Contracted For Love: Famous Love Series

by Tracey Pedersen

  Jack grinned at him as he rubbed his knuckles and turned away to walk down the street. He had a spring in his step that hadn’t been there before he’d landed that first punch on Ricky’s big mouth. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be remembered for this. New plan, Freddy. They want an adult, so I’m going to give them an adult. Adults fight, right? Ricky is step one. Step two is a grown-up girlfriend, but we’ve already got that covered, too, don’t we? Get Charlotte Shipton’s agent on the phone. I want a wife to go with my new adult image.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Three days later, Charlotte and Jack sat staring at each other across the boardroom table. Jay and Freddy were seated to either side of them with notepads at the ready. The atmosphere in the room was hostile, to say the least, as they tried to come to some arrangement about their secret marriage contract.

  “I want a fairytale wedding—and I don’t want my parents to pay for it.”

  “Of course you do. Why would I expect anything less than that from an Australian princess?” Jack sneered at her.

  “Like I’ve said previously, Jack, fuck you.” She smiled at him in her most unfriendly way. “I don’t want my parents to have to pay for a fake wedding. If you’re not going to let me tell them, then I don’t want them paying out of pocket for this crap. They work hard for their money and it’s not fair.”

  “The money I’ll be using to pay for your fairytale was hard-earned, too, sweetheart.”

  She sighed and got up from the table to look out the window. Who’d have thought she’d end up here, in this room, agreeing to this ridiculous plan? She’d been determined that it wouldn’t happen, but the Richard James fiasco had finally convinced her that she needed to do something radical to get this acting lark into the fast lane. She’d signed the contract for the part Richard’s assistant had forwarded to her, but she was dreading running into him on set. This marriage to, admittedly, one of the most gorgeous and eligible men on the planet, meant she’d never be put in that situation again.

  “Okay, so we get married on the Vegas Strip. Elvis can do it, for all I care. It’ll look fancy, but it’ll be cheap. Having only close friends will keep the cost down, and you and I can split it.”

  Jay frowned at her, “Charlotte, you can’t afford that, can you?”

  “Nope, but my father is not paying for my fucking fake wedding, nor for my divorce three years from now.” She looked at Jack. “I’m sure you’ll be keen as mustard to fork over for that part and put this all behind you.”

  “You got it, Princess.”

  “If you keep referring to me as ‘Princess,’ I’m going to give you a nickname—and if you don’t like my swearing, you definitely won’t like your new name.” She glared at him, daring him to speak.

  He turned his attention to Freddy, instead. “You said we have to live together. I don’t want to move, so we’ll live at my place.”

  “You’ll pay all the expenses?” she asked.

  “God, woman, it’s all about the money for you, isn’t it? What kind of a freaking gold digger did you hook me up with, Freddy?” It was his turn to slam away from the table and pace the room as Charlotte watched him with interest.

  He really is a rude fucking pig. I thought he’d be a lot nicer in person.

  “Well, you already think the worst of me, so let’s get the biggest one out on the table,” she paused for effect, “I want a prenuptual agreement.”

  “Oh my God. You’re too much—too much! I’m going for a walk.” With that, he stormed out of the room and down the hallway to the elevators with Freddy hurrying after him.

  ***

  “I can’t do it, Freddy. This is just not going to work.”

  “Calm down. It’s only three years—it will be done before you even know it.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, because you won’t be marrying her! What if I meet someone in the meantime who I actually do like? What if I fall in love, Freddy?”

  “Then you screw around for a while, like everyone else does. You don’t think those long-term Hollywood power marriages last because both parties are faithful, do you?”

  “I know that,” Jack sighed, thinking of his own parents’ loveless marriage. “I’ve been around long enough to know that.”

  Freddy clapped him on the back. “So, that’s what you do. Look good for the press, give the girl her fairytale wedding, and take the giant leap into the world of the rock god, just like you deserve. Just keep a piece of ass on the side for those lonely nights. Hell, take her with you on the upcoming tour, if you want. It’s not like Charlotte wants anything from you in return. Did you see the steam coming out of her ears when she found out what Jay and I had negotiated?”

  “I wasn’t too thrilled, myself, Freddy. You need to run something big like this by me. I know you’re my agent and we’ve been at this for a long time, but this is going a bit far—even for you.”

  As they turned to go inside, Freddy grinned and slapped him on the back again. “I know,” he said with barely-masked glee. “I’ve totally outdone myself.”

  ***

  “I will not agree to a prenup that gives you money when we get divorced. It’s not going to happen,” he ground out between gritted teeth ten minutes later.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, you self-centred pretty boy. I want an agreement that says I get nothing, you idiot. I don’t ever want to hear that I married anyone for their money. If we’re going to do this, I’m not going to be portrayed as a gold digger, as you so eloquently put it.” She glared at him again as his eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t want your fucking money. I saved every penny I made for two years, so I could have the chance to come here, and I’ve only got six months left before I have to go home. This is my best chance of getting to my goal quickly, before my time runs out.”

