Samson slides off the desk and yanks his pants and boxers up, hitching them up around his beach ball belly, belt clinking as he buckles it.
“Victoria, honey. What can I do for you?” His voice is oily and glib. He smooths a few hairs across his balding head and gives me a foxy smile that drops away when he sees the twins behind me.
“We need to have a chat, Samson.” I slide into a chair and wave my hand at his desk.
He narrows his eyes at me and I can see his brain working, trying to figure out exactly why I’m here and there’s fear there too. He’s scared of what I might know, of what I may have figured out. That look tells me all I need to know. I’ll start easy with him.
“I said no more interviews, Samson. I need time off. I did everything the studio wanted. Why do you keep scheduling me for more?”
His grin says it all. “Honey,” his voice is slick, “the interviews are for you. You have to stay in the public eye to stay relevant, and then there’s Dennis. Don’t you want to tell your side? I did it for you.”
“Cut the bullshit, Samson,” I say and watch his face fall before it starts to purple. He’s accustomed to people groveling at his feet, seeking his approval. Sucking his cock for the smallest chance at stardom. “Where are my contracts?”
“I don’t keep records in the office.” He stumbles over his words and his eyes flit to the twins, standing behind me now, arms crossed over their generous chests.
“I suggest you find them.”
“Now you listen,” he splutters, “I’m not going to let you barge in here and tell me what to do. This is my office, you fucking jumped up Hollywood brat!”
Kieren’s fist slams into the desk, scattering pens, and papers, the wood making a cracking noise. “Get her contracts before I do that to your face.”
Samson stabs at his intercom button, “Charise, get security, security!” He’s blubbering and scared now. Good.
Charise, the black-haired receptionist walks through the door. “Sorry, what? I couldn’t understand you.” Her eyes flick to Samson’s red face and the contents of the desk scattered around the floor but her voice says she couldn’t care less.
“He said to bring my contracts,” I say sweetly.
She shrugs and heads back down the hall, coming back seconds later with a file. She hands it to me and leaves.
I flip open the file and start pulling out my contracts. I go through them one by one, each one leaving me colder and colder. Samson has been stealing from me. He’s been forcing me to do interviews and TV show appearances and keeping over 60% of the fees for himself. It’s all here. I’m caught somewhere between hatred and heartbreak.
“Why, Samson?” is all I can ask.
That’s when his mask drops. He’s sneering and condescending, his disdain for me showing in his eyes and cruel laughter. “Why do you think? Money, sweetheart. Michael Carter’s little girl. You’re nothing but money. Did you think you’d be as famous as your father? You’re a flash in the pan, honey, all celebribabies are and you’re a fucking idiot if you think you could have done any of this without me.”
I hear one of the twins behind me growl, low and dangerous, but I hold up my hand. “None of that is true,” I say.
“The fuck it isn’t. You’re a naive, talentless kid who didn’t know that your daddy handed you the world on a fucking on a golden platter until I showed you, and then you wanted to stop doing interviews, stay out of public view. The fuck? How do you think your daddy got so famous? Not by hiding in the house and refusing to do publicity.”
Then it hits me. “You’re the one,” I say “you leaked my name to the press, told them I was Michael’s daughter.”
His laugh is nasty. “Of course I did. You were no good to me as some no name whore.”
I’m shaking my head, not wanting to believe any of it, but the proof is all here. “Did my dad mean anything to you, Samson? I thought you were our friend. I’ve known you since I was born.”
“He meant the same thing you do. A paycheck. You think I took you on because of some misguided sense of friendship to your dad? Think again, sweetheart. This is showbiz and money is all your family ever meant to me.” He’s snarling at me, his eyes red and squinting.
I get up, the contracts spilling off my lap, scattering across the floor. “We’re done, Samson. You’re fired, and you’ll be hearing from an attorney...and the police.” I spin and walk out of the office, the twins on my heels.
Samson is running after me and when he reaches for me Antony snatches him back. The receptionist is watching us, her eyes disinterested when she looks up from her phone.
