By Your Side Read online

  By Your Side

  By

  Brenda Ford

  Blurb

  I never expected to make it this far as an actor, especially not this young, but here I am living the Hollywood dream, trying to make it through every day without losing my mind…

  And, I’m so glad that I have her.

  I just don’t go into the bar near my house every day because I have a drinking problem. I do that to see the gorgeous barmaid who works there. There is something special about talking to her which keeps me really grounded. She simply makes me feel safe and like myself.

  But, Millie isn’t everything that she seems. She has things that she needs to escape as well, which is why she likes to hide away behind that bar. The only problem with secrets is they always come back to haunt you…

  Index

  Chapter 1 – Lance

  Chapter 2 – Millie

  Chapter 3 – Lance

  Chapter 4 – Millie

  Chapter 5 – Lance

  Chapter 6 – Millie

  Chapter 7 – Lance

  Chapter 8 – Millie

  Chapter 9 – Lance

  Chapter 10 – Millie

  Chapter 11 – Lance

  Chapter 12 – Millie

  Chapter 13 – Lance

  Chapter 14 – Millie

  Chapter 15 – Lance

  Chapter 16 – Millie

  Chapter 17 – Lance

  Chapter 18 – Millie

  Chapter 19 – Lance

  Chapter 20 – Millie

  Chapter 1 – Lance

  “I love you,” I gush with all the relief that comes with finally getting to say these words aloud. I’ve clearly been thinking them for ages but with all of the obstacles in our way, it’s been impossible. Until now. “I love you, Veronica. I will do whatever it takes to be with you, I will give up everything to be yours. Just don’t let me go again, please. I beg of you. Don’t let me go. I can’t handle losing you. It will kill me.”

  Veronica pauses briefly and flutters her eye lashes at me, causing a giant smile to spread across my face. This is good news; she isn’t going to turn me away again. She wants to be with me too, she wants to be mine.

  “I love you too.” Veronica’s hand touches my cheek and gently grazes my skin. “I love you so much, Jayden.”

  And then she kisses me, she kisses me with so much locked up passion that it makes me want to explode. The desire floating between us is palpable, it consumes me whole, it buzzes and creates a world of excitement…

  “Cut!” Michael, the director, stops the moment just as I can feel it really getting in to the magic. “That was good guys, but we need some more passion from you both. Ashley, you need to be more all in.”

  The actress standing across from me rolls her eyes and clicks her tongue in annoyance. I know how she feels, it’s hard when you really think that you have nailed a scene just to have it shot down by the director, but that’s how it has to be. We might be in it but he’s seeing it from the point of view of the audience and he needs it to be right. But perhaps I can be more patient with that because I’m relatively new to Hollywood in the way that I have only been in this crazy busy world for just over two years. Ashely was a child star; she has lived this her whole life so she allows her emotions to shine through far more than I ever would.

  Still, it’s an honor to be working with her. She has a great fan following and will definitely bring a big audience to the movie who will hopefully fall in love with me as well. The more people who like me the more jobs I will get. Of course, that’s the way LA works, the way the media works, I just need to roll along with it. Even if working with Ashely is a little more challenging than I expected it to be. Her professionalism that comes from years of working within the industry is sometimes a little over shadowed by her out bursts.

  “This is bull shit, right?” Ashley groans at me. “I don’t want to do the scene again. They got the shot right then. They have it already, they just want to make us work late to piss me off. I shouldn’t let this happen.”

  “Er…” I don’t know what she expects me to say to that. I’m actually not sure if she needs my response.

  “It’s almost as if Michael knows that I wanted to ask you out tonight.” She pouts out her bottom lip to me. “I think that it’s time for me and you to hang out one on one, don’t you? We’ve been working together for weeks but we haven’t had a chance to get to know one another properly yet.” Her hand glides down my arm and I can see her flirty side coming out once more. We’ve been through this a couple of times, but I have always managed to side step the flirting before it became anything else… but now she’s being really blatant. “We should, right?”

  How do I tell Ashley that I don’t see her that way? That I’m happy to be friends with her but nothing more? How do I express that in a way which doesn’t make it awkward? I don’t want to be on the receiving end of a hissy fit. That will make work really challenging for the fore seeable future. Awkward and embarrassing.

  Plus, Ashley is known for dating her costars, so I don’t even know if it would be real or just a showman deal. I might have been here for a couple of years, but I don’t know how to navigate things fully yet.

  “I don’t think we will be getting anywhere tonight.” I smile thinly at Ashely. “So, it can’t happen now.”

  “But you do want to go out with me, right?” God, she isn’t going to let this go, is she? “You do want to go on a date so we can get to know one another? We might have better chemistry if we know each other more.”

  “Hmm, maybe.” I dart my eyes towards Michael, wondering when we’re going to start working again. But he’s busy. His head is in a bunch of papers and he’s not looking at me at all. “I could use some more friends here. I haven’t been around for long enough to get a lot of others that I can hang around with.”

