Never Too Famous

By Thom Collins

They'll do anything for fame, whatever the cost.

Harry Alexander and Grant Hunter are big names in reality TV, but they couldn't be more different. For Harry, fame happened by chance. He was working as a marine engineer on a cruise ship when the liner became the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary series. Harry's good looks and charming personality made him an immediate hit with viewers, and he became the break-out star of the show.

Grant Hunter took no chances in his pursuit of fame. Having starred in the outrageous reality show Sexy Northerners, he grabbed success with both hands and didn't let go. Grant is prepared to do whatever it takes to stay at the top—red-carpet appearances, parties, high-profile romances and X-rated videos. He'll do anything in the name of self-promotion to maintain his notorious reputation.

When Harry arrives in Grant's home city of Manchester, they have preconceived ideas about each other. As they realize they have more in common than they ever thought, they must overcome prejudice, rivalry and the social and professional barriers placed before them, if they're ever to get together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Mar 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839430169

Thom Collins

Thom Collins is the author of Closer by Morning, with Pride Publishing. His love of page turning thrillers began at an early age when his mother caught him reading the latest Jackie Collins book and promptly confiscated it, sparking a life-long love of raunchy novels. Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonkbusters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but since taking his first cruise in 2013 he realized that sailing is the way to go.

Book preview

Pride Publishing books by Thom Collins

Single Books

Closer by Morning

Silent Voices

Anthem

Anthem of the Sea

Anthem of the Dark

Anthem of Survival

Anthologies

Brothers in Arms: Gods of Vengeance

Right Here, Right Now: The Coach

Success

NEVER TOO FAMOUS

THOM COLLINS

Never Too Famous

ISBN # 978-1-83943-016-9

©Copyright Thom Collins 2020

Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright March 2020

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Book one in the Success series

They’ll do anything for fame, whatever the cost.

Harry Alexander and Grant Hunter are big names in reality TV, but they couldn’t be more different. For Harry, fame happened by chance. He was working as a marine engineer on a cruise ship when the liner became the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary series. Harry’s good looks and charming personality made him an immediate hit with viewers, and he became the break-out star of the show.

Grant Hunter took no chances in his pursuit of fame. Having starred in the outrageous reality show Sexy Northerners, he grabbed success with both hands and didn’t let go. Grant is prepared to do whatever it takes to stay at the top—red-carpet appearances, parties, high-profile romances and X-rated videos. He’ll do anything in the name of self-promotion to maintain his notorious reputation.

When Harry arrives in Grant’s home city of Manchester, they have preconceived ideas about each other. As they realize they have more in common than they ever thought, they must overcome prejudice, rivalry and the social and professional barriers placed before them, if they’re ever to get together.

Dedication

To Mark Kendrew, for all the years of laughter we’ve shared.

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Mercedes: Daimler AG Corporation

Botox: Allergan, Inc.

Jacuzzi: Jacuzzi, Inc.

BBC: British Broadcasting Company

TOWIE: The Only Way is Essex (Wrigley, Ruth; Wood, Tony)

Made in Chelsea: Monkey Kingdom

Geordie Shore: MTV

Twitter: Twitter, Inc.

Instagram: Instagram, LLC

Grey Goose: Bacardi & Company

Skype: Skype Corporation

Formica: Formica Corporation

Horror Channel: TerrorVision Television

Molten Brown: Molten Brown

Stepford: Levin, Ira

Jaguar: Jaguar Land Rover Limited

Grindr: Grindr LLC

Netflix: Netflix, Inc.

Chapter One

A line of people stretched around the block as the black Mercedes turned in front of The City nightclub. Not yet midnight and the place must be on its way to being crammed. From the back seat of the car, Harry Alexander watched the queue through the tinted windows. The patrons in the crowd were typical of those he met at any weekend club night—young women in scanty dresses and men who looked as if they’d spent the entire day and a month’s salary grooming themselves for the event.

And there, right by the entrance, he saw himself. A life-sized poster in which he wore a white shirt, open to the waist, and a sea captain’s hat. ‘Tonight,’ the poster announced, ‘Meet the Star of Ship Mates, Harry Alexander.’ It was an old photograph, taken around five years earlier, when he’d been at the height of his fame. Mega cheesy. Harry had never liked that image, but the damn thing followed him everywhere.

Look at all those people, Vanessa exclaimed from the seat beside him.

Relax, Harry said. They’re here for the club, not me. I’m just a sideshow.

