Star Bright - Book 4 E-Book

Carla Coxwell

• Herausgeber: Revelry Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Book 4 of the Star Bright New Adult Romance Series

A New Adult Romance Story

Jenny learns a secret about Rich that explains why he is the way he is.

***Due to sexually graphic content and language that some may find offensive, this book is intended for mature readers only***

Jenny knows the time is running out on her chances of getting rid of Rich, her blackmailer. While working out a plan to escape his clutch, she uncovers details of his past that explain why Rich is the man that he is today.

Jenny's battle with Rich will not only be fought with her smarts but it will also include her heart. Her feelings for Jon are almost impossible to contain and seeing him with Ayumi only makes things worse. She wants to protect and shield Jon from her situation with Rich but can her willpower last?

Working on a major film is no easy task with her career at stake and her love life a mess. As she navigates her life and strives to leave her fear in the past, will she lose everything she has worked hard to achieve? Will Rich forever have control over her or will Jenny break free and come into her own?

Download the story to find out what happens.

Leseprobe

WARNING

This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. It may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults ONLY.

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Please store your files wisely where they cannot be accessed by underage readers.

Copyright 2016 by Revelry Publishing

All Rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known, hereinafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher.

DISCLAIMER

This book is a work of FICTION. It is not to be confused with reality. Neither the author nor the publisher or its associates assume any responsibility for any loss, injury, death or legal consequences resulting from acting on the contents in this book. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Every character in this book is over 18 years of age. The author’s opinions are not to be construed as the opinions of the publisher. The material in this book is for entertainment purposes ONLY. Enjoy.

Other Books by Carla Coxwell:

Fifty Recipes For Disaster New Adult Romance Series (This series precedes “Star Bright New Adult Romance Series”)

Trying to win a competition for best chef is cut-throat business. Kiara Sands has just won the opportunity of a lifetime. When she arrives at Fission, she has no idea just how much her life is going to change. She’s immediately introduced to Jenny Foster and Robbs Martin, her competitors in the cut throat competition. The only thing Kiara finds more distracting than Robbs’ hateful attitude is the handsome executive chef, Paul Weston. It doesn’t help matters that Paul is quite taken by Kiara, and showers her with more attention than he gives her competitors.

Torrid Exposure New Adult Romance Series

April is finished with school and ready to build a career. Coming from a well-to-do family, she has decided to reboot her life completely. With family scars too deep to mend, April craves a fresh start. But the past is harder to shake than April ever would have imagined. At the center of it all is Bennett, an old family friend who is the heir to a billionaire media mogul company. Bennett and April haven’t been able to stand each other since they were kids. But as the world shifts, the two of them discover the past might be the key to their future.

Devil's Advocate BBW MC New Adult Romance Series

When Kristie comes home from college, the last thing she is expecting is her world to be turned upside down by the appearance of her step-brother, Gray. Gray is rash, impulsive and breaks the law. Kristie’s mom asks if she can try to befriend Gray, in hopes to get him on the straight and narrow. The plan backfires, however, as Kristie finds herself falling for Gray. Is it possible he feels the same way? The connection between them threatens to tear down everything Kristie has ever held dear.

Obsessed Bounty Hunter Romance Series

Jacqui Schneider couldn't help it. Every time the memories of her family's brutal murder haunted her, she had to escape. The only thing that could replace her sorrow was sex... and lots of it. Depressed and with no goal in sight, Jacqui continued on with her self-deprecating lifestyle until it all changed one day. Uncle Max, an old family friend, appeared unannounced. Jacqui was astonished when Uncle Max revealed a secret to her about her father. From those few words, Jacqui's world turned completely upside down. She really didn't know her own father. In fact, she didn't even know much about Uncle Max, except that he visited them for a few days at a time over the years.

Get the latest update on new releases from the author at:

https://www.carlacoxwell.com/newsletter

This book is Part Four of the “Star Bright New Adult Romance Series”

Book 1

Torn between her feelings for her agent, Jon, and Rich, a charming bad boy who has ties in the movie industry, Jenny finds herself working through her own past to try to get a grip on her present. As she struggles to learn the lesson that in Hollywood not everyone is what they appear to be, Jenny tries to become a person that she can be proud of. Will she be able to find love and success in Hollywood? Or will she be dragged down by her past forever?

Book 2

Jenny finally feels that she is able to focus firmly on her future until a ghost from her past returns to ruin her present. Things are not always what they appear when dealing with rising fame. Jenny discovers love doesn’t always work out the way that she plans and friends aren’t always the people she thinks they are. With the walls closing in around her, will Jenny be able to face the fear head on, or will she merely sink and drown under the waves?

Book 3

Jenny finds herself lost in Hollywood, her personal life open to tabloid drama. She has fallen into the clutches of Rich, a man who wants nothing else from her but to ride her coat tails to fame and fortune. With Rich blackmailing her, Jenny feels her grasp on her own life fading.

