“It was more than that and you know it,” I accused.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me. This was a different, stronger, more warrior-like version of me. For once, I was standing up for myself, and I couldn’t stop now that I’d gotten started. It was like there was this dam of fury and fight bottled up within me, and it was all pouring out at Mason. Plus, my discussion with Alina last night — the one about it being harder than I thought to fire me — was adding fuel to the flames.
To my surprise, Mason took a step back. Even though his Cheshire Cat smirk didn’t falter, I knew that I’d sussed out a weak spot.
He was running that night; running from the connection we had.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, taking a step towards the set of sinks.
“You’re doing it again,” I pointed out. “We were having a discussion.”
Mason stopped in his tracks, then abruptly turned to face me again. “Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?” He pushed my shoulders.
I braced myself, standing my ground.
“You come onto this set— our set, as this completely random hairstylist or whatever, and you manage to worm your way into a fucking lead role in the hottest Netflix series on T.V. Right now. You have Reese Riley wrapped around your fucking finger!”
His nostrils were flaring now, and his face was inches from mine. I knew he was trying to debase me; he was angry that I called him out on his shit. He was doing anything to get back a scrap of power — even if it was through bullying like this.
But Mason didn’t scare me anymore. Now I knew how he worked.
“What is your problem, anyway?” He asked, running his hands through his hair. “Who the fuck are you?”
My knees were shaking, but I held my ground. Even though I was nearly naked in my black and red speedo, I felt like I was wearing armor when I confronted Mason.
“You know who I am. You’ve had plenty of time to get to know me,” I said. “I’m just a guy that loves acting.”
“You’re a nobody,” Mason snapped, coming at me again.
It stung, but I didn’t let it show. “Maybe so, but you’re threatened by this nobody. Why, Mason?”
He was quiet at that, baring his teeth.
“Oh, you finally don’t have anything to say?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or maybe it’s because you can’t face the truth: You’re threatened by me.”
“That’s bullshit! Why would I be threatened by a nothing like you?” He snarled.
“Because!” I said, leaning into the fight, “because you’re losing it, Mason. I saw the reviews from your performance in your last show. People think you’re propped up by nepotism. People think you’re a fake. Your reputation is on the line. That’s why you keep coming after me and Alina, trying to uncover our secrets — you’re trying to find sneaky, underhanded ways to get rid of us!”
Mason laughed, the sound echoing throughout the empty locker room.
“Well done,” he hissed, the mischievous glimmer returning to his eyes.
I could have been mistaken, but I thought I saw an inkling of respect in those eyes for me.
“You’re not as much of a pushover as I thought,” he said, holding out his hand for me to shake again. “Truce for now?” he asked.
I felt… strangely empowered as the fires of rage died down within me. I didn’t know what to think of this weird behavior coming from him. Usually after an argument like that, people got into fistfights or one person would walk away.
But Mason was treating it like… he was treating it like it was a gentleman’s duel or something. Did that mean that… that everything I was saying was right?
As I shook his hand, bewildered, one thing was for certain: I’d won some kind of respect from Mason.
Speechless and still trying to figure all of this out, I followed him wordlessly as he led me to the baths.
We walked through a big, arching tunnel that reminded me of a scene in the first season. Everything around was looking very familiar…
Then we came to a large, rectangular pool that was glimmering a tempting aqua color.
In the pool were two figures.
“There are already people here?” I asked. I thought Mason got us a private pool when he asked me if I wanted to go swimming in the baths. Part of me was disappointed that I didn’t get more alone time with Mason, and part of me was relieved.
Mason shrugged, then said, “They’re part of our party.”
I was cranky for a moment, feeling shy in the presence of strangers. But as we approached, I saw the swath of bright red hair and realized they weren’t strangers at all.
Oliver and Crim were leaning up against the side of the pool, staring at us like we were intruding on them.
“…are we interrupting something?” Mason asked with his Cheshire Cat smirk.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Every time you enter a room you’re interrupting something, Pretty Boy,” Crim said smoothly.
I wondered if it was an insult or flirting — I couldn’t tell anymore.
Mason smiled, then fired back, “I’m surprised you can swim at all. Aren’t gingers supposed to be allergic to water or something?”
“Weak,” Oliver quipped with a smirk.
I suddenly felt out of place here — all of this arguing that wasn’t really arguing wasn’t my style at all. It was some kind of complex form of socialization that was foreign to me.
For an instant, I craved my simple life. Being back in L.A. Where the only thing I had to worry about was what I was going to make myself for dinner that evening. Here, I was about to get into a pool with a bunch of celebrities, and I worried if I’d be able to keep up with the energy flying back and forth between all three of these celestial personalities.
“I’m guessing you got my text,” Crim said to Mason.
“I did,” he said.
Something intangible shuddered through the air.
I tried to catch Oliver’s eye, but he was focused on Crim and Mason.
Something was going on here. Part of me wanted to turn around and leave, but the other part of me wanted to see what would happen.
I didn’t know Crim’s feelings about Mason, or vice versa, but there seemed to be more than a little rivalry between the two men.
