Hitman's Hookup: A Bad Boy Romance (41 page)

“We get bored here. It’s the same one we keep passing around betting on various shit,” Josh explained. “Okay, so – presumably Hailey saw the photo on the Internet. What did she do?”

I exhaled loudly. “That’s the thing. She wouldn’t talk to me…come to think of it, she wouldn’t talk to me right after I got back to the gym.” I rubbed my forehead, trying to think. “I still don’t know who took the photo. We were alone in there.”

Something was tickling at my brain but it wasn’t coming together. Maybe Hailey was right; I
was
pickling my brain with alcohol.

“So she came to the set the next day and reverted to terrible acting. Fox lost his shit and fired her. Then he turned around and hired Olivia out of nowhere,” I finished.

“Wait, wait-
you
didn’t choose her? Why did Fox?” Amy asked, looking confused.

“Apparently the first day on set he saw me staring at her…I actually interrupted the very first take when I saw her.” I shrugged sheepishly. I felt fucking ridiculous.

Amy cackled uproariously. “Oh, Wilde. You are in
deep
.”

At that moment, an alarm sounded somewhere on their end. Amy picked her phone up and showed it to Josh.

Josh nodded in recognition. "Hey man, we gotta go. It's our night to make dinner for the staff here."

"One more thing," I said, holding up my hand. "It's weird, right? For Hailey to release that song?"

Amy looked at Josh and splayed her hands out with excitement.

"
What
did I tell you earlier, Josh?" she said excitedly. Then she looked at the computer. "He never takes me seriously with this stuff. I said the same thing. That if she wanted revenge, this is not the Hailey way to do it."

I nodded. "Yeah, because her releasing this song is only going to be good for the film. It creates a sub-storyline for the audience. Everyone who didn't give two fucks about the picture will come see it to figure out-"

"If you both really
were
fucking each other on the side. Yeah. Like-"

"Brad and Angie in
Mr. And Mrs. Smith
," I finished for Amy.

She shrieked in agreement.

Josh looked at me and shook his head. "Do you two need a moment alone together?" he asked, grinning. "Finishing each other's damn sentences. I'm shutting this thing off before my wife leaves me for Roman fucking Wilder."

I laughed. "Talk to you both later.”

I held up my hand and splayed out my thumb and pinky finger to mime a phone and mouthed 'Call me' to Amy with an exaggerated wink.

She laughed. "In your dreams, Wilde. And look out for Hailey. She'll be coming for you. This was the Trojan horse."

I signed off and shut the lid of my laptop, plunging the bedroom into darkness. I laid on my back with my eyes closed, my mind swimming with thoughts of Hailey and Olivia and what Amy had said.

That night my dreams were filled with giant, wheeled, wooden penguins pulled up to the front doors of the hotel.

I tried to get the door man to not let it inside, but he did. When it had magically wheeled itself into the lobby, Olivia appeared in front of it.

I tried to scream at her to not touch it, but my voice was gone. She reached forward and opened a secret panel in its stomach.

Hailey popped out, dressed in full red carpet attire but with her hair up in a messy bun and wearing no makeup. She carried her iconic red acoustic guitar. When she strummed it, I couldn't hear the noise it made.

Then she turned the guitar on its side and it turned into a red rifle that she held to Olivia’s face.

My feet were frozen to the ground and my voice was gone.

I was powerless.

When Hailey pulled the trigger, she said two words. "Star fucker."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

OLIVIA

I desperately needed toothpaste.

I picked up the phone, knowing that I could have the concierge deliver me some almost instantly. But then I set it back down again. I'd spent nearly two weeks in Italy and hadn't been anywhere but the set and the hotel.

We would be leaving for Tuscany soon; Janna had arranged the production schedule so Wilder and I were getting a full thirty-six-hour break before leaving Milan.

I had big plans to do tourist things, but I had no idea if I would be able to get away with not being recognized. It seemed like the whole world knew who I was now.

Getting toothpaste would be a good test-run.

