Alex nodded. “Yes, he did. He didn’t have much of a choice, though. He was employed by Pierce at the time. Pierce gave him the money to buy the shares. You see, no-one can hold more than a forty per-cent share in the franchise. Pierce wanted more, so he gave one of his employees enough money to buy fifteen per-cent. That ensured that Pierce had a fifty-five per-cent share whenever decisions were made. If Ben had voted against him, then he would have been fired.”
I quickly did the maths. “But, don’t you hold sixty per-cent now you’ve bought Pierce’s?”
He leaned toward me and kissed my cheek. “No. Because I signed twenty per-cent over to you.”
“Me?”
“Well, I can’t hold sixty per-cent, can I? When I knew what was going on, that I was going to have to buy Pierce out, I instructed Megan to transfer ownership of my twenty per-cent to you. Between us, we’ll have the casting vote on any future decisions with the Starshine machine. It’s perfect.”
I frowned. “That still doesn’t explain how he became your best buddy.”
“Ahhh, no it doesn’t. Well, what happened was that I sort of pulled him to one side and had a word with him after one particularly shitty meeting. We argued, but I could see the regret in his expression over everything I was having to go through due to Pierce’s stupid plan.
“We took our discussion out of the building and to a local pub. He admitted everything. How Pierce was basically blackmailing him into making the same decision as him. How Pierce was making him give tip offs to the paparazzi about where I’d be. He’d just got married; first baby was on the way. He couldn’t lose his job. It would have been a disaster for him and Julia, his wife. I asked him to think hard about what he wanted, what had always been his dream. Apparently, he was a qualified chef that was stuck in an office job working for Pierce’s company. His dream was to escape with Julia to the country and run a pub restaurant.”
I nodded, seeing where this was all going.
“You helped him buy this place?”
“Not quite. I paid him enough for his shares to enable him to be able to buy this place. Well, maybe I paid a bit more. A sweetener, if you like, to help with everything else. Luckily, he’s made a huge success out of it all.”
I snuggled up to him, bowled over by his caring nature and his ability to find solutions to help people.
“He’s been a great friend ever since. He’s a great man, and his wife Julia is a star. Their baby daughter is beautiful as well. I’m her godfather. Maybe you can meet her tomorrow.”
“I’d like that,” I said. I was eager to meet them now that I’d heard the complete story.
“We need to make plans for going back to Sao Miguel. Well, if you want to,” Alex said.
“I’d love to.”
“Are you sure you’ll not get bored with me if we stay there for a full month?”
“I promise to only get bored with you, if you do with me.”
“We’ll be fine then.” He turned to kiss me, and his hand not holding his glass sneaked under the hem of my dress. I shivered, not from his touch, but from another chilly breeze.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Just a bit. I’m tired as well.”
“Let’s head back to the cottage then.”
He jumped to his feet, extending his hand out to help me up.
“Are you okay now?” he asked as we wandered slowly back to the cottage. “You seemed to have a bit of a mini-melt-down back there.”
“Yeah, I think so. I think I’m having trouble taking everything in. Your secret hideaways; all this dealing with people to get peace of mind. Then there’s Amy.”
“Amy’s a very sad and lonely woman.” He paused, stopping our walk back to the sanctity of the cottage. “I meant to ask you something. After what Pierce said earlier, it made me wonder. Am I crap in bed, is that why everything went wrong for me?”
“Seriously?”
His sombre face told me he was very serious.
“Oh, Alex. You are the most selfless lover I could ever imagine having. You give so much. You turn me on so easily. You are an amazing lover and you are definitely not crap in bed. And your tongue . . . If they could somehow market what you can do with your tongue, women would be clambering over themselves to buy one, maybe two.”
“Urghhhh! That would be gross.”
I chuckled at his reaction. “Believe me, it would be very popular. And how can you even think that you’re crap?”
“Well, it wasn’t just what he said. I mean, I still struggle to understand why Amy slept in the other room. Was that the reason?”
“I doubt it. It was probably because she was too exhausted from fucking Pierce.”
He nodded. “Yeah, well, that makes sense. She had so many other lovers as well though. Why?”
I shrugged. “Perhaps, they were her way of making her feel good about herself, boosting her confidence. Her way of repaying them for something.” I shivered with the thought. “How can she ever justify that sort of existence?”
Alex shook his head. “Let’s not worry about her.”
We walked for a little longer before the cottage came in to view.
As Alex unlocked the door, I slipped in front of him, mischief on my mind. I was determined to let him know he wasn’t a crap lover.
“I seriously need a soak in the bath and a massage,” I said, rubbing the side of my neck. “Know anyone who can assist?”
He nudged my hand away from my neck before kissing the exposed skin.
“Your wish is my command.”
3 months later - backstage at the Stella show
The make- up artists fussed around us, but I was too busy giggling at the man applying powder to Alex’s face to pay too much attention to the lady who was expertly applying my make-up. The man obviously fancied Alex.
