Chapter 1
I jolted awake, AJ’s panicked shout still echoing in my ears: “I found the bomb! Run, run!” My heart hammered against my ribs, a familiar ache settling in my chest. Just another dream, fueled by a broken heart and the movie playing on my TV. Sometimes, the longing for AJ was so intense that I’d put on one of his films, hoping it would lull me to sleep, even as it twisted the knife in the wound.
It had been a year since that woman, paid by someone unknown, published that defamatory blog post, accusing my family of child sex trafficking. That day, my life imploded. The only person I could save was AJ. I ended our relationship, knowing that if we stayed together, he’d make rash choices that could expose him, ruin his career, and shatter his world.
The authorities had exonerated my parents and me of all accusations, but it hadn’t made things any better for them. They’d been forced to sell their house. I suspected AJ was involved when it sold for the asking price just hours after hitting the market. Not wanting to rock the boat, I let it go. But then I found out about the place I was living in.
“What do you mean, I own it?” I asked my attorney, my voice rising in disbelief.
“I thought you knew. It was part of the legal papers you signed. The ones you told me you read.”
“Of course, I said I did, but I didn’t have time,” I retorted, the lie tasting bitter.
“Not my problem, Atticus. The paperwork was filed, and the property title was transferred to you. You can’t just give it back. You’d need to transfer it back to him.”
“Great,” I muttered, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
“While I have you on the phone,” she continued, oblivious to my frustration, “I need to ask why you returned the trust fund payment for Hugh?”
“What trust fund payment?” My brow furrowed.
“It was the two-thousand-dollar deposit you received last week.”
“I didn’t know it was for Hugh! I thought it was a bank error. What trust fund are you talking about?”
“After you lost custody of Hugh, Mr. Jamison set it up with Green House.”
“Do I have to take the money?”
“No, but... it would be easier.”
“Tell them I’m sorry and ask that they send it again.”
I stayed true to my word, allowing Hugh to continue spending time with AJ, even though it felt like sharing a kid with divorced parents. I took Hugh to Disneyland; Aiden took him to Disney World. I took him to the water park; Aiden took him to the Atlantis resort. Then there was the gift-giving, which spiraled completely out of control. All Hugh had to do was mention he’d always wanted something, and the next day, it would arrive. Hugh started treating it like a game, seeing what outrageous thing he could ask for next. I finally called AJ’s mother, and she put a stop to it. After that, Hugh, who was already mad at me for breaking AJ’s heart, started referring to me as He Who Shall Not Be Named.
AJ kept a constant, watchful eye on me. I frequently spotted Adam, AJ’s security man, in the distance. I acknowledged he was carrying out his duties for AJ and moved on with my day. Remembering that he did it out of love for Hugh and me, I still had moments where I wanted to call and scream at him. To help distract me, I concentrated on work, or what was left of it.
JJ never let me quit. I think partly because she knew AJ would be mad, but also because she genuinely cared about me. I’d lost what few clients I had, except for Jeffery Alexander. He even defended me to the press several times, and when things finally died down, he helped me get new clients.
Now, a year later, things were better, except for how badly I missed AJ and the doubt that I could ever date again. That was until I met Ethan.
Ethan Dunne strutted into the office, a vision in a tight-fitting tank top that accentuated his broad, muscular chest and massive arms. A small amount of red chest hair peeked out, adding to his rugged appeal. He donned sweatpants that hung off his firm, muscular behind, highlighting his ample bulge in the front. With every step, the fabric rubbed audibly against his skin. Ethan had short red hair and freckles that contrasted nicely with his tanned skin. The real kicker was his English accent, which amplified his hotness tenfold. The way he enunciated every word was music to the ears. He was a UK actor in Hollywood, in town for a photoshoot for a clothing line. As he walked over to us, a faint scent of musky cologne wafted in the air, making our hearts flutter. He asked for a meeting to discuss us being his Hollywood agent, and we couldn’t help but feel a little weak in the knees.
“Ethan, let me introduce you to one of my best, Atticus Fairbanks,” JJ said as I entered the room.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fairbanks,” Ethan said, his British accent sending a warm, fuzzy feeling through me.
“Atticus is just fine, Mr. Dunne.”
“Please, just call me Ethan.”
“Atticus, I was hoping you could get Ethan that script you were talking about the other day,” JJ chimed in.
“The murder mystery?” I confirmed.
“Yes. Great,” JJ said, her gaze already drifting. “I have another meeting, but Atticus will get you all set up, and we will meet again on Monday.”
I followed Ethan out of her office. “If you follow me to my office, I’ll get the script. The project has been in play for a few years, but it keeps falling apart before they can shoot it.”
“Sounds like it may never happen,” Ethan observed.
“Never say never in this town.” Ethan followed me into my office, and I retrieved the script for him. “Here you go. Here’s my card. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call.”
Ethan left, and moments later, my assistant popped her head in. “JJ says to turn on the news and wants to know what the hell Mr. Jamison is up to?”
“Okay,” I replied, turning on the news. They announced that Aiden Jamison was about to hold a press conference. Seconds later, AJ walked out, that damn red tie knotted around his neck, and my heart skipped a beat. I jumped, lost in my memories of AJ, when JJ stormed in and slammed my office door.
“What in the hell is he up to?” JJ demanded.
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked in over a year.”
“Thank you all for coming,” AJ said, his voice cutting through JJ’s before she could say more. “As many of you know, this last year and a half has been a hard one for my wife and me, and it is with a heavy heart that we announce our separation today. I hope our fans will understand that we didn’t make this decision without thinking it through, but divorcing is the only answer we came up with in the end. We ask that you respect our privacy, and I will not be taking questions. Thank you.”
