Page 92 of Butterfly

Shit. Rebecca two, Alex zero.

“Someone is blackmailing me.” I stop beating around the bush.

“Indeed.” She arches her brow. “Who is it?”

I don’t see any reason not to tell her. “Emily Lawrence.”

The spark flashing across her gaze might be a good sign, or a bad one. “What does she have against you?”

“You.” I let the word hang between us. Watching her squirm for a moment gives me too much happiness. “She threatens to reveal everything about our past unless I break up with my girlfriend.”

“Then break up with your girlfriend.” She waves a dismissive hand.

“Not an option.” I bare my teeth.

“Alex.” She exhales and shoots her gaze towards the ceiling. “You know it doesn’t matter who you share your bed with. It’s what peoplethinkabout who you share your bed with that matters. Make everyone happy. Keep your slip of a girl in your bed while smiling at the cameras. Who gives a damn about what’s real in a movie star’s life?”

I touch my chest. “Me. I’m not going to pretend anything. I pretend for a living. In my personal life, I want to be real.”

She scoffs. “Principles and all that. What do you want from me?”

“Stop Emily. Don’t you have anything against her?”

She opens her mouth, but then closes it, drumming her long fingers on the sofa. “Actually, I do know a few dirty little secrets about her. But you know me. I don’t do anything for free.” She lowers her voice. “Everything has a price.”

It’s the same tone she used when she touched me. It rings in my ears like an echo from the past, chilling my blood.

I straighten. “You’ll be dragged into the mud too, if Emily spills the beans.”

A raspy laugh barks out of her. “Do I look like I care? It’ll be unpleasant, but I’ll survive because I’m ruthless, and I know so many secrets about so many people, I doubt anyone would dare to attack me.” Her smile vanishes. “You? You won’t survive. This business is a jungle where only predators win. What are you, Alex dear? A rabbit? Certainly not a tiger.”

I’m not going to play her game. “What’s your price?”

She slouches back on the sofa, crossing her long legs clad in wide black trousers. “You in my next film, of course. You do your job, and I’ll do mine.Jadewill be perfect for you. For us.” She runs a hand down her body. “It’s yet another sexy role for you. Something you’re very familiar with.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Very.” Her gaze narrows. “I don’t joke. You should know.”

“This isn’t the type of film I do.”

“You’re an actor. Every film is the type of film you should do.” In a swish of black silk, she rises and sits next to me. “Worried? Too shy? It’s not the first time you’ve shown your arse to the cameras.”

“It’s more than that.” Half of the film is made of explicit sex scenes. It’s way racier than anything I’ve ever shot so far. “If I have to do it, I’m going to use a—”

“Body double? No.” There’s fire in her eyes and ice in her voice. “It’s all of you, or nothing.”

“Then no.” I shift away from her.

She presses her red lips together. “You idiot. That book is all the rage at the moment. Millions of fans are waiting for the film to come out. It’ll be a success. And if I cast Emily as the female main character—”

I clench my fist. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh yes, I would. Imagine killing two birds with one stone. More than two birds, actually. She gets a top-notch role while getting naked with you for weeks on end if she promises to drop whatever revenge war she has against you. You get your twenty-million-pound cheque, and afterwards you are free to keep that vapid blonde. Sounds good, right?”

What she’s picturing is a nightmare. The sex scenes inPaladins of Shadowswere already too much. An entire movie that glorifies physical violence and sexual assault? No. Hell, the female protagonist, barely seventeen, is the guy’s sex slave and dies at the end of the story after he does all sorts of things to her. Then he finds another victim. “It’d be a bad move for my career. That’s not the role I’m interested in, but I can see why it appeals to you.”

Wrath lights her skin red. “What, are you squeamish now?” She plays with her red, stone necklace that matches her lipstick. “You weren’t so difficult when you were in my bedroom.”

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