Neither of us needed much make-up. We were still healthily tanned from our month away at Sao Miguel. But apparently, television lights made you look pale, so we were letting the make-up artists work their magic. Alex had two-day old stubble covering his chin and the side of his face, my favourite look for him.
“Where’s Erin when you need her?” I asked, trying not to laugh at Alex’s discomfort at the man’s flirting.
I had to look away when the man placed his cheek next to Alex’s.
“All pretty and ready to go, tiger.” He growled before heading out of the door.
The woman tending to me also finished and left the room.
Alex was watching me through the mirror, his eyes never leaving mine until the door had firmly shut. As soon as we were alone he sprang from his chair, and came over to mine. He positioned his hands on the arm rests and kissed me. It was an urgent and hard kiss, his lips pressing against mine desperately before his tongue pushed into my mouth. My head pushed back against the chair as he continued kissing me. I let my hands snake behind his neck, pulling him deeper as my own tongue battled with his. When he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine, we both breathed heavily, staring into each other’s eyes.
“I want to do something,” he breathed. “Fuck knows, I should have already done this.”
I frowned as he pushed himself off my chair and tucked his hand in his pocket. Before I had time to ask him what he was referring to, he sank to the floor on one knee. I was about to tell him that now probably wasn’t the best time for him to go down on me, when he presented me with a light grey ring box. He raised it toward me, swallowing and breathing quickly.
His fingers snapped the lid open.
A beautiful diamond ring stared back at me. It was a cluster of nine diamonds, set in the shape of an oval.
I began shaking as I tore my eyes away from the ring, and back to Alex’s face.
“Ella Summer,” he said, sounding the most serious I had ever heard him. “Will you do me the tremendous honour of agreeing to be my wife? Will you marry me?”
My mouth moved, but no sound came out.
Alex smirked. “Either I’ve gone deaf
, or you need to speak up.”
“Yes!” I shouted, my voice most definitely coming back. “Yes, yes, yes!”
I threw myself at him, and he toppled sideward onto the floor.
“Shit,” I muttered, as I bent over him. “Are you okay?”
He pointed to his lips. “I will be when you kiss me.”
This time our kiss was gentle and languid. It was a kiss full of promises, and dreams, and our united happiness. Eventually, he shifted his mouth away from mine, just far enough to be able to speak. “Thank you,” he whispered. “For everything.”
I heard the sincerity in his voice, understanding that my agreement to marry him meant so much more. I’d saved him from a one-way road to destruction. I’d calmed him in a way I had never set out to do. He still fired up when annoyed and his language was still guttural—but I liked that he had that fire within him. It was what made him Alex, my Alex.
We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, and then, as if he couldn’t stand the seriousness between us any longer, he spoke in a way I had long got used to.
“Fuck, I can’t wait to get you home.”
He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and placed the ring box in between us.
“Try it on,” he suggested, taking the ring from the velvet cushioned padding.
I held my hand up so he could slip the ring onto my finger.
“It fits!”
“I know,” he replied smugly.
“How?”
He winked. “I have to have some secrets, Ella.”
I pouted before looking at the ring.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
He looked as if he was about to kiss me again, when there was a knock at the door.
“Time to move people. Five minutes to stage.”
“We need to dust ourselves off.” I said, seeing the dusty marks on the knees of my black jeans. Alex jumped up, turning around so he could see the back of his trousers in the mirror. He tried to swat away the grey marks on his bum.
“Here, let me,” I said, moving toward him.
“Any excuse to touch my ass, Ella. I should be used to it by now.”
“Never get used to it,” I said, dusting him down with my hands.
There was another knock on the door, and this time a young woman walked in. She had a clipboard in her hands, and headphones over her ears.
“Are you ready to walk down to the studio floor?” she asked.
He raised his eyebrows. “Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
The woman guided us through a maze of corridors before leaving us at the side of the studio. I shifted from foot to foot, nervously waiting for Stella to introduce us. This was my first ever interview, and Alex’s first one since all the madness surrounding the leaked video footage. It was also our first joint interview. I was so relieved that Alex was with me, I’d never have been able to do this by myself.
Nerves were taking a hold though, and I was struggling to even speak. Never mind that Alex had just proposed to me in the dressing room. The enormity of what we had just committed to was rushing through me. I had just agreed to marry him.
We’d only had three months together, in which time marriage had never been mentioned. His proposal had been a huge surprise.
Alex held my hand tightly, rubbing his fingers over the ring he had just placed there.
“How the hell do you expect me to get through this, or give her a proper answer about anything now?” I asked, staring into his eyes that were full of mischief and desire.
“Stop it!” I playfully punched him.
“Stop what?”
“Looking at me like that. You’re practically undressing me with your eyes. You told me ages ago that you hated it when your fans eye fucked you, yet you do it to me all the time.”
He leaned forward to kiss me. “But I’m allowed to eye fuck you. I’m your fiancé now. The ring that I’ve slipped on your finger means I can eye fuck you whenever I want to. You don’t need to grant me permission.”
