Page 26 of The Actor and His Secret

I peer at him, wondering what I’d said that caused the growl beneath his words.

Oli’s eyes are wide, his hands balled at his sides. He refuses to look at me, but I can see he’s shaking.

‘Money,’ I repeat, trying to work out what was wrong. ‘Hush-hush money you could say. Enough that any newspaper or online site would never be able to - ’

‘Fuck you, Nikos Ridge,’ Oli splutters as the doors slide open. ‘Fuck. You.’

His voice breaks slightly, enough that the sound works at the web of cracks imprinted across my skin. I feel myself break apart as the sadness echoes around the barren lift. I go to call out for him, but notice the countless heads peaking over desks and around doors. It’s natural for me to put my mask back on, but as I watch Oli disappear in the maze of the office, I want nothing more than to stop him.

I don’t even know what I’ve said that upset him. I thought I’d made up for referring to Oli as a dirty secret, and now he’s not only angry, but sad. Hurt. And I did that.

It takes me a moment to understand that whilst everyone else expects money from me as Nikos Ridge, Oli doesn’t. Because the Nikos Ridge I’m used to is not the person he knows.

I am Adonis in his eyes, and Adonis doesn’t pay his way out of his problems.

Adonis, apparently, has to grovel. And for Honey, I will do just that.

11

OLI

I’m so mad that I’m shaking.

I know that Adonis - Nikos - doesn’t know me, but what kind of utter asshole does he think I am, that I need to be paid off to keep a secret that any decent person would know needed keeping?

What an arrogant fucking prick.

I haven’t been able to concentrate from the moment we heard from the movie’s PR team that they wanted Nikos Ridge to come film social media with some of our books, maybe doing a cute Q&A with the author. I ordinarily would have an entire schedule plotted out, down to the minute, to maximize the time we got with the star. If this were a normal day, a normal job, I’d have researched the hottest trends of the week and made sure to plot out reels and TikTok videos that matched.

I’ve done none of those things, worrying over meeting Adonis and ensuring that I don’t accidentally spill his secret. I’ve literally bitten my nails down to the quick, which drives me even more wild. I’m chewing so much gum to try to avoid further nail biting that I’m surprised my jaw hasn’t fallen off, and my fingers are twitching for a cigarette.

Except now all of that has been redirected from anxiety to full-on rage.

I stalk through the maze of desks to room A10, one of the small studios that’s equipped with camera equipment, good lighting, and soundproofing tiles on all the walls. I assume Adonis - fuck me, Nikos - is following me, but I don’t care to look over my shoulder to check. If I look that man in the eye at the moment, I’m liable to slap him across the face. I don’t know what I did to give him the impression that I was a total piece of shit.

I yank the door to A10 open so hard that the handle flies out of my hand and whacks the wall. I get myself inside and pull more gum out of my pocket to stuff in my mouth. Maybe it will help me not say something that’s going to get me fired.

Nikos walks in a second later looking like a dog left out in the rain, all puppy-dog eyes and pleading looks. His lips are slightly swollen from our kiss.

‘Shut the door,’ I snap, hanging onto the threads of my anger. Just because he’s hot, doesn’t mean he gets a pass on being rude as fuck. I’d done that with Geoff, made myself small because it was easier than standing up for myself, and now I’m just seriously not in the mood for any more of that type of behaviour from men who think they’re rich and handsome enough to look down on other people.

‘Honey - ’ he starts, but I cut him off with an upraised hand.

‘We’re here to work,’ I remind him. ‘Sit.’

I point to the stool sitting in the middle of the room. Nikos obeys, shrugging off the blazer he’s wearing to reveal the soft grey t-shirt he has on underneath. His jeans bunch up around his still-obvious hard-on when he sits down, one foot propped up on the stool’s crossbar.

‘I didn’t mean - ’ he tries again, but I ah ah ah him until he shuts up again.

‘We. Are here. To work.’ I hiss. I head over to the camera and power it on. It would be easier if I could use my phone, but then again, privacy concerns.

I almost laugh.

I get the lights on, making sure that he’s well-lit, and then scroll through my mental list of video ideas, searching for the most humiliating ones. There’s a copy of An Age of Dragons sitting next to me, and I toss it at him. He catches it with totally infuriating grace.

‘Read the fifth paragraph on the second page of chapter 51,’ I order. It’s a particularly filthy sex scene, in which Armin and Gwen do it in the mud. Not precisely the kind of mud wrap that I’d appreciate getting in a spa, and it’s the only part of the book that fans mocked online.

‘Oh?’ His eyebrows shoot up to his forehead and I can tell right away that he knows exactly which scene I’m referring to, which infuriates me even more.

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