A Hollywood Deal (Ryder & Paige 1)

He stands at the sight of me. “Hello, Paige.”

“Anthony.” I nod once.

“What a pleasure.”

“I wish I could say the same.” I give him a cold stare. “You made me think you were still friendly with Ryder so you could get invited to the party.”

“Don’t be angry with me. It isn’t my fault you assumed.” He gives me a thin smile. “I was always curious about what kind of woman Ryder would marry.”

“Well, you’ve wasted your curiosity on nothing of importance.” Anthony has no idea about the circumstances of our marriage. Not that I plan to tell him.

“I doubt that. You are nothing like I imagined.” He gestures at one of two plastic chairs. “Do sit down.”

“I just want to hear about Lauren and how she was involved with you and Ryder.”

“It’s a rather long story…”

Since I seem to have no choice, I sit, clutching my purse in front of me like a shield. “Well?”

He takes his seat behind the desk. “Her name was Lauren Tater. She was my fiancée for all intents and purposes.”

My mouth dries as a sinking sensation pulls at me.

“She had big dreams of being a star in Hollywood. I was a nobody back then. Well, I had the family name, but it didn’t mean much without money.”

“Your father didn’t give you any? Not even a little bit?”

“My father’s rather old fashioned about things like inheritances. I’m the second son. Virtually everything is going to my older brother, all because I had the misfortune of being born two years later.” His mouth widens into a smile that reminds me of a straight-razor. “Not that I’m bitter, of course.”

I wait as he takes his time. If he were smoking a cigar, he’d be letting out thoughtful puffs just about now.

“Ryder was a rising star back then. Every movie he made was a bigger hit, and people were starting to notice. Lauren thought he could take her along for the ride. All he had to do was have her costar in one of his movies. Then she’d be discovered.”

“That’s not a bad assumption, but he doesn’t do stuff like that for anybody.”

Anthony laughs. “He doesn’t now. But back then… Well, he was far less protective of himself, and besides, he did promise to help her. Told her she could be famous, a star in the firmament…somebody who mattered, somebody that people paid attention to.”

The revelation surprises me. A lot of aspiring actresses have slept with Ryder for that chance. Or at least they did it because they thought publicity from the affair would help them get the attention they so desperately wanted.

“The pressure and anxiety to be exactly that got to her, because becoming a star was taking longer than she liked. Eventually she started to experiment with drugs. Then, while she was down in Mexico on a shoot, there was a fire. And she died.”

I gasp. That ending for Lauren never crossed my mind.

“It’s his fault,” Anthony says, his voice without any inflection, as though he’s reciting facts from an encyclopedia. “If Ryder hadn’t dragged her into his crazy world, feeding her impossible dreams, she would’ve never left me or gotten herself killed in that apartment. You know the place was owned by another drug user who ‘shared’ with her for sex and money?” His voice remains the same, but his hands clench his armrests, his eyes burning with repressed anger and a sense of betrayal. “Ryder was supposed to be my best friend. Well, now I know how much that’s worth.”

“It’s not his fault,” I say. “If Lauren had really been deserving of your love, she would’ve never left you, no matter what. She would’ve stayed true to you, stayed with you even if you didn’t get a penny of your family’s fortune. And if she was as strong as you said, she would’ve never used drugs, no matter how much the pressure and anxiety got to her. She would’ve worked toward her dream.”

“What the fuck do you know? You weren’t even there!” His fist slams down on the desk, the sound ringing like a gunshot.

Apprehension and outrage mingle, knot into a tight ball and pulse in my throat. I hold myself together, unwilling to be cowed by the display of his anger. “If you believe that it’s all Ryder’s fault, why haven’t you hurt Ryder already? Why did you wait until now?”

Dull red colors his face. It takes him several moments to bring himself back under control, but finally he relaxes. “I needed power and influence to fight. It undoubtedly hasn’t escaped your notice that, in addition to striking good looks, Ryder is possessed of a fairly high net worth. Do you think people like him ever pay the price for what they do?”

“Don’t act like it’s unfair. You’re just as high-society as he is.”

He goes still, and for a moment I wonder if he’s going to come out of his chair and strike me.

Still, I can’t shut up. I have to say my piece. “You’ve had both power and money for a while now. If you wanted, you could’ve hurt Ryder…but you haven’t.”