by Leisa Rayven
Instead, I take a deep breath and plaster on a smile.
“Okay, Anthony, so, this is how it’s going to work. Either Angeliam breaks up tonight in an exclusive heartbreaking interview with Tori Bell, or we give her this.”
I press a button on my laptop, and a film clip starts. Kent isn’t the only one who can create fake news reports.
“Hollywood is reeling tonight amid allegations that high-powered Hollywood agent Anthony Kent has been demanding sexual favors from his famous clients. After revealing photos emerged of Kent in a clandestine clinch with megastar Angel Bell, a Hollywood insider has revealed that Kent is well-known for using his professional influence to manipulate young actresses into fulfilling his voracious sexual appetite.”
Pictures come up on the screen showing Anthony and Angel in what seems like an intimate embrace. One of his hands is on the back of her head, and the other is grasping her breast. The expression on Angel’s face suggests she’s not enjoying it. More photos appear, and in each one Kent appears more aggressive.
“The high-profile agent was caught cornering Miss Bell on the opening night of her Broadway debut, despite Bell’s fiancée being only yards away. The photographer who took the pictures said Kent physically intimidated the actress before pawing her roughly. After several tense minutes, he let Bell go, and she quickly escaped to take her place back on the red carpet. If these allegations turn out to be true, Kent could be blacklisted by his big-name female stars, as well as being liable for various criminal charges.”
When I turn to glance at Kent, I’m thrilled to see he’s gone as white as a sheet.
“This is bullshit,” he says. “I was helping fix her dress. Nothing more.”
I pause the clip on a particularly incriminating shot in which it seems as though he’s tugging Angel’s head back and kissing her throat. “As some wise man once told me, it doesn’t matter how things are, just how they seem. How do you think people are going to perceive you after this?”
Kent exhales and runs his fingers through his hair. His face has gone from ghost-white to completely red, and for the first time since I’ve met him, his composure has slipped.
“Of course,” Liam says with a smirk, “you can still walk away with zero consequences if you agree to kill our PR contract. Simple.”
Kent stares daggers at him. “You wouldn’t dare release this. If you did, I’d tell the world you’ve been lying to them for years about your relationship with Angel. You’d be blacklisted. No agent would touch you.”
Liam gives him an incredulous smile. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but there are many, many people in Hollywood who hate your guts. A lot of them are fellow agents. I’m sure if Angel and I offered to sign with them in the process of taking you down, they’d throw us a damn parade.”
I can see Kent’s gears spinning. He’s used to being the smartest one in the room. The one holding all the cards.
Well, you’ve just been trumped, bitch.
“In tonight’s interview,” Liam says patiently, “Angeliam is breaking up, one way or the other. You get to choose if we go out quietly, respecting our fans as best we can, or if we drop a giant shitbomb that will take you down in the messiest way possible. Your call.”
“What if my business partners won’t agree to void the contract?”
“They will. You’ve told me for years that you’re the best negotiator in the business. Convince them it’s in their best interests to drop it.”
Angel steps forward. “Either way, better get them on the phone. You’re running out of time. Tori needs to be briefed on what we’re saying in tonight’s interview, and trust me when I say my sister does not like to be kept waiting.”
Kent glares at each of us before picking up his phone and jabbing some buttons. “It’s Kent. Get me Davis.” He stands and heads toward the door. “I don’t care if he’s sucking the president’s balls. Get him on the damn phone. Now!”
Tension fills the room as we listen to Anthony’s voice reverberate in the corridor. Whoever’s on the other end of the phone is putting up a fight.
None of us talks. I glance at Liam. His shoulders are bunched and his hands are shoved in his pockets. Angel is next to him, arms crossed, gazing at the floor. They look like prisoners on death row waiting to hear if their sentences have been repealed.
After about ten minutes of tense conversation and some flat-out yelling, Kent comes back in. His usually perfect hair is disheveled, and he has a light sweat all over his face.