Book 4

Time is running out for Jenny's chance of getting rid of Rich, her blackmailer. While working out a plan to escape his clutch, she uncovers details of his past that explain why Rich is the man that he is today. As she navigates her life and strives to leave her fear in the past, will she lose everything she has worked hard to achieve? Will Rich forever have control over her or will Jenny break free and come into her own?

A New Adult Romance Series

Star Bright

Book Four

By Carla Coxwell

Copyright Revelry Publishing 2016

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Other Books by Carla Coxwell

About the Author - Carla Coxwell

Connect with Carla Coxwell

Chapter One

I AM pretty sure I heard Kathy wrong. I blink and look at her, wondering if this is her idea of some sort of joke.

“What?”

Kathy shifts in her chair, glancing over her shoulder as if someone will be hovering nearby. “Rich has a child.”

I feel, just for a moment, as if the ground is going to open up and swallow me whole. Mixed emotions are swirling through me. I can’t seem to pinpoint the one that is the most horrifying. Is it because I am shocked at the fact that Rich has a child? Is it because I can’t believe something like this has been under my nose the entire time and I had no idea? Or is it the look on Kathy’s face, as if she thinks this is delivering a death blow to my feelings for Rich?

“How do you know this?” I finally ask her.

“I tried to tell you right away,” she says quickly. “Remember? I texted you twice. I should have called you, but I was so busy.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” I tell her, realizing Kathy is afraid I will take out my feelings on her. “I should have contacted you back. I’ve just been so busy lately.”

She gives me a small nod and then runs her fingers through her hair. “I was on break from filming an episode. I thought if I ended up going to the café on the studio grounds one more time, I was totally going to flip. So I walked down the street to this other coffee shop I had been wanting to try out. Anyway, I was in the corner, eating a sandwich and having my coffee, when this woman storms into the building. She looked flat out exhausted. But I looked back at my phone ‘cause I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until she was suddenly looming over me that I looked back up.”

I order a drink at this point, feeling nervous.

“She asks me if I work on the soap and I tell her yes,” Kathy continued. “I’m thinking maybe she is a fan. But then she asks if Rich ever visits the set. When I tell her no, she looks so upset that I invite her to sit with me because I am afraid she is going to start crying. She sits down across from me, and I offer to buy her a coffee but she turns it down.” Kathy takes a sip of her drink. “She asked me if I can tell Rich that she was here. Says her name is Sarah. I ask her what it is about, and she says that she is sick of Rich being behind on his child support.”

“She just said that?” I blurt out, my eyes widening.

“Yeah! I couldn’t believe it either. But Sarah seemed so angry, as if she had come down here just to find Rich to make him pay the money. She tells me she had been trying to corner him and the last she heard he worked on the soap opera. She said she got the idea after she saw him in the press, dating you.”

I cringe. Even though it is Rich who is being an asshole, I feel guilty for dating a guy who is apparently behind on child support.

Kathy leans forward, lowering her voice. “She said that she recognized him even after his plastic surgeries and that his name change hadn’t fooled her. She knew who it was.”

I let this sink in. Plastic surgery? Name change? Of course I knew by this point Rich was a slime ball, but it never occurred to me that he would have changed so much and ran off so that the mother of his child had to track him down.

“So I just asked her like, why doesn’t she report him to the police or something for non-payment instead of tracking him down? Sarah got irritated, I think she was on edge to begin with, and said that she had tried but she didn’t want to go into it further. So she came to Hollywood once she saw him online but no luck so far.”

“Did she say anything... anything about the child?”

“Sarah said that her daughter is fourteen now. She had her when she was sixteen and struggled as a single parent without Rich – sorry, she said his name was Doug, actually – to help or offer any support. He popped up when her daughter was young but faded off but at least made the payments. About four years ago, he vanished and Sarah has been trying to raise her daughter on her own but she needs Rich’s financial support.”

I lean forward eagerly. “Do you have any contact information for her?”

“Yeah,” Kathy replies slowly. “I have her phone number. But why do you want to call her? Listen, Jenny, this guy sounds like a creep, honestly. I know things got weird over Jon and stuff, but I still don’t want you getting hurt.”

I find myself appreciating Kathy’s concern. I want to tell her that I am working on it and that with each tidbit of information that lands in my lap I become more determined to put Rich in his place. But I don’t want someone else to know what I am up to and instead smile at her.

“I appreciate the concern. Maybe I can help the two of them meet up? If I have her number, I can reach out to her. Get things settled.”

Kathy nods and then pulls out her phone, texting me Sarah’s number. I feel thrilled at this chance to talk to someone who knew Rich way back when. It feels like a breakthrough I can actually use, unlike the laptop sitting in the back of my closet.

