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  “Yeah. It was a money order. You should know, you sent it to me.”

  Josh heard papers shuffling in the background.

  “Here it is. I haven’t deposited it yet. I have to admit I was surprised to see it. Your next check isn’t supposed to be until next month.”

  Damn. He nodded, even though he knew Erin couldn’t see him. “I know, sweetheart. I’m afraid that money didn’t come from me.”

  “Who would have sent it then?”

  “That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Can you scan it and email it to me? And don’t deposit it. Someone used it to make me look guilty.”

  “Guilty of what?”

  Meeting Ryan’s gaze, he said, “Of hurting someone I’d never want to in a million years.”

  Ryan’s stare dropped to the floor.

  “You’d never hurt anyone unless they did something to someone you cared for, Josh.”

  Erin’s defense of him made his heart swell a little.

  “Thanks. Take care of Pedro for me and I’ll be up in a week to visit.”

  “I hope everything works out.”

  He hung up and stuck his phone back in an outside pocket of his pack. Moving back to stand in front of Ryan, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  “I don’t know what happened or who took those pictures, but I promise you, I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t even know who the hell you were until Rachel told me today.”

  Ryan’s disbelieving snort filled the room. “Yeah right. Not to be egotistical here, but how could you not know who I was? My face has been plastered all over magazines, the TV and billboards for the last couple of months.”

  “You must have left my apartment in a hurry Friday morning if you didn’t notice that I don’t own a TV. I work three jobs, usually every day, and I don’t have time to read magazines, watch TV or go to the movies.” Josh’s chuckle was weak. “I’m sorry and I’m sure you wouldn’t believe this, but not everyone who lives in Hollywood is obsessed with movies and actors.”

  He wasn’t sure if Ryan’s blush was because of how arrogant the man’s statement suddenly seemed to him or if he was embarrassed by Josh’s words.

  “If you didn’t know who I was, why did you hit on me then?”

  Josh stared at Ryan. “You’re kidding, right? Fuck, honey, you are the sexiest thing I’ve seen in a long time and my cock thought so as well. If I had known who you were, I probably wouldn’t have asked you out back or to my place. I don’t need the publicity being with someone like you brings.”

  Josh thought about Erin and Pedro. God, he hoped the reporters wouldn’t find out about them. They didn’t need to be bothered by his screw-ups.

  Ryan’s expression turned thoughtful. “Who are Erin and Pedro?”

  “No one you need to concern yourself with.”

  They weren’t going there. Ryan was someone Josh fucked, not someone he was going to have a relationship with. He didn’t talk about them to anyone except Rachel and Antonio, but only because he’d been friends with both of them for years.

  Ryan nodded, but Josh could still see curiosity in his eyes. He walked over and leaned over, placing his hands on either side of Ryan. He stared into Ryan’s eyes and made sure the man understood he wasn’t joking.

  “Don’t get a bug up your pretty ass and go looking for them. If I hear anyone’s been bothering them, I’ll come looking for you and your face might not be so pretty when I’m done.”

  A brief flash of fear shot through Ryan’s eyes and the actor nodded. Hating that he had to threaten Ryan, Josh backed off and went to sit behind Rachel’s desk. He wanted to put his arms around Ryan and promise to help him find out who did this to him, but Josh knew Ryan still didn’t believe or trust him.

  “What’s your official stance on the pictures going to be?” He wanted to get back to the original problem.

  Ryan shrugged. “Not sure. My agent told me to go home and he’d take care of it, though he might pull the whole ‘he was drunk’ explanation.”

  Josh curled his lip in disgust. What a fucking cop out. Hell, he hated when men couldn’t be man enough to admit they liked males instead of females. Wait a minute, the voice in his head spoke up. This is Ryan’s career. He’s probably worked for years to get to this point. He should risk all of it because you think he’s a pussy for not coming out?

