Page 16 of Her Dark Angel
I just want to live a normal life. Well, as normal as it can be.
It wasn’t until I was eighteen that I started to resent my parents for forcing me into acting when I was a child. I realized it wasn’t normal for men with cameras and women with microphones to follow you out of your house or the shopping mall, begging for a photo or an interview. It started to impact my personal life to the point I couldn’t go anywhere without the feeling of someone following me.
Even now as I sit here with my best friend enjoying a drink, I feel the cameras pointed in my direction. They’re just better at hiding from me now.
I suppose nearly punching a photographer in the face for invading my space when I was fresh out of high school did the trick. But that’s in the past.
“You’re too humble, Kin. But what’s wrong with this Wesley?”
“He’s just…” I try to find the right word to describe him, but the only word that comes to my mind is: “Plain.”
Sadie raises a skeptical brow at me as an amused look settles over her smooth features. “Plain? What’s wrong with plain?”
“Nothing. I just…”
I don’t know how to describe it. Ever since I became an adult, I have been cautious about the men I let into my life. This isn’t high school anymore; these men are no longer intimidated by my name as an actress in the papers. Anytime I tried to date, it always ended with them wanting something from me. Whether it was to meet someone in the industry, borrow money, or sleep with me.
It matters to me now, unlike back then when I was a teenager.
I was always left feeling disappointed and frustrated.
With Wesley, he’s a little too plain and boy-next-door for me. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not what I’m looking for in a man.
“I get it,” Sadie says, a smile turning up the corner of her mouth. “You want a bad boy.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s definitely not what I want, but you can think whatever you like.” Speaking of a bad boy… “That reminds me. I need to tell you something.”
Sadie’s green eyes widen to saucers. “What? Is everything okay?”
I nod. “Everything is fine. It’s just… You can’t tell anyone I told you this, okay?”
Sadie shoots me a look that says, ‘Are you serious?’ “Kin, who am I going to tell? You know you’re my only friend besides Matt.”
I know, but it still feels nice to hear.
“Okay.” I shuffle forward in my seat and lean across the table. Sadie follows suit. The last thing I need is someone overhearing my next words. “So, my agency has struck up a… deal for me that lasts six months.”
“Like… a movie deal?”
I shake my head. “I have to date someone for six months. Adam claims dating this person will boost the interest in It Girl when it releases in a couple of months.”
Sadie frowns. “So, you have to fake date someone? Who?”
Before I can utter his name, the devil himself waltzes into Limelight with a pretty brunette woman tucked against his side. With his towering height and intimidating presence, he makes her small frame look like an ant struggling to keep up.
All eyes in the quiet room turn to Nash Beck as he walks toward the bar, followed by a few guys I don’t recognize. Well, one of them is that creepy guy I met the other night. Just the sight of his beady eyes sends a chill down my spine.
The group makes a ruckus with their loud voices, disturbing the peace from moments ago. Before they got here, the music was quiet and the regulars were watching their favorite sports teams on the little box television behind the bar. Now, the music has been turned up, which means it’s time for the afternoon patrons to leave and the all-night partygoers to arrive.
My eyes follow Nash as he stands by the bar. He’s wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. His curly hair is a mess around his face like he’s run his hands through the strands one too many times. Or the girl next to him with her hands all over his chest had something to do with it. Either way, he looks devilishly handsome. Which I hate to admit, but I’m only human.
“Him,” I mutter softly. I manage to tear my eyes away from Nash to meet Sadie's curious ones.
“N-Nash Beck?” she quizzes, her eyes wide. “You have to fake date Nash Beck? What the hell, Kin.”
“I know. I know. It’s fucking crazy.”
Sadie snorts and looks to where the group is standing, ordering an excessive number of shots that line almost the entire length of the bar. “You could say that again. Why him?”