| |
WHEN WE RETURNED TO the set, the girls were having one gossipy time of it in the living area. It was lunchtime, and when Hunter and I came in, they were lounging around on the set’s hip set of sofas and chairs, eating sandwiches and drinking soft drinks while they actively trolled Pepper—who was nowhere to be seen.
“Ladies,” Hunter said as we approached them.
“Mr. Steele,” all of them answered, as their faces went a little pale.
“Where is Pepper? Why isn’t she having lunch with you? Is she having lunch in her bedroom?”
“Pepper busted the hell out of here about a half hour ago,” Jinx said. “She did her Confessional thing, then Lexi did her Confessional thing, and before all of us knew it? Our little Pepper girl was walking toward the door—and then straight through it.”
“Where did she go?” I asked in alarm.
“Bitch said she needed some fresh air,” Celina said.
“I mean, right?” Clove said. “As if she hasn’t been the one making the air dirty in this joint ever since she first arrived. And you know what I have to say about that? I say—girl, be gone!”
Amid the chorus of laughter, I noted that it was the queen bee herself—Lexi—who was laughing the hardest.
“I think she went to a bar so she could get herself a drink,” Angelina said.
“She’s totally at a bar,” Livia said. “I mean, come on—we all know that alcoholism runs in families. And because of that? Pepper is just a few years away from being in rebab herself.”
“Like her mother is,” Lexi said. And then she let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Poor Savannah—sweating it out in detox. What I’m grateful for today is getting out the truth when it comes to her daughter’s secrets, because guess what? Page Six just picked up the story, and since Pepper’s papa is a well-known billionaire who lives in Russia? This shit is about to go worldwide! Can I hear an amen?”
“Amen!” they all cheered.
“I need to call Pepper,” I said to Hunter.
“Call her while I handle them,” he said.
As I pulled my phone out of my handbag, I walked into the entryway so nobody could hear me, but when I called Pepper, the call just went to voice mail, which concerned me.
Where are you? I wondered as I called her again. Still no answer, but this time I left a voice mail. “Pepper, it’s me. Call me. I know you feel that you’re alone right now, but you’re not. You have me—you will always have me—and together we can deal with this. So please, call me, OK? We can talk if you want. I’ll be right here by my phone waiting for you. In the meantime, don’t you dare let these bitches get the best of you, because none of them is worth it.”
When I returned to the living area, I watched as the girls gathered themselves together and went into the kitchen to dispose of what was left of their lunch. Then, as all of them took the stairs that led to their bedrooms on the second level, I watched Hunter give directions to the crew.
“Follow them to their bedrooms,” he said. “Film everything they have to say to one another. Miss nothing. Because if you miss any of this, we’ll be screwed out of having enough material to tell what’s clearly going to become this season’s major story arc.”
Almost at once, the room cleared of techs and cameramen, who quickly climbed the stairs right behind the girls—their cameras and their mikes at the ready. When they were gone, I turned to Hunter, knowing that we weren’t completely alone because there still were caterers cleaning up in the kitchen and a few other techs and assistant producers busily preparing for what might come next.
“Page Six . . .” I said to him.
“I know,” he said.
“And here we go—I feel sick for Pepper and Savannah, especially because if Page Six has decided to jump on the story this soon, an onslaught of negative press is coming for both of them. Most of it will be crafted to vilify and humiliate Savannah, but Pepper won’t be spared. She’ll be attached to every story that’s written about her mother. What worries me is that while Pepper has always put on a strong facade, most of it’s an act. She’s only fourteen, Hunter, and when it comes to her mother, I know that even though she tries to hide her love for Savannah, that girl does love her—and what’s happening now, thanks to Lexi, has shaken her.”
“Were you able to reach her when you called her?”
“She wouldn’t take my call, but I left a voice message asking her to call me as soon as possible.”
“What more can you do?” he said quietly.
Before I could answer him, he gave me a discreet nod toward the foyer, which was a sign that he wanted us to be alone. When we left the set and were standing close to one another on the small landing, there was no one else around.
“I don’t like seeing you upset,” he said.
When I looked up at him, I was once again struck by how much taller he was than me, probably because we were in such a confined space, which only amplified his height and how muscular he was. And then there was the fierce look in his eyes, which betrayed his affection for me, but more profoundly, his need to protect me. It was right there on his face, and I knew what that probably meant, even if I didn’t want to face it at this point in our relationship.
He’s falling in love with you . . .
No, he isn’t . . .
He is, and you know it.
I know nothing!
Yes, you do, girl—because you’ve seen that look before, and you know that’s exactly what it means.
“I should go,” I said. “Because if Page Six is on top of this, I’m going to have to consult Harper before news of this spreads wider than it already has. She’s handled things like this before—I haven’t.”
