Page 24 of The Singapore Stunt

His words, wrapped in insecurity and truth, deserve a response. “I meant what I said last night, Mattias. I want this. All of it.”

Mattias twists further away from the camera, his shoulders rising toward his ears to create a wall. He’s a Hollywood stuntman, so I know he doesn’t have a fear of cameras. I wrap an arm around his waist and spin him to face the cameraman. I want him to know I have no concerns about the world seeing the man on my arm.

I whisper, “We’re in this together.” I press my face against his chest. The look of comfort and tranquility on my face isn’t a fabrication. It’s how I feel. I want Mattias to know it, and if that means I have to show the world, I will.

Camera clicks fill the air, and I know I’ve pushed us off the cliff. A leap no relationship should have to take, but one which I’ve learned the hard way will always be the cost of my life from now on.

Mattias presses a kiss on the top of my head, easing my concern that I’ve dragged him kicking and screaming into something he doesn’t want. “Together,” he whispers. He turns to face me, his finger under my chin, lifting it. “All in.”

He presses a kiss to my lips, right in the middle of the welcome reception. I hear the whoops of his stunt team and the rapid movement of the media members all scrambling back to their equipment. Rapid clicks of cameras and instructions shouted in four different languages fill the air.

I ignore it all and concentrate on the man right in front of me. The one who has made a public declaration that will be heard around the world. This stunt is unscripted and is a little juvenile, but it’s better that we get it out in the open and deal with it sooner rather than later.

I’ve been down this road before. I’ve been lifted to the heights unimagined, only to have it all come crashing down because of my actions. I know what comes next. I’ve built up the tough skin to survive the invasion this life mandates.

Mattias is different. He’s doing this for me. For a chance at an us. Mattias creates death-defying stunts for a living, but I doubt he realizes the extent of the danger coming our way. I’ll do everything in my power to protect him. But I know the truth. There’s no place to hide.

Chapter Eighteen

Kimberly

“A little heads-up would have been nice,” Arlene, my assistant, barks at me from the back seat of a golf cart, iPad in hand and two separate phones balanced on her knees. She scrolls three devices in a moving cart, and I shake my head. I didn’t miss any of this.

Arlene arrived in Singapore halfway through our table reads this morning on a chartered flight from LA with the rest of the production crew, hair, makeup, costuming, and the director and his staff.

I’m on my way to the Gardens for the stunt walk-through of the fight sequence Mattias and I practiced back on day one.

“You work for me.” I snicker out the line I use way too often. With Arlene, it’s said in jest. During filming, Arlene is the one to keep me organized. She manages my schedule, preps my costumes, talks to all the staff ahead of my arrival, and smooths all the details so I can concentrate on my acting. This is our second film working together, and I couldn’t do this without her.

“Why did you kiss him in front of everyone? You know what this means?” Arlene also carries the worry I should.

“That the very expensive PR company I pay will have to earn their money again?” I joke and turn my attention to the beauty of the Gardens. It’s strikingly different in the daytime, and I have zero regrets from walking the property with Mattias last night. It was a sight to behold, and the Gardens looked nice too.

“They’re going to be upset. You know these things need to be hinted at. Previewed. They could have run a focus group to test the public’s reaction. A background check to flag any concerns before they come out.” Arlene is African American in her early twenties, but is a high achiever. I stole her from a chief of staff role at a PR firm. She’s much more than an assistant. She’s an expert on managing social media fallout, which is why I brought her on after the disaster of the Forever sequel.

“This isn’t something that can be managed.” I stop myself from saying the words this time. With Trace, we coordinated every element of our fake romance. Prep teams, focus groups, leaked appearance locations to select members of the press. The public had no clue how much goes on behind the scenes of a celebrity romance. I want to distance myself from all of it this time. I just want to be a girl dating a guy. It’s been too long.

Arlene pushes out a loud huff. “It really needs to be. Despite what you think.” No other Hollywood assistant would say these words to the person who signs their check, but Arlene and I have an agreement. She’s allowed to remind me I’m not the smartest person in the room. She’s my safety switch to prevent me from becoming something I don’t want to be—the entitled Hollywood star who needs to be pampered. “I know you don’t want the public to think they’re being played again. I get that. I really do. But some of what needs to be done is to protect you. I can’t do that if I don’t know.”

I hear her, but I don’t budge. I’m not going to play this game again. “He’s a nice man.” I laugh internally at the memory of the gruff reception I received at the airport. I doubt Mattias specializes in making good first impressions. “Once they get to know him, they’ll see that.”

“It’s cute that even after what you’ve been through, you’d think the public would spend time to get to know him or anyone. It’s all about the first impression, the first reaction by the initial wave of comments.” Arlene continues to scroll on her phones, and I know what she’s doing. She’s waiting for the story to catch wind. The photo of Mattias and me kissing was buried in the local media stories. In Singapore, the focus is more on the entire cast as opposed to individuals. The articles are favorable about our appearance and how it will showcase the beauty of the island and bring in more tourists. The coverage gives me a false hope that this time might be different.

The golf cart bounces over a set of thick wires and navigates around various pieces of equipment. Even though today is just a walk-through, the set is closed. The director and the production crew will verify the camera positioning, staging, and a hundred tiny details for tomorrow. The stunt crew has been practicing most of the day. They are sticking around to accommodate my schedule.

The cart pulls to a stop, and I turn to see the entire stunt team gathered at our side as if they’ve been waiting for me. Mattias is standing front and center in a two-piece black designer suit that looks like they made it for him. It’s the same suit Cameron will wear, yet Mattias looks ten times more delicious.

He steps forward, hand extended, and helps me off the back of the cart. “I see you survived the dangerous table reading.” His smirk causes my heart to flutter. I can’t believe this is the same man who practically ignored me at the airport a few days ago.

“Mattias, this is my assistant, Arlene. She’ll be working with me for the shoot.” I introduce them and hold my breath. Time to test Arlene’s theory about first impressions.

Mattias takes her hand and helps her off the cart. “Kimberly’s said wonderful things about you. As you can see, she’s been in excellent hands.”

I chew on my lip with the memory of all the places Mattias’ hands have been. “The best,” I let out, catching the gleam in the side-eye he gives me.

“Oh, one more thing.” He pulls me into a tight hug in front of Arlene. My hands wrap around his waist and return the passion. The hug is an unexpected bonus that lets me know I’ve been missed. “That’s from Ariana. We just FaceTime with her, and she told me what you did for her.”

I nod. “It was the least I could do.”

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