No Stone Unturned (2 page)

Anyway, I think it’s time to give HRS a little taste of her own medicine.  I’ll admit it’s getting under my skin that this basic bitch is focusing so much on negativity, especially negativity aimed at my beautiful, flawless, charitable Queen.  If she insists on outing QB, then you know what? I insist on outing her.  I have a hunch that she would watch her words a wee bit more if she were writing under her real name, or if she showed her own basic face.

So here’s the mission, my sexy subscribers – find out who “Tara C.” really is.  Once we find out what her face really looks like, it’ll probably be easier to locate her mouth and shut it.

Let the bitchhunt begin!

K, BITCHES. I’M OUTTIE.
Posted by Tara C.
Her Royal Secrecy

November 2
But let me start by saying that I find this flattering.  Really, you guys are precious.  Trying to find my secret identity? How about I don't have one and Tara is my real name -- I swear on the holy peen of Tyler Chase that it's on my birth certificate, so everybody calm your tits.

Anyway, since everyone is jumping off the HRS bandwagon like a bunch of lemmings, then fine, I'll take a break -- but only to show you silly bitches how much you'll miss me.  Just because my subscribers are dropping like conformist flies doesn't mean I can't see that they're still lurking.  My page views are still up and in case you tech-challenged kiddies don't know, I can match up the IP addresses on your old usernames to the snarky, anonymous comments that you've been leaving.

Regardless, I’m out.  But don't fret, my fans (and my fans that are too ashamed to admit that they're my fans).  The Queen Bee case is still open -- in fact, I'll be working even harder on it now that I've got something to prove.  My connections are real, my Chasers, and they're spectacular.  So the next time you hear from me, be prepared for something epic.  Pretty big talk, I know

.
It's a good thing I'm not lying.

“Are there bullets in here?”

Gemma grinned mischievously as she brandished the gun in Zoe’s trailer.

“Are you stupid?” Zoe asked.  She blinked at Gemma for a few seconds before guffawing.  “Bee, I would’ve accidentally shot myself already if there were actual bullets in there.”

Gemma smiled.  For starters, it still amused her that Zoe chose to continue calling her “Bee” despite knowing her real name at this point.  Secondly, it was downright humorous to see her acting careful, calculated and responsible for once.  As they both hung out in her trailer on the set of the latest Bond film, Zoe sat in her chair going over lines while Gemma was the one goofing around and causing distraction.

“I’ll be done in a second, you five-year-old.”

“’Kay,” Gemma said, sitting up in the bed and gazing at her own reflection in the mirror.  Penelope had given her a look of wavy, black hair and feather lashes for the day.  Though Zoe knew her true identity, the world didn’t, so the disguises were still necessary.  It was something to be grateful for, especially considering the photo of her that had leaked to the public.  She thought about it on a daily basis, even more grateful for the fact that the authentic images were spurned from the media as anything veritable or worth extensive coverage.  While she could take comfort in that, there was still a vague and nagging feeling of anxiety at the back of her head at all times.  Either someone out there knew who she was, or someone within her closest circle of confidantes was leaking information.

“What?” Zoe suddenly asked, setting her script aside.

“What?” Gemma blinked.

Zoe squinted at her and frowned.  “You look like you’re in your dark place.  Stop.  Stop thinking,” she said quickly, following the command with a spew of gibberish to distract Gemma from her own thoughts.  Gemma laughed. 

Zoe was well versed on the drama that had followed her life after the photo was published online.  Thankfully, the drama did not include being identified by the public as Gemma had suspected.  It was mostly Mira overhauling Queen Bee’s security yet again and embarking on her own investigation as to how the photo was obtained.  Thus far, it was proving fruitless.

“I’m not thinking about it.  Anymore.  Really not.  Let’s just change the subject,” Gemma said hastily.  “How’s Harper?” she asked.  Zoe laughed.

“She’s good.  She said she tried to call you.”

Gemma’s shoulders slumped with guilt.  “I know.  But it was during the whole thing with that Royal Secrecy blog and I wasn’t really talking to anyone that week.”

Zoe nodded understandingly.  “Well.  She’s been mending things with her mom in New York for awhile, so that’s good.  I think it’s all a part of her post-rehab steps or something.”