Oliver leaned back against the edge of the pool, looked up at me with his startling green eyes and asked, “You getting in, Charlie?”
There seemed to be so much more to that statement than what was said. For a moment, a flash of fear fluttered through me as I thought about going back to my trailer and having some pleasant alone time for the rest of the day; time to think about my interaction with Mason. But still, that little wild streak of craving adventure wound through my mind. When would I get another chance to hang with three celebrities in a place like this?
“When in Rome,” I said as I eased my way into the water.
“We’re not in Rome,” Oliver said sassily.
“Close enough,” Mason said as he dipped into the water.
I felt a small trickle of camaraderie with Mason then; like he was on my side for once. I began to wonder if I had earned a small amount of his respect back in the locker room.
Maybe Mason was the kind of guy that only responded to insults and arguments.
“I brought champagne,” Crim said, his purple eyes heavy-lidded.
“For what?” I asked.
“To celebrate being done with this location, and on to the next adventure. Plus, being one day closer to the end of my contract,” he said.
Disappointment settled in my gut. “You really want out of here that bad, huh?” I asked.
He reached one of his tatted up forearms out of the water and pawed at a cooler nearby. “I’m not meant for film, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.”
“Then tell us, Crimson,” Mason said dryly as Crim passed him a sparkling champagne flute filled with bubbling gold liquid. “What are you here for?”
Cr
im passed a flute to Oliver, then me, and then finally poured one for himself. “I thought that was clear,” he said smoothly. “I’m here to fulfill my end of an obligation to the production company. Cheers,” he said, stretching out his arm to hold his champagne flute high.
We all clinked our glasses together.
“But… what is that obligation, exactly?” Oliver asked.
I was happy that someone else asked that question instead of me. Though even though Oliver had been the one to ask it, Crim still fixed his purple eyes on me.
“You want to know the truth?” he asked with a smirk. “It has something to do with Reese’s Pieces.”
I couldn’t help but lean in a little, eager to know more.
Mason’s champagne was vibrating a little, and I noticed his hand was trembling. He cared about this, big time. He probably cared more about Reese than he let on.
“Well, if you must know,” Oliver downed his champagne and set the empty glass on the stone with a clink. “Mister Riley did a favor for me back in the day. It was related to the same type of thing young Charleston Chew over here took such an issue with.”
The pieces were falling into place. “He… he helped smuggle you into the U.S.?” I asked, feeling my sense of justice swirl uncomfortably.
“Bingo!” Crim said, clapping his hands for emphasis. “Only I’m from Canada.”
“Why is every music star from Canada?” Oliver grumbled.
“Despite what you may have heard, I don’t have all of the answers, Olive Oil,” Crim said dryly.
“So Reese helped you get citizenship and all that?” I asked.
“They were married,” Mason grumbled menacingly.
“What?!” Oliver cried, jerking so hard he nearly spilled his champagne into the pool. “H-how?”
“Same way everyone else does a quickie wedding,” Crim said, his eyes dancing with delight at the chaos. “Vegas.”
Mason’s hand tightened around his champagne flute.
Crim’s eyes were on it. “Oh, calm down Mason Jar. Everyone knows that it wasn't real — it was a marriage of convenience. It’s clear you still carry a torch for Reester Bunny.”
“Then… how do you owe him a favor?” I asked.
“He got me into the U.S. I’m a citizen now, and I can tour without any pesky time limits. It really helped my career. After we divorced — all planned, mind you — access to the U.S. market boosted the number of people that liked my music. The more ears I’d get, the happier I was.”
Me, Mason, and Oliver were all enraptured with Crim’s story. We were moving closer and closer to each other in the tub.
“So, imagine when I was just going about my business, planning on disappearing to Iceland for a year and getting away from all of this nonsense, and all of a sudden our fearless leader gives me a call. Calls in a favor, if you will.”
“He wanted you in the Black Castle,” I said breathlessly.
Crim rolled his purple eyes. “Ugh, it was the very last thing I wanted to do. But Reese reminded me that he stuck his neck out for me all those years ago, so I had pretty much no choice. I’m a gentleman, after all.”
“So you show up here, intent on ruining everything,” I said accusingly, the champagne making my tongue looser than I’d like.
“Not to ruin, Charizard. I’m here to have fun at this point. There’s just too much going on here for me to want to ruin it.”
“Fun? This is your idea of fun?!” Mason spat.
“Well… yeah?” Crim said, looking at Mason like he just sprouted a third arm. “We’re in a roman bath, sipping champagne. This isn’t fun for you? Don’t take out all your anger on me. You’re all so angry, by the way. It’s much easier just to relax and let things happen. Let the universe do what it wants with us.”
“Cut the crap,” Mason said with a hiss. “You know, once you and Reese were together, he started spouting all of this woo-woo shit too. You made him different. Thank God he’s almost back to normal.”
“Almost?” Crim asked, winking at Mason. “Once I’ve touched somebody, they’re never the same.”
I bit my lip, thinking of when he was on top of me and Oliver. Oliver was draining the rest of his champagne flute, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing:
Crim was right. We would never be the same.
