Chapter 3.
As soon as he stepped foot on the set, Cole knew something was different. The area was buzzing with people, and people were crowding around one point of the set. He frowned slightly, and made his way over to the throng of people to see what all the fuss was about.
"No! No more, else I'll cry," came a laughing voice, tinged with a Spanish accent he thought he recognised. He realised why he recognised it as soon as the woman stood up.
"Who the hell pulled you out of the gutter?" Cole said. Steffi, whose back had been turned to him, stiffened and whipped around.
"Who the hell gave you the right to speak to me?"
"Same person I thought told you where to stick it when you last made my acquaintance."
"That was a long time ago, Mr Turner." Steffi's mouth set resolutely, and her eyes narrowed.
"I thought I'd washed my hands of you when I paid you that $500,000 to get out of my life and never return. Because we all know you were just a cheap hooker, Miss Miller."
"I refuse to listen to any more of this!" she said, going pale with anger. She stormed out of the circle and headed for one of the caravans, and Cole realised that this was his new co-star. Stephanie Miller.
Sat on the end of the bed, Steffi pulled out a cigarette from a pack and lit it, her hands shaking as she did so. Taking a long drag, she laid back and stared at the ceiling, allowing her mind to take an impromptu trip down memory lane. She'd never have thought a month ago when the producer had confirmed that she'd got the role that she'd be with Cole Turner…
It was two years ago that they'd met. She was an escort, working bars and nightclubs of the rich and famous, who were attracted by her startling beauty and easy charm. She'd been watching the people coming and going, pretending to be interested in what her companion for the evening was saying, when the famous actor Cole Turner walked into the bar. It didn't take long for him to spot her, and strike up a conversation. He'd asked her to dance and she accepted, shaking her ass on the dance floor like she'd been born to. His hands had been all over her, and it wasn't long before the paparazzi began taking pictures of the two. She'd gone home with him, and spent two whirlwind weeks in relative bliss whilst he showered her with gifts and affection, taking her to showbiz parties and even helping to set up her modelling contract. All that suddenly stopped after he'd answered her mobile phone, and found out that she was a hooker. He'd demanded that she packed her bags and left, and threw a cheque at her for $500,000, asking if it 'was enough for two weeks of pretend affection on your part'. But it hadn't been pretend; she very nearly fell for him.
But then, her modelling contract came through and suddenly she was famous by herself, and not just for being the girl on Cole Turner's arm. Her life since then had been a whirl of camera flash bulbs, all-night parties, men, money and alcohol. She had a new identity, a new personality, new friends. She'd never had the time to think about Turner again – until now.
Cole too was thinking about the time they'd spent together. He'd loved the giant enigma she'd presented herself as, the way her answers always had so many different implications. Now, of course, he knew why she'd been so mysterious. It would never have been acceptable to her boss if she'd given away everything about herself, and Cole found himself regretting slightly how angry he'd been at her for what she'd done. It wasn't really her fault; she couldn't help it if she was trapped in the living she was. But he'd often wondered if she'd told him the truth when they would discuss their lives. Whether her parents really had skipped out on her and left her to be raised by her five older brothers. Whether she'd really dropped out of high school with no qualifications. Whether her brothers had really left her alone at the age of sixteen with no money and no other family. Thinking about it now, it seemed to make sense that her profession would have been so sordid. She couldn't have been expected to have become anything else.