they’d just vaguely committed to sleeping together again. That was a start. Kind of. Okay, not really. She wanted more from him. She wanted him to realize that the time they spent together was unprecedented.
But what if he didn’t want to be the guy who dated Julie Fraser? Maybe he didn’t want the notoriety that came from being with a famous actor. He wouldn’t be the first. Clearly, he was a private man. Hell, she barely knew anything about him.
She had the next four days in the car to learn. Her smile widened.
“Why are you grinning like that?” He took a sip of his water.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
Getting information required a sneak attack. The man already knew about her since much of her life had been played out in the public eye. But she wanted the story on him and planned to get it by the time they hit their destination. Wherever the hell that was.
“Nothing for you to worry your little heart about, Billy Joe Bob.”
* * *
Troy leaned against a picnic bench, waiting while Julie used the facilities in the rest stop. A light breeze rustled the leaves on the nearby trees and carried the smell of pine as he checked his phone. He’d missed call after call from Sophia all day long, but there had been no way to talk to her while being in the car with Julie. At least now he knew she’d picked up his voice mail. He couldn’t ignore the woman forever. That was bad for business.
He punched her number from his call log and braced himself.
“You!” she said when she finally answered. “What is the meaning of this? You cannot quit. Not after all the money I’ve paid you.”
“You paid me to do a job and I did it. I’ve hung on to Ari closer than his underwear. I’ve been working around the clock, so don’t make it sound as if I’ve had a free ride.”
“Why? Why would you quit? I don’t know anyone else who can do the job. You must have something by now. I know he’s sleeping with her. You must have pictures.”
He did have that. He knew without a doubt that Sophia would take those pictures and misconstrue them the same way he’d initially done.
He also knew that not only was Julie not fucking Ari, but she stayed clear of any married man. She’d been damn sincere when she told him she didn’t screw around. He believed her. Yeah, she was a world-class actress, but she was also as honest as Sophia was miserable.
“Tell me at least why,” Sophia urged. She’d been ranting the whole time. Troy barely registered her question as he watched two squirrels playing tag around the trunk of a tree.
“Ari is not sleeping with her. As far as I can tell, he’s not sleeping with anyone.” Currently. Troy had no doubt that if the opportunity presented itself, Ari would jump in the sack with just about any female, but the couple of months Troy had been around, he was reasonably certain Ari had been clean.
“But he gave her the role in his film. He wouldn’t have done that if she hadn’t slept with him.”
He felt sorry for her. “Sophia, do you think he sleeps with every woman he casts in his films?”
“No, of course not,” she scoffed. “But this one... Julie.” She huffed the name. “She is American royalty. She is just what Ari likes.”
“It doesn’t mean he’s slept with her.” Troy saw Julie hobble out of the restroom and stop at the vending machines. Just the sight of her set all his protective instincts on high and he glanced around the lot again. “Look. I can recommend a couple of guys if you still want someone to watch Ari.”
“Why now?” Sophia asked, suspicion in her voice. “Why did you quit now?”
Had she seen the news? It had probably gone worldwide at this point, but Troy hadn’t been watching TV, and radio news had limited information.
“I have my reasons,” Troy said, avoiding the question.
She gasped. “You’re fucking her yourself, aren’t you?” The certainty in her voice surprised him. She had to be throwing darts and waiting for one to hit the mark.
“I’m going now, Sophia. Don’t bother sending the last check if it’ll make you feel better.”
“That’s it, isn’t it?” Her voice rose an octave. “You’re fucking her. You probably haven’t even been watching Ari all this time.”
“You know I have. You’ve seen the log of every meal, every event and every meeting. Quit grasping at