“You’re just a coattail-riding Hollywood brat who thinks she can whore her way to fame,” he spits at me. “You’ll disappear without me, bitch.”
There’s a crunch and a high-pitched scream when Antony cracks Samson across the nose with his fist. Samson is holding his face, blood rapidly leaking from between his fingers, his face already starting to swell.
Antony snatches Samson up by the front of his custom-tailored shirt, now covered in Samson’s blood. “If you come near Victoria again, I’ll break your fucking neck.”
“Should I call the police?” Charise asks lazily, her eyes still on her phone.
“No.” Kieren says.
“No, no,” blubbers Samson.
The twins lead me away, back to the elevators and down, into the lobby and out into the bright sunlit afternoon. They lead me to the car and ease me inside. Only when I’m in the safety of the backseat, closed off from prying eyes and video cameras by the darkly tinted windows and thick, reinforced doors, do I let myself break down. I cry, ugly and snotty, and Kieren slides in beside me, holding me against him as Antony takes us home.
I lean against Kieren and realize I’ve lost someone I thought was a friend, not only to me but to my father. He never was. Now I don’t have an agent and I don’t know if I can trust another one again. Not after the way Samson deceived and victimized my family for years.
Right now, the only two people I can trust are with me, speeding me home to safety.
20
ANTONY
On the drive home I'm lost in my thought. Everything is piling on at once at the person most likely to get hurt is Victoria. I know I said we’d be there for her, and we will, but I don’t think continuing with our relationship is the best course of action for us. There’s far too much at stake.
Finally, we’re home. I guide the SUV to the rear of the house and Kieren leads Victoria inside through the back door while I quickly check the property before heading inside. Kieren is in the kitchen, a fresh glass of scotch in his hand.
“Where’s Victoria?” I ask.
“She’s in the shower.”
“Good. We need to talk.”
“Ah, hell.” Kieren drains his glass and sets it on the counter with a thunk. “I knew this was coming.”
“We need to break it off with her, Kieren. It’s too risky. Think about it.”
“Shit.” Kieren sighs and drags his hands through his hair. “We told her we’d be here for her, that we’d move in permanently. Why are you changing your mind now?”
“For her safety. Physically and mentally. This could ruin her if it gets out. We’ve got so many people coming at us from so many different sides now. Dennis, ABS, and don’t think for a second Samson is going to let today slide. He’ll be after us and Victoria too. With that many dogs around, one of them is bound to sniff something out. We got to keep this professional, Kieren.”
Kieren pulls the bottle of scotch out of the cabinet and pours a healthy glug into his glass.
“You think you’ll ever feel the same way about another woman, Antony? Because I know I won’t.” He’s staring into his glass, swirling the amber liquid.
“How I feel doesn’t matter. Victoria wants to be an actress, I want to help her fulfill all her dreams. If I have to step back because my actions might endanger that, then I will."
“I don’t think I can do that.”
Kieren thumps his glass to the table without taking a drink. “You don't get to be the boss of me, Antony."
"For fuck sake, Kieren. This isn't about that shit. I'm not telling you what to do for my own satisfaction. This is about Victoria. There isn't another way right now and you're gonna have to accept that if you really do want to do what's right for her."
Kieren stares at me, as though he needs to read my expression to believe what I'm saying is actually reality. I know my brother trusts me, but this is a hard pill to swallow for both of us. Eventually, his shoulders sag. "Fine. We going to tell Victoria together?”
“Tell Victoria what?” She’s standing in the doorway. She’s in her fluffy robe and her hair is up. Her face is red and blotchy, her eyes swollen. She’s been crying hard in the shower.
Kieren ignores the question. “Sweetheart, come here.” He sweeps her into his arms and carries her to the living room. I follow them, stopping to grab the whiskey bottle and a glass on my way.
Kieren has her tucked up on the sofa, a blanket covering her legs and a pillow behind her. He’s settled on one end and has her feet in his lap, rubbing softly at them. I pour a glass of whiskey and hand it to her before sitting on the coffee table.