  I hope that by mentioning the word ‘friend’ she will take the hint. I don’t want to be rude, but I do need to make my feelings perfectly clear. No mixed signals for me. Especially when there is already someone in LA who I have my eye on. Someone who I’m pretty sure could be perfect for me, if she would only give me a chance. But it’s hard for me to make her see that I’m more than just the actor guy, the person written about in the media.

  One day though, I will make her see that I am worth so much more than then. Then who knows what will happen. Then I might have a movie worthy happy ever after of my own. Wouldn’t that be something?

  “Hey, Lance!” All of a sudden, Stephen my agent, grabs my attention and wiggles his finger at me, luring me away from Ashley. Thank goodness because that was starting to get weird. “I need a moment here.”

  I race to his side to hear what he has to say to me. Judging by the smile on Stephen’s face, he has good news for me and I’m looking forward to hearing it. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself because all of my dreams have come true. I always wanted to become a Hollywood actor, and even though all of my brothers believed in me, particularly Ryan, my oldest brother, I wasn’t sure that I could really do it. But here I am, doing just that.

  “What’s going on, Stephen? Is everything okay?” I ask him happily. “Something going on?”

  “You…” He points at me to emphasize his point. “You are hot property right now, climbing every so quickly to the top of your game, and we need to monopolize that. I have a lot of press opportunities coming up and work coming your way. Modelling, social media things, small acting jobs… while I know that you are busy on set for this movie at the moment, we need to make this work. We need to get everything in while we can.”

  Stephen never beats around the bush about how fleeting the acting game can be. Some people are lucky enough to go on to have long lasting careers, but that can’t be for everyone, so
he wants me to make the best of everything right here and now. Of course, I’m going to agree because I want to do what I can while the chances are here as well. I nod eagerly and take a look at the list that he has in front of me.

  “Great sounds good.” Admittedly it is a little overwhelming because there’s going to be a lot to juggle, but with enough passion and determination which I definitely have, I can make it happen. “Thanks Stephen.”

  “Obviously, I will get a schedule to you and make sure that you are on top of everything. But I just wanted you to be aware of everything that we have going on at the moment. I need you to be happy as well…”

  “I’m happy.” I shrug my shoulders breezily. “You know that I’m happy with whatever you throw my way.”

  “And that is exactly why you are my favorite client.” He peers over my shoulder. “Oh, I think that might be needed back on set to finally nail this scene with Ashley. Keep an eye on your phone. I will get everything through to you soon.” Stephen pats me on the back. “Get to it and I’ll talk to you soon.”

  I nod and spin, ready to finally get this done however Michael wants it to happen. I will become Jayden and Ashley Veronica so there isn’t any more awkwardness between us and hopefully we get out of here before it’s too late. I have somewhere that I need to be once we are finished filming and I don’t want to miss out…

  ***

  I check my watch as I shrug my jacket on, pleased that as long as traffic isn’t bad, I will be able to fulfil my plan for the night after all. It was touch and go for a while, Ashely even threw a tantrum at one point, but finally we got the scene as Michael wanted it. I understand why it’s so integral to get it right because it’s the pin point of the movie, isn’t it? The kiss and the declaration of love is everything in a film like this. It’s the part that the audience will walk out remembering and if we get it right, they will be talking about forever.

  “Hey, Lance.” I turn to see Ashely running towards me. “We probably have time if you want to go out now…”

  “Oh, I can’t right now.” I shake my head determinedly. “Sorry, I’m shattered, and I have a very early start in the morning. I have to go home now and get some rest. But maybe another day when we finish earlier.”

  Her lips part as if she wants to say something more to me, but I back off quickly because I need to escape. The last thing I want is for Ashely to derail my plans right now. Not when I’m so close to seeing her. God, my heart is already racing, my whole body pounding with need, I have to get out of here before I lose my mind.

  “I got to go,” I call out behind me as I half run from the building. “See you soon, Ashely.”

  The cold night air washes over me as I race over to my car, eager to get going. There’s a smile on my face already as I think about her flame red hair which highlights her green eyes perfectly, her turquoise green eyes and her plump pink lips which are beautiful on her sweet heart face… and her curvy body… wow, she is so sexy as well as beautiful. No woman has ever struck me as much as Millie Jones does.

  “I can’t wait to see her,” I say in a sing song tone of voice as I tap my hands excitedly on the steering wheel. “Oh, Millie, tonight might be the night where you actually agree to go out on a date with me.”

  I keep singing to myself as I drive all the way home, and thankfully the traffic is good so I can park up by my house and walk to the nearby bar, The Scarlet Lounge, where I know that she is working behind the bar looking like a foxy goddess, tempting me to fall for her more and more, just like I do every single time I see her. I honestly don’t think that anyone could capture me now. Millie Jones has a hold on me that isn’t going anywhere…

  Chapter 2 – Millie

  I blow out a breath and swipe my bangs out of my eyes as I find myself watching the door once more. I shouldn’t stare at it like it has all the answers to my life when it doesn’t, when it can’t, but I do anyway. It’s because I know that Lance Wilson hasn’t been in to see me yet, and he always comes in to say hey.

