Wicked Heart (33 page)

He presses my back into the wall and pulls my left leg up to his hip. When he bends his knees and pushes inside me, everything I’m feeling becomes too much. I cling to his shoulders as his
hot kisses smother my moans.

“God, Elissa. A week without this? Impossible.”

He moves in and out in slow, strong strokes. Every thrust pulls me tighter, and for the longest time, I just hover, impossibly high, just stretching and stretching and squeezing my eyes shut as
I fight to get enough breath.

“You know you ruined me the first time we made love, right?” Liam says as he increases his pace. “Look at me.”

I can’t. I really can’t. He has me flying so high I’m terrified to crash back down to earth.

“Liss. Look at me.”

With effort I lift my head away from the wall and look at him. His face is magnificent. Flushed and glorious.

“Look what you do to me.” He clenches his jaw, and it’s like he’s trying to show me how I affect him while trying to hide it from himself. “You’re everything
to me. You always have been.”

He kisses me again, then he moves so fast and hard I can’t hold off any longer. I cry out as the coiled tension snaps, and the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had crashes through
me.

“Fuck, yes,” Liam murmurs. He grunts as he thrusts a few more times, then he freezes, and groans against the hot skin of my neck.

We stand there for a few minutes until our breaths become less harsh and shallow. When we can move again, we untangle ourselves from our mess of half-removed clothing.

“Are you hungry?” he asks before pressing soft kisses against my lips.

I run my fingers through his hair, just enjoying having him close. “Only for you.”

“Bed, then?”

“Yep.”

We head into the bedroom, and feast on each other until Josh texts me that it’s time to go. After cleaning up and reluctantly getting dressed, I head to the door. Liam follows, dressed
only in his boxers. He opens the door just as Josh is about to knock.

Josh drops his hand and turns to me. “Are you trying to give me an inferiority complex? He can’t ever say good-bye to you with clothes on?”

I slap his arm. “Shut your filthy mouth. If I had my way, he’d never wear clothes.” I turn to a bemused Liam and stretch up on my toes to kiss him. “See you next week. I
miss you already.”

He shrugs. “Eh, I’ve decided not to miss you. It’s not convenient for me. Sorry.”

I laugh and kiss him again, then head to the elevator with Josh. Liam watches from his doorway, and yells, “I’ll call you,” just before the doors close and deprive me of his
half-naked glory.

Good to his word, Liam calls me several times a day while I’m imprisoned in the theater. He leaves me a ridiculous amount of messages, and each one makes me miss him a
little more.

As for Josh and me, we spend every waking moment working: overseeing set construction, cleaning and outfitting dressing rooms, labeling and organizing props, and of course, sitting in the
auditorium for hours taking endless notes as Marco and the lighting designer plot every cue in the show.

By Sunday night, I’m exhausted. I’ve just collapsed onto my bed when my phone rings.

I check caller ID and smile. “Hey, handsome man.”

He exhales in relief. “Hey. God, I miss you.”

“Me, too.”

“How’s everything going at the theater?”

“Fine. Long hours, but we’re all set up and ready for tech runs tomorrow. How was your day?”

“Good. Kind of. I finally convinced Anthony to have lunch with me. I broke it to him about Angel and me wanting out of the contract after the show opens.”

A flutter of nerves hits me. “And?”

He sighs. “He was shocked. A bit pissed, I guess. He’s been orchestrating our love affair for so long, I think he’s actually going to miss it.”

“But he agreed to talk to the producers about the contract?”

“He did, but he thinks it’s a mistake to break the contract. He said we’ll have our asses handed to us because the agreement is watertight. I told him I don’t care, that
I want out and I’ll do anything to make that happen.”

The sound of his voice soothes me so much, I can’t stop my eyes from drifting closed. “So how did things end up?”

“He said he’d figure something out. After all, he still works for me. He has to act in my best interests, right?”

“Right.”

I try to stifle a yawn, but it happens anyway.

“You should sleep,” he says, and even though I want to talk more, I can’t deny I’m barely conscious.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, yes?”

“Yep. I’ll be there at nine. Probably salivating at the sight of you. You in early again?”

