Page 11 of What the Hex
Seated on the sofa with his ankle propped up on his opposite knee, Storm took the rhetorical question for what it was and said nothing. Priya had been with him since the beginning of his career, and in that time, he had learned a lot about his manager. Namely, it was best to let her rant without interruption. Nine times out of ten, she found the solution on her own without his input anyway.
“You haven’t even finished filming yet!” Her long, ebony hair flowed down her back to her waist, the ends swishing with her agitated movements. “You know the success of these dramas hinges on the viewers’ belief in the relationship.”
Yes, he knew, but it was also a bit more complicated than that. Still, he said nothing and let her continue her diatribe.
Her accent was heavy today, and several native words and phrases snuck in occasionally, a sure sign of her stress levels. While he didn’t speak Hindi, he could read between the lines to get the gist. Even that wasn’t necessary to understand she wasn’t happy with him, though.
“Can’t you just wait until after filming wraps?”
He could, but that wouldn’t be enough, and they both knew it. A more likely timeframe would be several months after the last episode had aired. Altogether, it could end up being a year before Priya felt comfortable with him making the announcement, and then, only if he didn’t have another project in the works.
Neither practical nor acceptable, in his opinion.
“If we don’t announce it, however, fans are likely to find out on their own.” She stopped pacing and cursed under her breath. “With help from the media, of course.”
Storm dipped his head in agreement. Unless he planned to keep King under lock and key, or only meet him infrequently and in secret, it wouldn’t take long for them to be outed. Hell, the tabloids wouldn’t even need proof. In his business, rumors had a way of fueling themselves.
“Storm.” She made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat as she flounced over and dropped down onto the cushion beside him. After adjusting the skirt of her sleeveless lilac dress so that it draped over her knees, she pierced him with her intense amber gaze. “What does your mate have to say about this?”
“King understands what he’s getting into.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Fair enough. “We talked, and he agrees that lying or hiding will only make things worse when our relationship eventually comes out.”
Priya sighed. “You talked about how his life will change once you tell the world?”
“We did.”
“And he’s okay with that?”
Storm lowered his head a fraction. “He is.”
“What about you?” Her tone softened, and her posture relaxed. “You know this could potentially limit the roles you’re offered, right?”
“I know.” It was hard to sell a romance when at least one half of the on-screen couple was already deeply committed to someone else. “I’m sure you’ll make something happen.”
He’d already been approached about the lead role in a new paranormal thriller. Based on a bestselling books series, the first season had been green-lit for twenty-two episodes—nearly unheard of for a debut. Word on the vine was that showrunners anticipated high popularity, hopefully leading to multiple seasons.
Naturally, it was too early to judge success, but the part sounded right up his alley. Even better, it was slated to be filmed in New York, reducing how much he would be required to travel.
The best thing about the role, however, was that his character didn’t have a love interest. That could—and probably would—change in future seasons, but romance would never be the driving force behind the plot. In other words, his suitability wasn’t predicated on if he had a mate or not.
He’d spent a lot of time during the night, talking to King and planning his next moves. In that time, he had come to one very important conclusion. If push came to shove, he had no problem walking away from the business.
His fame had given him the opportunity at a life most could only dream of, and for that, he was grateful. He didn’t love it, though. Not like Damien. Not even like Priya. Honestly, he had kind of stumbled into his celebrity status, and he would be fine stumbling back out of it.
Still lounging in his current position with his arm draped over the back of the sofa, he glanced at his manager and spoke without inflection. “I think I’m going to announce it at the fan meeting.”
Priya’s eyes widened, and a vein in the center of her forehead protruded, throbbing madly to herald the coming emotional storm. Springing to her feet, she rounded on him with one slender finger pointed at his face.
“At the fan meeting?”
Storm dipped his head once.
“No, no, no.” She waved her hand with each repetition. “This is a delicate matter, and it needs to be handled—”
“Delicately?”