  He rubbed his temples. The voice sounded remarkably like his mother, God rest her soul, and it really irritated him when she, or it, was correct. He had no right to judge Ryan for his actions when it could mean the end of what looked to be a promising career.

  “I know you don’t think much of me because I’m in the closet, but it never came up before and now I don’t know what to do.” Ryan clasped his hands together and rested them in his lap.

  “Aw, honey, ignore me. What you do is your business. I just got caught up in it. I guess you could consider me collateral damage. Whatever your agent comes up with, I’ll play along and if I get asked by any reporter, I tell him whatever you want me to. I’m not out to ruin your career or profit off you either.”

  Ryan stayed silent and Josh knew the jury was still out on that one for the other man.

  “You know what I’d really like is to find out who took those pictures. I wonder if it was simply a matter of being at the right place at the right time or if he knew who you were.”

  The dejected look on Ryan’s face brightened and Josh realized that action might take the actor’s mind off the scandal for a little while. Josh had no doubt that the whole thing would blow over in a day or two, considering how many other stars got their faces splashed all over the tabloids every day. It would be a one-day wonder and then some other star would have an embarrassing moment caught on someone’s camera.

  What he said to Ryan was true though. Josh did want to find out who took those pictures and if there was someone else behind them, because it didn’t seem like the usual paparazzi move to send the money to Erin and implicate Josh for the whole thing.

  It was too elaborate a scheme for the jerks who usually took pictures to think up.

  He stood and strolled to the door. Gesturing to Ryan to follow him, he opened it and stepped out into the hallway.

  “Go home and don’t drink anymore. I’ll see what I can find and get back to you about it. Keep your head down and try not to get caught in any alleys.”

  “Jackass,” Ryan snarled. “I managed to stay out of alleys for several years and when I finally break my one rule, pictures pop up in magazines I swore I would never be in. You’re the only one who has ever tempted me, so don’t give me that bullshit about staying out of alleys.”

  Josh’s cock twitched at Ryan’s confession and his control broke. He was about to do something colossally stupid, but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t going to let Ryan leave the club without tasting his lips once more.

  He gripped Ryan’s shoulders and shoved him back against the wall next to the office door. He smashed his mouth down on Ryan’s and the man’s gasp allowed him entrance. He swept his tongue in, tasting the peppermint Ryan had earlier. For a second, Ryan responded, his hands flexing at Josh’s waist, and he sucked on his tongue.

  A soft moan ripped from Josh’s throat and he ground his body closer to Ryan’s. When their jean-covered erections brushed, Ryan tensed and shoved Josh away.

  “God damn, I can’t think when you kiss me and that’s not something I wanted you to know.” Ryan ran a hand over his mouth. “I need to stay away from you. You’re no good for my career and I could get into more trouble with you than I need right now.”

  Josh let Ryan leave, watching that firm ass as Ryan pushed his way through the crowd. Rachel joined Josh as the actor went out the front door.

  “How did it go?” Rachel’s voice was dry like she hadn’t seen the punch thrown by Ryan earlier.

  “Amazingly well. After he punched me and threw up, he was at least willing to listen to me. Or maybe he was just too sick to argue.” He cupped Rachel’s elbow
and drew his boss into her office. “I need some help.”

  “Anything you need. I’m here for you and Erin.”

  Erin and Pedro were the two most important people in Josh’s life and he needed to remember that. No matter how much he loved having Ryan in his arms or bed, he had to stay focused on the honest truth. Ryan would never give up his career for a blue collar guy like Josh.

  Chapter Twelve

  The door ricocheted back at Ryan as he slammed it open. He dodged out of the way and groaned as his head protested the move. After closing the door with less force, he staggered to the couch where he fell onto it face first.

  “Shit, buddy. You didn’t wait for me before you tied one on.”

  Bill strolled in from the hallway, toweling his hair dry. Ryan closed his eyes and hoped the world would stop spinning. He never should have stopped at that bar after leaving the Lucky Seven.

