Page 34 of The Singapore Stunt

“Watch yourself, or Kimberly may not be the only person I toss off the roof today.”

Arlene laughs at me. “Good, so you are going through with it?” She must read my body language. “I was concerned you’d chicken out. You know, after that pathetic hiding game you played in the Gardens this morning. What are you, twelve?”

I chew on my tongue, and I remember Kimberly telling me about her assistant, the one person who gives it to her straight. And she’s handing me a double dose of the straight truth right now.

“You should be concerned that I want to go through with it.”

“Kimberly trusts you with her life, Mattias.” A tenderness I didn’t think she could possess escapes through her mouth. “That press release will never see the light of day.”

“What?”

“If you had stuck around longer than five seconds, if you hadn’t jumped to the worst conclusion, you would have seen Kimberly rip the executive team a new one. Threaten legal action and implied she’d walk off set and jeopardize the movie if they released that or any statement.”

“She did that?”

Arlene nods.

“Why?”

“For you.”

“Why?”

“You really are thickheaded. She likes you, Mattias. She’s avoided relationships for years. But for you, she’s willing to risk it all. The intrusive meddling into her personal life. The gossip, the paparazzi, the internet trolls. It’s an endless battle that few people see. But she’s decided you’re worth the battle. The question I have for you is why is she the only one fighting?”

I’m out of my element. I don’t understand her world. With my face, I’ve avoided social media, cameras, interviews. I’ve avoided everything that is her world. Yet she’s taking them all on for a chance at an us. “What am I supposed to do? Punch out a reporter?” I have no clue.

Arlene laughs again, and I don’t know why. “Not that. I can’t tell you what to do. But if you care for Kimberly, the best place to start is to let her know. That’s why she’s off today. Not because of the stunts, not because of the filming. Hell, it’s not even because she threatened legal action. She’s off because she thinks you and her are through. Please tell her the truth before she has to leap off this building. She won’t get a second take for that.”

Arlene glances at her phone, the corners of her eyes crinkling in concentration. “I’ve said my piece, and I have to get back to her.” She lowers the phone and stares at me. “We never had this conversation. I can’t tell you what to do other than to say follow your heart. Kimberly trusts it, and therefore, I trust it.”

She gives me a slight head nod and disappears down the hall. I’m left alone for the moment with a swirl of information that changes everything. Kimberly is still in my corner. She didn’t give up. She didn’t abandon me.

I have to prove to her I didn’t either.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kimberly

I’m exposed. And it has nothing to do with the tiny two-piece swimsuit wardrobe scotched taped to me moments ago.

I’ve been the center of attention for the last three years. Millions of fans, followers on social media, and an endless rotation of guest appearances on every stage known to mankind. But today feels different.

Everyone is monitoring my every move for a different reason. Because of the eleven takes downstairs, they are concerned about the movie. Everything hinges on this upcoming sequence, a spectacular fight and escape sequence never performed on film before. A movie stunt with difficulty that was easy to underestimate, staring into the dreamy eyes of Mattias.

The two of us were in a protective bubble that convinced me nothing bad could ever happen to me. I believed it. I’d faced down the internet trolls before. Nothing they could toss my way would deter me. I thought I was prepared. But I never thought I’d lose Mattias at the first sign of trouble. A relationship can survive attacks from a lot of fronts but can never survive from a lack of belief in one another.

Arlene is to my left, two production assistants with walkie-talkies to my right, Wesley hovering nearby. Since I stepped off the elevator, I have a shadow group attached to me. It’s not that unusual for a movie for this size, but today, it feels oppressive.

My eyes search the rooftop. It’s as beautiful as I recall from the walk-throughs. My gaze stops when I spot him. Mattias. He’s changed outfits from earlier. He’s dressed in a black suit that matches the rest of the evil henchmen in this scene. He’s doing double duty as an extra and a stuntperson. He looks damn good in the suit. The trim of the suit accentuates his athletic build, enough to make a girl drool.

I expect him to avoid my gaze, to turn and give me his back, but he does the unexpected. He waves me over. My feet move before my head questions his motivation. I pull tight the see-through coverlet over my bikini. My feet don’t stop until my sandals tap the tips of his shoes. “You have time for me now?” I challenge him.

He gives me a smirk from our past. A sexy, comfortable one that tells me that something’s changed. “Not nearly enough to say all the things I need to say. Or to do to you all the things I want to.”

I feel my eye bug out, and I glance over my shoulders to see if anyone has overheard.

“I’m sorry for thinking…” He pauses as a production crew member steps around us. There are about a hundred people on the roof, and Marlon will be screaming for us to take positions any second, but I don’t care. I’m going to stand right here until I hear every word from his beautiful mouth. “Doesn’t matter. I want you to know we’re straight. I don’t want anything to get in your head. Not while we’re shooting this sequence.”

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