Read Online Billionaire's Trust (Billionaire Erotic Romance: Never Never Man Series Book 5) by Sloan Storm - Free Book Online
Authors: Sloan Storm
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that? You’re the one paying for the whole thing. Who’s going to listen to what I have to say about it?”
“You’re the lead actress, Maddie,” he said with conviction. As if the mere fact gave me the right to compel change. “You asked me to stop controlling you. Remember? You wanted me to trust you to make your own choices. Right? Well, here’s your chance.”
“But who am I supposed to go see?”
“Oh hell, I don’t remember his name,” Grey replied with a dismissive tone. “Just go to the studio offices and ask around. You’ll find out soon enough. I’m busy. Is there anything else?”
“No.”
MADDIE
A half hour and a dozen questions later, I stood outside of the office of the person who’d shuttered the movie. I drew my eyes up the length of the door until the name placard came into view. Through closed lips, I slid my tongue across the front of my teeth in disgust.
Trevor Mother Fucking Billings.
Okay, so I inserted the ‘mother fucking’ part in my head.
Keep it together, Maddie. Stay calm.
Reaching up, I rapped against the door for a moment or two.
“It’s open!”
As I entered, Trevor sat behind his desk, hunched over a pile of paperwork. He paused and looked up at me and his eyebrows tented with surprise.
“Maddie?”
“Hey,” I replied, as I closed the door.
As I did, he stood from behind the desk and circled around towards me. It looked as if he might be coming in for an embrace. I had no interest, so instead I stopped him cold with the reason I’d come.
“What’s going on with the movie, Trevor?”
He frowned as he looked back at me. “Nothing.”
“What do you mean? Nothing? I’m back and ready to work. When can we get started again?”
As I spoke, Trevor assumed a half-seated position on the corner of his desk crossing his arms and legs in the process.
“Not sure, Maddie,” he began, as he tilted his head at me. Smugness peppered each word coming from his mouth. “It’s going to be a while. If it were up to me…”
His voice trailed off.
Thinning my lips, I countered his closed off posture as I raised my arms and crossed them at my chest. “If what was up to you, Trevor?”
He nodded. His frown deepened, creasing across his forehead as his tone turned serious. “You really want to get into this with me, Maddie?”
“Get into what? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Trevor.”
“All right, okay,” he began. “Maddie, your flakiness and bizarre antics are the whole reason this thing ground to a halt. You up and disappeared without telling anyone what happened or why. The only person who had any inkling of where you’d gone was Susan, but you stopped returning her calls and texts. For some unknown reason, the owner of the studio chose to shelve the project until you decided to get your shit together. I have no idea why. I would have fired you and hired another actress in no time flat.”
As he finished speaking an urge overwhelmed me. I almost, almost, almost threatened to go over his head. I could take this to Grey in a second and get everything back on track but that would only reveal our relationship to Trevor and everyone else. I’d gotten this job based on my ability and I didn’t want to tarnish it. If I wanted to keep working in this town, I’d have to get there on my own and like it or not, there were always going to be men like Trevor in my way.
I spun away from him, walking towards the windows of his office. Just beyond them bright sunshine glinted off the chrome and windows of vehicles crowded in the studio parking lot. I exhaled as I stared blankly, hoping a persuasive thought would come to me. But, before I could say anything, Trevor spoke once again.
“Maddie, I’m disappointed in you. All this time, you finally get the opportunity to achieve your dreams and what do you do? Completely self-sabotage the whole thing. Some things never change do they?”
Bitterness gathered in the corners of my mouth as he rambled. My
“You’re the lead actress, Maddie,” he said with conviction. As if the mere fact gave me the right to compel change. “You asked me to stop controlling you. Remember? You wanted me to trust you to make your own choices. Right? Well, here’s your chance.”
“But who am I supposed to go see?”
“Oh hell, I don’t remember his name,” Grey replied with a dismissive tone. “Just go to the studio offices and ask around. You’ll find out soon enough. I’m busy. Is there anything else?”
“No.”
MADDIE
A half hour and a dozen questions later, I stood outside of the office of the person who’d shuttered the movie. I drew my eyes up the length of the door until the name placard came into view. Through closed lips, I slid my tongue across the front of my teeth in disgust.
Trevor Mother Fucking Billings.
Okay, so I inserted the ‘mother fucking’ part in my head.
Keep it together, Maddie. Stay calm.
Reaching up, I rapped against the door for a moment or two.
“It’s open!”
As I entered, Trevor sat behind his desk, hunched over a pile of paperwork. He paused and looked up at me and his eyebrows tented with surprise.
“Maddie?”
“Hey,” I replied, as I closed the door.
As I did, he stood from behind the desk and circled around towards me. It looked as if he might be coming in for an embrace. I had no interest, so instead I stopped him cold with the reason I’d come.
“What’s going on with the movie, Trevor?”
He frowned as he looked back at me. “Nothing.”
“What do you mean? Nothing? I’m back and ready to work. When can we get started again?”
As I spoke, Trevor assumed a half-seated position on the corner of his desk crossing his arms and legs in the process.
“Not sure, Maddie,” he began, as he tilted his head at me. Smugness peppered each word coming from his mouth. “It’s going to be a while. If it were up to me…”
His voice trailed off.
Thinning my lips, I countered his closed off posture as I raised my arms and crossed them at my chest. “If what was up to you, Trevor?”
He nodded. His frown deepened, creasing across his forehead as his tone turned serious. “You really want to get into this with me, Maddie?”
“Get into what? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Trevor.”
“All right, okay,” he began. “Maddie, your flakiness and bizarre antics are the whole reason this thing ground to a halt. You up and disappeared without telling anyone what happened or why. The only person who had any inkling of where you’d gone was Susan, but you stopped returning her calls and texts. For some unknown reason, the owner of the studio chose to shelve the project until you decided to get your shit together. I have no idea why. I would have fired you and hired another actress in no time flat.”
As he finished speaking an urge overwhelmed me. I almost, almost, almost threatened to go over his head. I could take this to Grey in a second and get everything back on track but that would only reveal our relationship to Trevor and everyone else. I’d gotten this job based on my ability and I didn’t want to tarnish it. If I wanted to keep working in this town, I’d have to get there on my own and like it or not, there were always going to be men like Trevor in my way.
I spun away from him, walking towards the windows of his office. Just beyond them bright sunshine glinted off the chrome and windows of vehicles crowded in the studio parking lot. I exhaled as I stared blankly, hoping a persuasive thought would come to me. But, before I could say anything, Trevor spoke once again.
“Maddie, I’m disappointed in you. All this time, you finally get the opportunity to achieve your dreams and what do you do? Completely self-sabotage the whole thing. Some things never change do they?”
Bitterness gathered in the corners of my mouth as he rambled. My
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