Flipping His Script: A Loathing to Love Romance

by Sabrina Stark

  "Why?"

  "Book signings mostly – and for the advance buzz."

  I considered how successful the whole venture had been. "Well, the plan obviously worked."

  "Maybe," he said. "But the thing is, we get to Bismarck, a couple hours away from where Flynn and I worked construction. And he's still there. So for kicks, I tell him to come down and take a look at the whole casting thing."

  "And he did?"

  "Sure, after some arm-twisting. But the day he comes in, he's all pissed off."

  "Why?" I asked.

  Jack gave a rueful laugh. "Because he was always pissed off."

  With a laugh of my own, I said, "Him? No way." Still, it wasn't lost on me that Flynn had mellowed considerably over the last few weeks.

  "But the casting director, she gets one look at him, and says, 'That's what we need.'"

  "Meaning Flynn?"

  "Oh yeah," he said. "She sees him sitting there, glowering, and she thinks he's there for the audition, in character."

  "But he wasn't?"

  "Hell no. Stunt work, maybe. But acting? It's not his thing."

  From what I already knew, I couldn’t say I was surprised.

  "And," Jack continued. "That attitude of his? It's pretty hard to fake."

  I considered the character that Flynn played in the movies. That guy was always pissed off, not in a loud, obnoxious way, but rather in a quiet, scary way that always had people guessing.

  I said, "So they hired him, just like that?"

  "Nope. And you wanna know why?"

  "Why?"

  "Because he turned them down."

  With a little gasp, I sat back in my chair. "He didn't."

  "He did."

  "But then what? He gave in?"

  "Sure. For a better deal."

  "So he held out for more money?"

  "Not for more money," Jack said. "No money."

  I blinked. "Sorry, what?"

  "No money up front. What he wanted was a percentage of the take."

  I'd heard of such things before, but wasn't quite sure how this worked. "And they agreed?"

  Jack nodded. The way they saw it, they couldn't lose. If the movies flop, he gets nothing."

  "But they didn't flop."

  "Got that right," Jack said. "That guy of yours – he'll be cashing checks for decades."

  At his phrasing, something squeezed at my heart. Flynn wasn't my guy, not really. But I didn't dare say so. After all, I still had my own role to play.

  I was just about to ask for more details when a loud crash sounded from outside the house. In unison, Jack and I both jumped to our feet.

  He turned to go. "Wait here."

  Screw that.

  If he was going, I was going.

  No matter what.

  Chapter 73

  Anna

  I followed Jack out the front door, where both of us stopped short at the sight of a limo smashed up against the front gate. The limo's front end was crumpled, but the gate had apparently held.

  Still, the scene didn't look good.

  I thought of Randy, the limo driver from Felicity's last visit. Was he driving her again? If so, was he okay? I bit my lip. Was anyone hurt?

  And why was Flynn standing so close to the driver's side door? On instinct, I plunged forward only to stop yet again when a hand on my elbow yanked me back.

  I whirled to look, and of course it was Jack, who said, "Stay here."

  Damn it. Just like Flynn.

  Except this time, I hadn't been walking into traffic. I'd been looking to make sure everyone was okay.

  I gave my elbow a hard yank. "Forget it."

  Under his breath, he muttered, "Shit." But to his credit, he finally let go. A split second later, I was dashing toward the crash with Jack striding along beside me.

  I'd made it only halfway there when the driver's side door opened, and – What the hell? – Felicity Saint Cloud tumbled out of the driver's seat and straight into Flynn's arms.

  She sobbed against his chest, choking out words that I couldn’t make out. She looked surprisingly fine, all things considered.

  I saw no sign of Randy, or any other driver for that matter.

  I was still standing there gaping like an idiot when several pairs of headlights appeared in the distance, barreling closer with every passing second. Way too soon, three vehicles – two vans and a compact car – skidded to a stop near the crash.

  I sucked in a horrified breath. Emblazoned across the vans were the giant logos of two local news channels. As for the compact car, it was plain, but still offered little comfort as a burly guy with a video camera jumped out of the driver's seat and immediately began filming.

