Page 114 of Off Script
“Thanks. I think that’s about all that’s new with me.” His fingers resume their lazy pathway up and down my spine. “Your turn. What’s been happening with you? Find a new job yet?”
“Sort of,” I hedge, embarrassed for some reason to tell Ben about my social media influencing aspirations. “When I was in college, I started a cooking blog and a few social media accounts that I use to share my recipes. I’ve thrown myself back into it since I quit my job, and it’s paying off. My followers have doubled, and my posts are being more widely circulated. One recipe even went viral on TikTok a couple weeks ago. I’m hoping that with continued consistency, I can become a full-time culinary content creator.”
“That’s great, babe. I’m proud of you for forging your own path. Can I follow you?”
I nod as Ben reaches over to his bedside table and grabs his phone. When he opens his Instagram account, he pauses, narrowing his eyes. “Before we met in person, I tried to look you up on socials, but I couldn’t find you.”
“I don’t have it linked to my name. I use my blog name.”
“Well, you now have one new follower,” he smirks and places his phone down. “So, you can pretty much work from anywhere, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so, as long as I have access to a kitchen and a grocery store.”
“Music to my ears, babe. Feel like coming with me when I leave to shootLosing Lovein a couple months?”
I sit up abruptly. “What? We only just got back together. I can’t come with you." I pause. "Can I?”
“You abso-fucking-lutely can. We don’t do well being apart, Carlisle.” I can’t argue with that logic. “The studio has rented a house for me in Vancouver, which is where most of the movie will be filmed.”Pulling me back down to lie with him in bed again, he continues, “I don’t want to be away from you again. Please come. I was serious earlier. Now that I’ve got you back, I’m not letting you go again.”
“I’d love to, Ben. I don’t want to be separated from you again either.” I crane my head and drop a kiss on his lips. “Thanks for the check, by the way. It gave me the freedom to pursue this recipe development gig full-time,” I admit, sheepishly. “I wasn’t going to cash it out of pride, but then I realized I really did need the money. So, thanks?” I squint and cringe at the same time.
“What check?” His eyebrows crease in confusion.
“You didn’t know?” I draw back, astonished. “When Becky told me that you wanted to pause things between us, she gave me a check in exchange for me signing a nondisclosure agreement and walking away quietly.”
Ben throws up his hand, exasperated and pissed. “Seriously? No wonder you assumed that she was telling the truth. What the hell?” He lowers his voice and looks at me apologetically. “I’m not mad about the money. At all. But that had to seem like I was paying you off, for fuck’s sake!”
Yep, that's exactly what it seemed like at the time.
Moving Fast: Ben's Off the Market
Less than a month after confirmation of his breakup with movie star Willa Radford, Ben Sutton appears to have found a new leading lady.
On Thursday evening, diners at Romeo’s Italian Grill flooded social media with photos and videos of the actor professing his love to an unnamed young woman. After a brief romantic interlude and one very steamy lip lock, the couple quickly left the restaurant together.
Some insiders believe that his behavior confirms the notion that many in Hollywood have been pushing—that the famed Sutton-Radford romance was indeed part of the Studio 67 publicity plan to promote their latest film,Captain Commander.If so, the media plan worked because the blockbuster movie has already grossed over a billion dollars worldwide, and rumors abound that a secondCaptain Commandermovie script is being circulated around Tinsel Town.
However, some diehard#Willenfans are accusing Sutton of infidelity, suggesting that his new love interest was the catalyst for his suddensplit with Radford. Could it be that their breakup wasn’t as amicable as they tried to make us believe?
It's doubtful that we'll ever know the real story behind the famous couple's breakup, but now we're left with a new question to ponder. Who is the mystery woman in the video with Sutton? Speculation is running rampant on social media platforms as users scramble to uncover the woman’s identity.
Representatives for Sutton were unavailable for comment.
41
Ben
Carlisle and I have spent the last week sequestered at my house, and they've been the happiest days of my life. However, as ecstatic as I am to be reunited with Carlisle, I can’t stop stewing over Becky’s underhanded dealings. Her actions caused so much turmoil and heartache.
After giving it some thought, and with Carlisle’s blessing, I called Willa a couple days ago. I wanted to know if Willa had any more information that she could provide me regarding Becky's possible motives.
"I’d like to say that I can’t believe that Becky would do that to you and Carlisle, but…”
“But what, Willa?”
Willa’s sigh is lengthy before she responds. “Looking back, it’s so obvious how manipulative Becky was, but in the moment, I didn’t see it. I thought Becky was a close friend, and I often confided in her. Becky knew everything I was dealing with…”
“Willa, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but what were you dealing with?”
