by Avarice Rose
“Skylar,” he groaned, kissing my ear. “I never knew how hollow I was until you came into my life to complete me.”
I kissed him deeply, then wiped a trickle of sweat from his handsome brow. “And I never knew my body could feel sensations like that until I met you.”
He winked at me and bit my nose playfully.
I suddenly felt a stinging sensation and looked down to find blood trickling down my thigh. That must have been from Zack digging his nails into my sides. He lapped up the blood eagerly before it hit the cream colored sheets. Watching him do so was intensely erotic. I snuggled into his arms as our hearts slowed to a steady pace as we prepared to sleep, even though it was still relatively early.
“Rest well, my love. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
2.
The next day, Zack and I bustled about, busily getting ready to start producing my screenplay that he had chosen. We ate breakfast in the enormous dining hall and excitedly chatted about who would be ideal for which role.
“Auditions are always a formality so that everyone feels they have a fair chance,” Zack explained.
“Everyone should have a fair chance,” I stated. “That's just what my screenplay is about.”
Zack grinned, then nodded in agreement.
“You're so right. We’ll hold open auditions and equitably judge each person who comes for a role.”
I was pleased that Zack understood how I felt about proceeding with this movie. We finished breakfast and then went about making phone calls to set everything in motion. Zack drew up a budget, and we spent some time discussing it together. I felt like we were an unstoppable team. My vision was coming to life, and it was because my unbelievably handsome Hollywood superstar boyfriend believed in my work. I was so overcome with emotion that I stole a kiss from Zack in the middle of his phone call. It caused him to blush, something I'd never seen him do before. He smiled and took my hand in his, winking as he continued to speak into his phone.
After about a week of planning, calling, and sorting paperwork – intermittently between bouts of physically exerting lovemaking – we had our first auditions set to take place. The room was small, but it created a sense of intimacy. We wanted to be up front and personal with our potential star, whoever she might end up being.
After a couple of hours of auditions, I was beginning to grow tired. All the faces started running together and their personalities overlapped. No one seemed to match my lead character even remotely closely.
We called for our next audition and were shocked to find Rita Royce walking through the door with a smug smile on her face, an assistant trailing behind her. Rita was one of the biggest “it” girls in Hollywood. She also happened to be Zack's ex-girlfriend from two years prior. If anything that was anything was going on, she was a part of it - leaving her out often meant poor reviews. Involving her came with a huge price, though. Drama, drugs, and plenty of newsworthy articles with your name slapped in the middle. She had the looks and the fame, but God was she a bitch. She is everything I despise about Hollywood, and then some.
“Zack Rider!” She announced his name as if he were receiving an award. “I couldn't resist popping in to audition for one of your little films.”
I turned to Zack angrily, and he met my gaze with a mixture of guilt and annoyance. He shrugged and turned back to Rita who flashed her million dollar smile to the entire crew. Her eyes washed over me briefly in an attempt to size me up. I didn't blink.
“Rita, what a surprise. It's been so long.” Zack spoke coolly.
I couldn’t quite recognize the emotion in Zack's voice as he greeted her, explained the role, and then asked her to read a few lines. Rita, cool and confident, looked straight into the camera and immediately fell into the role I had created. The ease with which she portrayed my lead character was astonishing and threatening. I didn't want her to land the part as her lifestyle and personality went completely against the lead role's morals, and were not to mention totally offending to me. As a woman, I want to build my fellow sisters up, but not the ones who terrorize those around her. I couldn't endorse her in this film, and I didn't want to lose my head trying to defend it.
I remained calm even though I was mentally preparing for war.
Applause erupted around me, and my frown turned into a grimace. Before Rita left, she waltzed up to the table and leaned over to whisper something in Zack's ear. His casual demeanor suddenly turned into sheer dread, a face I didn’t even think him capable of making. Zack Rider wasn't afraid of anything.
What could she have possibly told him?
3.
The days following Rita's audition were absolutely wretched. Zack seemed to be in a foul mood at every turn. The more he frowned, the more distance I put between us. After the whirlwind of a project launch, I wasn't emotionally stable enough to handle seeing his ex-girlfriend while also dealing with his ridiculous mood swings. Whenever I tried to get him to talk, he'd shut down and storm off to the bedroom to pour through paperwork for the film. My final attempt to elicit an explanation only caused him to growl, which frightened me to tears. I stormed off into the yard and took the path to the pavilion where I could sit near the pond and calm down. I climbed into the hammock that was positioned in front of a fountain and curled up, listening to the sounds of the trickling water. Calm breaths, I told myself.
