by Julia Bright
Eighteen months ago when Rose had moved in, her roommates had been Sue, the original renter of the apartment, Judy, a woman who had moved out when Amanda moved in, and Alexis, who ended up moving back to Oklahoma because Hollywood was too mean. It might have been that Amanda had been too mean because Alexis and Amanda had never been able to get along. Kady had moved in when Alexis flew the coop, and Presley took Sue’s place not that long ago. Then Amanda had moved out, thankfully.
“Are you going to say something?” Amanda asked.
Rose took another bite of food, finally starting to feel human. She grabbed a glass from their cabinet and filled it with water, drinking half before setting it on the counter. Amanda scowled and tapped one fingernail on the countertop. Rose wanted to grab her finger and make her stop. She blew out a calming breath before speaking.
“You’re not owed any money,” Rose said.
“Liar! You’re lying. Give me my money.”
Kady cowered in the corner, and Presley had left the room at some point, opting to hide in her bedroom. It was up to Rose to set Amanda straight.
“What money?” Rose asked.
“The security deposit. I paid a deposit and now I need it.”
Rose shook her head as she took another bite of food before closing the container and placing it back in the bag. She folded down the white takeout bag’s top. With a Sharpie, she scrawled her name on the outside, marking the food as hers. That was one thing she loved about Kady and Presley, neither one of them would steal her food. She could leave birthday cake in the refrigerator, and they wouldn’t eat any if her name was written on the box. Amanda had never abided by those rules. The last month had been wonderful with this woman gone, and now Rose wished she would leave again.
“I’m going to take a shower. Amanda, you didn’t pay any deposit. None of us did. Sue paid the original deposit, and we’ve been rolling on her generosity since the beginning. You didn’t get a receipt for a deposit because you didn’t pay one. So when you moved out, that was it. You were done with us and we were done with you.” Rose turned to Kady and nodded. “Presley’s home?”
“She had to get back early because of something going on tomorrow.”
Rose nodded then stepped into her room and slammed the door, praying Amanda didn’t follow her. She tossed her things on the bed and grabbed her shower caddie. Of course, as soon as she opened the bedroom door to head to the bathroom Amanda was there, demanding her money. Rose ignored her as she closed then locked the bathroom door.
Had she not been exhausted, she would have been angry, but she couldn’t work up the emotions necessary to be pissed. Amanda was barking up the wrong tree if she thought bitching about the deposit would get her money. She wasn’t owed anything.
Rose stripped, turned the water on, and stepped in the tub, not caring that cold water still ran from the showerhead. She grabbed the soap and scrubbed the smell of the diner from her body before adjusting the water temp so it was warmer. After giving her hair a quick scrub, she stood under the spray for a long moment before flipping off the water.
Amanda had pissed her off. Coming in, asking for money she had no right to was typical Amanda. They’d had more problems when she’d lived in the apartment. Making your way in Hollywood was difficult for everyone but a chosen few, and if you were living in this dump, you weren’t one of the few.
After drying her hair, Rose dried her bottles from the shower and placed them back in the caddy. They had too many people living here to keep their shampoo in the shower, a rule that Amanda always had an issue with. Rose didn’t mind keeping her stuff in her closet on the floor where it was out of the way.
Kady and Presley weren’t in the den, so when she stepped into her room and saw Amanda sitting on her bed, Rose gasped. Amanda tossed Rose’s phone to the mattress and stood.
“What were you doing with my phone?”
Amanda gave her a smile that was more like a smirk. “Nothing. Just checking the weather.”
“Don’t use my stuff and get out of my room.”
“Fine. And I don’t need your money anyway. You’re an idiot.”
Rose sucked in a breath. Her words froze in her throat as Amanda stalked out of her room and slammed the door. She stared at her phone then back at the door, rolling her eyes and sighing. Amanda had been a terrible roommate, taking her food, using her phone, doing whatever she wanted, and Rose was glad the woman was gone from her life.
