No Wolves, Just Monsters

Bella hinted at this in the occasional discussions she had with Meghan, but this was

hampered by the star's reluctance to say very much about personal matters to someone who was

still very much a stranger and one who, despite the initial favourable impression, Meghan had

decided that she did not particularly like. The two women differed on many matters.

Bella wanted Meghan to check out the Montreal night life and eligible men, with her loyal

assistant in tow, when the star wanted to stay in and talk to Will on the phone. More annoyingly

Bella was way too serious in monitoring Meghan's diet and exercise regimen. Will let her have the

occasional nugget and challenged her to competitive tread mill races in the gym which he would

win, but then Meghan would push him around. It was fun. Mia kidded the star into doing the work

and would chat. Bella took everything seriously. It was irritating.

Meghan was not about to tell this annoying stranger how she felt about Will, especially as

she was not sure how Will felt about her. However, she found Stella's game of "pick a husband" an

amusing diversion while on set and helped lighten her assistant's grim outlook on life. This game

consisted of Bella mentioning a particular star featured in a magazine she had picked up (Meghan

also found her assistant's interest in the film gossip publications mildly annoying) and say said

something like "he's really hot", Meghan would say "he's a nice guy" then add "his girlfriend is

sweet", or "yeah, he's hot".

One of these publications mentioned mall billionaire James Scranton.

"What about him?" asked Bella. "He's rich enough for anyone."

"Met him; total slease," said Meghan.

This went on for a few days with Bella thinking that she was making progress in her quest

when, in reality, her boss was not thinking of anyone but Will and beginning to tire of the husband

game. Then on the Friday that Will was to be released from his course, there was a knock on the

hotel suite door.

"Bella, have whoever it is wait," called Meghan. "I have to change."

Meghan was, in fact, still in her dressing gown – a charming, short, white silk gown that

showed off her legs to excellent effect – and was reading an article in one of Bella's magazines

about the loves of Misty Dawn. She was not due on set until the filming of a salacious shower scene

scheduled for the afternoon. She heard Bella speak to someone at the door and thought that she

should get up and go to the bedroom to put on clothes. She had taken a few steps when Bo

Benjamin came into the room, followed by two gigantic bodyguards.

"My, this is fine," said Benjamin, eyes widening at the sight of Meghan.

As on the plane, he looked every inch the rock star with leather pants and vest, open black

shirt, gold chain, still potent good looks and that masculine presence that made girls swoon worldwide. His two man security detail, on the other hand, looked as if they'd been cut from the same

block of granite with the sculptor skipping on the necks, as well as dressed in the same dark suits

and white shirts. Most of those who encountered the rock star had trouble telling the two

bodyguards apart.

"Bo, good to see you," said the star automatically, "but I'm not dressed. Bella, I said to ask

our guests to wait."

"But it's Bo Benjamin," trilled Bella. "It's such an honor."

"For me or for him?" asked Meghan, coolly. "Bo could still wait until I'm dressed."

"We're all friends here Clar," said Bo, grinning. Meghan was reminded of a shark, or

perhaps a wolf. "I've got concerts in town and thought I'd drop in."

"I'm not friends with your security guys," said Meghan. "They can wait."

Bo dismissed his security detail with a wave and, not knowing where to go, the two men

went into the suite's dining room, shutting the door.

"I was thinking of you the other day when I got these," said Bo, taking a paper packet out of

his vest, which he unwrapped and put on the occasional table in front of the sofa to reveal sticks.

Meghan had not touched this mild drug since being rescued by Will from the Los Angeles party and

had not really missed it. But now that a few of the sticks had been placed in front of her by a man

who had introduced her to the habit long ago, she was tempted. Shower scenes were hard work and

Will, who would not approve at all, was still some hours away. Maybe she could be more relaxed

before that afternoon's filming?

Bo vanished for a moment while Meghan took a stick, then reappeared with an opened

bottle of white wine.

"You used to like this label," he said showing it to her.

"I don't remember," said Meghan squinting at the label and thinking that perhaps she

needed glasses. "A few sips to relax can't hurt. Bo, I can spare you an hour for old time's sake then

I've got to get dressed. My boyfriend is due in later and we're going out."

Bo paid no heed at all to Meghan's comment about Will's pending arrival. Instead he got

two glasses filled them up at the suite's bar and lit a stick for Meghan.

"Meghan why don't I grab some coffee in one of the hotel shops," said Bella thinking that

the two stars may want to be alone to connect. "I could come back in about an hour."

"Sure," said Meghan, forgetting Will's warnings about being left alone with men,

particularly men who might think themselves entitled. Bella vanished.

Meghan took a sip of the wine – it was pleasant – and puffed on the stick. She thought that

Bo was grinning at her in a way that reminded her of a wolf.

Not that far away, in fact in Montreal's main business district, Will was looking in the

windows of jewellery stores wondering if he was making a fool of himself again. The diving course

had finished early, as one of the instructors had fallen ill and another had been required elsewhere,

without giving Will the qualification required for deep diving. He would have to return perhaps

later in the year. But that meant he was free to re-join Meghan early, meaning to surprise her, and

perhaps do some shopping. He had never been to Montreal before but quickly discovered that it had

an underground city filled with shops and a golden square mile and other places besides. Where was

the best place to go? Should he really buy a ring off the shelf for a star like Clarise Chalmers?

Should be buy a ring at all? Well, there was no need to confront the star straight away. Maybe he

could hint around, or perhaps let her find the ring without realising that she was supposed to find it?

He looked in another store and there, on display, was a ring that he thought she might like. His

finances were in a lot better shape than they had been when he bought that ring for Violet. He went

into the shop thinking that there was no harm in checking the ring size.

For Meghan space and time had been redefined. Ceilings and floor did not matter, she

realised, and they vanished seemingly with a wave of her hand. Space was infinite and the stars that

wheeled overhead were all hers. Everything had a soft glow, as if a particularly skilled lighting

director had been at work on the set. Yes, that was it. Everything was really a movie set and they

were all actors playing a part and what happened on a movie set didn't matter in real life. Now that

was a profound thought. She could do what she wanted, or what the script demanded, and walk

away at the end of shooting. It was all pretend anyway.

A small part of her mind warned her that the drug in the stick was far more potent than those

she had been using and it had combined with something in the wine in a strange way, but the rest of

her drug-addled consciousness dismissed such thoughts as unprofessional. Everything was a movie.

What happened on set did not matter, particularly when the feeling of letting go was so pleasurable.

She was aware of being lifted up by Bo, and thinking that was odd, of her dressing gown falling

away – what did that matter? It was all part of the scene – and of being pressed against a desk; of

Bo moving on her. She clung to him, to steady herself, as she had done in many scenes, but also

wrapped her legs around him as she thought that was a nice touch the director would appreciate.

Neither she nor Bo heard the hotel door open and she did not see, her face being buried in

Bo's neck, Will standing in the hallway dumbfounded before charging at the grappling couple. She

heard Bo shout for his security team as he grabbed an old-fashioned letter opener that happened to

be on the desk and thrust it at the on-rushing writer. Meghan looked down, saw the implement in

Bo's hand, thought that it was part of the scene they were playing and also grabbed it, just as Will's

full weight hit the couple, throwing them both off the desk to land painfully on the floor. Will had a

moment to realise that something was sticking in his abdomen before the bodyguards intervened,

tackling him and, in the process, smashing Will's head into the wall.

Everyone but Will, who had been knocked unconscious, picked themselves off the floor.