The Real Baxter (The Baxter Chronicles 1)

Trent cast a sideways WTF look at me. “Is he an ex?”

“No.”

“But you boned him,” he said casually as he opened the door for me.

I glowered. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

“That’s a yes. I remember hearing a rumor about you guys. But you hear rumors about everyone in Hollywood, and Pierce’s name comes up a lot.”

“It was a one-time thing, and it was a long time ago.”

“Hmm. What happened?”

I leaned forward to greet the chauffeur and asked him to close the privacy barrier. When I was certain we wouldn’t be overheard, I shifted to face Trent.

“We showed up at a premiere with other dates and left together. He was filmed leaving my house the next day. I wanted to claim it was a publicity stunt from the start, but it was a drunken accident. A total nonevent. Except…it’s what my PR department refers to as a shiny coin story.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a story we air out to redirect perception when bad publicity pops up out of the blue. Like when a minor costar from Snake Ink was caught snorting coke in a bathroom in Tel Aviv. Or when Pierce’s accountant fled to Mexico after being accused of tax fraud.”

Trent squinted at me. “So whenever there’s a hint of negativity, you make shit up.”

“Yep. Everyone does it,” I replied flippantly. “And it’s a win-win for everyone at the studio. Pierce is in the news, which he fucking loves. His celebrity sells movies, video games, and merch, which I love.”

“And you’re telling me this because it’s about to happen again?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

“How do you not know? You’re the head cheese in charge,” he huffed angrily.

“I am. But I’m also in a bit of a quandary. Look, I didn’t know you were coming, and when you showed up it was obvious that Charlie was up to something. Maybe crossing a few Ts to make sure he had ‘bodyguard’ pics if he needed them. My PR people saw the same Instagram photos Charlie did and—”

“What Instagram photos?”

“Your friend Der E Air…or Derian, I think, took a picture of us at your restaurant.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, they were as boring as you’d imagine a photo of two men sitting at a bar table could be, but—”

“I didn’t know Derian did that,” he mumbled in disbelief. “Damn, that was weeks ago. When were you going to mention this?”

“I’m doing it now,” I protested. “Don’t get pissy. This isn’t about you or me. It’s about selling the product and looking out for your brand. Charlie is protecting Zero. My studio is protecting Baxter. Someone in my PR department did a background check and realized you were a former employee. Because I hire competent professionals, they delved deeper and found out that Hal fired you and now surmise that I’m sleeping with you. It’s a PR headache or an opportunity in the making. I’m sure I received a message outlining suggestions such as the Pierce Story, but I’ve been a little distracted over the past few days. In bed.”

“Who cares? We’re grown-ass adults. We get to do what we want.”

“Yes, but perception matters. Am I undermining my director? Is there discord in the ranks? I’m not hiring Hal to direct the next Baxter film, so yeah…it might cause waves. Most of the time, no one pays attention to the producer, but I’m connected to Gray and Justin, which is more interesting to the public than ever because they’re getting married and everyone loves a love story.”

“Gross.”

“They also love villains. Guess who’s the villain here?” I pointed at my chest. “Me. If an overzealous reporter decided to do a deep dive into my relationship with Gray, trust me…I don’t look good. I’m the one who was a little too much fun at a party. The guy who kicked a coke habit, slept his way to the top, and let’s not get started on my parents. They’ll say I cut my poor parents out of my life and—”

“But that’s not true.”

“No, it’s not,” I growled. “I’ve sacrificed far too much and lost far too much because of them. I will not lose my professional reputation because of Mr. and Mrs. fucking Rourke. Now do you get it?”

The ensuing tension-filled hush threatened to choke the life out of me. My hand shook as I cracked the window for a breath of fresh air.

“Yeah, I get it,” Trent replied after a long moment. “And it’s fucked.”

I sighed. “It’s just…”

“Business,” he supplied. “If I hadn’t shown up, it wouldn’t matter one way or the other. So why did Charlie send me? Is he working against you?”

“No, but…Charlie knows about the Pierce Story. It’s the opposite kind of publicity than Charlie wants because Pierce is a pretty big star. As big as Zero for sure…sometimes bigger, depending on who you ask. And…he probably suspects that I like you too.” I winced, wishing I hadn’t admitted that as I stared at the rivulets of rain streaking the window.