  “I’m not going out with you tonight,” he muttered.

  His friend laughed. “Of course not. One more drink and you might die of alcohol poisoning.”

  Bill sat in the chair next to the couch.

  “What brought this binge on?”

  “You haven’t turned the TV on?”

  “Nope. You know I hate TV. It’s mind numbing and totally boring unless it’s some kind of sporting event.”

  He did know that, but he’d been so traumatized by the revelation of the tabloid cover, he figured everyone had seen it.

  “Pictures of me and the bartender from the Lucky Seven appeared in The Hollywood Enterprise.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  Rotating his head took some thought, but he managed to do it and shot Bill a one-eyed glare. “Do you really think I’d joke about something like this?”

  “What were you doing?” Bill’s voice held concern.

  “Just kissing, but still there’s no way anyone could mistake Josh for a girl.”

  His cock stiffened, even through the alcoholic haze, at the memory of the last kiss they shared.

  Bill grinned. “That’s the truth. Not even the butchest dyke has a body like that guy’s.”

  Ryan grunted and closed his eye again. What a body though.

  “Buddy, you’ve got it bad.” His friend punched his arm.

  Fuck, he’d said that out loud.

  “Doesn’t matter. Raz thinks Josh set me up and sold the photos to that rag. He sends money to some woman up North.”

  He heard the squeak of the chair as Bill leaned back in it.

  “You know how much I love your agent, Ry. Are you sure he’s telling the truth?”

  “About the woman or Josh taking the pictures? And why would Raz lie?” He pushed himself up, setting his heels on the edge of the cushion and resting his forehead against his knees.

  “Both, and let’s face it, no matter what you do with this scandal, it’s good for your career.”

  “I went to see Josh after drinking some whiskey.”

  His friend nudged the empty bottle on the floor between them with his foot and Ryan sighed.

  “Okay, so I pretty much drank the whole thing. Fuck you. I had a bit of a shock today.”

  “Poor baby. If this is the biggest scandal of your career, you can consider yourself lucky. Trust me, there’ll be more the longer you keep working in this industry.”

  Ryan nodded. Some would say being a tabloid star meant he’d made it to the A-list of actors. The paparazzi didn’t waste their time on second-rate actors.

  “Josh said he didn’t take those pictures and didn’t know who did, but the woman is real.”

  “Hmmm…who is she?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. He called her and I guess she did get a check. He swears he didn’t send it. I asked him who Erin and Pedro were and he threatened me.”

  Bill chuckled until he caught Ryan’s gaze. “He seriously threatened you?”

  “Said if I bothered them, my face wouldn’t be so pretty after he was done.”

  “Shit.” Bill rubbed his chin. “It doesn’t make sense. If he’s that protective of them, why would he do something that would lead to them?”

  “Now you’re thinking logically and I don’t want to do that right now. I want to wallow in my self-pity a little longer.”

  Ryan really wanted to lock his door and ignore everything outside it. Bill stood, grabbed the bottle and headed to the kitchen.

  “We’ll order pizza and watch some movies. No need to go out tonight since I’m sure Raz would like you to lay low. Tomorrow, you and I can go to Universal. I want to check out the theme park.”

  “You always did love roller coasters, jackass.” Ryan made it to his feet and walked toward the hallway. He needed a shower in the worst way.

  “What can I say? I like the speed.” Bill glanced around the kitchen door. “Go get cleaned up and I’ll order.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Least I can do since I did sort of goad you into the whole thing.”

  Bill was to blame to a certain extent, but Ryan didn’t have to go through with it. Even Josh had given him an out when they were in the alley. No, the blame was his because he trusted Josh not to screw him over. Yet Josh might not have done it, a voice spoke up in his head. True, Josh could have been telling the truth and if he was, where did that leave Ryan? He had to hope the whole thing blew over quickly.

  His phone rang the next day as he and Bill stood in line for one of the rides in the park. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned.

