Chapter 2

Memories flashed through my dreams, one scene after another.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my own teeth grinding.

Bright sunlight poured through the window, and I was alone in bed. I tried to roll over but gave up halfway. My lower back ached so badly I cursed Alex and his entire bloodline.

Every part of my body hurts.

That bastard. I had night blindness, but he didn't. He knew it was me all along, but pretended to be my fan and went along with my ridiculous friends-with-benefits plan.

Every time he watched me breathless and trembling beneath him, he must have been so damn smug about it.

I couldn't beat him in school, couldn't beat him at work, and now he was dominating me in bed too. The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt, and tears streamed down my face.

My agent Melinda Lewis' ringtone blared through the room and snapped me out of my spiral.

I bolted upright in bed and grabbed my phone, ignoring the ache in my body as I answered.

"Melinda?" I said.

"Oh my god, where are you?" she demanded. "The show starts in two hours!"

Shit!

Alex had me so messed up that I'd completely forgotten about today's live show.

"Melinda, don't panic," I said quickly. "I'll be there in thirty minutes, I promise."

"You better be," she snapped and hung up on me.

I threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, but I wasn't paying attention and slammed my toe straight into the nightstand.

Tears sprang to my eyes from the pain.

Damn Alex. I was going to make him pay for this.

*****

The show I was competing in was a live acting competition.

In the elimination and advancement rounds, two contestants performed head-to-head, and the guest judges assigned scenes on the spot.

For the semifinals and finals, we had to recreate classic movie or TV moments, and we could pick one of the guest judges to perform with us.

The whole thing was broadcast live, and the audience voted for the winner, both in-studio and online.

My acting skills weren't anything special, which is why I'd been stuck as a D-list actress for seven years.

But I had solid fundamentals from my training, and I'd made it to the semifinals.

I'd even trended a few times and gained a few thousand followers.

It was worth suffering through seeing Alex every week and forcing myself to perform on that stage.

Yeah, Alex was on the show too, but he wasn't a contestant. He was one of the guest judges.

I hated to admit it, but the man had a terrifying natural talent for acting.

That was how he'd won a Best Actor award in just six years in the industry.

But he was absolutely insufferable because he brought his new pet snake to the show every single week.

When people asked him about it, he always said the same thing. "I'm playing a snake demon in my next project, so I want to observe snakes and their movements. I want to give the audience the best performance possible."

Everyone praised his dedication to his craft.

Only I knew the truth. He'd figured out that I ran the biggest anti-fan account bashing him online, and this was his revenge.

How else could his pet snake keep "accidentally" ending up on my dressing room table week after week?

He knew I was terrified of every living creature except humans, especially snakes and other things without bones.

When I confronted him, Alex looked apologetic, but his eyes were full of smug satisfaction. He shrugged and said, "Sorry, Ms. Summers, but snakes don't have legs. I can't exactly control where it goes."

That excuse worked until last week when that damn snake bit me, and I collapsed on the floor, scared out of my mind.

That was when I finally saw panic in his eyes.

I cried as I accused him, "Alex, this is all your fault. Am I going to die from the poison?"

He scooped me up and rushed toward the hospital nearby. "Okay, it's my fault. Don't be scared. That snake isn't venomous."

The snake wasn't venomous, but the wound hurt like hell.

It hurt so much I couldn't sleep that night.

But I discovered something unexpected. My night blindness was gone.

I should thank that snake, because otherwise Alex would still be playing me for a fool.

*****

I had thirty minutes to get to the TV studio, and I barely made it.

The other contestants and guests were already in position, running through rehearsals.

I pushed open the studio doors, gasping for breath.

I heard a muffled grunt.

I bumped into someone.

I was about to pull the door open to check when Melinda ran over and grabbed my arm. She hissed, "Where the hell have you been? Everyone's been waiting for you."

Alex appeared out of nowhere with his brows furrowed. He said, "We've already wasted enough time. Now that everyone's here, let's start the rehearsal."

What an actor.

I flipped him off when he wasn't looking.

Who was he trying to fool?

He knew precisely why I was late.

I looked at everyone apologetically and said, "I'm so sorry I'm late. A dog bit me last night and I had to get a rabies shot before coming here."

My friend rushed over and asked, "Lily, are you okay? You've had the worst luck lately. A snake bit you last week and now a dog? You need to get your house sage-cleansed or something."

I saw Alex's face turn pale, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, maybe I should," I said.