“Listen, be careful, okay?” Kathy says. “She asked me to contact her whenever I hear from Rich, but I didn’t say anything about giving her number to you. She seems really stressed out and might not want to talk to you.”

“I’ll try, at the very least. If she says no, then I can give the message to Rich.”

“Okay.” She nods and finishes her drink, standing up. “I’m sorry to drop this on you. Are you mad?”

“No. Thank you for telling me about this.”

Kathy relaxes slightly and nods. She gives me a hug goodbye and I watch her go, my mind swirling. Rich has a daughter. Part of me isn’t that surprised. It is clear that Rich is nothing but an asshole who uses people to get money and whatever else he desires.

As I sip my drink, I realize that I have to reach out to Sarah and see what I can find out. It would be stupid not to.

Chapter Two

“I’m nervous,” I admit to Marina.

She hands me my favorite white chocolate iced coffee and smiles. “Don’t be. Matt is really nice. You’ll shine in this pre-production meeting.”

“I wish you were working on this,” I admit.

For some reason, even though I am thrilled to be working on Flower Queen, this first pre-production meeting has me incredibly nervous. Maybe it is because I didn’t have to audition for this. Matt, a rising director in his own right, has given me this role without any audition or reading. What if we start going over the script and he decides I’m not a good fit? My mind is getting the best of me in spite of how I am trying to calm down.

Marina met up with me to wish me good luck before I headed toward the studio and I am grateful for her kind words. I realize that through everything, I have made an actual friend who is standing by my side, which means more to me than she will ever know.

“I’ve seen you on set, Jenny. A big production, on top of that. Everyone on the crew loved you. You were sweet to everyone, even people who usually get ignored. You were a hard worker and didn’t even let your bruised knee stop you. People talked about you so much that Matt gave you this role,” Marina repeated, a speech she has given me often the last couple of days.

I take a deep breath. “You’re right. It’s just hard for me not to get hung up on my insecurities, at least in my head. Like, what if everyone is giggling about my sex tape behind my back?”

Marina takes a sip of her coffee and looks thoughtful. “Fuck them.”

I let out a laugh and feel a little bit better. Marina smiles at me, and we leave the coffee shop together. Before we depart, she stops and lowers her voice.

“When are you calling you-know-who?”

“Marina, it isn’t Voldemort, you can say her name,” I point out to her. “And maybe tonight. I’m nervous about that, too. I don’t want to come across like a weirdo, but I really want to see what I can find out.”

“You’ll be okay. She probably won’t have any qualms bashing on him. She sounds pretty pissed off.”

“True. Well, I better get going. I’ll text you.”

As I get into my car, giving Marina a wave, my phone goes off. I see that it is Jon. My heart gives a hard thump, which I try to ignore as I answer.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to wish you good luck today,” Jon says. “I know you have your first pre-production meeting today.”

“Thank you for calling. I’m really nervous but Marina treated me to a coffee and I’m feeling a bit better now.”

“You’ll do great, Jenny. You always make a positive impression with people. And Matt wants you on this project. I wouldn’t be too worried. Just be yourself.”

His voice is soft and kind, and I try to ignore the way my heart races. I wish every time I spoke to him, I felt nothing but friendship for him. It feels as if I am constantly reminding myself why I have lied and told him we have to be friends. I don’t want him trying to save me from Rich and getting sucked into Rich’s twisted world.

“Thanks, Jon,” I reply gently, hoping my voice sounds even.

Jon clears his throat. “Call me afterward? If you want, I mean.”

“I will, thanks. I better go or I’ll be late.”

We say goodbye and I hang up the call, an empty feeling settling over me. I ignore it, telling myself now isn’t the time to fall into a negative headspace. I want to make a good impression at this pre-production meeting.

<<<>>>

“We’re wrapping up casting on that role,” Matt says to me as we go through the script. “We’ll have the neighbor casting finished soon.”

I nod and make a note. My script is covered in notes. Originally, I had thought the meeting would be about production and a few things about the script. But Matt has us go through the script line by line, going over ideas and other things about production. I am glad I brought a small notebook with me, even though everyone else is writing in their iPads. I suppose I am old fashioned in that respect – I like writing on the script and my notebook instead.

“Okay, great,” I reply, as I scan the page.

The neighbor is a minor role that I only interact with a couple of times, so the fact that it is not being casted yet doesn’t really bother me. The rest of the cast is mostly in place. Matt launches into an explanation for what he wants for the next scene and I find myself listening to him closely. I can see why he is rising quickly.

Matt didn’t look like I thought he was going to. He is incredibly skinny, as if he rarely eats and when he does it isn’t anything more than a salad. His hair is messy from how he runs his fingers through it constantly when speaking. He also looks exhausted, as if he hasn’t slept in ages. From the amount of thought that he has put into the script, I can easily see him up all night, thinking about the next scene. He is clearly dedicated and considers this film important in his career.