“That’s awesome,” Gemma said distractedly as she checked a notification on her phone.  It was a reminder from Mira about picking a cause for her charity, along with a note regarding her magazine shoot the following morning.  “Oh right, my thing for The Pop Source is tomorrow.  How was yours?”

“Ugh,” Zoe huffed, crossing her arms over the plush white robe she wore.  “Wasn’t the concept of the shoot supposed to be
sexy
? They paired me with that gawky internet guy.”  The shoot was titled “Who to Watch: Rookies vs. Veterans.”  The portraits would feature up-and-coming talents alongside seasoned and resurging celebrities.  Zoe pouted.  “And here I thought they would pair me with some hot model or athlete.”  She sighed before cocking her head at Gemma.  “Who’d you get?”

Gemma reread the email.  “Someone named Shawn Landry,” she said.  By the time she looked up from her phone, Zoe was already typing furiously on her iPad.  “Are you Googling him?” Gemma laughed.

“Yes! If I didn’t get a hot guy, you shouldn’t either!” she cried.  “Just kidding.  Kind of.  I’m just bitter about having to fake chemistry with that kid for two hours.  He was so awkward and all he could talk about was like, I don’t even know, computer lingo and – oh my God, Shawn Landry is
hot
!” Zoe suddenly gripped her iPad tightly, bringing it closer to her face.

“What? What? Who is he?” Gemma asked curiously.

“I don’t know, I’m only looking at images and
damn
, he has some insane washboard abs!” Zoe squealed, tapping away on the glass.  “Okay, let’s see.  It says he was the number one NBA draft pick this year.  He went to UConn before going pro.  He plays for Minnesota now.  And he’s so sexy it actually hurts.”

“That’s what it says?”

“Yes.”  Zoe stared at the pictures for a few more moments before practically tossing her iPad aside with frustration.  She chucked a pillow at Gemma.  “You suck! I got stuck with a nerdboy and you get some hot athlete.”

“I’m sorry! I’d trade if I could,” Gemma giggled as she glanced at the pictures of Shawn Landry.  He was indeed attractive, but she couldn’t bring herself to care that much.  As she shut off the iPad, Gemma shrugged with indifference and smiled, thinking about the boyfriend she often went home to after long days of work, and how easy it was to forget about other guys solely because of him.

- Chapter 2 -

Gemma stood before the mirror in her dressing room, studying the dress they had chosen for her.  The emerald green silk-chiffon was draped delicately over her shoulders and tied tightly around her waist with a thin gold rope.  She took a couple steps towards her reflection and watched as the fabric shifted sensually with every movement.  Though the gown was floor-length, Gemma felt it was more fit for the boudoir.  The fabric was loosely draped and free-flowing, giving glimpses of leg and skin if she turned a certain way.

Since Gemma’s arrival in the full makeup that Penelope had done for her, the hair and makeup team had been hanging around idly, left with nothing much to do.  They approved of the waist-length, copper wig and dramatic matching eyelashes, taking only twenty minutes of the ninety allotted to airbrush on some bronzer.   

“There’s not too much to do when you arrive perfect,” said Antonio, the art director running the shoot.  He offered her a glass of water and asked a couple questions before letting her sit alone in her dressing room while they waited for Shawn Landry to arrive.  Gemma watched as the clock ticked past the ninety-minute mark.  Still, no one came to get her.

Gemma pushed open the door of her dressing room a crack, peeking out to see the makeup team, still sitting idly.  A middle-aged man in a suit stood with his cell phone pressed to his ear as he spoke with Antonio as well as Perrin Davies, Queen Bee’s new publicist and project manager.  It was becoming clear from all their body language that Shawn Landry wasn’t showing. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Perrin said, spotting her through the door.  “Shawn couldn’t make it last minute.”  She shrugged with an eye roll before continuing.  “But they’re geniuses here and already found a replacement.  He should be here any minute.”

“Oh no,” Gemma pouted.  “I actually did some research on Shawn Landry before the shoot.  I was getting excited to meet him.”  She wondered if she’d get stuck with an internet start-up guy like Zoe did.  “Who’s the replacement?” she asked.

“Some guy.  I forget his name already,” Perrin shook her head.  “What was his name, Jack?”

The man in the suit laughed as he hung up his phone.  “When you can’t get the number one NBA draft pick, you call number two.  Especially when he happens to be in L.A. this weekend.  Do you follow the NBA at all, Miss Bee?”

