Touching the Billionaire - Holly Jaymes Page 0,65

else who was gathering as they noticed something up between me and Madeline. But I was already in trouble, with her thinking that I had been faking our relationship, I didn’t want to get into even more trouble by outing us. The one thing she’d been clear on was that she didn’t want people to know because she didn’t want it to hurt her reputation. So instead of telling her it was real and that I was in love with her, I had to watch her leave.

I considered running after but there was work to be done, and leaving in the middle of the day to pursue her would probably make people talk, which was the thing we’d been trying to avoid. So reluctantly, I headed back to my trailer. I poured myself a drink, downed it and then threw the glass and listened as it shattered on the wall.

I stayed in my trailer until I received a knock on the door telling me that I was due on set. I was an actor. I was paid to push away my own personal feelings and my true personality, and instead, act like another human being. So I pulled myself together and I exited my trailer as Jack Cole.

I wasn’t sure how I got through the day, but somehow I did. A few times, Corrine would give me feedback or direction, and I took it, but other times she kept her mouth shut and I felt she knew that I was pissed. It was probably why she closed things down a little bit earlier than she might have.

When the day was done, I hurried off the set and into my car, telling my driver to get me home as fast as he could. Of course, we were in the middle of Manhattan, so fast wasn’t really an option.

On the drive, I thought about calling Madeline, but decided a text would more likely be seen. I messaged her, telling her I was on my way and begging her to meet with me so that I could explain. I texted a couple of times because she didn’t respond, but then I realized the reason she wasn’t replying was because she’d blocked me.

“Fuck!” Now what was I going to do?

“Is there something wrong, Mr. Wolfe?” My driver asked from the front seat.

“Nothing you can help me with. Thanks.” All I could do was sit and wait for the traffic until we reached my condo building. When we finally pulled up out front, I rushed out of the car and into the building and the elevator. I was smart enough to know that I wasn’t going to get her up to the twentieth floor, so I poked the button for the eighth to see her at her place.

I pounded on the door as nerves and panic, and even anger rattled through my body and out the end of my fist.

The door swung open and a man not much older than me answered. “What the hell?” he greeted me with.

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked. I knew I had some nerve. It was none of my business. But I wasn’t going to take it well if she had another man in her place.

“Who the fuck are you?” His eyes narrowed as they took me in. My ego said it was impossible for him to not know who I was.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the scramble of emotions and thoughts running through it so that I could focus on the issue at hand. “Is Madeline here?”

“No, she's gone.”

“Gone? Gone like she’s out for the evening or gone as in gone forever?” I had been sure that if I could see and talk to her, I could convince her that what she’d heard wasn’t true. But if she had left, how could I talk to her? A new panic crept up my spine.

“Alex, who is it?” Nadine appeared behind him. She stopped short. “Oh. You.” Her tone told me that she knew exactly what happened on set today.

“Where’s Madeline? I need to talk to her.” I was trying to keep my tone calm, but I was also willing to do just about anything to make sure I could see Madeline and explain to her what was going on. I’d push through this door if I had to.

“She's gone,” Nadine said simply.

“Gone where? Where can I find her? I need to talk to her.”

“Why? So you can feed her some fancy lines like you