Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 9
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday. To receive each installment via email, please sign up here.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8
Falling in Public
Chapter 9
Eddie checked the clock on the nightstand. It was going to be close, but if Holly would just move faster, she might be able to make it out before Vincent got here. The whole situation was bad enough, but if no one else saw her here, they could just say the picture was photoshopped and be done with it.
"You have to move faster," he said, watching her pull her shirt over her head. "As long as no one else sees you here..."
She pushed off the bed, shaking her head as she reached for her jeans. "What the hell is going on, Eddie? I tried to tell you who I was last night, but I'm not sure why that matters. And what does your agent have to do with anything?"
He handed her boots to her, and checked the clock again. "Someone snapped our picture last night, and it's all over the papers this morning--"
She gave a feeble laugh as she stood up again. "Shouldn't you be used to that by now? I mean, there were tons of papparizzi at the bar last night--"
"The picture was taken early this morning. Through a window." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hall, jogging down the long corridor and down the back steps. "According to Vincent, the headline says something about a romance author doing hands-on research for her next book. Is that all I was for you, Holly? Research?" He stopped at the back door, relieved at the beige sedan with tinted windows waiting outside. Leave it to Mark to keep a cool head and call a driver. This wasn't the first time they'd had to do damage control.
Holly pulled her hand from his grasp, and he turned to her, surprised by her calm expression. Still, there was a distinctively cold vibe coming off her as she moved to the door, careful not to touch him. "I was doing research last night," she said, her tone quiet and even. "And no, you weren't part of that, not that anyone will believe me now. I don't know what the big deal is..."
"You might be a little more upset when you see the picture, from what I hear." A deep voice called Eddie's name from the other end of the house, and he cringed. "That's Vincent. You have to go. That driver will take you back to your hotel. I'll call you later."
She shook her head and pulled the door open. "Don't bother," she said, not looking back as she ran down the stairs to the waiting car.
Eddie closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. Vincent called his name again, closer this time, and with a resigned sigh Eddie went to meet him.
"Good morning, Vincent," he said as he entered the kitchen, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee the housekeeper offered. "I got your message--"
"Damn it, Eddie. What the hell were you thinking, sleeping with that author? She's got an interview this afternoon on The Sherry Ormond Show, and another one tomorrow on one of those early shows - hell, did you even think to have her sign a confidentiality agreement? What kind of things is she going to say about you - about the band?"
Eddie shrugged. "Not much, I'd imagine. It's not like we did much talking..." he grinned as Vincent threw up his hands and turned away. "Come on, Vincent - this isn't anything. People will talk for a few days, something else will happen, and it won't even be news anymore. We can just tell them it was a photoshopped photo and be done with it. More publicity for both of us all around - how can that be bad?"
"The studio is threatening to cancel your contract for this," Vincent said, rubbing one hand down his face. "It falls under the 'dubious moral character' clause. No nude photos, no porn, remember?"
Eddie frowned. "You said it was a picture of me kissing her in the bedroom..."
Vincent reached across the counter to the paper lying open on the other side. He closed it and slapped the front page down in front of Eddie. "It is. But the version on the internet doesn't have those nice fuzzy bars over the fun parts."
Enjoy this installment? Try Desert Heat, available now at:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Diesel | All Romance
**Please
note - comments take a few moments to appear. Refresh the page to view
new comments. If this is your first time posting, your comment will be
moderated.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8
Falling in Public
Chapter 9
Eddie checked the clock on the nightstand. It was going to be close, but if Holly would just move faster, she might be able to make it out before Vincent got here. The whole situation was bad enough, but if no one else saw her here, they could just say the picture was photoshopped and be done with it.
"You have to move faster," he said, watching her pull her shirt over her head. "As long as no one else sees you here..."
She pushed off the bed, shaking her head as she reached for her jeans. "What the hell is going on, Eddie? I tried to tell you who I was last night, but I'm not sure why that matters. And what does your agent have to do with anything?"
He handed her boots to her, and checked the clock again. "Someone snapped our picture last night, and it's all over the papers this morning--"
She gave a feeble laugh as she stood up again. "Shouldn't you be used to that by now? I mean, there were tons of papparizzi at the bar last night--"
"The picture was taken early this morning. Through a window." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hall, jogging down the long corridor and down the back steps. "According to Vincent, the headline says something about a romance author doing hands-on research for her next book. Is that all I was for you, Holly? Research?" He stopped at the back door, relieved at the beige sedan with tinted windows waiting outside. Leave it to Mark to keep a cool head and call a driver. This wasn't the first time they'd had to do damage control.
Holly pulled her hand from his grasp, and he turned to her, surprised by her calm expression. Still, there was a distinctively cold vibe coming off her as she moved to the door, careful not to touch him. "I was doing research last night," she said, her tone quiet and even. "And no, you weren't part of that, not that anyone will believe me now. I don't know what the big deal is..."
"You might be a little more upset when you see the picture, from what I hear." A deep voice called Eddie's name from the other end of the house, and he cringed. "That's Vincent. You have to go. That driver will take you back to your hotel. I'll call you later."
She shook her head and pulled the door open. "Don't bother," she said, not looking back as she ran down the stairs to the waiting car.
Eddie closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. Vincent called his name again, closer this time, and with a resigned sigh Eddie went to meet him.
"Good morning, Vincent," he said as he entered the kitchen, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee the housekeeper offered. "I got your message--"
"Damn it, Eddie. What the hell were you thinking, sleeping with that author? She's got an interview this afternoon on The Sherry Ormond Show, and another one tomorrow on one of those early shows - hell, did you even think to have her sign a confidentiality agreement? What kind of things is she going to say about you - about the band?"
Eddie shrugged. "Not much, I'd imagine. It's not like we did much talking..." he grinned as Vincent threw up his hands and turned away. "Come on, Vincent - this isn't anything. People will talk for a few days, something else will happen, and it won't even be news anymore. We can just tell them it was a photoshopped photo and be done with it. More publicity for both of us all around - how can that be bad?"
"The studio is threatening to cancel your contract for this," Vincent said, rubbing one hand down his face. "It falls under the 'dubious moral character' clause. No nude photos, no porn, remember?"
Eddie frowned. "You said it was a picture of me kissing her in the bedroom..."
Vincent reached across the counter to the paper lying open on the other side. He closed it and slapped the front page down in front of Eddie. "It is. But the version on the internet doesn't have those nice fuzzy bars over the fun parts."
Enjoy this installment? Try Desert Heat, available now at:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Diesel | All Romance
**Please
note - comments take a few moments to appear. Refresh the page to view
new comments. If this is your first time posting, your comment will be
moderated.
No comments have been added yet.