“You… you actually fucked?” Mason cried, his voice echoing in the bathhouse.
“Uh, yeah?” Crim said. “We were married. Why not take advantage of what married life has to offer?”
Mason was turning red. I couldn’t tell if it was from the heat of the tub, or if it was just pure rage. “You’re… you’re a real piece of shit, you know that?” Mason said to Crim.
Crim smiled even wider, enjoying the insult. “Does that feel good, Mayonason? Flinging insults at me like you do to everyone else? I know you’ve been asking around for dirt on me… all my dirty laundry is out in the open for everyone to see. It must be so boring for you.”
Mason looked like he was about to launch himself at Crim.
Oliver was in the corner of the tub, his green eyes darting from Crim to Mason.
I was leaning against the stone edge of the tub next to him, watching the scene unfold.
I only wished we had popcorn.
“You look like you’re in need of some fun, so let’s play a little game,” Crim taunted. “I’m willing to bet I can guess what’s wrong with every one of you. If I’m wrong, I’ll leave the show.”
“But you already signed a contract,” I said. “You’re legally bound to stay here,”
Crim groaned and rolled his eyes. “In case you missed it, Charcoal, I’m at the point where I don’t actually care what happens to me. I’m here to watch things unfold. And right now, I want to unfold each of you.”
Mason’s nostrils were flaring, but I could see his eyes light up at the prospect of Crim being gone from the set.
Removing Crim as an element of chaos probably gave Mason a sense of control. With Crim gone, everyone became a whole lot more predictable; a whole lot easier to manipulate the flow of gossip and rumors.
“Fine,” he said, setting his champagne flute down on the stone edge of the tub. “What are your exact terms?”
Crim’s purple eyes were dancing with delight, joyously entering this game. “If I can tell you why you, Olive Branch, and Charming Charlie over there will all forever be unhappy, we have a foursome.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, surprised by this sudden twist of events.
“Oh please. It’s not like you haven’t thought about it,” Oliver said.
He was right. I turned to Mason to examine his reaction. He looked stoic, watching Crim like he was prey. His eyes narrowed.
“Fine,” he said.
I couldn't’ believe what was happening in front of me, but at the same time, it all made sense. Me, Oliver, and Crim already had a threesome, and it was beyond amazing. I’d already had sex with Mason, and that was mind-blowing too.
In the fear reaches of my mind in the middle of the night, I was secretly wondering what having them all at the same time would feel like…
“Well, first thing’s first,” Crim said. “Oliver, do I have your consent?”
Oliver took one last gulp of his champagne. “If you can guess for me? For all these guys? Sure, fine.”
My mouth dropped open at his nonchalance. Maybe he was thinking along the same lines as me; that he already had me and Crim, and now he was wondering what Mason was like.
“And you, Charlie?” he asked looking into my eyes earnestly. Oliver and Mason were both staring at me, waiting for me to give the go-ahead.
“Um… yeah, I guess,” I said, feigning disinterest. Though when I gave my go-ahead, I secretly knew Crim had already won. This was going to happen no matter what. The only thing that could stop it was Mason. And if he was willing to play along, then…
“I’ll do it, too,” Mason said. “But if you get it wrong— for any of us, you have to be on the first flight ou
t of here tomorrow. You leave the show, and you never talk to Reese again.”
“Deal,” Crim said simply, then they shook hands.
A whooshing sensation came over me, rocking me to my very core. Was this really happening?
I shared a look with Oliver and he shrugged.
Crim lined up the empty glasses of champagne on the edge of the tub, then refilled them one by one. He passed them out to each of us.
“Who wants to start, then?” Crim asked. “Remember, you can leave at any time. Though I doubt any of you will,” he said, taking a sip of his champagne.
I knew he was right. I had a twinge of fear urging me to leave, but my curiosity rooted me to the spot.
“I’ll go first,” Oliver said. “Read me to filth.”
“All right,” he said.
Suddenly the room felt different; it felt like there was a prickling running over my skin. Something about the energy of the room had shifted, and it reminded me of Hazel. That’s how I felt when I was around her, when I was dying her hair bright pink and she told me all about my “Big Love.”
Oliver moved to the front of Crim, the glowing green water rippling in his wake.
“What do I do?” he asked, tilting his head.
I could tell that Oliver thought this was a game; he didn’t have the experience with Hazel that I did. He didn’t understand this… this weirdness that he was up against.
I had all the confidence in the world that Crim would be able to read all of us, spot-on.
Casting a sideways look at Mason, I noticed he was crossing his arms. He was… he was nervous. Or maybe just out of his element. For him, both of those things seemed the same, all rooted in the fact that he felt like he didn’t have control.
“Charlie, stop doing that,” Crim said impatiently.
“…what?” I asked, snapping my eyes back to him.
“You know what. Just let me do this, okay?” he said.
“But… I didn’t do anything,” I mumbled.
“Right. So Oliver,” Crim started, snapping his focus back to the beautiful man in front of him. “You’re unhappy because you feel so, so deeply. You have an ex, an earth-type. He was threatened by you. Some engineer or something.”
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