“It’s done.” He shoves the phone into his pocket. “All obligations have been fulfilled. Go fuck whoever the hell you like. Preferably yourselves. I’ll have the appropriate paperwork sent to you later today.”
He goes to leave, but I step in front of him. “Oh, one more thing. When you leave here, I expect you to have a private conversation with Ava, Mary, and Marco in which you explain about Liam and Angel’s relationship and clear my professional name. I don’t need my job back, but I do need them to know I’m not the horny home-wrecker they currently believe me to be.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m not admitting to the blackmail.”
“I don’t care about that. Just clear my name. And keep in mind, if you even think about starting a smear campaign against Liam and Angel, we have no problem leaking rumors that you have your own clients followed. And considering that what you’ve been doing is actually illegal, you have a hell of a lot more to lose than they do.”
He tenses his jaw so hard, he’s actually trembling. “Screw you, Elissa.”
Liam steps forward and puts his arm around me. “Sorry, asshole. That’s my job. Now, get out before I give you a reason to sue me for grievous bodily harm.”
Kent gives each of us one final glare before stalking out.
After the four of us release a collective exhale of relief, Angel squeals in triumph and pulls us all into a group hug.
“Hell, yeah! We did it! Free at last!”
After much jumping and laughing, Liam turns to me and takes my face in his hands. “You’re brilliant. You know that, right?”
I run my hands over his chest. “It was a group effort. It seems the four of us make a good team.”
“Yes, we do.” He lowers his head, and I’m holding my breath in anticipation of his lips when there’s a crash beside us.
We turn to see Josh pressing Angel up against the wall and kissing the hell out of her. For her part, Angel is kissing him back like her life depends on it.
“I hated seeing that asshole’s hands on you,” Josh says in between kisses. “I wanted to break all his fingers.”
Angels grips the front of his shirt. “Then show me what you’ve got, Kane. God knows I’ve waited long enough for you to put your hands on me.”
Josh makes an animalistic noise and spins her around so he can lift her onto the conference room table. Angel opens her legs and he quickly steps between them before kissing her again.
Liam and I look at each other and smile.
“Do you think they even know we’re still here?” he whispers.
“No. And damn them for getting to the giant table first. I had plans for that.”
He takes my hand and leads me out just as Angel starts pulling at Josh’s clothes. “I have a giant dining table in my apartment. Big. Expensive. Sturdy. Let me show you all the ways I can defile you on it.”
“Sold.”
We nearly run down the stairs and out to the street to grab a cab. It might be my imagination, but just before I close the cab door, I swear I hear Angel scream Josh’s name.
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
St. Patricks’s Cathedral
New York City
A storm of nerves churns in my stomach as I look down the aisle. The church is packed with friends and family, and down in the front, I can see that my mother is already crying.
God, Mom. No. It’s a happy day. Please don’t cry or I’ll follow, and then my makeup will be ruined for
the photos.
I take a deep breath and glance down at the bouquet in my hand. The symmetrical beauty of the flowers calms me a little, and when I look back up the aisle, Liam’s handsome face gazing back calms me even more. He looks at me with so much love, my heart swells.
I step away from the door and turn to Cassie, who’s waiting nervously behind me. She looks absolutely stunning in her ivory form-fitting gown and long veil. I always knew she’d make a stunning bride.
“Everyone’s seated,” I say, and take her hand. “Ready to make an honest man out of my brother?”
She nods, and I can tell she’s fighting back tears. “I’ve been onstage in front of thousands of people, and yet I’ve never been this nervous before. As soon as I see Ethan at the end of the aisle, I’m going to be a sobbing mess. You know that, right?”
“Yep. Don’t worry—I’ll be right there with you.”
Ruby, Cassie’s best friend from college, steps forward. “I have tissues and a flask of vodka. Don’t panic, girls. We got this.” Ruby’s a nice no-nonsense counterpoint to Cassie and me. We all take a deep breath and share a group hug.