“Agreed,” he said. “And Julia?”
“What’s that?”
“I know you’re stressed out, and I’m sorry for all of it.”
“Hunter, there’s no reason for you to be sorry,” I said, meaning it. “The show is called The Terrible Teens for a reason. It’s built upon a foundation of unpredictable situations swirling around some pretty hard-core personalities. Your job is to deliver a great show to your viewers. What you captured on film today is the kind of fire that will turn your show into a lucrative third season. It also will justify Pepper’s salary. Am I happy that Lexi outed her mother? Hell, no—I hate what she did. But Pepper and her mother went into this knowing the risks—they knew that at some point, things would get personal and ugly between Pepper and the other girls. Did anyone think it would go this far? Probably not, but the potential for things to become explosive was always there, and they knew that going in. Now it’s time for me to clean up as much of this as I can. In the meantime—you and I will do our jobs in ways that won’t affect our relationship.”
“I’m glad you said that,” he said. “Because I don’t want any of this to get between us.”
“It won’t,” I said.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked. “Because that’s a tall order when it comes to business between friends—or whatever you and I are at this point. Julia, when it comes to Pepper and Lexi, things are going to continue to go off the rails. What does that mean when it comes to you and me?”
“We’ll need to ride it out together,” I said.
“I know you feel protective of Pepper, but I hope you understand that I can’t soften any of this. What they’ve done and are doing to each other is a major part of this season. I have to run with all of it.”
“I understand that.”
“What concerns me is how that might affect us. Are you going to be angry with me for seizing this moment? Are you going to resent me for it? Are you going to feel that I’m a bad person for going there? I need to know.”
“Hunter, you need to do your job. Period. You have to tell the story those girls have already mapped out for themselves, because that’s the essence of your show. These girls do stupid shit all the time. What happened today is an example of that. But all of them knew that when they signed up to be on the show, their parents knew the ramifications of what could come, so it is what it is, isn’t it? Yes, I’m upset by what happened today, but I don’t hold you accountable for it. Actually, I hold Lexi accountable for it. None of this should affect us.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“I am,” I said. “But I need you to listen to me now. I don’t know how or when Pepper will get her revenge on Lexi, but I have a feeling that it will be sooner rather than later, and that when she goes there, whatever the hell she does to Lexi might be so epic, it could shut down the news cycle when it comes to her mother. Because Pepper is capable of creating that kind of drama. But in the meantime? Since none of us knows how she’ll retaliate? I guess we’ll have to sit back and see.”
For a long moment, he just looked at me, before he took my face in his hands and kissed me in ways that he hadn’t in the Park—this kiss was more passionate and sensual than any other kiss he’d laid on me. It was a kiss designed to sink into my soul and arouse every part of my body as well as my heart and mind. And if I was being honest with myself, this was exactly the kind of kiss I’d wanted from him all day, which said everything about how I was starting to feel about him . . . but in ways I didn’t have the guts to admit to . . .
When we parted from each other, even I could feel my eyes starting to cross.
“Your eyes are crossing again, Julia,” he said with a smile.
This time, I decided to tell him the truth, which I knew he already knew anyway.
“This weird eye-crossing thing comes down to you, Hunter. Not because of allergies—but because of the effect you have on me.”
“And what effect is that?” he asked.
“You already know,” I said as I flushed. “But I’ve said enough for today.”
I gave him a quick kiss on the lips before I started down the stairs, even though I wanted to remain in his arms. But restraint was in order, so down the steps I went. “Throughout the day, I’ll try to get in touch with Pepper,” I said over my shoulder. “As for now, I’ll go and see Harper. She’ll know how to handle the press when it comes to Lexi outing Pepper’s mother. When I know something, I’ll give you a call, OK?”
“I’ll do the same if anything happens on this end,” he said.
When I reached the landing, I turned to look up at him. “You know, maybe Pepper and Lexi shouldn’t share a bedroom tonight. Maybe it’s best to separate them so they can cool off.”
“There are cameras all over that bedroom, Julia. And as we’ve both agreed, I’ve got a show to run. At the very least, words will be exchanged between them when they go to bed tonight. To continue to tell their story, I have to capture whatever’s said between them. I hope you know that. What happened today is clearly is going to be a central part of this season.”
“I get it,” I said. “Just be ready for anything.”
“You too,” he said. “Can I call you later?”
“Hunter, you can call me any time.”
I caught a fleeting smile on his face. I stepped out into the searing heat, it took me a good five minutes before I successfully hailed a cab, then I was on my way to CAA to see Harper. There, we’d discuss what had been one hell of a day—and Harper would give me the advice I needed to see it through to its end.
