Fever Dream (Emerald Lake, #1)(104)

My cheeks heat and I roll my lips together to cover my discomfort. When Theo turns serious, it’s unnerving. I’m used to him being playful and jokey—not concerned.

His warning lands with unexpected weight, dropping like a rock in my stomach. Today was perfect in so many ways. I left that lunch feeling hopeful and brimming with love.

And Theo decided to ruin it for me in the name of being a protective big brother. A little irritating, especially considering his reputation before meeting Winter.

Planting this seed of unease isn’t what I needed from him, and I won’t give him the satisfaction of feeding into his warning.

Instead, I cross my arms, offering him a stiff shrug and a pointed smirk. “Well, once upon a time you weren’t either.”

Then I step away and order myself a popcorn, pretending like this conversation never happened.





CHAPTER 42


Emmett





Richard

Just attaching these photos for you as a friendly reminder that you have until tomorrow morning to decide how you want to play this.





* * *



I left that lunch with Julia’s family feeling confused and foggy about a lot of things.

But one thing that has become clear to me is that I’m hopelessly in love with Julia Silva.

Against all the odds and against all the promises I made to myself that I’d never end up here, I have tumbled headfirst into uncharted territory. And while I know little about how being in love with a person changes things, I know that if I don’t put Richard in his place I’ll never forgive myself.

Contractually, I’m stuck.

Emotionally, I’m unavailable.

And morally, I feel reprehensible about it all.

Especially since Richard sent me a text reminding me I have one day to decide, with several of the photos of Julia and me attached.

It pissed me off more than ever. It stirred a feral, protective part of me to life.

So now, with a new fire burning inside of me, I storm across the set. Julia is out of cell service range at the drive-in movies with her family, which is just as well. My intuition tells me that this conversation will go poorly, and I’d rather she not be here to bear the brunt of it.

The first thing I did on my way over here was reach out to a contract lawyer recommended by my agent. Out of everything that’s gone on over the past several weeks, the thing that’s unsettled me most is the camera inside the house. So I want a professional—who is not paid by the studio—to tell me what that could mean for the contract. And my legal obligation to participate in the show.

It’s a long shot, but I have to try. Because I know I didn’t consent to that, which means Dick Wad trespassed and put an unauthorized camera on private property. It feels an awful lot like a crime.

Richard is a slippery motherfucker, though, so I’d rather not hang my hat on something before I know the legalities. It’s also not something I want to give away to him until I know that there has truly been a violation.

I’m not in a position to sacrifice the money, but it’s gotten to a point where I need to lay out in clear terms what I will and will not do for this show. If that means he fires me, then I will have to live with that.

I don’t bother knocking. I grip the metal handle and rip the door open, skipping the bottom step, going straight for the top one and pulling myself into Dick Wad’s dingy little office.

My plan is to sock it to him.

But the problem is he’s quite busy socking it to Evelyn.

My eyes widen, and my jaw drops as I take in the scene. Evelyn is bent over Dick Wad’s desk, palms flat, dress flipped, ass up, makeup smudged, and Richard is balls deep inside her, thrusting away.

Evelyn’s mouth pops open in a perfectly round O shape, while Richard booms, “Get the fuck out, Bush!”

But I don’t respond. I just stand slack-jawed, feeling naive for one of the first times in my life as I watch them both scramble apart with red cheeks and heavy breaths all while Dick Wad continues to tell me to get the fuck out.

Evelyn scrambles to push her dress down as Richard draws away. She approaches me with wild eyes, tears brimming along her dark lashes. “Emmett, you have to know why—”

I hold a hand up to stop her coming any closer. “Evelyn, it’s okay. It’s just a show. We’re not together. You don’t owe me shit.”

“He promised me an audition, a real Hollywood audition.”

A sob lurches from her throat and my stomach drops as I watch this woman begin to unravel in front of me. I don’t particularly like Evelyn, but I do feel a flash of empathy for her. Pity maybe. Unfortunately, she’s fallen for Dick Wad’s creepy fucking promises.

But I suppose that in a way, I have too.

“Good luck with that,” I say, my voice heavy with skepticism.

She drops her head and hustles past me, tears of embarrassment glistening on her cheeks. Which leaves Richard and me alone. Belt jangling, cheeks puffing, he looks like a tomato—with very white teeth—set to explode.

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve, marching in here like you own the place,” he says, rounding his desk to face me.

“That’s rich, coming from the guy I just caught pounding his favorite contestant. Although I guess we all know why she’s your favorite now.”