  “No money when we divorce. Done. And yes, I’ll gladly pay for the divorce. Next thing on your list?” Jack waved a hand at the neatly-printed sheet in front of her, as she looked down to scan through the words.

  “I mentioned you paying the household expenses, before, and there’s a reason for that. I can’t begin to imagine where you live, but I know it’s not like the two-bedroom flat I share with two other people. I spend barely any money, I don’t eat out, and I walk to auditions, instead of taking a cab. I simply cannot afford to split the expenses with you, especially since I imagine you have household staff of some sort. When I start to earn money, that might change, but right now it’s a problem.”

  He leaned back in his chair and stared at her long enough to make her fidget. They’d gone through a lot of details today and he just wanted to get his hands on his guitar and relax. He sighed and stood. “I have to get out of here; I can’t stand any more of this, today. Let’s meet here tomorrow with what we’ve already agreed to and we can take it from there.” As he moved past Freddy, he bent over and spoke quietly into this ear. Then he was gone, striding confidently down the hallway without even a goodbye.

  Freddy turned to Charlotte and Jay, “Great news: Jack’s prepared to pay for the fairytale.”

  ***

  “What if you die?”

  “We’ll add a clause that, if I die before the three years is up, you’ll receive a payout.”

  Freddy spoke up from the corner, “Woah, woah there. I don’t think that’s necessary. What if she has a hand in killing you just to get the money?”

  Jack sighed. They were sitting here for the second long day and it looked like this deal was never going to be finalised. He had the overwhelming desire to hit the studio and make music all night to build on what he’d been doing yesterday evening. At this rate, though, it would be Christmas before he got to record a single note.

  “Well, word it so that, if she kills me or arranges someone to kill me, she gets nothing. If I’m killed by any other means, though, the payout goes ahead.”

  Charlotte glared at Freddy while she addressed Jack, “If you die prematurely, it will one hundred percent be because I have killed you—w
ith my own bare hands. Count on it!”

  “Well, count on paying your own legal fees, then, because my money won’t be covering your defence.” He tried not to let the smile show on his face at her bravado. She was a feisty bundle of energy, so certain of herself in every way. If they’d met under any other circumstances, he might have asked her out.

  When he was acting, he might have worried that her foul mouth would reflect badly on him, but now that he’d turned his attention to music, her cursing might be a blessing. Maybe he had a chance to get a real benefit out of this marriage, yet. Maybe he should get it written into the contract that she had to come on the Ricky Pearson show with him.

  “I’m not having sex with you—that better not be in the contract.” Her comment snapped him to attention.

  “Thank God someone brought it up. No one expects us to consummate this fake marriage, surely?” Jack glanced from Freddy to Jay as he tried to ignore the vision that had just popped into his head. Images of a naked Charlotte stretched out in his bed were not going to help this deal get finalised any quicker.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  “We’re not totally insane. What you choose to do about that is totally up to you two.” Jay paused, as though uncertain whether to continue. “What we will need, though, is some snaps of you being in love. Make sure that, when you go on vacation, you go to the beach and cuddle in the water, or create some other situation worth reporting. It also wouldn’t hurt to be seen holding hands in public. People in love do that, you know.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know,” Charlotte said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “since I’m having an arranged marriage, instead of actually meeting someone and falling in love.”

  “Well, you’re both actors: it shouldn’t be too hard to pull off.”

  “How are we supposed to keep this a secret if there’s a written contract?” Jack suddenly asked. “What’s to stop someone from getting a copy?”

  “There’ll only be two copies: one for each party. We’ll keep them in our safe, where there’s no chance of anyone seeing them.” Jay answered.

  “People keep their sex tapes in their safes and they still show up online,” Charlotte said.

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that.” Jack snarled at her as he jumped out of his seat to stare out the window.

  “I’ll make a sex tape if I bloody well want to.”

  He gritted his teeth to wipe out the thought of her naked again. Dear God, how was he going to get through this with her living in his house? It was lucky he couldn’t stand her. “Not while we’re married, Princess.”

  Charlotte rose from her chair in slow motion, and moved toward Jack at the window. Jay and Freddy prepared for the explosion they were sure was coming.

  “What does that mean?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  He turned and stared straight into her hazel-flecked eyes, which were flashing with fire. “That means you’d better not make a sex tape and leak it while we’re married. I will not be married to someone who does that. My reputation is on the line, here.” He spoke to Freddy without taking his eyes off hers, “Include that in the contract, Freddy. No sex tapes with other men.”

  “If I can’t make one, then neither can he.”

  He laughed at her words and glared at her. “The last thing I’d do is make a sex tape, Princess. I don’t need to do that.”

  “Stop calling me ‘Princess,’ Fuckwit.” She stepped forward, so she was totally in his personal space, and looked up at him. She batted her eyelashes once or twice for good measure and whispered up at him, “Do you want to make a sex tape with me, instead?”