The warm shower had relaxed her enough that she was barely able to keep her eyes open. After grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen, she went to bed, drifting off to thoughts of Cam Harris. He wasn’t in her life and never would be, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. The man was sexy, no doubt he would show up in her dreams for months, if not years, to come.
Chapter Nine
The day after the party, Zach was a ghost. As Cam had left the house they’d rented, he’d seen Zach drive away, but after that, he’d not seen his brother at all. Cam regretted not asking Rose for her contact information. He could always go to the diner, but that would be very public. He’d been there before, and the gossip bloggers would ask why he was going back. He could go for a burger, but he’d need to find someone to go with him. It would be too much to explain to anyone else, and he couldn’t ask Zach to go with him. Maybe later, once he had this part, he could try to have a normal life. He wasn’t going to stop dating forever, and maybe, if he played his cards right, Rose would be a part of his normal life.
Zach’s bedroom door creaked slowly open, and he stepped out, rubbing his face with one hand while he stumbled down the dark hall and into the kitchen.
“Happy birthday. Well, really in a month, but I don’t think I said it at the party.” Cam turned back to the dishes, concentrating on getting the dried food off a spatula. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zach stretch. Cam continued to wash the dishes and load them into the dishwasher.
Zach chuckled and groaned behind him. “Thanks, bro. I didn’t see you much at the party.”
“I told you I wasn’t interested in doing something like that. I’m changing my ways.” Cam finished with the dishes and grabbed a cup from the cabinet.
Laughter tumbled out of Zach’s mouth, filling the small room. Cam shook it off, rolling his eyes. That was just how Zach was. His brother didn’t believe half of what Cam said he was going to do, and maybe that had kept him from going for more in the past, but not this time. This time he was going to change.
Zach poured himself some coffee and then turned, leaning against the counter. Cam turned to stare at him, thinking about trying to have a serious conversation with his brother about changing his ways. Cam caught sight of a huge bruise on Zach’s chest and stepped closer, inspecting the spot.
“What are you doing, man?” Zach asked.
“That spot, it’s a—oh my God, you have a hickey?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure who gave that to me. At least it’s not on my neck where everyone could see.”
“Dude, do you even remember what all you did?”
Zach leaned against the counter and shot Cam a cocky grin. “I had a lot of sex. It was awesome. I was kissed and touched more than I’ve ever been before. It was woman after woman. It felt amazing.”
Multiple thoughts rushed through Cam’s brain. How could Zach do stuff like that? A flash of self-reflection put him exactly in Zach’s shoes not that long ago—girls, girls, and more girls, touching, kissing, bodies slapping. He blew out a breath and shivered. Disgust over his actions swirled in the pit of his stomach, leaving him feeling queasy.
Using sex instead of searching for a real connection had left him feeling hollow. Only when he’d seen how repulsed Rose had been at the party had the requests from his new agent really sunk in. It wasn’t just that he had to do this for the part; he needed to do this for himself. He wasn’t proud of what he’d become, who he’d changed into. The man who could fuck five different women in one night wasn’t who he wanted to be. He wanted to be the
man who dressed up as a belly dancer to Rose’s ape. The guy who ate pizza on the bedroom floor while they talked about life. The man who laughed and felt free after spending time with a good person. Not the man who didn’t remember the names of the women he’d banged or what they even looked like.
“That girl from the diner didn’t show at the party. I should go by there, you know, maybe ask her for a date, see if I can get her fucked before the car even gets to the restaurant. Chicks like that shit. Plus it’s freaking hilarious to watch them during a meal after I’ve had a piece of their ass. They’re flustered, like they don’t know where they stand with me.”
Cam clenched his fists but didn’t move though he thought about punching Zach. “Don’t go to the diner.”
“Why?”
“Just don’t go,” Cam spit out, his anger mounting.