  Crews from the vans quickly followed suit. There was even a reporter with a microphone, along with an older guy snapping photos of the whole sordid scene.

  Where on Earth had he come from?

  In all the commotion, I had no idea.

  If Flynn noticed the new arrivals, he gave no sign. But of course, he had to notice. After all, the spectacle would've been pretty hard to miss. Even now, all of the cameras were trained on the world-famous couple, still locked in a messy embrace within sight of Flynn's gated mansion.

  If this wasn't a perfect scene for the tabloids, I didn't know what was.

  And now, I didn't know what to do. I gave Jack a sideways glance.

  Under his breath, he said, "Jesus."

  Yeah. No kidding.

  Beside the crash, Felicity wrenched herself away from Flynn and wailed, "How could you?"

  Flynn's only reply was a cold, silent stare, even when Felicity resumed her sobbing.

  Between the headlights and the lights from the various cameras, I could see both of them as clear as day. By some miracle, Felicity still looked absolutely gorgeous.

  Talk about unfair.

  When I sobbed my heart out, I looked red and splotchy. But she didn't look red or splotchy. She looked tragically beautiful, just like she did in the movies.

  Come to think of it, except for her clothing, she looked exactly like she had in Swordplay when Flynn's character had executed her father.

  My gaze zoomed in on Flynn. He also looked like the character he played in the movies – stone cold and utterly impervious. He was wearing dark jeans and a dark button-down shirt. They were the same clothes he'd been wearing earlier, when we'd encountered Mackenzie.

  But it wasn't his clothing that made him look so dark and dangerous. It was the look on his face, filled with quiet menace.

  I felt myself swallow. I'd seen that same exact look directed at me, plenty of times, especially at the beginning of our secret arrangement.

  I knew the exact moment he spotted us, because his body stiffened and his gaze narrowed in our direction. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Jack, who muttered, "Hey, I tried."

  As I stood there in the middle of Flynn's front lawn, a dozen thoughts raced through my brain. I was supposed to be playing a part. So far, I hadn't done a stellar job.

  In the eyes of the world, I was supposed to be his girlfriend. But would a real girlfriend just stand around, staring?

  No. She'd surely do something.

  But what?

  As I stood there gaping at the commotion, all of these scattered thoughts suddenly coalesced into one simple reality.

  Whether I felt like performing or not, I had to play my part.

  Or die trying.

  Chapter 74

  Anna

  Doing my best jealous girlfriend impression, I called out, "Flynn? What's going on?" Without waiting for his reply, I stalked forward. "And what's she doing here?"

  Next to me, Jack was keeping pace, even as he emitted a string of quiet curses that would've made a sailor blush.

  From the corner of my mouth, I whispered, "Oh, stop it. It's fine."

  He gave a quiet scoff. "Yeah. Tell it to Flynn."

  "I'm trying," I said. "So stop interrupting, all right?"

  Without breaking
stride, I kept on going until I reached the gate.

  It was still shut, and now I didn’t know what to do. Should I open it?

  But if I did, would everyone barge in?

  Flynn surely didn't want that. Come to think of it, neither did I.

  I shifted nervously on my feet. By now, everyone on the other side of the gate was staring, especially Felicity.

  Glaring daggers in my direction, she said, "What am I doing here?" Here's the real question. What are you doing here?'"

  With more confidence than I felt, I replied, "Hah! I live here." I pointed to Flynn. "With him, Flynn Archer."

  Oh, Good Lord. A real girlfriend wouldn't be using his last name. Going for a recovery, I added, "My, uh, sweetie-pie."

  Shit.

  Man, I really sucked at this. I gave Flynn a quick, nervous glance. From the look on his face, he whole-heartedly agreed.

  In a quiet voice, he said, "Baby, go back into the house, okay?"

  Baby? My stomach gave a familiar flutter, and I froze like an amateur actress who'd forgotten her lines.

  Around us, the cameras were still rolling, and I knew I had to say something in response. He'd just told me to return to the house. And my line was…?