“Uh-huh. Seven a.m.”

“Okay, get some rest. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I hang up and start to tell myself to get up and brush my teeth, but I’m asleep before I even finish the thought.

The next morning, Josh and I have just arrived at the theater when Marco finds me backstage and takes my arm.

“Elissa, you need to come with me.” His expression is grave. I tense up, because I get the impression something is very wrong, and I don’t have time for screwups today.

I follow Marco into the production office, where Ava and Mary are waiting. Ava gestures to the chair opposite her at the small meeting table.

“Elissa, have a seat.”

I do as she asks, and Marco sits beside me. Now I’m really worried. Ava and Mary look even more stressed than Marco.

“Elissa, I’ve had a disturbing e-mail this morning from an anonymous source, and I need you to clarify some things.”

“Okay.”

“An accusation has been made against you regarding your level of professionalism on this show. Now, as you know, we’ve already been plagued by scandal, so the last thing we need is
for any other indiscretions to be made public. You understand what I’m saying?”

The question takes me by surprise. As soon I fully comprehend what she’s said, a thick knot of dread coils in my stomach.

I look from Ava to Marco, and then to Mary. “Ava, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

Ava links her fingers together. “Is it true that you’ve been visiting Liam Quinn in his apartment every night after rehearsals?”

Adrenaline shoots through every vein. I’m lost for words. I’m always super-careful to be strictly professional on my shows, so I’ve never had reason to be questioned like
this.

Well, now there’s reason. And if it got out, it would be the scandal that echoed around the world.

“Josh and I have been socializing after rehearsals with Angel and Liam,” I say, being selectively truthful.

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I mean you and Liam alone in his apartment. Has that been happening?”

I’m careful to keep eye contact. “Yes.”

“Why?” Mary asks. It’s clear she’s nervous about my answer.

I take a deep breath. I can’t tell them about the PR contract, or Liam’s dyslexia, or that he and I are in love. None of those things are my secrets to tell, and I don’t want
them to think our stars are anything but what they appear to be. “In our second week of rehearsals, Mr. Quinn admitted he was having trouble learning his lines. He requested I run lines with
him each night to prepare for the following day. I agreed.”

Marco nods. “I can attest that Liam was having trouble with his lines. After Elissa intervened, he seemed much more at ease.”

“Why would he need you to run lines?” Ava asks. “Surely he has an assistant for that sort of thing.”

I clasp my hands together so hard, my knuckles crack. “His assistant had to return to England unexpectedly. Sick father. Mr. Quinn asked me to help in David’s absence.”

Mary breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. I thought for a minute we were in trouble. I’m sorry, Elissa. I should have known better than to doubt you.”

Ava cocks her head. “I still don’t understand why
you
had to undertake a task that any number of people could have done.”

“Mr. Quinn has worked with me before. I guess he felt comfortable around me. I was hesitant to agree because I knew it would look bad, but Marco advised us to keep our stars happy at all
costs, so I didn’t feel refusing would be appropriate.”

“And that’s all you did? Worked on lines? There was nothing else going on?” I feel like Ava is trying to see into my soul.

I keep my face passive. “I tried very hard to keep our sessions as short and professional as possible.”

“And did you succeed?”

I swallow. My face is hot. I can’t sit here and lie to these people. I really can’t. I’d never be able to live with myself.

“No. I didn’t.”

Marco’s shock is audible. So is Mary’s.

Ava seems satisfied that I just admitted something she already knew. “Thank you for being honest, Elissa. I should mention that the e-mail came with this attachment.”

She holds up an iPad and presses “play.” Footage of Liam and me kissing in the rain comes into focus. It looks like it was taken from across the street, but whatever device recorded
it had a mighty zoom. The footage goes from a wide shot to a close-up in seconds, and if there was any doubt about the identity of the “nameless brunette” in the magazine pictures,
there isn’t anymore. There’s my face, clear as day. When Liam picks me up and presses me against the wall, Marco drops his head and rubs his eyes.

Mary utters a quiet, “Shit,” and shakes her head.