“Samson really got to you, didn’t he?” I ask her.
“Yes. But, not in the way you think. I don’t care if he called me a whore. It’s because,” she pauses, sipping at her scotch “because of dad.”
“You don’t have anything to do with the way Samson treated your dad, that’s all on him,” I say.
“No, I know. It’s just, you know what I though after my first show? After dad died? That I was so awful that I’d killed him.” She laughs sadly into her scotch. “Stupid, but it’s what I thought. I just thought I’d be awful and he’s be disappointed but instead I’d killed him with how terrible I was.” A tear slips down her cheek and falls with a quiet splash into her glass.
“Hey, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We were there on opening night with Michael. He was so proud of you,” Kieren tells her.
She shrugs. “Rationally I know it silly, but it’s just a thought I couldn’t shake. I thought I was being my own actress, doing this on my own, I find out Samson has been telling everyone who I am. That play was the only thing I got on my own merit. Everything else was because I was Michael Carter’s kid. The movie, all of it. Coattail riding, silver spooned, Hollywood brat.” Tears are tracking down her cheeks steadily now, her lips quivering.
“Oh, baby.” Kieren pulls her to him and she clutches at him, her slim body shaking with her sobs. Then she kisses him, hard.
She crawls into his lap, straddling his legs, and knots her hands in his hair. I can see her tongue, pink and sweet, slipping between his lips. When she breaks away, she turns to me, holding out her hand, beckoning me.
“I need you,” she says “make it go away, just for a little while.”
Her words break my chest open. No one has said they need me, not with the raw emotion that Victoria has in her voice. I shouldn't do what she's asking. I need to be strong but the look in her eyes is too much for me. How can I tell her no when she's so broken? Quickly I move in behind her and slip her robe off her shoulder, pressing small, nipping kisses across the freckles dotting her creamy skin. I bite into the tender skin of her neck just under her hairline, tasting at the dampness left from her shower. Her skin flares and heats under my tongue.
Pulling her off Kieren, I fling her across my shoulders and march to the bedroom with her, Kieren following behind. I drop her onto the bed and bend over her, tugging at the belt of her robe. It falls open and she’s laid in front us, her skin glowing from her shower and scented a light spicy vanilla. I push the robe off and whip the belt from the loops.
She’s looking up at me, anticipation shivering her limbs. I lean over her and press my lips onto hers, pushing my tongue between them, opening her mouth to my explorations. I taste the sweet flavor of her bottom lip, mixed with the heat of the scotch, and suck at the tender flesh. When she reaches to lock her arms around my neck, I grab her wrists, stopping her, and haul her up across the bed to the headboard. I shouldn't be doing this and it's making me crazy; the feeling of being torn. I need this. She needs this. I know for sure that Kieren needs this too, but it's wrong. Short term release for long term pain. Fueling the feelings between us that will make separating even harder. Her fingers grasp at my shoulders and I feel mad. Mad that she won't listen to me. Mad that she has the power to crack my resolve this way. I need to take back some control here so I twine the soft belt through the bottom of the headboard and grab her wrists, lashing them so she's totally unable to move.
Her eyes are black and shining and a pink flush is running up her body. Already her breathing is short and her chest is heaving, her lovely tits peaked with pink nipples and bouncing lightly with her short breaths. She’s lovely and lithe, spread before us, skin smooth, belly softly rounded, pussy waxed clean except for a cute little triangle at the top. I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful. My cock is pressing against the zipper of my jeans and I quickly shed my clothes, letting it bounce free.
Kieren grabs one of her ankles and I take the other. Slowly, we kiss and lick our way from her feet and up the inside of her thighs, biting and sucking at the backs of her knees until there isn’t room for both us to move anymore.
