Kiss the Paparazzi

By Sheri L. Williams

Alice Black may be a seasoned movie star, but she's also a recently divorced mother and she's tired of the paparazzi invading every aspect of her life.

Caleb Knowles is just trying to make it as a young photographer, even if secretly snapping photos of celebrities isn't what he had in mind.

But when Alice confronts Caleb about his invasion of her privacy, she doesn't count on him becoming a part of her life. And now that Caleb is on the other side of the lense, he's getting a taste of his own medicine, and he doesn't like it one bit.

Can the two of them overcome their paparazzi past? When the tabloids get a whiff of the much younger Caleb appearing at the side of the beloved Alice Black, will the new duo be able to withstand the rumors? Will the spotlight be too much for them to handle? Or will it make them stronger than even before?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Shorts
• Release date: Apr 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094418339

Sheri L. Williams

N/A

Book preview

Chapter One

Alice sat on her patio, sipping on a smoothie. There was a pile of scripts on the table next to her, and her ten-year-old daughter, Mercy, was lying on a giant shark floatie in the middle of the salt-water pool, the bright orange of her bathing suit competing with the sun. If there was a perfect day, this one would’ve been it for Alice, despite that awful orange that Mercy loved so much. The perfection lasted right up until the moment Jo plopped down next to her with her tablet, displaying the latest batch of terrible paparazzi shots.

If there was one thing that Alice hated more than the misogyny and ageism going on in Hollywood, it was the paparazzi. She didn’t want to look, but Jo nudged the tablet over.

There is literally nothing I can do, and I won’t be made a prisoner in my own home, Jo, Alice said. She sighed as she swiped through the pictures. As usual, they were all candids, all from a distance, all of them showing her dressed down and looking comfortable. Alice wasn’t ugly, but they sure did seem to be trying to make her look that way. There wasn’t a single good picture, but then again, good pictures weren’t interesting. They wanted to tear her down. It was their sole job in this terrible world, and she was beyond tired of it.

"I know. It blows. For like, a second, I was considering a bodyguard, but then I just know that this asshole, this Huntington shithead, will start saying you’re sleeping with whatever guy we could find, Jo said. And you don’t deserve that shit."

Alice grinned. She was used to Jo getting angry on her behalf; they were best friends for a reason, after all. Plus, the way she sneered as she said the tabloid owner’s name, well; Alice appreciated the support. Because Jo was right. If Alice started being seen around town with any man, the first headline was guaranteed to speculate that she was sleeping with him.

Just to be a troll, because Jo had had the same bad luck with women that Alice had with men, she suggested a new option. You could find a female bodyguard. I know they exist.

Her best friend just glared at her, before they both broke down laughing. The sex of the bodyguard wouldn’t matter at all. And she definitely didn’t need rumors of that sort, not now. Not that there was a problem with it, but still. In Hollywood, image was everything.

"Some days I wonder what I did to piss off Niles Huntington so badly, but then I remember that I probably didn’t do anything besides get over him. No matter how many paps he sends after me to sell his rag, I’m not going to let him define me or my roles." Alice hoped that she could keep up that sentiment; she was enjoying this new potential phase of her career.

Speaking of roles, Mom; did you pick out of that stack yet? You know which one I’m pulling for. Mercy had pulled herself out of the pool and after wrapping a towel around herself, sat next to Jo. Her hair, wrapped into two tiny buns, was dripping all over; she hadn’t even blotted it with the towel. Alice noted that the purple streaks were fading; Mercy loved to play with her hair color and styles and it might be time to talk to her girl about trying something new.

Pushing that thought aside, Alice riffled through the pile her ex-husband slash former agent had forwarded, and pulled up the one Mercy was after. A crazily-hot commodity right now, it was an adaptation of a post-apocalyptic novel for young adults that had been acquired by a new production company after a fierce bidding war. Alice had been surprised to receive the script, and even more surprised to see the character they wanted her for. Alice knew she had the range to go beyond the type of roles she was well known for, and the idea that she would get to be a good guy for once? Yeah, she was digging that. She loved the idea that maybe she’d get a chance to break free of always playing the witch, or the demon, or the psychotic mom. Hopefully. She was so tired of the pigeonhole she’d been shoved into.

It was one of things they hadn’t told her in acting class: that if she got hired as one thing right out of the gate, then she should expect to always be that. She’d had an okay career so far, with a few significant highlights, but she could do more, she knew it.

"It is good; the mom of the protagonist. I am surprised as hell they sent it to me, but Jermaine told me that the woman running the production company said they were really interested in my take on the character. She read more of the character description. I like her; she’s a rebel and I think she could be really interesting."

Mom, you gotta do it. The sheer amount of street cred I’ll get. You don’t even know. Mercy fake-pouted at her and batted her eyes.