“What possessed you to do something like this, Elissa?” Ava asks, incredulous. “With an engaged man? On a show you’re
running
? I’ve never known you to
behave in such a reckless and unprofessional manner.”

I look at the floor and shake my head. Even if I could tell them the truth, it wouldn’t excuse what I’ve done. I’ve broken every one of my professional rules of conduct, and
now I’m paying the price.

“I’m sorry.” I hate that I can feel the force of their disapproval hanging in the air. “I’ve behaved shamefully, and I apologize unreservedly for my actions. You
all put your faith in me and I’ve let you down.”

Ava nods. “I appreciate your apology, but given the circumstances, I’m afraid you can’t continue working on this production. You’re fired.”

Marco flinches. “Ava, no. I need Elissa. Despite her admission, she’s still the best stage manager around.”

“We have no choice,” Ava says. “The threat in the e-mail is to fire her or the film clip will be made public. You tell me, which one is going to be more damaging to our
show?”

“So we’re going to give in to anonymous threats now?”

“How would you suggest we handle it, Marco? Ignore it and hope it doesn’t happen? Liam will be reviled if it comes to light that this wasn’t an isolated incident. He’s
been carrying on with Elissa behind Angel’s back for
weeks
. All those tickets we sold because people wanted to see a changed man back with his one true love will be
canceled
in the blink of an eye. People will stay away in droves and our show will close. You know it as well as I do.”

My throat is tight and my breathing is shallow, but I refuse to cry. I made my bed, and now I have to have the grace to lie in it without becoming a whiny little bitch.

I put my hand on Marco’s arm. “The show will be fine without me. I’ll make sure Josh is up to speed on everything, and Denise can step in as his assistant. He won’t let
you down, I promise.”

Marco doesn’t say anything. He just clenches his jaw and nods. I hate seeing him so upset. “I’m sorry, Marco.”

“As am I, dear girl. You will be missed.”

I give his arm a squeeze, and stand. “I’ll need an hour or so to wrap things up and hand over the reins to Josh, then I’ll leave. I have no doubt you’ll have an amazing
season. It’s a wonderful show. You should all be proud.”

As I head to the door, Ava says something about a severance package, but I barely hear her. I wander backstage in a daze until I find Josh.

“Hey. We need to talk.”

After I explain the situation, he reacts precisely as I would have predicted.

“This is bullshit, Lissa! They can’t fire you for banging a man who’s not even really engaged.”

“They can, and they did. And I don’t blame them. Based on the information they have, they’re doing the right thing. For everyone.”

He slumps back against the wall and swears again. “But you and I are a team. I don’t want to run the show without you.”

“You have to. You’re the only one who can. Now come on. We have a lot to do and not much time to do it.”

I try to keep as calm as possible as I hand over control of all the spreadsheets and cues. Josh listens in stony silence as I explain some of the trickier transitions. As furious as he is now, I
know he’ll rise to the challenge.

He curses under his breath as he heads off to brief the crew for the tech run. I’ve just finished transferring all my files to his computer when there’s a knock on the door of our
tiny backstage office.

“Come in.”

The door opens to reveal Anthony Kent. He looks pissed. Guess he’s heard, too.

“What the
fuck
were you thinking?”

“The short answer is, I wasn’t. The long answer has a truckload of swearwords directed at
you
for making Liam sign that stupid contract in the first place.”

“Like it or not, that contract is what made him a star. Do you think he’d be where he is today without Angel and their fairy-tale love story? He should get on his knees and thank me
for that contract.
Not
be making noises about tearing it up and ruining the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“But where does it end, Anthony? If he goes through with the fake marriage, and afterward fake divorce,
then
can he get on with his life? When will he have some privacy so he can
have something real?”

“
Never
. He’s a star. Stars don’t get privacy.” It’s clear he’s agitated. “Like it or not, Elissa, Hollywood is a business. It’s
my
business. I’m there to make money, and the only way I can do that is to ensure my clients get top dollar every time. Liam is
my
brand, and I’m going to do
whatever’s necessary to ensure he continues being valuable to me. Because rest assured, the moment he becomes a liability, I will end him and his career in the blink of an eye.”