I pulled on my sunglasses and a hat, piling my hair underneath it, and took the staircase to the lobby. I was tired of being in the elevator with people who stared and whispered when I stepped into it.

It was starting to feel like a traveling coffin.

The lobby was quiet, with only a few people milling around. A man in a black t-shirt and jeans was sitting in a chair reading that morning's newspaper. I walked briskly past him when he looked up and smiled at me.

I nodded back, pushing through the doors before the doorman could even get them open for me.

I noticed gratefully that the paparazzi seemed to have cleared out from the front entrance. What a relief. I'd been sneaking out the back of the hotel all week and getting into a car with window tints.

The day was warm and sunny. People milled about on their way to errands and social activities. A little boy ran by with a red balloon tied to this finger. I smiled at him, and he waved back happily. He was the perfect age where his legs seemed to be made of rubber. He almost bounced more than he ran.

I turned into the corner pharmacy and strolled down the aisles with a metal basket, perusing all of the Italian labels and feeling the words on my tongue as I said them quietly to myself.

I’d thought I would have had more opportunity to speak Italian while I was here, but the majority of the film crew was Australian or American. Some mornings I called early for housekeeping just so I could converse with Alessa. She was always so nice and told me stories about her grandchildren.

I took a right and found the toothpaste aisle, passing a man wearing black. I did a double-take. It was the same guy I had seen in the lobby.

Or was it?

It was hard to tell. Then I saw the newspaper rolled up in his back pocket and knew it was him. Before I could say anything, he held up his iPhone to my face and started yelling.

"Can you smile again for the camera, Liv? Come on. I'm your friend."

I put my hands up over my face and turned around.

"Was everyone’s favorite Wilde child a good fuck? You’re the mystery woman in the gym, aren’t you? Come on! Smile for me, sweetheart.”

I turned around and cocked my fist, fuming.

"Why don't you-" I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was strong.

I smelled him before I heard him.

"Have a great, wonderful day, Jimmy? Why don't you have a wonderful day," Wilder said from behind me.

He still gripped my shoulder tightly to hold me back. It was a lucky thing, too. I was fucking pissed.

Jimmy smiled. "Two for one. Even better. You two have an awful lot of chemistry. Are you still slipping it to her on the side?"

I stepped forward and grabbed his phone, shattering it on the ground. The look on Jimmy's face alone was worth it.

Much to my surprise, Wilder bent down and sorted through the shards, pulling out the small, plastic-and-metal SIM card and the tiny, round metal drive and pocketing them both.

"Have a great day, Jimmy. Say hi to the kids for me,” he said with a smile.

Wilder steered me around the corner and up to the cashier, where he whipped out a wallet and paid for my toothpaste in basic but cheerful Italian. I stood there, still in shock. When we were out on the street, he pulled me into the alleyway and put me against the wall.

Once again I wanted to fuck him in broad daylight.

"You cannot go out alone like that anymore, Liv. Seriously." He looked over his shoulder. "He'll have a backup phone. More will come, and soon. We've gotta go now."

He took my hand and led me down the street. Sure enough, there were already a half dozen paparazzi assembled at the entrance to the hotel once again. Instead of going around, Wilder pushed past them.

"Coming the fuck through!" he yelled, tugging me inside.

We barely made it. One of them grabbed the tail of my shirt and tried to pull me back. We made it to the elevator before I broke down crying. Wilder pushed the button to close the doors and I collapsed into his arms.

He held me while we climbed up the floors. I pulled away and realized that I'd left snot on his t-shirt.

"Sorry," I said, turning away and rubbing my nose on my own sleeve.

He looked down. "Your snot is the sexiest snot of all the snot I've ever had on me," he said with a smile.

"Ew, stop!" I said, giggling through my lingering tears. "Sorry I'm such a mess."

"The first week after my first film premiered, I stayed locked in my house watching
Real Housewives
and eating Ramen noodles. I shut all the blinds and shut off my phone."

I looked at him to see if he was serious. "Which
Housewives
?"

He looked down at his feet sheepishly. "Is that relevant?"

"Which one? Come
on
, Wilder!" The doors opened. We were on the penthouse floor.

