Star Struck

Star Struck

A Novel

SHELIA GOSS

Electronic
s Edition

Copyright © 201
4 Shelia M Goss

Published by

4AllSeasons Publishing

[email protected]

Star Struck Copyright © 2014 by Shelia M. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

All characters, names, descriptions and traits are products of the author’s imagination. Similarities to actual people – living or dead – are purely coincidental.

Cover design by: SG Creations

Dear Readers:

I am happy to be able to offer you
Star Struck, a full length novel. This book was originally released in paperback as Hollywood Deception and now I'm re-releasing it as an e-Book for your reading pleasure. When Hailey Barnes, the ex-model turned talk show host, world turns upside down, she finds herself in a treacherous situation. Can love be in the midst of the storm?

Sit back, relax and enjoy this dramatic and suspenseful tale taken straight from the headlines.

Enjoy,

Shelia Goss

It’s All About the Ratings

~ 1 ~

Modesty and simplicity were rarely used to describe Hailey Barnes.  Why should they? Life wasn’t always easy for her. She worked hard to get to this point in her career.  She was blessed with natural good looks thanks to the genes of both of her African-American parents. Many assumed she inherited her height from her father, but to the contrary. Her mother was tall and most of the men and women on her mother’s side were five ten or taller. 

Hailey glared at the picture left in her dressing room chair. Shock registered immediately when she opened up the brown envelope and saw her eyes cut out. The words “I hate you,” were written in red. She threw the picture and envelope in the trash.  As a former model, she was used to receiving hate mail. Many would be surprised at the amount of people who sent her hate mail simply for the color of her skin. She learned early on how to protect herself from the pain. Her mom taught her while growing up in a Suburban town right outside of
Dallas to not allow others opinions to dictate how she felt about herself. Her survival tactics kicked into high gear and she decided to simply ignore the picture; although her instincts told her this one was different than the others.

She blinked a few times as if it would erase the memory of the picture. She looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time before leaving her dressing room. 

“We’re on in one-two-three, you’re on,” John Woods, the executive producer, stated in Hailey’s ear piece. The Hailey Barnes show was the number three talk show in her market. She was vying for the number two spot because O had number one on lock.

Hailey flashed her Colgate smile and with a walk reminiscent of her time as a model on the runway in
Paris, she walked out on the stage to an audience that gave her a standing ovation fit for a queen. She enjoyed the accolades and soaked in the energy. She fed on the energy and as she walked to take her seat, her long auburn tresses bounced and glistened on the screen.

“Today’s Freedom Friday and as you know, it’s,” Hailey stopped speaking and looked at the audience.

The audience yelled, “Fan mail time.”

“Let’s see what you the viewers have to say this week. I want to remind everyone that neither I nor my producers know what’s in your letters. I read them live on the air and ad-lib my responses.”

She picked out a few letters, read them, looked into the camera as she responded. The in studio audience laughed or “ahhed” at some of the responses. She repeated this process for the first ten minutes of the show. Hailey held the last letter in her hand and viewers had to look close but the gleam in her eye disappeared for a split second.

“We have some bills to pay and we’ll be right back,” she said, as she dropped the letter back in the bag as if it was hot coal. She ignored her studio audience and ran off the stage.

John rushed behind her. “Hailey, have you lost your mind? What’s gotten into you?”

She snatched the letter out of the bag and threw it on the counter near John. “Look at this. This is the third letter from this creep. I need someone to find out who it is and now.”

John picked up the letter and read it. “I need for you to get your behind back on stage. We’ll deal with this after the taping.”

“But John,” she said, batting her long black eyelashes.

John was one of the few people who could handle Hailey; especially when she was in diva-mode. John ignored her rant and pushed her back towards the stage. Her make-up artist met them at the entry way and blotted out the sweat that had formed on her forehead. An intern handed her a bottle of water. She took a quick sip, passed it back to the intern and walked back on stage right before the end of the last commercial aired.

Hailey inhaled and exhaled a few times and as John spoke in her earpiece, she mentally prepared for the next segment of her show.   “Now I’m taking it to the audience. Talk to Hailey. What’s on your mind?” she asked as different audience members took turns on the microphone. On Freedom Fridays Hailey was known to pick audience members to come on stage to be her special guests. She called it her way of giving back to her viewers.

“My boyfriend says he loves me but he’s always talking about his ex-girlfriend. Should I believe him?” asked a slender brown-skinned woman wearing braids that hung to her shoulders.

Hailey moved in her seat and looked her directly in the eyes. “He has some unresolved issues with his ex. I wouldn’t get emotionally involved with him.”

“Too late,” the audience member responded.

“Let Hailey talk to you for a minute. You don’t mind do you audience,” Hailey said.

They responded, “No.”

“This is from one sister to another. Don’t settle for being second best. If you can’t be number one in his heart. Correction, if you can’t be the only one in his heart, you need to bounce.”

“But…” she stuttered. “I love him.”

“To quote Tina, ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ It’s up to you, but don’t be nobody’s fool,” Hailey stated.

