After the Internship: A Novella (The Intern #4) by Brooke Cumberland Page B
Authors: Brooke Cumberland
Ads: Link
genuinely. “I hadn’t thought of it like that before now. I guess I’m just insecure at times.” I lower my head, ashamed I was feeling this way when he’s given me no reason.
“ Don’t be sorry,” he growls, taking me off guard. “I never want you to be sorry for something that we don’t control. The media, tabloids, photographers—all of them are only after one thing. Money. They don’t care how they get it, who they hurt, or what they ruin. But we can’t let them anymore. I don’t want that for us.”
I nod, agreeing with everything he ’s saying. And now I know I have to tell him the truth.
“ I read her interview,” I say softly, unable to keep eye contact with him. “That’s what triggered the dream, I think. You were gone still and I was beyond curious. Once I started it though, I wish I hadn’t, but I couldn’t stop. It was like some kind of self-torture.” My face is expressionless as I recall the night I read her words about the length of Bentley’s cock.
I see him brush both hands over his face in frustration. I swallow hard, waiting for the outburst he ’s about to lay on me.
“I saw Hannah,” he states softly , looking down. “In L.A.,” he clarifies.
“What do you mean? I thought Angie was handling all that.” I turn and look at him.
“She was but it wasn’t good enough. At first, I wanted to find her and chew her ass out. And then once I saw her—”
“What?” I urge him on.
“She’s an addict, Ceci.” He turns and faces me. “ She’s skin and bones. Her hair is falling out and she looked like absolute shit. Her apartment—”
“Oh, my god! You went to her apartment?” I know I shouldn’t get off task, but I can’t help feeling uncomfortable with the fact that he was there.
“It was the only way to find her. She has no job to go to. Besides, it was barely an apartment. It was awful.” I hear the pain in his voice and decide I need to stop overreacting. She’s obviously in trouble.
“What did she say?”
He looks down, ashamed. “She blames my mother that her career tanked. Her job was everything to her. Once it was gone, she fell into drugs and just…wilted to nothing.”
“Wow,” I breathe out. “I wouldn’t have expected that from her.”
“Me, either.”
“So what happened?”
“I asked her to retract her interview.”
“Is she?” I ask hopeful.
“She’s too sick to do anything, Ceci.” He looks up at me again. “I put her in a rehab center. She needed help.”
My eyes raise as my shoulders push back in surprise. “You what? You sent her to a rehab clinic?”
“She needed the help,” he says simply. “She would’ve died had I just left her there.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” I remark, my face expressionless as I debate with myself on being upset with him or not.
“I know. I’m sorry. I should’ve, but I just wasn’t sure how much more you could take.”
“So does that mean you’re keeping in contact with her now?”
“Not her directly. I’ve been emailing and speaking to her counselors. Since I checked her in, and am paying to cover her time there, I told them I needed to stay updated.”
“You’re paying for it, too?” I squeal. “Bentley…do you know how messed up that sounds? The woman who’s trying to sabotage your career and ruin our lives is the same woman you’re now trying to save?” I stand up, needing to distance myself. The words come out harsher than I meant for them to, but I was pretty certain I had to still be dreaming.
“Ceci,” he growls, his voice firm and his tone low. “It was the right thing to do.”
I sit back down, needing a moment to think. If I’m upset, then I’m the bitch that wishes Hannah would’ve eventually overdosed, and she would’ve gotten what she deserved. Otherwise, I can be that girl that understands Bentley felt he had a responsibility to uphold. I’m still not sure which way I should feel.
Before I can apologize for the way I
“ Don’t be sorry,” he growls, taking me off guard. “I never want you to be sorry for something that we don’t control. The media, tabloids, photographers—all of them are only after one thing. Money. They don’t care how they get it, who they hurt, or what they ruin. But we can’t let them anymore. I don’t want that for us.”
I nod, agreeing with everything he ’s saying. And now I know I have to tell him the truth.
“ I read her interview,” I say softly, unable to keep eye contact with him. “That’s what triggered the dream, I think. You were gone still and I was beyond curious. Once I started it though, I wish I hadn’t, but I couldn’t stop. It was like some kind of self-torture.” My face is expressionless as I recall the night I read her words about the length of Bentley’s cock.
I see him brush both hands over his face in frustration. I swallow hard, waiting for the outburst he ’s about to lay on me.
“I saw Hannah,” he states softly , looking down. “In L.A.,” he clarifies.
“What do you mean? I thought Angie was handling all that.” I turn and look at him.
“She was but it wasn’t good enough. At first, I wanted to find her and chew her ass out. And then once I saw her—”
“What?” I urge him on.
“She’s an addict, Ceci.” He turns and faces me. “ She’s skin and bones. Her hair is falling out and she looked like absolute shit. Her apartment—”
“Oh, my god! You went to her apartment?” I know I shouldn’t get off task, but I can’t help feeling uncomfortable with the fact that he was there.
“It was the only way to find her. She has no job to go to. Besides, it was barely an apartment. It was awful.” I hear the pain in his voice and decide I need to stop overreacting. She’s obviously in trouble.
“What did she say?”
He looks down, ashamed. “She blames my mother that her career tanked. Her job was everything to her. Once it was gone, she fell into drugs and just…wilted to nothing.”
“Wow,” I breathe out. “I wouldn’t have expected that from her.”
“Me, either.”
“So what happened?”
“I asked her to retract her interview.”
“Is she?” I ask hopeful.
“She’s too sick to do anything, Ceci.” He looks up at me again. “I put her in a rehab center. She needed help.”
My eyes raise as my shoulders push back in surprise. “You what? You sent her to a rehab clinic?”
“She needed the help,” he says simply. “She would’ve died had I just left her there.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” I remark, my face expressionless as I debate with myself on being upset with him or not.
“I know. I’m sorry. I should’ve, but I just wasn’t sure how much more you could take.”
“So does that mean you’re keeping in contact with her now?”
“Not her directly. I’ve been emailing and speaking to her counselors. Since I checked her in, and am paying to cover her time there, I told them I needed to stay updated.”
“You’re paying for it, too?” I squeal. “Bentley…do you know how messed up that sounds? The woman who’s trying to sabotage your career and ruin our lives is the same woman you’re now trying to save?” I stand up, needing to distance myself. The words come out harsher than I meant for them to, but I was pretty certain I had to still be dreaming.
“Ceci,” he growls, his voice firm and his tone low. “It was the right thing to do.”
I sit back down, needing a moment to think. If I’m upset, then I’m the bitch that wishes Hannah would’ve eventually overdosed, and she would’ve gotten what she deserved. Otherwise, I can be that girl that understands Bentley felt he had a responsibility to uphold. I’m still not sure which way I should feel.
Before I can apologize for the way I
Similar Books
