“Sam, you might want to have a seat. I have a proposition to make, and I need you to understand everything I’m going to tell you.”
I roll my eyes at him and shake my head. “Ben, stop with the theatrics. You aren’t that good of an actor.”
He narrows his eyes at me again. “I never pegged you for a whore, but I guess looks can be deceiving. I know about the deal you made with Tait.”
My eyes widen and my heart rate picks up again.There’s no way he knows about that contract.I try to compose myself, clearing my throat. “Don’t call me a whore, Ben. You know better than anyone how much I hate that. What deal are you talking about?”
“The deal where he hooks you up with different directors to work with in exchange for you being hiswhore. What’s it like selling your body to get ahead? Seriously, all this time I thought you had standards. Guess I was wrong.”
I stand and move directly in front of him. My heart is beating so fast I can hear it in my ears, and my blood is pumping so hard I’m shaking from anger. I stick my finger in his chest and give him a sharp poke. “I told you not to call me that.” My voice raises in anger. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, Ben. Where do you come up with insane stories like this? You really are crazy. Do you know that?”
He pulls his phone out and flips open to a picture, zooming it in. It’s the contract between me and Tait. I try to take the phone from him, but he pulls it back. “Where the hell did you get that?”
“Not your concern.”
“It is too my concern. No one has a copy of that besides Tait and myself. How did you get a copy of it?”
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he starts, ignoring my question. “You break up with him and come home with me. Let me remind you of what it was like when we were together. I gave you everything you wanted. If you do, I won’t send this to the tabloids. I’m sure they would have a field day knowing Tait trades favors for sex.”
Since when did Ben become so cruel?I wipe a tear from my cheek and take a deep breath. “What if I refuse?”
“I have TMZ on speed dial. I’ll send them the document and the story. You’ll be ruined. No one will want to work with you or him.”
“Why would you do this, Ben?”
He scoffs. “Why?” He chuckles darkly and then raises his voice. “You were supposed to be with me. The sacrifices I made for you and the time I invested in perfecting our relationship should have meant something. Instead, you break up with me, use me as a fuck buddy, and then toss me aside when something shinier comes along.” He takes small steps closer to me. I keep backing up, keeping the distance between us. My back hits the wall, and he continues until he’s mere inches from me. I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “I gave you everything, and you tossed me aside like a piece of shit.”
“Ben, you’re drunk.” My voice waivers. I’ve never seen him like this, and I’m terrified.
“And you’re a whore. Glad we know where we both stand.”
I clench my jaw and take a deep breath. “I told you not to call me that.” I raise my hand and slap it as hard as I can across his face, his head jerking to the side at the impact. The sound echoes in the small room, and his face reddens instantly. His eyes water as he sniffs, rubbing the sting on his cheek.
He talks in hushed tones as he continues to rub the reddened spot on his face. “Didn’t think you had the balls to hit me like that.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Ben. Delete the pictures you have.”
“No. He’s not good for you, and if this is the only way I can get you away from him, then so be it. If you don’t leave him and come home, I won’t have a choice. Please know that I’m doing this to protect you.”
I feel as if I can’t breathe. I keep sucking in breaths, but my lungs seem to not be working. I push on his chest and move away from him. The space makes it a little easier but not completely. He tries to come closer, but I wave my hands in front of me and shake my head. “No. I can’t breathe with you so close to me.” He stops. “I can’t leave until filming is done. There are only a few weeks left. There is no way he can find a replacement for such a short time.”
“I don’t care.”
“Ben, this is my job. It’s not fair of you to ask me to leave like this.”
“Then I’m staying here with you until filming is done. I need to make sure he doesn’t deceive you anymore.”
“No! Let me figure something out. You have to give me a few days.” My voice goes quiet. “He’s not tricking me. We have something special, Ben.”
“I’m sure that’s what he tells all the girls. I’m trying to protect you. I know you, and I know how naive you can be.” He takes my hands in his and continues. “Wehad something special. Don’t you see that? I’m in town for another two nights. You have until I leave to figure it out. If you leave with me, I’ll delete the pictures. If you don’t, I’ll release them.” He pulls his phone out and shakes it at me, taunting me with the contents.
“How do I know you don’t have copies?”
“I guess you will just have to trust me on this one.” He walks toward the door.
“Wait.” He turns and looks at me. “At least tell me where you got the contract?”
He thinks about it for a minute and then answers. “You really shouldn’t leave stuff lying around. It was on the table when I visited you last time.” He lets himself out of my room and I fall to the ground.