When the music starts, we do last-minute checks before taking our positions, then it’s time to take the long trek down to the altar. I go first, followed by Ruby, and then Cassie.
At the end of the aisle, my brother turns. As soon as he catches sight of his bride, his jaw clenches and his eyes fill with tears.
Oh, Ethan.
I well up just looking at him. I can’t remember the last time I saw my brother cry. He used to be so closed off and damaged, and now look at him. I never thought I’d see the day he’d stand in a church and take a wife, looking so handsome in his suit, with so much love on his face I can’t even deal with it.
Beside him is Tristan, Cassie’s other best friend. Tristan is huge, exotic, and gorgeous, and he isn’t even trying to hide his tears. Behind me, I hear Ruby and Cassie sniffling as well.
Man, we’re all going to look like raccoons in the wedding pictures.
As I pass Liam, I reach out and he gently grazes my hand. That tiny touch brings everything into sharp focus. How lucky I am. How lucky my brother and Cassie are. Even Josh and Angel are here. As I make my way to the front of the church, I see old friends from The Grove: Miranda, Aiyah, Lucas, Jack. Zoe is here with a boy who’s mildly famous. Connor Baine, who loved Cassie from afar for years, seems to have a new girlfriend. Even Erika Eden, the head of acting at The Grove, is here. She grips Marco’s hand and lays her head on his shoulder as they catch sight of Cassie in all her glory.
As we take our positions at the end of the aisle, I float between grinning and weeping during the whole ceremony. Ethan and Cassie recite vows they’ve written themselves. By the time they’re done, there’s not a dry eye in the house.
What is it about weddings that reduces us all to romantic saps? Is it the presence of such incandescent happiness and love? The miracle of two souls finding perfection in each other when so much in this world is imperfect and wrong?
Whatever it is, everyone in the church feels it today. Having Liam here after so many years of struggling without him, I feel it more than most.
After the ceremony, everyone decompresses with lots of hugging and laughing, and then we all pose for photos until our faces ache. Cassie and Ethan are radiant in their happiness, and every now and then I see them gaze at each other, and I know that for those few seconds, no one else on the planet exists for them except each other.
I feel the same way when I gaze at Liam. It’s like everything else fades into hazy black-and-white while he glows in brilliant color.
It’s not until hours later, when I finally have my arms wrapped around him on the dance floor, that I can take a moment to just exhale.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” Liam asks as he strokes my cheek.
“Just a few times,” I say. “Well, that makes number twenty-seven, but who’s counting?”
“Hmm. Only twenty-seven? I’m slipping.”
He tightens his arms around me.
In the six months since the news that almost broke the Internet aired on prime-time television, it’s been a long road to get to where we are now.
Mayhem erupted after Angel and Liam “broke up.” The interview that had been hailed as their phoenix moment ended up being their swan song. When they both admitted to having fallen out of love with each other, the whole country gasped. They vowed to remain lifelong friends, but they announced that the wedding had been canceled. Liam was being sincere when he said he’d always love Angel. In a way, Angel is Liam’s Josh. She’ll always be in his life, come what may.
Of course, the fans were devastated. Some of the YouTube reactions were extreme. Blame was thrown everywhere, but mostly onto Liam. “If only he hadn’t cheated!” they cried. Conspiracy theories flourished, with some clever commentators doubting the relationship was ever real. And yet, to this day, some die-hard fans still believe the breakup was a smoke screen to cover up the fact that they married in secret and are expecting their first baby.
Ah, sweet delusion.
“Hey. Are you asleep?” Liam asks with a low chuckle as he strokes my back.
“No. Just resting my eyes and thinking.”
“About?”
“You. Me. You know, the usual.”
“Hmmm.” He rests his cheek against my forehead. “You and me is my favorite thing to think about, too.”
I open my eyes and smile up at him. He rewards me with the world’s softest, yet most arousing kiss.
“Aw, get a room.” I look over to see Josh and Angel dancing beside us.
