Page 2 of Wynns of Change
She slowly turned to face Daniel Orlane, the casting director, a man who had attacked her right after she inked ACity of Glasscontract and tore her shirt. Thank God a custodian had showed up. If not, Harlow shuddered to think about what would have happened.
She had done an excellent job of avoiding Orlane while filming in Vancouver, thanks to her bodyguard and friend, Vic Stern. He tried cornering her multiple times. Conveniently when she was alone. After one late night of filming, he showed up drunk at her motorhome and pounded on the door, calling her name and demanding she open it. She ignored him. Finally, he left.
Harlow suspected he’d been keeping close tabs on her, waiting for Vic to leave on his break. And now…now that the filming had ended and her bodyguard was gone, he’d succeeded.
“What do you want?” she bluntly asked.
Orlane took a menacing step toward her. “You know what I want. You owe me for casting you in this movie.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Harlow calmly replied. She’d known this moment would come. Orlane wasn’t going to give up until he got what he wanted.
“Yes, you do.” His jaw tightened. “You know the drill. It’s my turn.”
Harlow could feel her anger build. She didn’t owe the Daniel Orlanes of the world a single thing. Not money. Not her body. She had worked hard to get to where she was. “If you take one step closer, you’ll regret it.”
“Like this?” Orlane took another step, now within striking distance. So close she could smell his cigarette breath. It made her stomach churn.
He caressed the back of her neck. Harlow’s skin crawled and she wanted to vomit.
Orlane’s unwanted touch was the final straw. Harlow instinctively jerked back. She thrust her knee between his legs. Not a light warning tap, but a knee jerk using every ounce of strength she had in her.
“Agh.” Orlane clutched his groin and toppled over, landing with a dull thud. He let out a whimper and instinctively curled up in a ball.
Harlow stared down at him, her voice trembling. “Do not ever put a hand on me again.” With her shoulders back, she marched out of the bathroom, leaving her aggressor in a fetal position, right where he belonged.
She returned to the wrap-up party. Her co-stars gathered round, congratulating her on sticking it out. It had been a longhaul and nothing short of a miracle that she’d made it through the grueling weeks of filming. There had been some painful moments when she wasn’t sure she could finish. But she had, thank God.
During the worst of it, Harlow stayed focused on one thing…the one thing that kept her pushing through…going home to Wynn Harbor Inn, for a well-deserved and much-needed rest. Far away from the prying eyes of the media and paparazzi, who had been hounding her, following her, monitoring her every move since the day filming began.
A celebratory late lunch was served to the cast, crew, and workers. Harlow mixed and mingled, having become friends with those who had helped her through the tough spots.
She half expected Robert to show up, but he and his “assistant” Jillian were nowhere to be seen. Something told her he had his hands full consoling the woman based on her reaction, how she’d pouted and flounced off the set like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.
The divorce papers were ready to be filed. Robert knew they were coming and was expecting them as soon as the filming wrapped up. The last straw, the final nail in the coffin as far as their marriage ending was when Harlow discovered her husband was spying on her. Furious, she’d called her attorney, Nigel Beckworth, to have his colleague in California draw up the paperwork.
Robert had finally reached out to Harlow…not to apologize or to beg her to give their marriage a second chance, but to negotiate a deal. He wanted her to wait until the Vancouver filming was done. He’d pitched a solid, sound argument, and she’d agreed.
The last thing they needed was for the news outlets to focus on how their marriage was crumbling. Harlow wanted…needed…this movie to be a success, not only to let other film studio executives see that she was a woman of her word, but because Harlow was certain Robert planned to squeeze every red cent he could out of the settlement.
The bottom line was she didn’t want to part ways in a fit of rage. She wanted to be calm, cool, collected and do it with a level head, not an emotional “get even” move. She hoped he was on the same page. Only time would tell.
Chapter 2
Harlow left the party early, returning to the motorhome she’d been staying in while on location. Having left her two special visitors before daybreak, she slowly eased the door open and peeked around the corner.
Aunt Birdie and her best friend Eryn sat facing each other at the center island, a deck of cards spread out between them.
“Who’s winning?” Harlow gave her aunt a quick hug and playfully peered over her shoulder.
“Aunt Birdie.” Eryn rolled her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re here. She’s taking me to the cleaners.”
“I am not. You won a few hands.” Aunt Birdie’s mischievous smile vanished. Her brows furrowed. “Harlow, you have a scratch on your arm.”
She twisted her arm, noticing the angry red splotch courtesy of Orlane, who scratched her on his way down. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Actually, I’m in a pretty good mood.”
Eryn set the cards on the counter, giving her bestie her full attention. “Well? How did your scene with Jillian go?”
“She blew it.”
