the PRs released the statement two days ago. Only Hollywood can believe that a crazy person is on the loose rather than a hot affair between a producer and an actress.

“Mr. Steel ordered me to accompany you…” He is embarrassed, trying to justify himself for something his boss has imposed on him.

I inhale deeply and beckon him to follow me. “Then let us not giveThe Butchera way to use his ax on your head, too. I don’t want you fired.”

I can see him barely holding back a smile as he keeps the door open for me to enter the cafe.

“Do you want a coffee?” I ask since he will have to be my lady-in-waiting.

“No, thank you for the offer.” He smiles.

“Did he also order you not to drink?” I raise a questioning eyebrow.

Gaspard chuckles. “No, I’m trying to quit because of stomach problems.”

“Okay. I thought he has a say in your diet as well. Knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he checked how many breaks you take to go to the bathroom,” I mumble before ordering my caramel Frappuccino.

The smile that appears on the driver’s lips intrigues me. I have no idea how many years he has been working for Aaron, but from how I have seen them interact, it makes me think he wasn’t hired recently.

“Mr. Steel has his own way of organizing his life,” Gaspard announces cryptically.

“That’s for sure. Never let someone propose an alternative solution to him.” I say it as a joke, but it is the truth. With Aaron, you either do it his way, or you don’t do it at all.

The driver smiles and looks down. I observe him and wait for him to contradict me because it is more than clear he doesn’t have the same opinion. I urge him to continue when I see he doesn’t add anything else.

“Sometimes it’s hard to understand why Mr. Steel behaves like this, but you should understand it most of all.”

I watch him curiously as I sip from my Frappuccino and approach the car.

“Should it be some wise suggestion? A life lesson? I don’t understand, really.”

He shakes his head and smiles. “I would never dare to lecture you, but I think the two of you have a very similar life. When someone asks you to do something, do you ever ask yourself if this person’s interest is to do you good or to take advantage of your position as a famous actress?” he asks before closing thedoor and walking to the driver’s seat.

With a sentence, in his cryptic way, Gaspard allows me to shed light on an aspect of Aaron that I hadn’t considered. In my small way, I have to be very careful about the people around me. I don’t have many friends I trust, and I suppose it’s the same for Aaron, only in a much bigger sense. To have reached his level of power in Hollywood means that he has made many friends and enemies on the way. It is not always easy to discern who is one and who is the other. For this reason, perhaps it is easier for him to manage every aspect of the lives of the people surrounding him, to have complete control of what happens around him.

***

Today is one of those rare Mondays when I don’t have to work. After taking me home, I told Gaspard to go for a ride, go home, or whatever he does when he’s not forced to babysit me. Aaron is in his office, meaning I can enjoy this immense glorious mansion. Too bad that in all this ultra-modern space, there is not much to do apart from basking on the deck chairs near the pool.

I’m in the middle of one of the hottest chapters of my latest novel when I’m distracted by the ringing of my cell phone. When I see who’s calling, all the excitement for the sexiest scene I’ve ever read fades at lightning speed. I take a deep breath and answer the call.

“Hello, Mom.” My tone is almost funeral.

Not that I have a terrible relationship with my mother, but since I moved to Los Angeles to be an actress, not a single minute goes by without her reminding me what a big mistake I’m making.

“Are you Aaron Steel’s lover?” she snaps with her scolding tone that makes me go back to when I was five years old.

“I’m fine, thank you, and you? Nothing striking has happened since the last time we talked, but thank you for asking,” I reply in an acid tone, knowing that it makes her angry.

The day that was supposed to be one of total relaxation is becoming one of those where I swim for two hours to get rid of the nerves.

“Stop being a little girl and answer the question,” she scolds.

“No, Mom. I’m not Aaron Steel’s lover. I am surprised you are completely calm about the crazy stalker since, apparently, your sources of information are gossip magazines,” I answer, annoyed.

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