Page 11 of The Devil's Detail
“I feel worse, actually,” I admit. “I’ve shown my hand, but I’ll not know if he knows it. The only time I will is if he goes back and asks for my details. So far, he clearly hasn’t.” My voice is in the gutter, disappointment dripping from every word.
“Well, he’s a fool then. If what you said is true, he’ll be back. Things like that happen once in a lifetime. Connections like that are rare.” He sighs, and I know he gets it. “Come here, Jackson. Stay with us a while. You’ve been crazy busy. The baby is a beauty. Take time out and chill.” His voice is soft, not one I hear very often. Clearly I’m telegraphing how pissed off I am. How disappointed. And he’s playing his alter ego—the calm and rational brother.
I sigh, “You’re right, he is a fool. Why the fuck would you pass this up?” I’m grinning to myself, but I know my brother can hear the hubris in my statement.
“Now you’re talking. You’ve done what you can. It’s up to him now,” Jonno confirms.
“You’re right again. But, to be honest, I thought that night was fucking amazing. Totally unforgettable. Clearly what I thought of as an amazing night was not on this guy’s radar. I should have known. A man who is prepared to have sex, mind-blowing sex, whilst he kept the other party blindfolded… Must be a regular event for him. I know he said it wasn’t, but come on. I wasn’t born yesterday. And why on earth should I be surprisedif he was shy about coming forward to find me. All the security measures were there for a reason.”
“Are you sure it’s not your ego talking, Jax?” There’s a reason my brother is my sounding board. I ponder that and chuckle.
“My ego is giving me hell. How the fuck dare he? Doesn’t he know who I am?” I’m inflating by the second, confidence bursting through my voice. “No one blows me out. I do the dumping, not the other way around.”
He starts to laugh. “Yeah, just think how bad he must be feeling. He set the parameters. Now he must be going off his head thinking about how he can get around them. Idiot.” Jonno finds it amusing. “I’ll give him a few more weeks, then I think you’ll get a call.” He sounds sure in his deductions.
“Well I might tell him to fuck off by then.” I snigger. “At the end of the day, it was just a fling. Whether it stays as such… Well, Mr Jameson fucking Bonney, super English fuckboy, had better decide. I won’t wait forever, no matter how epic that night was.”
“Maybe it was an everynight occurrence for him.”
Jonno hits my issues dead centre, knocking the wind from my sails again. What if an extraordinary night for me was really just an ordinary one for him?
9
Carter
I knowI live in a state of mistrust. But this is real. I’m going out of my mind. And I’ve picked up an unknown stalker.
No one on my security team is taking me seriously. But I know I’ve seen him a few times.
I’m in London for reshoots, and it’s taking for-fucking-ever. I am at the end of my rope.
At least my agent has finally landed, and he has his eyes on my schedules for the next few months. I’m glad he’s here to talk through the workload, and maybe remove some of it.
“Freddie, can’t you get me out of this? I’ve been here for a month. I wanna go home, sugar. Or at least get me a short break somewhere hot.”
“Is that why you look like shit?” He side-eyes me over his tablet. “I’ve had four networks contact me for a comment on your body. Stop wearing those tight fitting T-shirts. You’re blowing up the internet. I told them it was for a role. Method acting. But you need to stop working out so much. I’m going to speak to John. He’s overtraining your body.”
I roll my eyes. My fuckin’ body. The world is obsessed with it. If only Jackson Greystone joined in the fun. Then I might do something about it.
A picture of him at the Daisy hits me, and I draw in a breath. He was so cool, calm, collected. Sat back relaxed, watching me. Long legs spread out in front of him. I wanted to rub my thigh against his. But it’s a fantasy. If only his scrutiny had been of a more personal nature and not on my useless security issues.
“I’ve got more pressing issues than my fantastic abs. I’ve got a stalker.”
He looks up at me then. “Not Gary still? I thought you’d sorted a restraining order, or peace bond or something against him.” He sounds so casual, as if you can go buy them over the counter at Walmart. “Maybe you weren’t as ruthless as you thought you were when you dumped him at Christmas. Have you spoken to him again? Told him you're really really over? Finished.”
I stand up, my chest ballooning out in defiance. His mouth hangs open as he looks up at me. “I fuckin’ told him to get out of my life. That I never wanted to see his turkeycock face again.” I’m shouting at him. I never shout at Freddie. We’re friends as well as professional counterparts.
“Whoa, Carter, okay, okay. I’ll sort Gary. So the stalker is someone new?”
Finally someone is listening to me.
“He’s new. Dark hair. I’ve seen him at three locations now. I can feel him.” I give a shudder. Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes. My theatrics are not helping.
“Have you spoken to the security guys? Surely this is something they should be looking into for you. You pay them enough.” Even Freddie thinks it’s obscene amounts of money.
“Huh, you’d think I was the only one with security on my mind. No one is fuckin’ interested. Well, until of course there’s acrowd they can’t control, and then it’s my fault. I’m too popular, too accessible, too friendly.” I start to pretend wave. “Why can’t I be like royalty and just wave as I go past people in an armoured vehicle.”
He laughs a little at my regal impersonation, and I crack a smile. It’s the first genuine one in months.