After a few moments of silence, I heard a whimper and felt something furry nuzzle my hand. I turned to meet the most beautiful arctic blue eyes staring back at me through the dim light. The wolf nudged my hand again, and I massaged my fingers through his fur as he shoved his snout into my face. He smelled like lavender and vanilla. It was definitely Zack, but I’ve never actually seen him in full wolf form before. He must have been extremely stressed. Zack huffed and whimpered again, and nudged his body up against mine. It wasn't possible for me to pull this gigantic wolf into the hammock, so I carefully got out and embraced him on the ground, petting his fur.
“Babe, I wish you would tell me what's the matter.” His icy eyes met mine again. They didn't blink. “I want to help you.”
I petted his fur a little longer before he stood abruptly and stalked off into the distance, the echo of cracks and groans carrying on the wind from his direction. I cringed. It sounded incredibly painful to change. I couldn't imagine what kind of hell he went through just to go out for a run and stretch his muscles. Zack returned, disheveled, in his human form and collapsed into my lap.
“She's blackmailing me.” He whispered between deep breaths. “She's threatening to release a sex tape of her and I that also features me changing. We have to cast her in the lead role to prevent her from doing it.”
My heart beat sped up to a wild rhythm as my blood boiled.
“We have to cast her. That tape will completely ruin me - ruin us,” he continued, staring intently into the depths of the pond. “I could be locked up for a long time.”
“That bitch.” I gritted my teeth together, trying to stay calm and collected as best I could. The laws had only just been updated a few years ago to accommodate the shape-shifting community. It was illegal for a shifter to be in their animal form in public, and anything to do with sex in animal form with a human could easily land you a life sentence. There were, of course, many underground establishments that catered to people’s unique shifter-related kinks, but law enforcement treated anything to do with human-shifter sex as severely as underage rape. The new laws inspired a lot of protests, many arguing that it was racist - or whatever the term would be when considering the shifter community - and that people should have the right to express themselves as they truly are. It was natural for shifters to want to transform into their animal forms when experiencing pleasure. The pushback, however, resulted in the LAPD being extra vigilant and forceful in their arrests. Zack was right, if Rita releases the tape, it would mean the end of Zack Rider.
I released a pent-up scream, causing Zack to jump and take me up into his arms. He rubbed my back as silent
tears began to fall down my cheeks, the frustration filling me with regret. Why did I think open casting like that was a good idea? Why hadn't I chosen anyone before her? I should have settled on someone else just so she wouldn't have even been able to walk in the damn door.
But it didn't matter what I could have done. Nothing could change what was already happening. I was positive Zack was going to cast her anyway, despite how much she was the opposite of what we wanted in this film. Once again, my attempts to smash the patriarchy that ruled the entirety of this city – and the rest of this country, for that matter – was completely destroyed. Zack noticed my sudden quiet demeanor and tried to comfort me again. I pushed his hands away and walked off into the distance towards the maze where I hoped I could just get lost forever. I stared up at the sky, wondering where I had gone wrong.
I could feel Zack's presence a few yards behind me. I knew he was just watching me to make sure I was safe, that I wasn't going to do anything too rash in light of recent events. I tried my best to keep the tears from reappearing. I was getting tired of crying and felt childish for it. I cried at my original premiere. I cried when Zack said we could make my films ourselves. I cried when I found out Rita was pushing her way into our lives. I felt like I was losing control over everything. It was absolutely maddening.
I craved a drink suddenly like my life depended on it. I turned on my heels away from the maze and made my way back to the house, shoving past a concerned Zack who was pleading for me to speak to him. I ran up the stairs, pulled on something gorgeous, and called Maya who picked me up in no less than twenty minutes. As I rushed out the front door in the first slinky dress my hands could grab in the closet, Zack implored me to stay. I walked past him and jumped into Maya's car, hoping I would find a bottle to drown myself in and never return. I felt I was better to leave than to stay and lose it again. I didn’t want to lose Zack, but I worried what I would say if I stayed at his place right now.
Dealing with Rita Royce was one thing. The knowledge that Zack has actually changed forms during sex with that bitch, and let her tape the whole bloody thing, was more than I could handle.
4.
The sun instantly blinded me as my eyes wearily opened to greet the world. My head ached. How much had I drunk? I tried to sit up but was met by a sharp pain in my temple that didn't dissipate until I laid back down on the bed.
Bed. Whose bed? Was this my bed? I threw my arms around in an attempt to feel the sheets. They felt silky between my fingers like they were expensively imported. I sighed. I had gone out to escape Zack only to end up back at his mansion. Bits of my memory started falling back into place that I had temporarily forgotten during my drunken slumber. I heard a light rap at the door as I tried sitting up again through a pounding headache that threatened to make me throw up.
A figure appeared in my fuzzy vision.
“Good morning, Sky.”
Zack's voice sounded like distorted radio waves coming through a broken speaker. Everything was garbled up in static. I rubbed my temples, trying hard to focus through the mess of colors and shapes in front of me. A glass filled with green stuff came into view. I nearly gagged.
