The Dom Identity (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 2)

She really had made friends here. She’d spent much of the last week trying to convince herself that everyone she’d met here had used her. But it wasn’t true. Dani had been a true friend to her. The women of The Club didn’t treat her like she was something to avoid. They laughed with her in the locker room and offered to help her with her corset.

Even Tessa had kind of become a friend.

“She wouldn’t. Tessa’s working, darling, and when she’s working she’s very focused. She’ll watch the door and do her patrols,” Ava said with an elegant wave of her hand.

Tessa nodded, but her face stayed blank. She’d started to think of it as Tessa’s working face.

“What does she think is going to happen?” Vanessa took a sip of the iced tea the server had offered to go along with the chicken parm Ava had arranged to be delivered from Top. Michael’s mother had walked in and declared it was lunch time and she had to make up for the terrible breakfast scene her son had made this morning.

“Oh, I think Tessa is ready for anything.” Ava wore a Chanel jacket over her silk blouse. “But we’re perfectly safe here. It’s why I didn’t invite you out. I thought you might need a break from reporters.”

She did, although Michael and the whole team had done a good job of getting the press off her back. She hadn’t been mobbed in the last few days. “The publicist warned me there’s some kind of interview coming out. I suspect my old bestie is at work again.”

The salads were swept away, and the perfectly heated entrée set in front of them. The smell alone told her this would be delicious. And she didn’t give a crap about carbs anymore.

“This is that Ashton person, correct?” Ava frowned as she picked up her knife and fork.

“Yes.” At least she was almost certain it would be. “She always crawls out from under a rock anytime there’s a chance to talk about me.”

“Why does she hate you?”

Vanessa sighed. “I feel bad saying this because it’s not true in most cases. You know when two women are friends and they break up and they both blame the other because they’re jealous?”

“Ah, but it’s often true, love.” Ava sat back. “Human beings can be jealous creatures, but women are taught not to help each other. We’re taught to compete against each other. I think it’s changing a bit, but the instinct is instilled in us.”

“Well, Ashton thought she could get into the business through me. I suppose I always knew that,” Vanessa explained. “I needed an assistant. I advertised for one and interviewed about ten before I found her. She told me she wanted to be a screenwriter. I didn’t know that she was lying and had been in LA for a year auditioning with no luck. The thing is I would have sympathized, but she hid it. She did a good job in the beginning. She traveled with me. It can be lonely on the road. You know how they talk about a film crew is a family?”

Ava nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard that said.”

“It’s true, but it’s a family that changes every couple of months when you get a new job.” It was the part Vanessa loved and hated. She loved getting to know everyone and hated the fact that none of the relationships lasted. “Ashton was the one constant. She became my closest friend, the only family I had at the time. I didn’t realize how she was manipulating things behind the scenes.”

“Manipulating things?” Ava prompted.

“She would talk to people about how difficult I was. She would tell industry people all these outrageous stories about how mean I could be. It was all to gain sympathy, to try to show that she was more worthy than I was. It worked. She got some small parts. I didn’t know how she’d gotten them at the time, so I was supportive. She didn’t have a ton of chemistry on the screen. It wasn’t that she was a bad actress. She didn’t have the sparkle that’s necessary,” she explained. “Then the rumors started, and I met Lara. Ashton tried to manipulate her and Lara laid it all out for me. I fired Ashton, and she’s never forgiven me.”

“It sounds like you didn’t need forgiveness.”

“Well, she’d done her job for long enough. She spread rumors for years. It hurt my career.” Vanessa sighed. “Lara and I spent time together. We made three movies together. She was…she was a light in the world, but she had her darkness, too.”

“I’m so sorry you lost her.” Ava sat back. “I’ve watched those movies. They were your best work.”

“Why would you watch them?” She hadn’t talked much about her career with Ava. They’d spent quite a lot of time together in the last few weeks, but Ava hadn’t asked many questions about her time in Hollywood. It had been refreshing, but now she was surprised.