"New Jersey. It's my favorite by far."

I punched him on the arm playfully. "Me too! That's incredible."

We were laughing as we walked out of the elevator. He paused at the large double doors that led to his penthouse suite, fiddling with the electronic key card.

"You want to get out of here? For the weekend?"

I was taken aback by this sudden proposal. "Really?"

"Yeah. I know a place. The press won’t be there.”

Every cell in my entire body was screaming “YES” but I was hesitant to let him know I was that eager.

“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “I was planning on staying here and doing some sightseeing.”

Wilder actually laughed at me. “Liv, you just tried to get
toothpaste
and you were followed by the paparazzi. You really think you’ll be able to do a whirlwind tour of Milan with nobody noticing?”

His eyes were kind. I felt that urge again to push him against the wall so I could fuck his brains out.

“How did you find me back there?”

“I was in the restaurant. Saw you walk by Jimmy in the lobby. I knew he’d follow you, so I followed him. You’ve shown that you tend to have a bit of a…temper. So I thought the odds were good you would do something to end up on the front page of TMZ. These guys are trained to antagonize. And you are sort of a live wire.”

I nodded my head without knowing entirely what I was even agreeing to. "Yeah. I want to go," I said, sniffling and feeling excitement for the first time since I arrived in Italy. “If you can promise there won’t be press.”

“Would I steer you wrong?” he asked me.

For a second I flashed back to him standing the same distance from me onstage in college. I pushed it aside.

“I don’t think I trust you. But I also know I can’t stay in this hotel for the next day and a half with climbing the walls.”

Wilder nodded and turned, sliding the key card into its slot.

"We gotta go now, though. While they are out front." He pushed the door open and motioned inside. "Wait here. Make yourself comfortable. Well, not too comfortable. I'll be back in five minutes."

I brushed past him and into the most incredible hotel room I’d ever seen in my life. My jaw actually dropped at the series of curved vaults in the ceiling. Warm Italian sunshine poured through floor-to-ceiling windows.

The door shut behind me and I wandered over to the enormous sofa that sat in a sunken part of the living space.

I looked up at the ceiling and felt like I had left my body. I was about to go to Tuscany. With Roman Wilder. Alone. Butterflies filled my stomach. The door clicked open a minute later and I quickly stood up.

Wilder was smiling and still holding the little, red plastic shopping bag that contained my freshly-purchased toothpaste. It looked comically small against his enormous frame.

“You ready to go?” he asked me. He tucked an iPhone into his pocket as he asked me.

"All I have is toothpaste,” I said, suddenly realizing.

He walked over to me and held out his hand. "That's all you'll need."

CHAPTER THIRTY

WILDER

The Tuscan countryside rolled into view.

All I could look at was Olivia watching the scenery. Her hair was glinting in the sunlight and falling across her pale shoulders. I imagined kissing her there.

Easy, boy,
I thought to myself. I looked up at the driver, who had both hands on the wheel and was staring resolutely through the windshield.

"You enjoying this?" I asked Olivia.

She turned around, beaming. "Yeah, I really, really am."

"I figured you would. I'm just glad that I can be the one to introduce you.” I grinned at her and tried to surreptitiously scoot closer to her body while she looked the other way.

She leaned her head against the headrest and gazed at me. "Why are you doing this for me?"

I opened my mouth to answer her just as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Christ!" I snapped. "This is why I never carry my own phone." The moment was ruined. It was Harrison. "This better be fucking important," I hissed into the phone, covering my eyes with my hand.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Wilder, but the villa you normally stay in is actually booked up right now. The whole area is, actually. I'm guessing because of the filming location...a lot of people are in the area hoping to catch a glimpse of you. I actually think there is press there from the States. That's what my contact told me, anyway."

I groaned and leaned back, running my hand through my hair.  "I assume you have a solution for me?"

"I do. You'll have to stay a little further away from where you normally do. But there is one little inn there, run by an English couple. They have a room, they said, but they don't take bookings on the phone. They can hold the room with your names, but you’ll have to do the rest in person."