I had, up until when Rowan had taken the credit for mine and Alex’s performance, still felt sorry for him and for becoming involved with Amy. Alex hated him for what he had done, and I doubted that his opinion would ever change. Amy and Rowan had never stayed together, even though they were linked as an item for several months after the sex scene scandal they engineered. It seemed that Rowan couldn’t stand to be around her any more than anyone else.
We’d heard that Simon and Erin were still together. They had moved to Los Angeles, away from all the madness in England that Amy kept producing. Alex wasn’t happy that he had lost a good friend, and a damn good make-up artist, but he was happy that Erin had found her own happiness—even if it was with Simon. I had stayed in touch with Erin. After all, she was the person who persuaded me to turn up on the set of Starshine on the day of the closed set. That was the day that spiralled Alex and me into being together, and into the world and life that we were currently living. We both had a lot to thank her for.
As the limousine pulled to a gentle stop, Alex kissed my cheek.
“Time to meet your fans,” he whispered.
I shook my head. “They’re not my fans,” I reminded him. “They’re our fans.”
He held my hand in his. “You enjoy this moment. There’ll all here for you. I have more premiers to attend. You only have this one.” He squeezed my hand. “Your performance in Solarflare will blow them away. I don’t think anyone expected you to pull this off, Ella, but I always knew you would. We watched it last night, remember. I hope you know how fucking amazing you are.”
I nodded. Alex had somehow managed to persuade the powers-that-be to release a copy of the film for us to view. So many people had expected me to fail with Solarflare, but I hadn’t. Regardless of what the critics thought, I knew that my performance was good. I just hoped that it was good enough to blow their socks off.
“I’m such a lucky man,” Alex said. “Look at me. I’m travelling around in a limousine with my beautiful wife, who I love and adore so fucking much. And not only that, she’s pregnant with our child, and about to star in a huge film that will prove to everyone just how amazing she is. And she’s all mine.”
I lifted my gaze to his, seeing his eyes so full of love for me. I swallowed, fighting back the emotional way he always made me feel when he looked at me that way.
He leaned closer, taking my face in his hands and keeping eye contact with me. “Tonight is all about you. Here, now, the fans want to see you. Later, at the after-show party, other stars will want to talk to you. Then tonight, when we get home, I will want to make love to you. I hope you’ll not be too exhausted for me.”
“I’m never too tired for you. You know that. And I can’t wait to undress you these days. You look amazing.”
I ran my fingers across his head. The familiar wayward locks were gone, replaced by a seriously short cut that I loved rubbing my fingers over. He had recently done some screen shots for an up and coming film, and decided to keep the hairstyle that had been required for them. He’d hired a personal trainer and was making regular trips to a private gym. He was gradually getting a stronger, more muscular body, and I loved it. I never missed the opportunity to ogle him when he was naked, and loved running my hands over his newly taut muscles. Many fans hadn’t liked his new look, taking to social media to voice their opinion. But, I suspected that most of them would probably end up loving it. I still recalled how being a fan of his felt, how everything he did was discussed and dissected at great length. That would never change.
Whereas Alex’s career ran from strength to strength, mine was about to stop. Solarflare was the first and last film that I would make. Whilst I had enjoyed working with Alex, and seeing how a movie came together—it wasn’t for me. I had no interest in following Alex into the world of acting as a career. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and maybe, given time, I’d change my mind. Acting with Alex was one thing—easy and familiar, but acting with another man didn’t appeal to me. I struggled to understand how anyone could act intimate scenes with a person they had no romantic involvement in. Alex said it was acting—it was like flicking a switch—I doubted that I’d ever be able to do that. And, I had other things to think about now. My priorities in life had changed dramatically. I didn’t want a life with a nanny bringing up our child. I wanted to be there for him. Alex was in complete agreement with me. He wanted to be around as much as possible as our monster grew up. I was ready to become a mother to our baby, and continue being a wife, lover and friend to my gorgeous husband.