“No, not really.”

“Oh, well,” the man shrugged.  “Why don’t you grab your phone and do a little research on Damian Evans.  He just arrived at his dressing room.”

~

“Are you… nervous?” Antonio asked as the lighting team metered Gemma’s face.  She wiped away a small bead of sweat that had formed at her forehead.

“No, why would you ask that?” Gemma squeaked.  She peered over the photographer’s shoulder towards Damian’s dressing room, bouncing her leg and waiting for the door to swing open.  She wondered if he’d recognize her or if she should say anything.  She wondered if she could even keep her mouth shut when she saw him again.

“Because you’re shaking,” he chuckled.  “Although really, it makes me feel better because I was throwing-up-my-kale-smoothie-nervous this morning just ‘cause I knew I’d be working with you.  I was excited but scared.”

“Why would you be scared?” Gemma laughed, suddenly distracted.  She looked into Antonio’s face.  He smiled at her sincerely.

“I don’t know.  Because you’re Queen Bee.  You’re huge.  I thought maybe you’d be really mean and a little bit bitchy,” he laughed.  “But you’re not.  You’re perfectly wonderful.”

“Aw.  Well, I have no idea why you’d think I’d be mean,” Gemma laughed with him.  “But I’m glad you know now that I’m not.”

“You know, it’s just that there are a million rumors out there about you and I know I’m not supposed to believe any of it but from my experience with celebrities, usually at least half of them are true.  It’s just a matter of which ones.  We all feel like we actually know you when we don’t.”

Gemma opened her mouth to respond, but Jack, the suited man bellowed from behind both Antonio and the photographer.

“Miss Bee!”

Gemma took a step to the side to see Jack and Damian stepping up onto the set.  “I’d like you to meet Damian Evans.  Damian, I’m sure you’ve heard of Queen Bee.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Damian said, his warm brown eyes squinting at her.  Gemma put her hand in his, feeling the familiarity of his touch.  She studied him, her lips parting with the desire to just tell him how much she had missed him.  He looked like he had gotten taller and definitely looked as if he had gotten more muscular.  The stylist had dressed him in a fitted navy blue suit over a crisp ivory shirt that was half unbuttoned.  She was stunned.  It had only been a year and a half since she last saw him yet he truly looked like an adult.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Gemma breathed.  She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him.  It had been hard for her when he moved across the country for college, but it was the friendship she mourned more than the romance.  Adjusting to life at Beauford would have been impossible without him. Damian was the best friend she had ever had.  Gemma was never sure why they didn’t keep in touch after he left, but she was certain now that it would have made the process of letting go a great deal harder.  Reuniting with him in this manner, unexpectedly and without the ability to express everything she wanted, was driving her close to insane.

Gemma remembered Zoe’s mention of the shoot’s aim for a sexy feel.  Unlike Zoe’s shoot, hers seemed to be meeting the mark.  The set was done up to look like an elaborate greenhouse with exotic plants and flowers.  Every time Gemma was convinced a bright blossom was fake, she’d touch it and marvel at the softness of the living petals.  She found herself repeating this motion several times, trying to distract herself from Damian with the surrounding florets and foliage.  She couldn’t believe how unprepared she had been for such a situation. 
Should I just tell him? I should.  Or should I? No. 
Perrin
doesn’t even know my real identity yet. 
She took a deep breath as she organized her thoughts. 
God, poor Damian.

She knew she was making him feel awkward.  He tried to make small talk in between Antonio’s blocking notes, but Gemma would only smile stiffly, unsure of how to respond.  She realized that she was making Queen Bee look like the Grade-A bitch that Antonio was afraid of.  He had explained his desire for the final photo to appear as if lovers had escaped to a secret space for a quick rendezvous, but all he was getting thus far was an eager boy pursuing a cold and unresponsive girl.

“It’s what I imagine you and Tyler Chase would do if you lived in a castle and had a secret garden, and you just needed to get away from your dinner guests for a little quickie!” Antonio said as he took Damian’s hands and placed them on Gemma’s waist.  “Lots of passion, lots of
romance
.  So Miss Bee, I’d like you to pretend that Damian here is your boyfriend, okay? But not so much that we upset Mr. Chase.  Keep it classy.”