Alice and Jo both laughed at Mercy’s plaintiveness. Until recently Mercy hadn’t shown any real interest in Alice’s profession, but when Alice moved after she and her husband Jermaine had divorced, for the first time Mercy had begun making friends with the children of other actors who attended her new middle school. Alice was glad that Mercy was finally interested. She’d never push her daughter into the business, but with her ex still in L.A. and Alice and Mercy in Newport Beach, she wanted to be a better, more present mom. Mercy deserved that. She deserved everything.

I still need to find a new agent, baby. Even though me and your dad are still on good enough terms that he forwards my mail, it’s official that we are no longer working together professionally, either. And as much as I would love to just ask Jo to do it, she already has enough on her plate being my assistant, plus she doesn’t know how to be an agent. So I’ll do what I can with the producer on my own, but I’m not making any promises.

Alice hadn’t really thought about it before, but maybe Jo could be her agent. Might be worth looking into, though she already felt like she worked Jo too hard; having a live-in personal assistant made it too easy to take advantage of her, even if they were best friends and Jo wouldn’t think of it that way.

Okay, Mom. Mercy flounced off, probably to get her own smoothie, and Alice looked over at Jo.

We need to start looking for a new agent. The break after the divorce has been nice, but I’m ready to get back to work again. She flipped through the script again, honestly intrigued. I know Mercy wants me to get this, but honestly? I kinda want it too.

Yeah, boss lady, I got it; I’ll start making some calls.

Jo, we don’t deserve you. I owe you a raise.

Jo ducked her head and shook it. Nah, boss, you take good care of me. Plus, I love you and that girl, so parts of it ain’t even really like a job.

She returned her attention to the photo alert on her tablet and grinned slyly. Alice knew that grin. It had gotten them into plenty of trouble back in high school.

"OK, this pap is named Caleb Knowles and he’s a baby! Just in his twenties." Jo shook her head and Alice just huffed; she couldn’t imagine what difference it would make, knowing the guy’s name. It wasn’t like she was going to sue or anything. Maybe she should find his parents; ask them if they knew what kind of appalling employment their baby boy had gotten himself into.

All right, I’m going to grab something more substantial than a smoothie; send me what you get on agents, yeah? And Alice made a mental note to do her own research into what it would take for Jo to be her agent, if that was something she would want to do.

Yeah, boss lady. Jo replied absently, still going over whatever she’d found out about the young paparazzo.

Sometimes, even after decades of being friends, Alice didn’t understand the way Jo’s mind worked. She left her sitting on the patio and gathered the scripts before going into the kitchen. Mercy was munching on a plate of chips and guac and Alice wasn’t in the mood for that, so she rummaged around in the fridge trying to find something else that seemed good. She didn’t find anything and snagged a chip from Mercy before heading toward her office. She dropped the stack of scripts on her desk and plopped down in her chair to look through them again.

She tried to focus on the pages, see if she could pull another one that she would like aside from the book adaptation, but she kept going back to Jo’s voice when she’d brought up the photographer. There had been something there; something more than his age and the fact that he was a paparazzo at all. Finally she turned on her computer and looked him up.

Immediately she knew what that sound in Jo’s voice had been. Caleb Knowles, scum of the earth paparazzo, was gorgeous. The staff pic only showed him halfway down his shoulders, but it looked like had an athlete’s build, and there was no mistaking his dark auburn hair, bright green eyes, freckles, and chin dimple; according to his bio on Huntington’s website, he’d only been working as a staff photographer for six months.

Turning it around in her head, Alice wondered what she should, or could, do with this information. She ruled out trying to reason with him, as she had never met a reasonable paparazzo before. But she looked at his picture again and wondered if she could seduce him over to her side. Because it had been over a year since she’d had sex and it had to be said, Caleb was hot. He was on the wrong side of the camera.

Alice almost immediately shelved that idea; no matter the roles she was usually offered, she wasn’t a black widow. She was a forty-ish, recently divorced woman. And though she worked damned hard to stay fit and looking good, she couldn’t imagine that she had anything to offer a gorgeous twenty-something.

Alice snorted a laugh and then opened her email, knowing that Jo would’ve already sent her a list of available agents. They’d work together to find her a new one, but meanwhile, she’d reply personally to the producer who’d sent Jermaine the script for her in the first place.

She didn’t leave her office until the sun had started to set, and she cracked her neck as she walked into the kitchen to find that meal she’d skipped earlier. She was feeling pretty good about what she’d accomplished that day. She’d finally picked two more scripts to look into, and had a pretty pleasant back-and-forth with producer’s name. Maybe, just maybe she could make this work and get that part. Mercy would love it.

She found her daughter on the couch with her headset on, the overly loud sounds of her favorite video game still audible through the earpiece. Mercy didn’t