Page 79 of The Boss I Can't Stand
“Yes, well, Brenna picked a great week to get the stomach flu.” I sighed. Sierra was right. Brenna really was invaluable. Maybe Ididneed to pay her more. “And if I don’t have the comment cards available with the bag, I may as well not have had a test screening in the first place.”
This was my chance to gauge the initial audience reaction, to fine-tune plot and pacing, and to generate some real buzz. I’d hand-picked select members of the press—people I had long-standing relationships with. People I could count on to give even a rough cut of the film a fair shot.
Sierra grabbed my hand, cutting through my spiraling thoughts. “Why don’t you take this box downstairs? I’ll finish the comment cards on these and meet you in the limo.”
“No, seriously, Sierra,” I said, picking the comment cards up from the dresser. “I really need to make sure these are per?—”
She snatched them from my hand. “One comment card per bag,” she said, fluttering her long lashes at me. “It’s not rocket science. And I’m good with finicky ribbons. I’ve got this. I’ll meet you down there in five minutes.” She pressed up on her toes and lightly pecked me on the lips. “Just please try to relax.”
“I’ll relax when I retire,” I said, picking up the box of ready-to-go gift bags.
Sierra snorted. “As if. We both know you’ll never retire.”
I flashed her a wry grin on my way out the door, checking my emails as I made my way downstairs, mentally reviewing all the things I still needed to do. Get to the venue. Hand gift bags over to staff to put on seats. Turn on the charm. Greet guests. And hope the movie was everything I wanted it to be.
I reached the limo, handing the gift bags over to the driver. My phone vibrated with a notification of a new email. It was from Jillian—subject line URGENT. What now? Honest to God…I opened the email immediately, skipping over her brief message to click on the video attachment.
“Another day, another scandal! Welcome back toRumorz, my lovelies,” a familiar voice said. “Do we really expect anything else from Hollywood at this point?”
I scowled down at Milli, the notorious gossip fiend.
“And do I ever have a juicy tidbit for you all about everyone’s favorite Behind-the-Scenes Beefcake.” My stomach dropped as shekept talking. “Or should I say, about his new boo, Sierra Banks. I know we all wanted to believe it was true love for the engaged couple, butRumorzhas an exclusive interview with Trey Rollins and, boy, does he have a story to tell.”
Trey Rollins? I thought. As in Sierra’s jackass ex-boyfriend Trey?
I watched the video through to the end, confusion rattling through me as Trey claimed that he and Sierra were currently in a relationship and that she was two-timing me. A laugh launched up my throat, getting caught behind a mountain of disbelief.
Sierra and I lived together and worked together. Unless she was having really intense phone sex in random five-minute intervals while she pretended to be in the bathroom, there was literally no way for her to cheat on me without me noticing. What exactly was this guy talking abou?—
The limo door flew open. “It’s not true!” Sierra cried breathlessly, her cheeks flushed. She’d clearly run all the way out here in her heels. “Jillian just copied me on the email, and it’s not true! Trey is lying. That goddamn bastard.”
She threw herself down in the seat beside me. “I mean, sure, technically we never actuallysaidthe words ‘break up’ but only because he ghosted me all those months ago. But considering it’s November now, and we haven’t spoken or seen each other in all this time, I think it’s pretty well implied.”
She sounded angry, and I could understand. The guy had ditched her, and now he was toying with her for his own gain. He needed to get a life and leave Sierra the hell alone.
“I swear, I only ever got one text from him after we ended things,” she continued, “and that was the night Shaw shredded her dress. I didn’t even read it.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling like she was spewing words at me at a million miles an hour.
“Okay?”
“I believe you.”
“You do?” She blinked at me. “Oh.”
I laughed at the perplexed look on her face. “Sierra, I think I’d have noticed if you were carrying on something with Trey. Trust me, I wouldn’t be so foolish as to get cheated on again. Not after Layla.”
“Right,” Sierra said, settling back in her seat as the limo set off. I scanned the rest of Jillian’s email. “Apparently Jillian thinks we can use this.” Clearly, Trey was hoping to discreditEvery Dayand get additional buzz for his movie, but I employed the best PR team in LA. Jillian didn’t come cheap, and it was for good reason. “There’s a dozen ways we can spin this to our benefit. It’ll help us build interest, and we didn’t even have to pay for it.”
“Really?” Sierra said. She leaned against my shoulder, reading some of the email. “Is she serious about sending him a fruit basket?”
“I think that was a joke.” Frankly, the thought made me a little sick. Trey had discarded Sierra and was now trying to use her. Sure, Sierra and I had been playing games with the press, but not at anyone’s expense.
At this point, I’d rather get Trey blacklisted from Hollywood than send him any kind of fruit basket, but if Jillian was telling me this latest scandal was a good thing, then we needed to chase it because it was best for the movie. Best for the studio.
“I’m not sure I’m following,” Sierra said, pulling back. “How does this work for us?”
I put my hand on her knee. “Because we don’t even have to lie. Jillian says we spin it as the jealous ex trying to come in between the lovebirds. We talk about him ghosting you, how devastated you were, and sympathy immediately falls on your side. And clicks forEvery Daygo through the roof.”
