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it home to his cottage just after lunchtime. He was glad to see the familiar sight of his front door as he let himself in, making his way straight to the bathroom. Shedding his clothes in an untidy mess as he crossed the floor, he stepped into the shower and turned on the taps. Jets of steaming water cascaded over his body, washing away the sweat and stale smell of vomit that clung to his body. The taxi driver had sniffed in ire more than once. When Sage finally wrapped the towel around his waist and brushed his teeth, he felt more human.
    He made himself a quick plate of scrambled eggs on toast, eating it whilst he read through the script. He had to admit he was impressed. The script was punchy, witty and well written. He could see the definite influence of Alexander Montgomery’s writing. The writer had a unique style, one that was entertaining, dry and in places downright sarcastic. He could see why his books had such an impact.
    The basic premise of the series revolved around Carter West, a world-renowned photographer, used to taking pictures in war zones, jungles and other far-flung places, and a fashion model called Gillian Banks.
    The two of them meet in Egypt after a bomb explodes at the Cairo restaurant where they were both dining. Carter’s best friend is killed in the explosion. Gillian is injured and Carter ends up at the hospital with her.
    Sage chuckled when he read the fairly misogynistic viewpoint of the lead character, a fiery exchange in which Carter gave a no-holds-barred discourse of his view of fashion models.
    Needless to say, tempers flared. From that point on, it became a case of bumping into each other all over the city. Finally they admit their attraction to each other and take the relationship to the next level.
    Sage really liked the drama within the drama. Things always seemed to go wrong or one of them was in the wrong place at the time. The dialogue was quirky, tender and at times bitingly funny.
    His mobile rang just as he was getting to the part where both characters were due to attend some photography awards ceremony and she couldn’t keep her hands off him. It was all fairly erotic and he had to say he looked forward to testing his acting skills in this bit. He answered his phone feeling fairly put out at the interruption.
    “Chris Sage.”
    “Christopher? It’s Alexander Montgomery.”
    He was fairly surprised when he heard who it was. “Alexander. Hi. How are you? And please call me Sage. Christopher is normally only used when someone is really mad with me. What can I do for you?”
    “Call me Alex, please. I just wanted to call and say I’m sorry for being a bit short yesterday. I tend to value my privacy and I get a little antsy when people talk about me. But it’s not your fault, really.”
    Sage frowned slightly. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Everyone deserves privacy. Believe me, I know better than most.”
    “How are you finding the script?” Alex sounded a little wary.
    “I’m busy with it now. It’s really good. I’m very impressed and looking forward to getting started. What about you? Are you ready to have your words made into film? It must be quite an honour to have that sort of attention.”
    “It’s all a bit overwhelming. But Luke and Janine are really professional and they’re good teachers.”
    Sage chuckled. “They are that, quite the characters, the pair of them. I look forward to working with you. I’m sure we’ll get to do a lot of really good stuff together as a couple.”
    He flushed as he realised what he’d said. “I mean, what with the publicity and the interviews of course, we’ll probably be together a lot…” His voice tailed off and he shook his head in despair.
    How did this man manage to make him say the wrong thing all the time?
    “I’ll be moving across to London a few days before we start filming. I’ve had a quiet word with the friend and asked him to help me keep on the straight and narrow so I don’t get into any