His eyes drifted to my bump, yet again, and then he pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. “You look amazing,” he said.
I knew that the dress I was wearing was helping enormously with my confidence this evening. It was a dark emerald colour, encrusted with thousands of small black sequins and jewels. It hung beautifully over my pregnant form, skimming the ground as I walked. Alex wore a dark charcoal suit, Gucci again—obviously, now he was in negotiations to be the face of their new advertising campaign. He looked dapper, sexy, and smelt divine.
“You ready?” he asked as the door to the limousine was opened.
“Yes,” I replied, peering out at the red carpet that awaited us.
“I’ll stick with you; we’ll work the crowd together, okay?”
I nodded, prepared to slip into our well-practised routine.
He slipped past me, stepping from the limousine before turning and offering me his hand for support. I shuffled as elegantly as possible from my seat. As soon as I appeared next to him, the flashes from the hoard of photographers began. Alex placed his arm protectively behind me, holding my waist as we slowly walked forward, heading toward the fans.
Screams sounded out all around us as Alex bent to whisper to me.
“Listen to them, Ella. Really listen.”
I frowned, trying to hear what the crowd was shouting and screaming. And then I heard it. A low chant started to ring out as we got closer to the crowds.
“Ella! Ella! Ella!”
Alex smiled widely. “I love you,” he said, stopping our walk and kissing me passionately.
Everyone went wild, and camera flashes lit the night sky.
It seemed that Alex had been right all along.
I had always thought I was unlucky, that I’d never find a four-leafed clover. But as I thought back at what life had thrown at me over the past three years, how could I even begin to think that I was unlucky.
I’d found my four-leaf clover the day I walked onto the set of Starshine.
He currently stood next to me.
Alex.
Thank you for reading.
I really hope you enjoyed reading INIQUITY. It was a story that wouldn’t stop talking to me—the characters demanded I tell their story, and we still have another book or two of this dark world to discover.
If you have a minute to spare, please leave a short review on the retail site where you purchased the book.
Reviews are incredibly important to authors because they help more people discover our books.
STARSHINE was written when the characters in my head refused to keep quiet. It was a story that kept dragging me back and demanding my attention. It’s a busy place in my head with all my characters screaming at me, but STARSHINE evolved thanks to many whispered words from Alex and Ella. They started to make themselves heard many years ago, so the final push to bring them to life caught me by surprise, but I hope I’ve managed to tell their story just as they’d want it.
There have been two special people who have held my hand during STARSHINE’s crazy journey to publication. Denise Hall and Barbara Reichwein. Your support has been amazing. Thank you so much.
The road to publication for STARSHINE was an all-consuming one—one that had me shut myself away for the best part of a month when I wasn’t at work. Once again, my family supported me as only they know how. The cups of teas, and gin and tonics were brought to me regularly throughout the days/nights.
&n
bsp; To everyone who encouraged me, and gave me the determination to write Starshine, thank you. xxx
Growing up, Melody showed a natural ability in art, a head for maths, and a tendency to write too long English essays. Difficult to place in the world when she graduated, she pursued a career in teaching, but ended up working in finance. Melody is convinced the methodical times she spends working with numbers fuel her desire to drift into dream worlds and write about the illusory characters in her head.
Melody Winter lives in York, North Yorkshire, England with her husband and two sons. When not dealing with football, rugby, and a whole plethora of ‘boy’ activities, she will be found scribbling notes for her stories, or preparing for another trip to the nearby beaches at Scarborough and Whitby. With an obsession for anything mythical, Melody revels in reading and writing about such creatures, and creating her own.
@melodywinter
Melody-Winter-Author
www.melodywinter.com
The Mine Series
SACHAEL DREAMS—Available now
SACHAEL DESIRES—Available now
SACHAEL DELUSIONS—Coming 2017
SACHAEL DESTINY—Coming 2018
The Ascent Series
INIQUITY—Available now
ADVERSITY—Coming 2017
Starshine Page 43