“Jesus, what is wrong with you? She’s just another tramp to have fun with. It would benefit us both. She’d get money, and I’d get to have a taste.”
Cam met Zach’s gaze and forced a calm he didn’t feel. “Leave her alone.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. He shook his head then shrugged. “Whatever, I’ll find someone else.”
“Maybe you should stop trying to fuck every girl you meet. You know, maybe have a real relationship.”
Zach laughed again, but this time the laughter was hollow. “Why would I ever do that?”
“You do know that other people don’t live like this.”
“Other people don’t get paid to say words. Think about it for a moment. We say shit, roll around half naked in bed with hot women, and get paid.”
Ice washed through Cam’s veins. “That sounds like porn.”
Zach chuckled and shook his head. “Maybe I’ll do that next. I don’t need much and I bet I could make some good money doing it.”
Cam’s heart squeezed and his head started throbbing. The headache that had been threatening to erupt hit hard. He rubbed his forehead, knowing this conversation couldn’t wait. “Listen, I’m thinking about getting a place of my own.”
Zach spun around, his eyes wide. “What?”
“I’m trying to take my career in another direction. I have to look like I’m responsible.”
“So you’re going to move out? We’re brothers for Christ’s sake,” Zach spit out.
“You bring hookers here, and you don’t just bring your own, you bring them for me too. I can’t have my picture splashed across the gossip rags with some call girl.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed. “So now it’s that you’re embarrassed of me.”
“No, but I can’t do the hooker, drugs, party lifestyle any more. I need—”
“You need to stop being such a dick. I’ll pretend we didn’t have this conversation.” Zach turned and headed out of the kitchen before turning back around to grab his coffee cup, spilling a little on the counter.
“Zach,” Cam said, halting his brother’s exit. “The hookers can’t come here. We can’t have parties here if I’m staying. I love you, you’re my brother, but I need to clean up my act.”
Cam felt like a total jerk asking his brother to change. This was Zach and that was just how he rolled. He didn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought of him, didn’t care if it cost him parts in movies. He was Zach Harris, warts and all, and if you didn’t like it, then fuck you. But Cam feared what would happen once he hit thirty. The acting had been a lark for Zach, but for Cam, it was real. He wanted this more than he wanted anything else.
“First, it’s no hookers. What will be next? You used to be fun. Will I have to start making appointments to talk to you? What happens when you need a friend? Will your agent be there to help you then?”
Cam’s heart dropped. He hated that he was disappointing his brother. “Zach, don’t be this way. I just need to make some changes.”
His brother slammed his coffee cup down on the table, sloshing about half the liquid out. “Well, don’t let me get in the way of the high and mighty Cam Harris. I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with us peons.”
“Zach, that’s—I can’t do this anymore. I need to look like—”
Zach threw up his hands and stalked closer. “See, that’s the issue. You only need to look perfect, but deep down you’re just like me. You’re destined for this life, just like I am. You want to be someone you’re not. You’re not Chris Evans or Jason Momoa. You’re Cam fucking Harris, the guy who gets crappy roles in shitty movies.”
Cam’s chest heaved as anger filled him. “I can do more than what I’ve been doing, and so can you for that matter.”
“Cam, you’re kidding yourself if you think you can do better. You’re only going to end up upset in the end. No one wants to see either of the Harris boys in a family film. We’re not like that. We’re barely above trailer park trash, not even the cutesy trailer parks, but the ones with swampy roads and scraggly lawns where even the plastic flowers die.”
Anger pulsed through Cam. “You’re wrong. I don’t know why you think you’re not good enough.”
“I don’t want to be good enough. Haven’t you ever thought that I like my life? I liked that party. I enjoyed being with women I’ll never remember.” Zach grabbed a shirt off the back of a chair and tugged it on.
The differences between them were harsh when Zach spelled it out that way. He’d followed his brother to Hollywood, and he appreciated everything Zach had done for him, but he wasn’t Zach.