Kieren cocks an eyebrow at me and I jerk my head. He shrugs with a grin and moves away to the head of the bed. I see him teasing at her nipples, plucking them into hardened points with his teeth before I dip my head to her opened thighs. I run my tongue up her seam. She’s already wet, dewing my tongue with her juices. I push in, parting her pussy lips with my tongue, and push up into her. She bucks against my face and pulls her legs further apart, giving me access to her fully. I pull my tongue up, swiping over her, blazing a path upward, until my tongue rests on the bud of her clit. It’s throbbing against my tongue. I circle it slowly, nudging against it gently. She presses into me, hips moving in small circles, trying to grind herself against my face.
I can hear her panting and feel the wetness slicking down my chin. She’s moaning, small whimpers spilling out of her throat. My cock jumps and strains. I let her push at me, grasping for release, before I bit down on her clit and slide two fingers quickly inside her clenching sex. She gasps and stills and when I pump my fingers into her and suck tightly at her core, she jerks, her hands pulling at the restraints, her soft cries cut off as Kieren captures her mouth with his, his fingers plucking at her budded nipples. She’s bowing off the bed, body quaking under our mouths and hands.
Before she can catch her breath, I’m between her legs, my cock pushing at her opening, sliding inside her with one slick thrust. I’m caught, her pussy liquid heat around my pulsating shaft. I feel the bed shift and look up. Kieren is straddling her, his cock slipping between her tits and pushing between her lips with every thrust forward. He holds her head forward and she groans around him.
I hammer myself into her writhing body, holding her thighs part and watching my cock slide between her slick, pinkened flesh. Moving a hand to her clit, I roll and pinch it between my fingers as I fuck her, listening to her gag around Kieren’s cock as another wave of pleasure of rolls over. Throwing my head back, I close my eyes, thrust into her deeply and let the roar overtake me.
21
KIEREN
Easing off the sofa, I make my way across the dim room and gaze silently through the door. Antony and Victoria are snuggled in the center of her big bed, sleeping soundly. I spent the night on the sofa. I head to the kitchen and try to quietly make toast. It’s been two days since the revelation about ABS and the scene in Samson’s office. Antony still wants to break it off with Victoria, but he wants us tell her together. So, I make sure we’re not together. I grab the bread when it pops out of the toaster, and holding it between my teeth, I pull my shoes on. When I straighten up, Victoria is standing by the table, watching me.
“Shh, don’t wake Antony. I’m going out for coffee,” I say.
She glances to the counter. There’s a big, expensive coffee machine that will make espresso, latte’s, and steamed milk for cappuccino’s along with an assortment of syrups and a grinder for whole beans.
“Your coffee monster machine is so loud, I didn’t want to wake you guys up. I’m still going out, I want to grab some pastries too.” It all sounds false to my ears. Victoria just gives me a sad look before she nods and shuffles back down the hall to her bedroom.
I make my way quickly out the back door before she can wake Antony. I take Victoria’s little Mini so the growl from my Jag won’t wake my brother and speed through the watery early morning sunlight to a small coffee shop nearby. The streets are wet from a late-night cleaning and the only other person I see around is some guy in a flower-patterned muumuu and purple turban walking a couple of poodles.
At the coffee shop, I grab a cup of black coffee and a bagel from a yawning girl with a nose ring and find a small table at the rear of the shop to hide in. I’m scrolling through my phone, reading the morning news, and checking for new stories on Victoria when someone drops into the other chair at my table.
It’s Kendra, her hair bright pink this morning, dressed in revealing yoga pants and a sports bra with an extra-large cup of something foamy and sweet-smelling in her hand. “Morning, Kieren,” she smiles brightly and takes a slurp from her cup. She licks a smear of cream from her top lip. “How’s it going?”
“Good. I guess. Not sure. The day just got started. What are you doing here, Kendra?”
“Oh, I take an early yoga class next door.” She waves her cup around. “But what are you doing here alone?”
What? “Uh, getting coffee, having a bagel.” I give her a weird look.
“Oh, I just didn’t expect to see you without Victoria and Antony. I thought you guys did everything together.” She raises an eyebrow, coy and flirty, and takes another sip of coffee.
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