“What is that?” I asked.
“It's something to help with that hangover.”
I picked it up without further question and started chugging it, the thick goop filling my throat and nearly causing me to choke. I ran to the bathroom to vomit. Zack followed behind me to hold my hair and rub my back.
“You're a mess.”
“And you're a sack of shit.”
He sighed.
“I hadn't meant to hurt you. I love you so much.”
I rinsed my mouth in the sink, my body suddenly cold from dehydration. I wondered what happened to Maya. As Zack continued to hold my hair, I splashed cold water on my face and attempted to stand up straight. He steadied me with his arm. I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror as he continued to talk to the back of my head, his words still sounding like they were being transmitted through rushing water.
“We have to stop that film from being released, no matter what.”
I hadn't exactly heard what he said before that, but I agreed. I met his gaze in the mirror.
“Zack, I'll do just about anything to keep you safe. I would hate to see your reputation go to pieces just because of some vindictive bitch who can't take 'no' for an answer.” I spit into the sink to emphasize my point. “We're not going down without a fight.”
“And what is the great Skylar Jones going to do? Write her to death?” The stab was deep, and he only twisted the knife harder. “You have no leverage here, my love.”
But he was right. What could I do to stop some Hollywood starlet from getting her way? There wasn't a news crew that would believe she was a dirty dealer, and I didn't even have the proper evidence to reveal her as a total crook. Besides, she was beautiful and talented. That always won people over in this town. There was nothing I could do.
I was right back to where I had been before my drinking binge last night.
“Zack…” I whispered, gripping the porcelain sink as if my life depended on it. He watched me evenly, brushing my hair away from my face as he waited for me to continue. I cringed away from his touch, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that the small gesture has hurt him. “I need you to explain to me why you made that movie.”
He let out a loud breath, his strong frame deflating like someone has just let all of the air out of an inflatable copy of the broken man. “What were you thinking?” I continued, staring deeply into the reflection of his eyes in the mirror, unable to face him directly just yet. I know it wasn’t fair for me to be angry at him over something that was done in the past, but right then and there I knew there was nothing in the world that could put the pieces of my heart back together. It happened years ago, but it felt like a personal invasion into my happiness. It was how I felt, and there was no stopping it.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested. I nodded, knowing the fresh outside air would help with the hangover. He took my hand and led me out to the rear yard. We walked in silence until we reached the pond, the sound of the water soothing the tension just a little bit.
I looked up at him expectantly, the hurt in his eyes almost enough to make my heart break all over again. He kissed my forehead, and I couldn’t help but feel better. God, I just loved that man so much. I leaned in, and he took it as a sign to wrap his arms around me and hold me close.
“I didn’t know she was recording us,” he said into my hair. I immediately pushed away from him and looked him square in the eyes.
“WHAT?” I demanded, anger quickly replacing the sadness that had been building in my heart. “What the hell do you mean, you didn’t know?”
He shrugged, “I didn’t know.” He ran his fingers through my hair, his gaze lost in the depths of the pond.
“She can’t do that! That’s illegal,” I demanded.
Zack simply shrugged, “Tell that to her.” His eyes burned with anger.
“That’s just simply unfair,” I continued. I was beyond astonished at the sheer evil of which this woman was capable.
We both paused, staring out at our surroundings in silence for a few long minutes.
“We have to give her the role,” I said, finally, breaking the silence. “Then, we'll steal the video, destroy it.”
I paused. “What if she made copies?”
Zack didn’t meet my eye contact. He stared out at the trees in the rear of the yard, his wolf-like eyes glinting in the sunlight. With his lips parted and menacing teeth showing, he said, “I will make sure every copy of that video is destroyed.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I asked, stroking his arms softly in an attempt to calm him down.
“I will make sure she knows the tape needs to be destroyed.” He met my eyes and continued, “and if she doesn’t destroy the tape, I will destroy her.”
GET BOOK 3 HERE.
Note from the author:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first second of my new romance serial. If you liked what you read, please consider leaving a review. Reviews and word of mouth are what keep independent authors such as myself afloat.
Thank you so much for your support.
XOX Ava
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Avarice Rose is a best-selling novelist who lives in snowy Alaska with her fur baby, Tyrion the Samoyed. She has been writing since she could first hold a pen, and her heart truly belongs to romance.
For Ava, there is nothing better than curling up in front of the fire in the middle of winter (which only lasts about 12 months a year up there) with parchment and quill, writing her next steamy romance novel. Okay, maybe not quite parchment and quill, but you get the idea.
Elves, barbarians, sorcerers, and stable boys - Ava loves them all equally, and you will certainly fall in love with them too through her award-winning stories.
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