Star of His Heart (12 page)

B
y noon on Saturday, Rachel was ready to have a stiff drink. The entire bottle, if necessary. Her phone hadn't stopped ringing. Some calls she had answered and some she had not.

Ethan's calls were some of the ones she had not.

It seemed everyone was shocked by the tabloid's allegations that she'd been having a secret affair with Ethan, but they were happy if she had. Uncle Jacob and Aunt Lily told her not to be bothered by the accusations. Sofia inquired as to how she was holding up but didn't ask any specifics about the affair. So far no one believed the tabloid's headline that she only got involved with Ethan to further her career. That was so far from the truth. She had already had an up-and-coming career
before Ethan appeared on the scene. But the goal of the tabloids was to sell papers, and with those kinds of accusations and the photos of them kissing in the studio lot, they created the sensationalism they craved.

Thanks to Charlene, who'd shown up for breakfast with a copy of
The Wagging Tongue
in her hand, she'd been forced to see the article. She wished she could claim the picture plastered on the front page had been doctored, but it hadn't.

Evidently, Paige had been around that night Ethan had shown up in the trailer unexpectedly. After they'd made love, he had walked her to her parked car. Since it was late, they assumed everyone had left and, before getting in her car, Ethan had pulled her into his arms and given her a very heated kiss. What she considered a special moment between them had been reduced to something sleazy, thanks to Paige and her cell phone camera.

She looked up from the book she'd been trying unsuccessfully to read when her house phone rang. She hoped the caller wasn't Ethan again. She couldn't help but smile when she heard the voice of Carmen Aiken on her answering machine.

“Rachel, I know you're there, so pick up this phone!”

Carmen was an Oscar-winning actress who was married to director/producer Matthew Birmingham. She and Carmen had become good friends when Carmen, new to Hollywood at the time, had been cast in one of
Matt's movies. Rachel had been the makeup artist on the set.

She reached for the phone and answered, “Okay, so you knew I was here.”

“You've been holding back on me, girl. Ethan Chambers! Why did you keep that hunk a secret?”

Rachel wished it had been a secret she could have shared, but the only people who'd known about her affair with Ethan had been Charlene and Livia. “You know why, Carmen.”

“Yes, I know how brutal the tabloids can be. Remember, I was a victim of their gossip for a while. Even after Matt and I remarried, they claimed we did it as a way to get publicity for his next movie.”

Rachel was aware of that lie. Carmen and Matt had been divorced for a little over a year and had remarried last month. Rachel was glad they had worked out their differences and had gotten back together. She didn't know of any couple who deserved each other more.

“It really doesn't matter what those reporters think. It's how you feel, Rachel. I can tell from the photo that was one hell of a kiss he gave you. You're probably the envy of a lot of women today.”

Rachel drew in a deep breath. Charlene had said the same thing, but it really didn't matter. She wanted no part of the tabloids and no part of Ethan.

She couldn't help but remember what he'd said before leaving and in the messages he'd left on her answering machine and cell. He said he loved her.

Well, she loved him, too, but in this case love would not be enough.

Carmen breached her silence. “I don't want you to make the same mistake I made, Rachel, by letting the tabloids rule your life.”

Moments later when Rachel ended her call with Carmen, she knew it was too late. The tabloids were already ruling her life.

 

“What do you want, Curtis?”

“I like the publicity, Ethan, but you could have hooked up with another woman. It would have benefited your career a lot more had she been a model or an actress. She's a makeup artist, for crying out loud, regardless of the fact her last name is Wellesley.”

An angry Ethan slouched back against the sofa with a beer bottle in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He didn't give a royal damn whether Curtis liked the publicity or not. That last comment alone meant the man's days as his agent were numbered.

When Ethan didn't say anything, Curtis continued, “Now what we need to do is to play our cards right with this publicity and keep it moving. But you need to get rid of the broad in that picture and get someone more newsworthy. Someone like Rayon Stewart. We can work the angle that Rachel Wellesley was just someone you were sleeping with while waiting for Rayon Stewart to end things with Artis Lomax.”

“Go to hell, Curtis.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, go to hell. By the way, as of now, you're no longer my agent. You're fired.”

He then hung up the phone and took a swig of his beer. He refused to let anyone put Rachel down. She was the best thing to ever happen to him, and he loved
her
and not some model or Hollywood actress.

He reached for his cell phone and punched in her number. He knew she was at her condo hiding out. He'd tried calling her all day but she refused to take any of his calls.

Joe Connors had been right. The article hadn't been pretty and had made Rachel look like a schemer who had used their affair to build her career. No doubt that was the story Paige had told the tabloids and they had run with it. If anyone would have bothered to check, they would have known it was all lies fabricated by a jealous woman.

When Rachel didn't answer, Ethan clicked off the phone before standing and moving to the window. The paparazzi was out there and had been all day, waiting for him to come out with a story. Well, he didn't have one. At the moment, the only thing he had was heartache.

 

Rachel braced herself for work Monday, knowing everyone had probably seen the tabloid's article. She had decided the best thing to do was to deal with it and move on. She had worked too hard to build her career to do otherwise.

Ethan had continued to call her through late last night and had called her again this morning. By her
not answering his calls, she hoped he now realized she hadn't changed her mind. Ending things between them had been the best thing to do. It was important that anyone expecting drama would get the professional she had always been.

She appreciated that the studio lot was private. But that didn't stop the paparazzi from being crowded out front with their cameras ready to get a shot of her when she arrived at work. A few even tried blocking her car from going through the gate.