  When I moved here eighteen months ago, I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t even know what I was going to do, I wanted a fresh start, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. I was a mess, that’s for sure. How I managed to stumble across my apartment and this job in The Scarlet Lounge I’m not quite sure, it’s all a bit of a blur, but I somehow just about landed on my feet. I have built myself up from that moment to where I am today which is good. I’m proud of myself. Still, through all of that, I wasn’t expecting to make any real friends here, I wasn’t looking for a connection, and I sure as hell wasn’t expecting Hollywood’s hot young thing at the time to walk in to my bar and to strike up a conversation with me, but that’s exactly what happened.

  Mind you, I didn’t know that he was so famous at the time, that he starred in movies. I couldn’t be star struck because I didn’t know that he was a star, I had been out of the loop for far too long. By the time I realized who Lance Wilson was, we were good friends and it didn’t change anything. I knew another side of him.

  And now, I look forward to his visits. I spend my shifts waiting for them. When he’s too busy and he doesn’t make it in to the bar, I go home deflated. I miss him, I feel a real shift within my mood. It’s like I’m addicted to him, like I can’t cope without him which is wild because I definitely shouldn’t feel this way.

  “Will you stop it?” I mutter to myself as I continue to wipe down the bar, acting like I’m working more than watching the door. “You’ll be finished soon. The bar is almost closed. It’s nearly time for bed.”

  Usually, that would be the best news ever, but without Lance, without a little chat, it doesn’t feel right…

  “Oh God.” Almost as if I have summoned him, the heavy doors swing open bringing in some of the cool night air with it, and Lance as well. Lance with his tall, muscular, broad movie star body, his high cheek bones and striking good looks, his brunette shaggy hair and utterly fascinating violet eyes. I might as well be a puddle on the floor right now. He is too gorgeous for words. Perhaps that’s why I’m addicted to him. “Hi, Lance.”

  There’s a brand-new warmth in my chest, a light in my life, it’s terrifying how much I need him. I like everything about him, including the fact that the rest of the world knows a certain side to him, but I see the softer more vulnerable version of Lance Wilson. The truer version, I would like to think. Knowing that I claim a side of him that is just for me excites me and thrills me to the core. It sends a shiver up my spine.

  “Hey, Millie.” His eyes light up as he sees me. “I know that it’s late, but do I have time for one drink?”

  If this was anyone else, I would definitely refuse because of my eagerness to get back home, but this isn’t anyone else so of course I agree, and I pour him his usual while he takes a bar stool opposite me. There might be a thick wooden bar separating us, but he’s close enough to have my pulse racing at the speed of light.

  “So, how was your day?” I ask as soon as he takes his first sip. “Were you filming some more?”

  “I was. The big kiss today.” He tosses his head back and chuckles and I do the same, trying to ignore the tight knot of jealousy twisting in my stomach. I can’t feel that way about Lance, I don’t own that much of him! “So, that was fun because the director made us do it a thousand times with Ashley kicking off throughout.”

  “It sounds so glamorous,” I laugh as I tease him. “Endless kissing a gorgeous movie star…”

  “Maybe when you put it like that, but the reality is so much different. It’s exhausting.” He rolls his eyes. “Especially with the temper tantrums. Honestly, we could have been done hours ago without them.”

  I shrug my shoulders and grin, already feeling a million times lighter than I did before Lance walked through those doors. “Well, unfortunately for you, it’s a woman’s prerogative to throw a tantrum whenever.”

  He stares intently at me. “I haven’t ever seen you throw a tantrum. You always seem very calm to me.”

  He says the w
ord ‘calm’ like it’s the most desirable trait going which of course turns my knees to jelly. I’m surprised this man doesn’t have a different super model on his arm every week, that he would rather be at this simple down-market bar with me rather than at fancy celebrity parties all the time, but Lance is different. I might not meet many famous people in The Scarlet Lounge, but I’m sure that this man is special.

  “Maybe that’s just because you haven’t wound me up yet,” I joke. “Perhaps one day you will and then you’ll see a whole new side to me. A screaming, angry, tantrum filled side of me… maybe.”

  I wink but he shakes his head no. “I can’t imagine it. I just can’t see you being like that.”

  A heat rushes through my body and I’m afraid that it will turn my cheeks the same color as my hair, so I grab the cloth and focus on wiping down the already clean bar some more. He flusters me, he’s always knocking me off kilter, sometimes I find myself dizzy around Lance, not calm at all.

  “So, how was your day today anyway?” Lance changes the subject seamlessly. “I would love to hear about The Scarlet Lounge. Was Bob sleeping on the left-hand side of the bar all afternoon as usual?”

  “He was.” I’m relieved to have something much easier to talk about. “Talking in his sleep as well.”

  “Of course. Typical.” Lance grins. “And did Connor get so drunk that you had to refuse him?”

  “Yep.” I pop the P for dramatic effect. “God, my job sounds so glamorous compared to yours, isn’t it? I deal with drunks all day long, most of whom can’t handle their drink, and you get to kiss beautiful women.”

  “There are definitely days when I would rather be here with you though, Millie.”

  Oh God, I feel weak all over. It’s hard for me to remain focused when Lance says things like this. The heat is all over me again, I must be blushing, and he seems to absolutely love having me like this.