  And then it hit me. I leaned forward and reached my hands between the gaps in the gate. In a baby-doll voice I cooed, "But it's lonely without my honey bun."

  Damn it.

  I made a mental note. Next time, for God's sake, think of some pet names in advance.

  Assuming there'd be a next time.

  From the look on Flynn's face, I wasn't so sure.

  As I watched, his gaze shifted to Jack, standing by my side. Through gritted teeth, Flynn said, "I thought you were staying in the house."

  "Yeah," Jack said. "So did I."

  Now that made me hesitate. Okay, I knew that Jack had been keeping me away from Flynn and Felicity, but that was before the crash and the arrival of all those cameras.

  If I was supposed to be playing a role, wasn't this the perfect time?

  Desperately, I searched Flynn's face, but I still wasn't sure what I saw.

  He definitely wasn't happy. But then again, who would be under the circumstances?

  Not Felicity, that's for sure. Now she was crying again. Between gulping sobs, she asked Flynn, "Will you please just take me away?"

  Flynn gave the limo a cool glance. "Hard to do when you crashed your ride."

  She gave another sob. "I mean in your car. You've got like ten."

  Did he? I'd only seen four at the house. And one of them was the little red sports car that he'd assigned to me.

  But that was hardly relevant.

  Now I seriously didn't know what to do. I gave Jack a long sideways look. When our eyes met, he said, "Hey, don’t look at me. It's not my circus."

  Well, that was helpful.

  I was just turning back to Flynn when I spotted movement in the trees on the opposite side of the road. A moment later, Randy staggered out of the woods, like the lone survivor in a slasher movie.

  In cheerier news, he wasn't covered in blood.

  Still, he looked to the limo and groaned, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

  Funny, I'd never heard him curse before. Then again, I'd never seen him in such a situation before.

  Welcome to the club, buddy.

  He lumbered forward and glared at Felicity. "Did you do that?"

  She blinked. "Did I do what?"

  He extended an arm and pointed toward the limo's crumpled front end. "That."

  She straightened. "I don't appreciate your tone."

  Through gritted teeth, he said, "I need to know."

  She gave a toss of her long blond hair. "No, you don't."

  I called out, "Yup, it was her all right."

  Felicity whirled in my direction and practically spat, "This is none of your fucking business!"

  No. It wasn't. But heck if I'd let Randy – or even Flynn for that matter – take the blame for the crash. After all, I'd seen her tumble out of the driver's seat.

  In my best Felicity impression, I told her, "I don't appreciate your tone."

  She was glowering now. "Are you mocking me?'

  Why lie? "Uh, yeah. Sort of."

  Felicity whirled back to Flynn and said, "Well, this is just great. First you cheat on me with her—"

  Flynn cut her off. "I don't cheat. And you damn well know it."

  It suddenly struck me that she was no longer sobbing. In fact, there were no signs that she'd ever been crying at all. No wonder she hadn't been all red and splotchy. She was a total faker.

  Or more accurately, she was a surprisingly good actress.

  As for myself, I was definitely out of my league. I eyed Randy with renewed sympathy as he approached the limo and frowned at the damage. When he finished, he looked to Felicity and said, "You know you'll have to pay for this."

  She drew back. "Me? What about your insurance?"

  His jaw clenched. "It doesn't pay out when the customer drives."

  She gave a sigh of obvious annoyance. "It's not my fault you left the keys in the car."

  Flynn said, "I thought it was a limo."

  Her gaze snapped in his direction. "What!"

  He shrugged. "Hey, you said it not me."

  With a little scream, she took a flying leap in his direction. He caught her in mid-lunge and held her by the shoulders at arm's length, even as she let loose a stream of obscenities that made Jack's commentary seem tame in comparison.

  I had to give her credit. That was some creative cursing.

  While everyone was focused on Felicity, I looked toward Randy, who was once again frowning at the damage. Softly, I called out, "Hey Randy?"