“We’ve got one,” I say. “It’s right next to yours. And that leads me to ask if it’s absolutely necessary for you two to make quite so much noise when you’re expressing your physical love.”
“It’s all Josh,” Angel says with a roll of her eyes. “I’ve tried to get him to be quiet. He sounds like I’m murdering him, for God’s sake.”
I give her a wry smile. “Oh sure. So I know that you call him Mr. Jackhammer because you’re so quiet?”
She giggles and leans over to kiss my cheek. “Shut up. You’re making me horny.”
“So, Lissa,” Josh says, trying to ignore the fact that his girlfriend is now nibbling on his earlobe. “Are you going to put on your big-girl panties and stand beside your man at his fund-raiser tomorrow night?”
Liam looks down at me. “Good question. Are you?”
One other thing the Tori Bell interview did was enable Liam to tell the world about his dyslexia. Now, he’s the founder and CEO of the James Quinn Foundation for Dyslexia Research, named for his twin brother, and he’s garnered the support of dozens of other celebrities who’ve followed his example and admitted to their disorder. The foundation’s inaugural fund-raiser is tomorrow night, and he’s been trying to convince me for months to let him show me off for the first time as his girlfriend. Every time I think about that level of scrutiny, however, it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I adore Liam with all my heart, but revealing myself as the woman who’s replaced Angel in his affections is going to get me swift and vicious hate mail. Still, I realize we can’t hide our love forever. And I do want to be there to support him.
“Tell you what,” Josh says. “I’ll bring Angel. Then we can all walk the red carpet together, and everyone will realize Angeliam has well and truly moved on. I even volunteer to let Angel kiss me with full visible tongue in front of the paparazzi.”
“Do you now?” Angel asks with a raise of her eyebrow.
“Yes. I’m selfless like that.”
“Such a giver.”
“Come here,” he says, and cups her cheek. “We should practice.” He kisses her deeply, and it makes me smile. I was starting to doubt I’d ever see him so in love. He deserves someone amazing, and Angel is all that and more. I love them both like family.
When I look back at Liam, he’s smiling at them, too. He glances at me before saying, “Hey, Josh. Mind
if I steal your girl for a dance? I barely get to see my ex-fiancée these days. I miss her.”
He kisses me before handing me over to Josh, and I admit, I’m glad I get some alone time with my bestie. I miss him.
I clasp my hands around Josh’s neck and he puts his arms around my waist.
“So, things with Angel are getting serious, huh?”
“I guess. She asked me to go back to L.A. with her next week.”
I look up at him. “To live?”
He frowns. “Yeah.”
A lump forms in my throat. I can’t figure out if I’m happy or sad. “What did you tell her?”
“That I’d have to think about it.” I’m having trouble deciphering his feelings as well. “Leaving New York. Leaving … you. It’s … I don’t know, Lissa. Every time I think about it, I get angry and I don’t know why.”
“Change is scary. Fear makes us angry.”
“Yeah. I guess.” He’s quiet for several seconds, then he exhales and says, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in love with you. You had to know that, right?”
I look down at his chest. “You always played it off like a joke, but … I suspected. You don’t know how many times I wished I was meant for you.”
“But you weren’t. And for a long time, it didn’t matter—what we had was enough for me. That’s why I dated girls I knew wouldn’t last. Being emotionally unavailable didn’t matter when no one was in it for the long haul. But then…”
“Angel came along.”
“When I first saw pictures of her, it was lust at first sight. But I wasn’t prepared for how she made me feel when we actually met. It was like … God, how do I even describe it?”
“Like there was a stranger standing in front of you who felt like home?”
His expression melts into a soft smile. “Exactly. You felt the same way about Quinn?”
I nod.
He looks down. “I thought no woman would ever measure up to you, but Angel does. In so many ways, she’s just like you, except for the fact that she actually wants to jump my bones on the regular. I don’t know that I deserve someone as sweet as she is, but I’m sure as hell going to try to make her happy.”