Off Camera

Chapter 27

Tee POV

It has been a week since my drunken night out with my friends and Kimmon. Things have been going well, but I get a strange feeling anymore when I'm around Tae. He frequently talks about punishment with a spark of excitement in his eyes, but I don't know what he is referring to.

He was too busy the day after my late night with my friends to talk about it too much. I did thank him for coming to get me, but something in the back of my mind keeps screaming I'm forgetting something important. I wish I knew what.

Since Jane has been informed about the situation with Rhonda, she has been at the set every day, being an additional layer of defense between Tae and that crazy woman. Luckily, the wacko hasn't disturbed him this week. I still can't breathe a sigh of relief yet, though. I can only do that when she has completely given up on my man and has walked away.

I step into the studio, but before I get too far, Jane rushes over to me. "Tee, I need to talk to you. Follow me."

I raise my eyebrows as a strange feeling comes over me, and a little voice in the back of my head screams at me to remember, but I still don't know what I need to remember.

She walks past me and outside. With the stern look she on her face, I don't dare refuse. She'll drag me outside one way or another. She isn't one of the best agents in the industry for nothing.

I swallow down the lump in my throat and spin around, following right behind her, a little uneasy about what she may want.

My heart hammers against my chest the farther we walk away from the building. Does she need my help with Rhonda?

My mind spins in all directions.

She stops next to a bench and motions for me to sit down. "Tee, I only have a few moments, but I don't want to wait any longer to talk to you."

Her serious and matter-of-fact tone puts me on edge. This can't be good.

I nibble on my lower lip and sit down while my fingers fidget with each other. My voice chokes. "Is th.there something wr.wrong?"

Her stern look slips. She knots her eyebrows together and stares at me. "You already know what my problem is. Well, I wouldn't really call it a problem, but something we need to work on hiding."

Hiding? What is she talking about?

Confused, I tilt my head and stare back at her like she grew a second head.

She meets my gaze and silence falls around us.

As the silence lingers, a weight presses down on me, and my mind continues to spin, grasping at anything that might seem remotely reasonable.

After a few more long and agonizing moments, she shakes her head. "You don't remember." It comes out as more of a question than a statement.

I shake my head. "What am I supposed to remember?"

She sighs. "Tee, when you went out with your friends last week, did you send messages to anyone?"

Little beads of sweat form along my forehead. I slowly nod. "Yes."

"Do you remember who?"

I nod again. "Yeah."

She raises her eyebrows. "Who?"

I tilt my head. I don't understand why any of this is important, and she still hasn't told me why she needs to talk to me.

"Tae."

She bobs her head up and down. "What kind of messages did you send?"

My heart races and I lick my lips. Wouldn't she like to know, but I'm not telling her.

"I talked about our script and our schedule."

Amusement flashes in her eyes as she sits up straight and crosses her arms over her chest. "Are you sure? You were drinking."

My stomach sinks. How does she know I was drinking? Wait. Tae must have told her.

I tentatively nod. "Yeah."

A snort burst from her, and she shakes her head. "No, you were talking about more..."

She draws out her last word, and my heart hammers harder against my chest. She can't know what I sent to Tae. He would have never told her about it.

"Personal..."

Shit.

My eyes widen. I want to protest, but the look of triumphant in her eyes warns me to stop lying to her. But how does she know?

My stomach sinks, and my mouth suddenly goes dry.

She leans a little closer to me and whispers, "Some were even close to being sexting."

SHIT!! SHE KNOWS!!!

I open and close my mouth, but nothing comes out. What do I even say? I want to deny it, but she knows I'm lying.

She pats my knee. "Tae and I have agreed to keep it quiet."

Relief washes over me, and I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

A knowing smirk slides across her mouth. "I must say I'm not totally surprised by this new revelation. I could always see the attraction between the two of you. It is just sad neither of you saw it sooner."

My mouth falls slightly open.

She knows.

She shakes her head. "Close your mouth before a fly zooms in there. I honestly thought Tae was lying to me when he says you don't remember, but clearly you don't. For your information, he didn't tell on you. To be correct, you told on yourself. I had taken Tae's phone to copy off all the nasty things Rhonda had sent to him. You happened to send those interesting messages to him at the same time I was using his phone. I couldn't help but to read them as they pop up on the screen. I'm actually glad I did."

My heart pounds hard. It almost feels like it is trying to jump out of my chest. My mind still can't or doesn't want to acknowledge what she is saying.

Her knowing smirk grows. "I can now help to deflect any unwanted attention and keep the reporters away from your private life, too."

A glint in her eyes appears, and a small giggle spills from her. "You have no idea how I've been hoping for this to happen. I'm probably one of your biggest fans."

Wait. What?

She giddily slides closer to me. "There are many of us fans around you. When the time is right, you will be amazed at the number of people supporting you and standing in your corner."

Published October 15, 2022