  When he turned to look, I said, "We've got some pie in the fridge, if you need to come in and make some calls."

  He perked up. "Really? What kind?"

  "Apple. And it's really good." I snuck a quick glance toward the house. "I, uh, just don't know how to let you in, onto the property, I mean." I knew there was a back gate, but I had no idea if was unlocked.

  Next to me, Jack said, "You get the pie. I'll let him in." He jerked his head toward Randy and said, "Follow me around the side."

  If the others heard, they gave no sign. By now, Felicity had wrenched herself out of Flynn's grasp. But she was still cursing. And screaming. And yeah, maybe threatening some sort of legal action that made no sense whatsoever.

  I mean, can you really sue someone for jackassery?

  With a sigh, I turned away. Pie wouldn't make everything better, but it couldn’t hurt. Could it?

  Chapter 75

  Flynn

  I gave Jack a hard look. "I thought you were gonna keep her inside."

  He shrugged. "So did I."

  It was just past dawn, and we were standing in my kitchen. Anna had gone to bed hours ago, after sending the limo driver on his way with the rest of the pie and the promise of cake tomorrow when he'd be returning with a tow truck for the damaged limo.

  As far as tonight, she'd even offered to drive the guy home.

  That didn't happen, and not because he hadn't jumped at the offer. Instead, I'd recruited Jack to shuttle the guy back to wherever while I dealt with the rest of the fallout.

  As far as that went, there'd surely be more headed my way, courtesy of Felicity and the news coverage. But all I could think about now was Anna sleeping upstairs, oblivious to what I'd learned from Felicity before all hell broke loose.

  I recalled Anna's letter. She'd confessed to something that neither one of us did. For me.

  And to think, I'd hated her for years.

  Now in the kitchen, Jack was saying, "I mean, yeah, I could've stopped her."

  "So why didn't you?"

  He leaned sideways against the kitchen counter and stroked his chin as if thinking. "Let's see…I could've tackled her in the hallway, or maybe chained her to a chair…"

  I stiffened. "What?"

  "Exactly."

  "Exactly w
hat?"

  "If I'd done anything more, you'd have lost it."

  I'd already lost it. But I got what he meant. The truth was, I didn't want anyone touching her but me – and not to tie her to a damn chair, well, unless she liked that sort of thing.

  Jack said, "So about Felicity, what's the deal? Was she trying to run you over or…?" He gave a loose shrug and the let the silence speak for itself.

  Felicity was the last person I wanted to think about now. "My guess? She just wanted in."

  Jack nodded like this made sense. "Well, she never did like taking no for an answer."

  "No kidding," I said. "And get this. About the limo, she claims she thought it was in reverse."

  Jack gave another nod. "Smart defense."

  As if she'd need it. Knowing Felicity, she'd call in her legal people, pronto, and make all of this go away.

  That was fine by me. I wanted it to go away, too. And hey, if she ended up bribing the driver, all the better.

  Again, my thoughts turned to Anna. She was right here in the house. I could knock on her bedroom door, have a talk with her right now.

  Right. Because I hadn't been a dick enough already.

  No, I decided. For once in my life, when it came to Anna, was I going to do things right.

  Tomorrow.

  Chapter 76

  Anna

  As we pulled up to the restaurant, I looked to Flynn and said, "Really? We're eating here?"

  From the driver's seat, he nodded. "What, you don't like it?"

  "Actually, I love Italian." Still, I gave the restaurant a worried glance. "But it's so crowded. Do you think we'll get a table?" It was, after all, prime time on a Saturday night.

  With a rueful laugh, he said, "If we want, we can probably get the whole restaurant."

  I knew it was a joke, but it still made me pause. I didn't like the idea of taking up more space than we needed or muscling in just because Flynn had the fame and fortune to make other people jump whenever he wanted.

  At something in my expression, he said, "Don't worry. I made reservations."

  I smiled. "Really?"

  He smiled back. "What, you think I don't know how?"

  Something about his smile made me feel warm and tingly in all the right places – or in all the wrong places if I took into account that we weren't truly together.