  “Who is it?” Bill asked, stepping forward as the line moved.

  “Raz.” He didn’t want to answer. He’d been having fun goofing around with Bill and forgetting about the pictures for a while.

  “You better answer it or he’ll just keep calling until you do.” Bill stepped out of the line. “We can get back in line when you’re done.”

  “Thanks.” He grimaced and flipped the phone open. “Hey, Raz.”

  “I told you to go home and fucking let me handle it,” Raz shouted.

  “I know.” He should have done what his agent told him, but he had wanted to look Josh in the face and ask him about the pictures.

  “Then why am I looking at pictures of you punching that fag in the face?”

  “What?”

  No way. Who had taken pictures of that? It made him think that maybe Josh’s suggestion of someone following him might be true.

  Raz barked out a laugh. “I hope you leveled the bastard, but you shouldn’t have done it. Now all of the Internet gossip sites have it and I’m sure The Hollywood Enterprise has them as well.”

  He shot Bill a startled look. “I barely made the guy stumble.”

  “Why the hell did you go there, Kellar? It doesn’t look good for you to be there if I’m trying to deny any of it took place.”

  Pressing a fist to his chest, he said, “I needed to ask him myself about the pictures and the money. He said he didn’t do it.”

  “Of course he’s going to say that. He probably set up the whole fight in the club as well. He had to have known you were angry and suspected you’d show up at some point. The photographer was waiting for you to show and get just the right shot.” Raz sighed. “Where are you now?”

  “Bill and I are at Universal.” He wasn’t going to cut this outing short, no matter what Raz wanted. He needed a day to relax and do silly things.

  Raz mumbled something to someone. Ryan didn’t ask who was with the agent. One of his many assistants more than likely.

  “Good. Don’t do anything stupid and don’t let that redneck friend of yours talk you into anything. I’m going to start trying to put out this fire. You haven’t been helping, you know that?”

  He shrugged, realizing afterward that Raz couldn’t see him. “I know, but you’ll take care of it for me. That’s what I pay you for.”

  “That’s right. That fag bartender doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”

  Ryan bit his tongue, stopping the objection to that word from pouring out. He didn’t want to g
et into an argument with Raz. The agent was already worked up over everything else.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know what’s going on.” Raz hung up.

  After turning his phone off, he stuck it in his pocket and gestured for Bill to join the line again.

  “Do we have to leave?”

  “No, we’re staying here and having fun, even if it kills me.”

  And it just might because more than anything he wanted to go and talk to Josh again. Sit with the man and discuss this whole thing without the anger, hurt and alcohol clouding his mind. As much as he believed there were people in the world willing to ruin someone else’s career for their own personal gain, he couldn’t bring himself to believe Josh was one of them.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Josh arrived home from his second job. Tossing his keys on the small table by the door, he checked his answering machine. The blinking light informed him he had ten messages. Ten? He normally went days without even having one message left for him. He pushed the button and took the Styrofoam box containing his dinner into the kitchen.

  “Josh, it’s Rachel. Give me a call when you get home. I did a little digging and talked to some of my friends. I want to tell you what I’ve found.”

  He rested his forehead against the cool plastic of the refrigerator. No, he didn’t want to know what Rachel had found. His weekend was free and he planned on heading up North to visit Erin and Pedro. Dealing with Pedro took all his energy, so he didn’t want to bring a lot of tension with him.

  “Mr. Bauer, my name is Simone Richardson. I’m a reporter for The Hollywood Enterprise. I was wondering if you would consent to do an interview with me about your relationship with Ryan Kellar.”

  Fuck, they’d found him. He thought back to how busy his section at the small Italian eatery was. Working the evening shift usually was a busy time, but there seemed to be more than the usual amount of people there. How many of them were reporters trying to get his attention and ask for an interview?

  The next eight messages were all from reporters as well. He deleted them all and called Rachel.