house. She and Karri followed them and immediately locked the doors behind them and began to check every door and window in the entire house. As they closed the sliding doors to the patio, they finally took a breath and Karri turned to her with concern on her face.
“You know what Jim did was bullshit, right? That was not okay.”
“I know. Let’s get the contract and look over it. I don’t remember that section about lifetime rights, but I wasn’t going to argue that until I’d seen it with my own two eyes. Then I’ll talk to my lawyer about it.”
Karri shook her head as they walked to Skye’s private office. “You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Bernie Ganoti might be your lawyer, but he was hired by Jim. The agency is his main client,” Karri pointed out and Skye stopped at her desk.
She looked up at Karri with surprise. “You’re right.”
“Haven’t you realized I’m the only person in your life not put here by Jim? He even hired Lenny”
Skye had thought all these others controlled her life, but it wasn’t them. It was all Jim. “He hired my PR people because they represent all his clients. Lenny hired my stylist and makeup person because they worked with Jim’s biggest stars. You’re right. You’re the only person in my inner circle not put there by Jim.”
Skye leaned down and pulled out the thick contract she’d signed eight years ago.
“I’ll stay in the guest room tonight.”
“Thank you.” Skye looked down at thick binder. “And I have some reading to do.”
3
“Skye!”
Skye’s eyes popped open as Karri flung her bedroom door open at six in the morning.
“What is it?” Skye was instantly awake. She might be a Hollywood actress, but it would take a lifetime to quash the up-with-the-rooster farm life she’d lived for the first eighteen years of her life. When she was in college, she and Karri were up at dawn to get their lacrosse workouts in before their first class.
Karri didn’t say anything as she grabbed the remote and turned on the local news. “Skye Jessamine’s sexy photo shoot was even hotter than the cover photo published by the architecture magazine,” the celebrity reporter said into the camera as a photo of Skye nude on Trent’s table flashed on the screen.
“What’s going on? This is the magazine cover and I’m not really naked.” Skye was confused until the next image snapped onto the screen. “Oh my God. That’s not me!” A woman wearing the same robe Skye had been wearing was snapped with her robe wide open. Hair covered her face, but it was made to look as if it were in Skye’s dining room. Skye couldn’t stop watching as image after image appeared. They showed her crawling naked on the table and jumping around as if she were dancing. They were blurred out but she knew they’d not be blurred online. “I never did that! You were there, you know that!”
Karri’s phone began to ring and she answered it. “Yeah, Lenny. I’m with her now. Yes, we know it’s not her. No, she’s not all right. Yes, we’ll see you soon.”
Her phone rang the second she hung up with Lenny. She snapped her fingers to get Skye’s attention, showed her the photographer’s name on the screen, and put the phone on speaker. “Please tell her we had nothing to do with this. I’m an artist, a professional. I would never leak film from my set and these aren’t even real.”
“You need to come out with a statement right now and tell the world these are fake,” Karri said sternly.
“I will. I’ll have my publicist send out my response immediately. Please tell Skye I’m so sorry. She’s too nice a person to have this happen to.”
“I’ll tell her. Thank you.” Karri hung up the phone and held open her arms. Skye collapsed into them and let the tears flow as both of their phones blew up. She didn’t even answer when Mason texted to see if there was anything he could do to help.
“The poor girl,” Tinsley said to Trent as if he had any idea what his cousin was talking about.
The morning air was invigorating and Trent was inspired. He was hard at work in his shop when Tinsley had walked in a couple of minutes ago carrying two coffees. Ryker lived in an enormous house on the river. Ridge lived in a neighborhood across the street from Ryker. Gavin and Harper were down the street from them, but in town. Wade was