The woman went and sat back down in her seat. The camera focused on her for a few seconds before turning to look at the next audience member at the microphone.  John’s voice came across the earpiece. “Wrap it up.”

Hailey addressed the audience member’s issue within a few minutes and then ended the show. “Thank you all for tuning in to the Hailey Barnes Show. We’ll be back on Monday. We’ll be talking to members of the paparazzi. This should be interesting. Until Monday, have a fun and safe weekend. Remember don’t nobody love you like you love yourself. Treat yourself to something nice this weekend.”

Hailey removed the microphone. She walked into the audience to shake hands and give autographs. Hailey noticed the young lady from earlier with the braids crying. She hugged her. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t let him bring you down.”

The lady responded, “Thanks for the advice.”

Hailey left to go back stage to the cheers of “Hailey! Hailey!”

John met her at the entranceway. “Follow me to my office.”

“This has been a long day,” Hailey whined.

“It’s about to get longer. I don’t like the sounds of this letter.”

“Handle it. I have a hair appointment.”

“Cancel it. We have a meeting with the head of security and this is more important,” John said.

“John, I trust you to handle it for me.”

“Hailey, you need to get your priorities straight,” he responded.

“I do and when I look good, the show looks good. Besides, it’s time for a touch up,” she said, as she pulled on her wig. “I know it’s hard to tell under this wig, but trust me, it’s time.”

John shook his head from side to side. “Be careful.”

“It’s probably nothing. You know how I can overreact.”

“You’re right. We’ll just beef up security and all will be fine.”

Hailey pulled John into a quick hug. “Have a good weekend.” Hailey went in the opposite direction of John’s office. The only thing she wanted to do was relax. She was confident that John could handle an irate fan.

***

“Trevon, did you tell her yet?” Garrett Morgan asked.

“That’s her calling now,” Trevon Swint responded.

Garrett watched his best friend from elementary school make the biggest mistake of his life. He was playing with fire. Hailey wasn’t a woman he wanted to keep hanging on a string. Garrett could smell disaster a mile away.

He typed up his final report while waiting on Trevon to end his phone call. Their company GT Securities was one of the top security firms in the area. Thanks to Hailey’s celebrity connection they had added security to the stars as part of their business structure. Whether it was corporate or personal, GT Securities had a good reputation of providing good results.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Trevon said, before ending his phone call.

Garrett shook his head from side to side. “You’re a trip. You know you’re wrong don’t you?”

Trevon leaned his six foot medium build frame back in the plush leather chair. “I can’t help it if I’m irresistible to the ladies.”

“Everybody can’t be like me. Trust me. A player you’re not.”

Trevon stood up. “Jealous. I got two fine women vying for my attention.”

Garrett laughed. “Man, you got me confused. I’ll pretend like you didn’t say that.”

“I’m out. Have a good weekend,” Trevon stated before exiting Garrett’s office.

“Mine will be safe. Yours dangerous,” he responded outside of Trevon’s earshot.

His personal cell phone rang. A smile swept across his face after he saw the name displayed. “I was just about to call you.”

“Good, well my man is busy, so if you have some time, I would love to see you tonight,” the woman from the other end purred.

Garrett turned his computer off. “I’m offended. I wasn’t your first choice.”

“Gee you know if you would only settle down, you would be my only choice.”

“True. One woman is never enough for me.”

“One day your playing ways is going to come back and bite you.”

“Until then, I got something you can bite on.”

“You’re nasty.”

“And you know it.”

Garrett grabbed his briefcase, turned out the lights and left for his Friday night rendezvous.

~ 2 ~

Hailey looked at the wedding invitation on crisp tan paper shaped like a heart and trimmed in gold. She read it twice, because she knew her eyes were deceiving her. How could one of her best friends get married and not tell her? Why was she just finding out? These thoughts and more mangled her mind.

She contemplated on shredding it but instead she held on to it. She hated to be outdone and the invitation was a reminder; a reminder that she needed to step up her game. She refused to be second. 

Hailey took longer in the shower than she had planned but the hot water hitting her body seemed to hit every nerve, releasing the bent up stress from the day’s previous events. She sprayed on her signature fragrance Issey Miyake and dressed in a short silk one piece black dress. The timing was perfect. Her doorbell rang just as she slid on her black slippers. She brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and answered the door.

Hailey pulled him into a long embrace. She inhaled his masculine scent mixed with Sean John’s Unforgivable. Trevon looked as good as he did the day Hailey met him in college. When she decided to take time off from modeling and get her business degree, Trevon was one of the few guys who didn’t treat her like a star. She ended up hanging out with Trevon and Garrett so much, they were known around campus as the three musketeers.

“We better close the door or the paparazzi will be posting this pic in every paper,” Trevon stated as he pushed Hailey inside the door.

Hailey’s mood went from one of admiration to repulsion. “We couldn’t have that now could we?” She stormed away towards the dimly lit living room. Trevon followed her and had to almost run to catch up with her.  Hailey stood with her back towards him. He put his arms around her and Hailey jerked her body away. She picked up the wedding invitation on the nearby table, turned around and threw it at him.

He bent down to pick it up. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Hailey stood with her arms crossed. “That’s what I thought.”