  They stared at each other as Jay and Freddy looked on with interest. The atmosphere in the room had changed slightly, but neither agent could quite put their finger on the difference. Charlotte and Jack continued to stare at each other, like some sort of dare had been laid down between them. Jack resisted the crazy urge to glance down at her cleavage. His hand itched to reach up and touch…

  Charlotte was the first to break eye contact and return to sit at the table. “No sex tape for us.” Jack’s sigh of relief was audible. “I have one more item to add to the contract before I’ll sign it, though,” she said sweetly.

  “Great. What do you want to add?” Freddy rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

  “The fuckwit,” she jerked her head toward Jack, “can’t have any sex outside of this marriage.”

  ***

  “What the fuck, Freddy?”

  “Now you sound like her!” Freddy chuckled as they whispered outside the conference room they’d hired to work on the deal.

  “After several days of it, it’s difficult not to let it rub off.” Jack dragged his hand across his eyes and tried to rub away the stress from his forehead. He kept his eyes glued to Freddy, in case he accidently glanced through the glass at Charlotte, who’d taken to twirling her blonde hair around her finger as soon as she’d made her final demand. “You said I could keep seeing other people. How the hell can I go three years without sex?”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, you wouldn’t stick to the contract, would you?”

  “What? You mean I have to follow the rest and she has to follow her parts, but I can just conveniently ignore this? What if she finds out and goes ahead and makes a sex tape? What then?”

  “She won’t make a sex tape. She’s all talk, that one. Just agree to this, and we can get it signed. I don’t know why you’re freaking out so much—it’s been four years since you broke up with the last one and you didn’t seem too concerned about all that time spent single.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s unpleasant when you suddenly have it confirmed in writing that you’re going be celibate for three years. You know I don’t want to marry a celebrity. I want to marry someone normal, who’s not part of this crazy business.”

  “Well, you’re not going to meet anyone like that without knowing their motives, are you? We’ve had this conversation before: you’re a big star and you’re meant to marry a big star. Charlotte is going to be a big star. Come on, let’s go back in. Can I suggest you get out your little black book and start seeing some of those ‘normal’ ladies before the date of your wedding?” Freddy laughed at Jack’s shocked expression as they pushed open the glass door and returned to their seats.

  Jack sat down and addressed Jay, “I’ll agree to the terms, but I want to add one last thing.” Charlotte watched him absolutely avoiding any eye contact with her and tried not to laugh.

  Why is he agreeing to this? He can’t even look at me. I thought he had more of a backbone than that.

  “I want the princess to also have a ban on sex outside this marriage.”

  She laughed out loud then and finally stopped twirling her hair. She collected her bag and turned to him before she left the room. “Game on, Fuckwit.”

  ***

  Jack’s hand hesitated over the paperwork. His name was printed on the page next to a cross indicating where he should sign, and for a moment he asked himself if he really wanted to do this. Did he want to make this commitment to a woman he didn’t even know? A woman who annoyed him more than he could imagine, even after just a few days in her presence. Charlotte was a much younger free spirit, who he knew was going to cause him huge amounts of angst over the next three years. With her full lips and blonde hair, which brushed her backside, whenever he was crazy enough to let his eyes wander in that direction, she was trouble. She wouldn’t listen to a word he had to say, he was sure of that. He had to take her on vacation, for God’s sake, since she’d had that included in the contract, too. She’d move into his house at the end of the week, and then they’d take a flight to Paris the week after. Of course she wanted to go to Paris. Why couldn’t she have just asked for Florida? Why’d they have to fly so far to have their fake vacation, which he was paying for?

  Sighing, Jack bent down and signed his name with a flourish before handing her the pen. His fingers touched her skin ever so slightly as she took it from his hand
with a smile. He didn’t miss the tiny feeling that bloomed in his stomach at her touch, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. He was going to have to endure her being nearby and occasionally touching him; he might as well get used to it now.

  She stepped forward and went to the other side of the table before bending down to sign her own name. She flicked through and made sure of the details. He had to admit that she was thorough and completely businesslike about the checking part. He realised with a start that he’d forgotten the business side of this while he’d been mulling over adding his signature to the page. All he’d thought about was her and not about the benefit this was going to offer his career.

  Satisfied that the wedding date was correct, six months from now, Charlotte flicked back to the signing page. She frowned and looked up at him without straightening. He cringed as he discovered he now had a view straight down her shirt! He quickly looked away as she smirked, and he had the overwhelming feeling that she’d done it on purpose.

  “They haven’t written your name properly on the contract,” she said. “Didn’t you notice?”

  “What? Where?” he leaned down to look at the paperwork, studiously keeping his eyes on the paper and not looking again at her gaping shirt.

  “Right here,” she tapped her finger against his name, which looked perfectly fine to him. “It should say ‘Fuckwit.’”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Charlotte packed the last of her things into her tiny suitcase and glanced around to make sure she had everything. This room had been her home for the last eight months and she was a little sad to be leaving it. She knew this was the first step to her big break, though, and she smiled as she thought about coming here ten or twenty years from now and showing a camera crew where she’d lived before she was famous.

  She handed the key to Courtney and gave her a big hug. “You won’t forget us when you’re famous, will you?”