The club thought enough of you to send this car, didn’t they? You’re a big deal here.

A big deal. He knew it wasn’t true. Not anymore. True, someone still valued his celebrity enough to book him for this gig. Despite the saturation of reality-TV stars on the market, places like this were willing to shell out a few quid to have a well-known face on the premises. He didn’t understand why but had milked it for all it was worth, prolonging his fifteen minutes of fame to a decent six years. The offers were a lot less frequent these days, but there were opportunities to be had, as long as he wasn’t fussy, or too proud.

The Mercedes slipped into the alley at the rear of the club and the driver came around to open the door. Harry stepped out, followed by Vanessa and her husband, Ross. Best friends since childhood, Harry had seen little of Vanessa since she’d married and moved to Manchester. Now work brought him here for the weekend, it gave them the perfect opportunity to catch up, all at someone else’s expense.

Vanessa and Ross were dressed for a big night. She had on a full, sequined evening dress with narrow straps, low at the front and even lower at the back. Ross, a vet in his mid-thirties, wore a black suit and white shirt, more appropriate for a formal dinner than a trendy city center club. Ross put his arm around his wife’s waist, and they followed Harry through the back door of the club.

Harry Alexander was six-foot-two and every inch of him looked like a star. At thirty-two years of age, he had an effortless, old-fashioned look, at odds with the overly Botoxed, waxed, polished, buffed and styled images of his contemporaries. Brown hair—thick with a natural wave, cut short at the back and sides and full on top. Icy-blue eyes—like Franco Nero or Paul Walker in their prime. A straight nose and strong, handsome jawline. He had a wide-shouldered build, slim through the waist and powerful in the butt and thighs, all achieved through good diet and a healthy fitness regime. In an industry where many young men go to extreme lengths to reach unachievable goals of perfection, Harry was comfortable in his own skin. That comfort and confidence made him sexier, more desirable than all the others.

Tonight, he wore his regular uniform for this kind of thing. Narrow-legged navy trousers to show off those assets, and a slim-fitting, short-sleeved shirt, which revealed his strong, tattoo-free biceps and forearms.

The club security led them into a small waiting room. There were drinks laid out—wine, champagne, spirits and beer. Harry told Vanessa and Ross to help themselves.

Is this what your life is like all the time? Ross asked, opening a beer and dropping into a sofa. People just give you free stuff.

Not really, Harry said. Only at times like this. Though other people play the game a lot better than I do. They rarely pay for anything. I don’t like to take the piss like that. Some things should be paid for. All true. On a job, Harry had no qualms about taking the clubs for all they would give. But he didn’t behave that way through the rest of his life, expecting freebies just because he was well-known.

Harry looked at his watch. It had gone twelve. He was due on stage at one. These things followed a format. A brief turn on the stage, followed by photos and autographs with anyone who wanted them, then a seat the VIP room, where he was obliged to stay for one hour. That was where the clubs made the real money from these celebrity appearances. Regular punters would pay upward of one thousand pounds for a table in the VIP just to be close to the famous guests. Once there, they’d be stung with minimum spending restrictions on the bar, at least another grand toward the club. The hotter the celebrity, the higher the prize of a table. Harry’s days as a top earner were long gone, though he could still command a decent fee for a few hours of what he could never call work.

The club’s manager appeared a few minutes later, while Ross opened his second beer and Vanessa got stuck into the free champagne. Marc Jenner, a guy in his early twenties, had a frozen, shiny forehead and an overfamiliar attitude. Though this was the first time they’d met, he greeted Harry with a brotherly hug.

Harry, mate, so good to see you. He grinned, with the wide eyes and overconfidence of a seasoned cokehead. Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself, he said, clocking Vanessa’s full glass.

There’s just one thing, Harry said, taking Marc by the elbow and guiding him to the outer corridor.

Anything, mate, just say it. We can sort anything you want. What’s it to be, bro? A cheeky line or two? Or a pretty face plucked out of the crowd?

Harry held his patience. My fee. It hasn’t come through.

Marc laughed. Don’t worry about it, mate, we’ll see you right. We’re good for the money, you know that.

How many times had he heard that before? Harry maintained the cool, professional tone. I made it clear when you booked me for this gig that you would pay me in advance of the appearance. I checked my account in the car here, and the funds still haven’t come through.

Marc’s smile and confidence wavered for the first time. Harry, man, it’s all cool, don’t worry. You’ll get paid.

Now, he said, his voice