“I don’t,” Cam said quietly.
Zach stared at him for a long moment then shook his head. “Fine, move out, but don’t think any of those studio people will ever have your back like I do.”
“Zach, you’re a great brother, but if you want me to stay, you have to clean up your act.”
“Don’t you get it? This is as clean as I will ever be. I can’t be what they want. I can’t sell my soul to be the perfect angel they want to present to the public. This is me, raw and ready for action.”
Zach banged out of the house. A few seconds later, Cam heard the squeal of tires on pavement and he knew it was his fault his brother had run off angry. He shouldn’t have dropped that bomb on Zach, not that way. Zach needed him and he probably needed Zach a little bit too.
Cam started a load of clothes washing then picked up a little around the house before calling his agent. That was another thing that had changed. A year ago, he and Zach had had the same agent, then Cam realized he wanted more and he needed a new man on the inside to help him navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood. It had taken a while to find Andrew, and the man had been frank with him, making sure Cam saw the big picture and how the American public viewed him. They’d discussed strategy, and Andrew had given him an ultimatum if he wanted to be a client. Andrew only represented serious actors and Cam would have to get serious.
“Andrew McKellen here. What can I do for you?”
“It’s Cam Harris. You were right. I need to move out, but Zach isn’t taking it well.”
“Listen, he’s your brother, and he’s going to need time.”
Cam blew out a breath. “Maybe my approach in telling him was wrong.”
Andrew paused and cleared his throat. “I’ve heard some talk about his party. There are no pictures floating around, but there is some insider talk. Did you happen to attend?”
“Ugh.”
“Hmm.” Andrew paused and Cam heard clicking on the other end of the line. Had he just lost his agent’s interest?
“I didn’t participate.”
“What does that mean?” Andrew’s question was spit out, the anger apparent.
“It means I wasn’t in on the orgy. I didn’t fuck some random girl. After making sure Zach was good, I hid out in a bedroom with the doors locked, watching old movies and eating pizza.”
“So there’s no way any photos of you will surface from that event?”
“No, Andrew, there isn’t anything anyone could say about me being there. So how did you hear anything about it?”
&nb
sp; “Security guards talk.”
“Shit. I’ll have to make sure Zach fires the firm.”
“Yeah. And, Cam, they’re close to making their decision. Keep your nose clean for a few more months and then you can relax once filming is over.”
“Do you think they’ll give me the role?”
“As long as nothing earthshattering comes up, yeah. That means no more parties with your brother.”
Regret filled him. “Thanks, Andrew. And do you think you could search out some substance abuse or recovery locations. I’m worried about Zach. I don’t want to abandon him, but something he said just a few minutes ago worries me.”
“Sure. I’ll make some inquiries. And don’t worry, no one will know who it’s for.”
“Thank you, Andrew. I wish Zach’s agent cared about him. It’s frustrating.”
“I’m sorry. You know, not everyone looks out for what’s best for the actors. I’m here to help you if you do your part in helping yourself.”
“Thank you. I’ll talk to you later in the week. If they want to see me, I don’t think I have any appointments.”
“Sounds good. Have a good day, Cam. Bye.”
“Bye.” He hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket. He had to work out, make a few calls, and then the rest of the day was his. He’d hunt down Zach later and try to talk some sense into him. His brother wasn’t thinking straight, that much was obvious.
Chapter Ten
The sound of his phone ringing pulled Cam from his sleep. He rolled to his back and reached for the device as the call dropped to voicemail. The call wasn’t early, it was a little after noon, but he’d stayed up late waiting for Zach to come home, which he never had. They’d left things unresolved, and he felt like something had fractured between them. He didn’t like having his brother angry with him. Zach had done so much for him when they’d first shown up in Hollywood. Now, Zach probably thought Cam was abandoning him.
His phone started ringing again, and he swiped to answer. “Hello, Zach, is that you?”