Page 11 of Beyond the Spotlight Discreet Version
Four: he’s almost too gorgeous to be real. As if he was sent from the heavens and demanded to be called God. But no. He’s not a God. He’s Reynold... Rey. A celebrity. He has a freaking Wikipedia page.
Rey Michaelson is a 30-year-old TV & Film star. Born in Brentwood, Essex, England as Reynold Michael Kane, he started acting and modeling in London at the age of 14 before moving to the United States at 16. He immediately landed his first role, starring in the hit 80s-themed show,Metal & Mayhem,alongside Mylan Andrews and Jensen Boliver. The series was canceled after three seasons and Michaelson went on to star in dozens of high-grossing action movies.
I stopped reading after that.
I don’t know if I could deal with the publicity surrounding his life. I could barely stand having no privacy living in a small town where you couldn’t even shit without someone asking what color it was. People saw everything. They heard everything and knew everything. Except, no one knew my ex, Brad, was cheating on me with Cara Calloway, the Gossip Queen of Silo Springs? Certainly, someone would have said something. Maybe Brad and Cara were just that good about hiding their affair.
Point is... I moved to New York to escape small town gossip. How can I go through that on a global level with a fucking celebrity?
“We’ll set boundaries,” Reynold says, pulling me from thoughts.
“What?”
“If you agree to be Adeline’s nanny, then we’ll set boundaries. Strictly professional. No flirting, no near kisses, no right hooks.”
I roll my eyes. We shouldn’t have to set boundaries. We’re adults, for fuck’s sake. Besides, what parent would want to hire someone who assaulted them?
“Why me? Why are you so adamant about hiring me? Don’t you want someone more qualified who isn’t at risk of punching or kissing you?”
He moves towards me, and I step back to keep the distance between us.
“There’s no one else,” he says.
I scoff, but he keeps talking.
“I met with three other women after you ghosted me. One woman secretly recorded videos and took pictures of me, which I found online an hour later. The next woman had exceptional credentials, having previously worked as a nanny for celebrities. Adeline wanted nothing to do with her. She hid behind my leg and ran off when the woman tried talking to her. And the third person, a college student, was clearly only there because she’s a fan. She asked for an autograph and a selfie and ignored Adeline when I tried to introduce them. It’s been like this for months.”
“What makes you think I wouldn't be like that too? I’m a stranger. You know nothing about me. I could be crazy, or a horrible person. I’ve already attacked you. I could be a serial killer you know.”
He snorts, and I gawk at him. He grins and runs his palm over his injured jaw that has a sexy five o’clock shadow.
“Areyou a serial killer?”
His jest eases the anxiety coursing through my body. I perch my fists on my hips, packing my next words with sass. “As if I’d tell you.”
He laughs, and it’s deep. It speaks right to the place between my legs. I shouldnotbe turned on right now. I can’t help it, though. This man makes me act foolish. I want to run into his arms but at the same time, I want to run far away from him. I want to kiss him, but I also want to push him away—and apparently punch him.
“Tell me you’ll at least interview for the position.”
He tries to close the distance between us once again and I hold up my hand, stopping him.
“Boundaries. Remember?”
He takes the baseball cap he’s wearing off and runs his fingers through his hair. Something he did on the plane that I find far too sexy.
“You wanted me to hear you out, so I’m listening. Tell me why you’re putting all this trust in me to be your daughter’s nanny.”
“There’s no one—”
“Tell me the real reason, Rey Michaelson.”
He flinches the moment his stage name falls out of my mouth and the mask he’s wearing drops. The one he uses when going out in public: his celebrity persona where everything is right in the world. The real Rey—Reynold Kane—now stands before me. Vulnerable. Desperate. Scared. I watch his face as he struggles to find the right words.
“I know what it’s like to lose everything. To give up a life you’ve known for years to start a new one. It’s terrifying and it can be lonely. I don’t want that for you. I want to help because five years ago, I was in your situation.”
My brows furrow. “I don’t understand.”
He pauses and the corner of his mouth twitches. Whatever amused him quickly vanishes and he frowns.