“As if I ever did.” I grinned at his use of the word fiancé. “You’re so crazy,” I added. “Asking me to marry you just before we go on live TV. You sure you want me to wear the ring. She’s bound to see it.”
“I want the whole world to know that you’ve agreed to marry me, Ella. What better way to let everyone know than for it to be announced on national television?”
“But you hate all the intrusion.”
“I think I’ve found a bit of peace with it over the last few months. We can work it to our advantage at times.”
We’d managed to keep out of the press very successfully during the month after the announcement that Amy had been released early from her contract, and that Rowan had been fired from the Starshine franchise. We hadn’t heard from either of them since then. Although, Amy’s face regularly appeared in gossip magazines as Pierce pushed her forward as a broken woman whose only mistake had been to fall in love with Alex. It was all lies, and all to try and gather some support to stop her rapid descent from stardom. No film franchise wanted to touch her. Fans still hated her for what she did to Alex. She had sealed her fate a long time ago.
Sao Miguel was still a closely guarded secret, as was Ben’s pub, which had become our favourite retreat when we were on breaks from filming Solarflare.
We were currently at the start of the publicity tour leading up to the release of Starshine. We were giving out first interview on the Stella show, with several other interviews lined up over the next month. We’d be travelling to all corners of the globe before heading back to London for the premier.
I fiddled with the diamond ring on my finger. It was stunning. The nine diamonds sparkled beautifully, catching the light every time I moved my hand.
“Thank you, Ella,” he said. “For agreeing to marry me.”
I kissed his cheek. “I don’t know what took you so long.”
He lifted his chin and snarled. “I had to make sure you could keep up with my sexual urges. No point in marrying someone who'll be exhausted after I’ve done my husbandly duties, is there? She still needs to do the washing up, ironing, cleaning, and cooking.”
I punched him hard on his arm just as we were announced by Stella as her guests on the show.
“Ready?” Alex asked, rubbing his arm.
I nodded, not at all convinced that I was.
“I’m gonna have a bruise there now,” he whispered as he grabbed my hand and we walked out into the studio.
The crowd went crazy. They screamed both our names, wolf-whistles sounded out. A few fans fainted and security men rushed over to assist them as they were removed from the audience. I held Alex’s hand even tighter.
Stella was waiting for us in the centre of the studio, a huge smile on her face as we approached her. Alex gently nudged me in front of him to shake Stella’s hand, but she surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. Once she released me, she turned to Alex and hugged him. He seemed used to it though, whispering something to her before standing next to me. He made sure Stella and I sat down before he sunk onto the sofa.
“Wow,” she mouthed at us before looking back at the audience who still carried on screaming.
My name was called several times, and I nervously looked toward the crowd of people still on their feet and cheering.
Banners and posters were held high in the air. Many were homemade, and said, ‘Alex & Ella forever.’ Hearts with our names around them seemed very popular as well. Alex followed my gaze. More screams erupted as we both looked at the audience. He turned back to me, taking my hand before leaning closer to whisper. “You’ll never get used to this. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
The screaming suddenly stopped, changing to a joined sound of, 'Aww,' at Alex’s action.
Stella beamed at us as we settled, patiently waiting for the audience to calm.
“Sooo . . .” she said. “Welcome back, Alex.”
Screams rang out once more.
“Always a pleasur
e,” he replied, grinning at Stella before looking nervously at the audience. Someone shouted that they loved him, and he held my hand even tighter.
“And Ella.” Stella turned to me. I smiled nervously at her, rubbing my fingers against Alex’s knuckles. “I’m honoured with your first ever interview. Thank you.”
The audience cheered again, making even more noise when Alex leaned over toward me, this time whispering so only I could hear. “It’s an interview sweetheart. You need to talk when Stella asks you a question.”
Stella was watching our exchange as if it was the sweetest thing she had ever seen.
She rescued me from having to speak. “I have to say, I think I was the lucky person who was granted the scoop on your relationship when Alex was last on my show.”
We both knew what she was referring to.
“Yes, you were,” Alex said, giving her the cock-eyed smirk that had women eating out of his hand.
“Ella, were you surprised at the way he announced your relationship live on air, letting everyone hear him say that he loved you?”
“Yes. Completely surprised.”
The audience went completely silent as I spoke.
Stella continued. “And it seemed to open a complete floodgate of articles over the following weeks. I mean Alex had never spoken about his private life, never given an interview to the press, and yet within the space of just three weeks of meeting you all that happened.”
I nodded. “It was very quick, but in those three weeks we had everything thrown at us. We realised that if we could get through that, then we could probably get through anything.”
Stella smiled. “I understand that he was a bit hostile to you when you first met on the set of Starshine.”
Alex chuckled, creating a laugh from the audience.
“Just a bit,” I said, looking to him for reassurance.
“I was an ass,” Alex said. “Completely horrible to her. And yet when I asked for her help, she gave it to me tenfold. It was more than I deserved.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it.
Stella eyes widened as she saw the ring. “Is that? Oh gosh, do we have another exclusive here? Are you two engaged?”
Starshine Page 41