I kissed her soft. I smoothed her hair from her eyes. I kissed her forehead, her nose. Just little kisses to soothe her pain. To melt it away. She snuggled up under me. It was dark in the room and we slept.

Morning came with the phone ringing off the hook. It was reporters wanting to know if I had any comment on Carmen’s boyfriend killing himself. I told them I did and I said “no comment” and hung up the phone taking the jack out of the wall. She was still sleeping when loud banging on the door forced me out of bed.

It was a woman. Tall, creamy complexion, expensive suit. All barging in. All business, looking around. Who was she? Bette Porter. Agent extraordinaire.

“Is she here?” she asked looking around the suite.

“She?”

“Don’t get cute McCutcheon…is Carmen here?”

“And you are?”

“Her agent, her voice of reason. Carmen!”

“She is sleeping, incase you haven’t noticed she is grieving right now. Why don’t you hold off on the Hollywood routine?”

“Is that what you call it…So you two are just sleeping in this 700 dollar a night suit while her dead boyfriend just rots away?”

“Lay off Bette. I am up.”

“Well it’s good to hear, the both of you are late. You are holding up production, and I find you here in her room…on the verge of Bruce taking the spotlight from you….Carmen…help me out here….” Bette Porter said,  completely lacking feeling or care to what Carmen was feeling.

“Are you some kind of soulless monster, Carmen is grieving and the movie is all you care to talk about?”

“You really don’t have a clue how this all works. Well let me explain it to you. Bruce had a lot of demons…..lots of demons that needed drugs and alcohol to survive. You both have gotten the movie of a lifetime and your late, Carmen has yet to issue a statement and the rumors are rampant that the two of you are fucking like rabbits." She went from addressing me to yelling at Carmen. "Instead of being at work, instead of deflecting attention away from your career killing obsession with her, you are here with said woman. Carmen you pay me but not enough to make this go away!”