From the way everything got quiet when she walked onto the set, it was obvious she had been the topic of conversation. She gave everyone her cheery hello as usual while heading toward the trailer, but she didn't miss Paige's comment, which was intentionally loud enough for anyone to hear. “And she actually thought someone like Ethan Chambers could be interested in
her?
”

Rachel refused to turn and comment, but she couldn't help the smile when she heard Livia speak up. “Evidently he was interested in her, since she's the one with him in that photo, Paige.”

Livia's words had no doubt hit a nerve with Paige, since everyone on set had seen her flirting outrageously with Ethan. Tae'Shawna had been just as bad. Some people on set had placed bets on which of the two—Paige or Tae'Shawna—would finally get his attention. Neither had.

Rachel kept walking to her trailer, intent on not being around when Ethan arrived. It would be bad enough
having to work with him on the set knowing they would be the subject of everyone's attention. She needed to get herself together before seeing him.

She appreciated her two assistants giving their support with words of encouragement and letting her know if she and Ethan were an item, that meant he had good taste.

For the next hour or so she went about her day as usual, and when it was time for her to go out on the set she left her trailer. The last thing she wanted was to give the impression she was hiding out.

Ethan and Livia were in the middle of a scene where Dr. Duncan was explaining to Dr. Perry why they couldn't be together and why they needed to end things. Boy, that sounded familiar.

Several people turned to look at her, including Frasier and John, who both gave her nods. If they believed the tabloid story, then they knew she and Ethan had broken the show's rule. In which case, she knew her job was in jeopardy. If they had to choose which of them to keep, no doubt Ethan would stay, since he was their star.

“Freeze! Rachel, kill that shine on Ethan.”

At Frasier's command, she moved forward. The set got quiet and she knew everyone was looking at her. At them. She greeted him only with his name when she stopped in front of him.

He did the same.

Their greeting sounded stiff. Being the professional she was, Rachel was determined to do her job. She took her makeup brush and swept across the bridge of his
nose. She tried to ignore his scent, something she'd gotten used to, and the sound of his heavy breathing.

But she couldn't ignore the blue-gray eyes that seemed to watch her every moment. Emotions stirred within Rachel but she fought hard to keep them at bay. Making sure she didn't take any more time than necessary, she gave him a smile and said, “All done.” And then she quickly walked away. “Unfreeze!”

They resumed shooting the scene, and when she glanced over at Paige, there was a malicious smirk on the woman's face. Paige doubtless assumed it was Ethan who ended things between them and not the other way around. She was probably also thinking that although she might not be his date at the wrap party, neither would Rachel.

She didn't want to be the object of discussion and speculation. But since she was, she would do everything she could to stay professional and put her and Ethan's affair behind her.

No matter how much it hurt.

 

“Ethan, wait up.”

He glanced around and saw Tae'Shawna approach with a smile on her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Paige watching. She'd had the good sense to avoid him today.

“What is it, Tae'Shawna?”

“I see you're scheduled for makeup with Rachel tomorrow.”

“And what of it?”

“If you're uncomfortable about it, I'll speak to John for you to have one of her assistants do it.”

He didn't need Tae'Shawna to tell him of his schedule. He knew Rachel would be doing his makeup, which meant they would be alone in the trailer for a short while. But he figured to keep talk down, Rachel had already arranged for one of her assistants either to do his makeup or be there with her when she did it. He doubted very seriously they would be alone.

He looked at Tae'Shawna. “Why would I be uncomfortable with Rachel doing my makeup?”

She shrugged. “I just assumed since the news is out about how she came on to you to boost her career that you are leery of her now. Coming on to you was unprofessional on her part.”

Ethan put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and he didn't care one iota about the fierce frown that settled on his face. He was sick and tired of people assuming the worst of Rachel. Bottom line was he had pursued her, he had wanted her. He still wanted her.

“First of all,” he told Tae'Shawna, “anyone with good sense knows most of what's printed in those tabloids isn't true. Second of all, Rachel is one of the most professional women I know. She didn't have to come on to me because I found her attractive from day one. I saw in her something I haven't seen in a lot of woman lately.”

Tae'Shawna lifted her chin and he could tell his words had hit a nerve. “And what is that?”

“Unselfishness. She is not self-absorbed and I doubt that she has a shallow bone in her body. In fact, she never came on to me, but
you
did, many times, right here on the set. So who should I think is the professional one? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to call it a day.”

A few hours later, in the privacy of his home, Ethan sank down on his sofa frustrated as hell. He hadn't tried making any type of contact with Rachel while on the set but he had called her several times since getting home, and she still would not accept his calls. If the paparazzi were on her tail like they were on his, he could imagine what she was going through, but that was no reason to block him out of her life.

Considering everything, he had expected her to withdraw for a day or so, but he hadn't expected her to put up an emotional wall that he could not penetrate.

For the last three days on the set she had been cordial yet distant, as if to prove to everyone that they were not together. When she looked at him, it was as if she was looking straight through him. He knew she was trying hard to maintain a mask of nonchalance where he was concerned, determined to avoid any situation that would compromise her professionalism.

He had tried not to be angered by her actions but a part of him couldn't help it. And now in the comfort of his home, lonely as it was, his anger was turning into intense hurt.

Why was he letting her do this to him?

Because, as he had told her, he loved her and a part of him believed she loved him back. And he believed
that one day she would realize that nothing, not the paparazzi and not the threat of jeopardizing her career, was worth sacrificing their love.

 

Rachel cuddled on her sofa and pressed the replay button to pick up her last call.

“Rachel, this is Ethan. I know what you're going through but I wish you would let us go through it together. When you hurt, I hurt. I love you and I know you love me. Baby, please don't do this to us.”

She glanced over at the beautiful bouquet of flowers that had been delivered to her from Ethan by way of Charlene. Her best friend had dropped by with the flowers earlier that evening. The card attached simply said: