“It’s in the past.”
He frowned.
“I’m more concerned with the here and now.”
He furrowed his brows together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You’re in no condition to drive.”
He laughed. “What are you talking about? I could drive an airplane right now.”
“Yeah, into the ocean.”
Cam shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m not even drunk. See.” He got up and staggered.
“Exactly my point.”
I beckoned Steve over. “What can I do for you, Valerie?”
“Could you make sure that Cam gets home safe? I have to go and he’s in no condition to drive.”
They were both quiet for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Why is that so funny?”
“Because I’m already home.” Cam grins from ear to ear.
“Huh?”
“This is my home. I bought this bar five years ago. I live in the space upstairs. You could come see if you like,” he said with a sly wink.
Oh, clever indeed.
Chapter 10
Camden
Ugh.
My head.
It pounded, temples aching. “Damn, I had way too much to drink last night,” I mumbled to myself as I ran my fingers through my hair trying to remove the cobwebs from my thoughts.
“What happened?” I ask aloud.
I looked around. Well, I managed to make it back to my bedroom. Alone.
It’s then that I remembered the night.
Shit. I acted like a goddamn idiot. What did I think I would accomplish by making a move? Clearly, Val’s not into me anymore. Embarrassed, I hung my head in shame as I recalled how I had tried to kiss. We weren’t even two steps into the apartment and I was already acting the perv.
Great.
Gone was my shot at redemption.
Groaning, I got out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom. Despite being an apartment situated above a bar, it was a pretty decent place. I’ll admit that this was some interesting pro player relocation. There’s no denying that I got a big, fat paycheck every week. With big money comes big purchases.
Realistically, I could have bought any house on the market and yet, here I am.
When people go to the bar, they have no idea that there’s a huge penthouse apartment on the second floor. Nobody knows that I live here. And, if they did, they would only ask ‘why?’ Especially when I could buy any of the ready-made penthouse apartments in the luxurious parts of the city where there are always models sunbathing by the rooftop pool.
Not me. I’m not into that sort of stuff.
Val was the only girl for me.
Hopefully, she was impressed by how nice it really was. I was too busy trying to kiss her to really gauge her initial reaction.
But, I mean, hardwood flooring. A chandelier hanging in the dining room. And intricate backsplash in the kitchen. State of the art kitchen. I had decked out the place. So, hopefully, I had managed to impress her.
After all, I’d spent a lot of time and money trying to get it just perfect. Most football players just hired an interior decorator but I had my hand in every inch of this place—coordinating colors, materials, and even the outlet covers. In the end, I created a luxury loft that I was proud of. Given, it was a little… cold, lacking that homey feel but I was working on that.
Downstairs, I had kept the bar exactly the way it used to be in an attempt to preserve the good old times.
All this went through my head as I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm. I ran my hand under the current and it was at the perfect temperature. Knowing a shower will help ease the throbbing headache I was currently sporting, I stepped inside and sighed with relief.
Ah, much better.
I grabbed a sponge and drowned it in body wash. I scrubbed every inch as if I was trying to get rid of the embarrassment I felt. I had made a complete fool of myself in front of Valerie. If I could take it all back, I would. Trust me.
Just then, my phone rang. I sighed, grabbed a towel, and walked out of the shower, dripping onto the tiled floor.
I found my phone on the nightstand and answered it. “Hello?”
“Birch?”
“Yeah?”
“What were you thinking?”
“Huh?”
“That video you posted last night.”
“Huh?” I echoed.
“Check your social media. Call me back.”
“Um… alright?” I furrow my eyebrows together in confusion. What the hell was going on?
I sat down on the edge of my bed and played the video.
“Fuck…” I whisper under my breath. It’s a video of Val and me. I had my arms around her and we looked like we’re going to do something especially naughty.
My body reacted, member twitching underneath my towel. I shifted, trying to keep my erection at bay. Now’s not the time. If my agent was calling me about this then it must have triggered something.
I replayed the video just to make sure I didn’t miss something important.
“Hey,” a soft voice sounds through the room.
When I looked up, Val was standing right there. Her blouse was wrinkled and her hair, a mess. I stared at her like a fish out of water.
While I stared at her, I couldn’t help but think that this is the woman I wanted to wake up to every morning. If I was the man in Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again, I’d be totally fine with it. Hell, I’d die the happiest man in the world.
I moved closer, drawn forward by some invisible force. Seeing her, half asleep, an angelic look on her face, made me feel like I was watching a beautiful sunrise.
How could someone be so beautifully perfect? Especially in the morning. She’s like a cute little kitten that wakes up just as adorable as ever.
Deep down, I realized that I would never be truly satisfied with my life until I woke up by her side each and every morning.
I blinked just to make sure this was real, that I wasn’t caught in a dream.
She grinned. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” I answered, quickly. I didn’t want her to know how flustered I was right now. My thoughts refused to cooperate with me. What had happened last night? All I could remember was trying to kiss Valerie. Everything else was a massive blur.
God, did I do something stupid?
Probably.
She sauntered up to me, hips swaying back and forth.
I swear, she’s doing that on purpose. There was a glint in her eyes—mischievous and naughty. A few strands of her hair fell around her face, framing it to perfection.
My breath catches in my throat. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. Damn, she’s gorgeous.
“Are you okay to give me a ride now?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Ride?”
“Don’t you remember?” She sat down beside me.
Just having her here with me was enough to send a tingle running through my skin. I wanted to take her into my arms and have things be like they were before, when we were happy.
“No, sorry. I think I had too much to drink last night.”
Valerie chuckled. “You never did know when to quit.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Care to fill me in?”
“I slept on the couch last night.”
“You did?”
“Mhm. I was going to take a cab, but it would have cost me well over $100. I don’t exactly carry that kind of cash with me, so I decided to just stay here. After all, you have a pretty nice place.” She paused, turned, and looked at me. “I can’t believe you bought out the bar. That must have cost you a fortune.”
“It did.” I boasted.
She got up and wandered along the perimeter of the room. “But, that doesn’t make up for the fact that you screwed me over last night.”
“Huh?” I was still struggling to get my thoughts in order. “What are you t
alking about?” I ask.
“You never once stopped to think how your actions would affect me.” She stopped, crossing her arms over her chest. “Like always.” She pressed her lips together into a hard line. I could tell she was pissed.
Great.
Exactly what I needed.
“Look, obviously I wasn’t thinking straight…” Before I could finish my sentence, my phone buzzed. Instinctually, I looked at the screen. It was a text message from my agent.
“Go on,” she prompted before turning her back to me.
I hesitated. I felt like it’s one of those damned if I do, damned if I didn’t situations. If I answer the text, it’s going to piss off Valerie even more. If I didn’t answer the text, then I’m going to piss off my agent and risk my job.
Fuck.
In the end, I opened my inbox.
Birch, just a reminder that you have a meeting with the CEO today. 4 P.M., sharp. Don’t be late. Seriously. There’s a lot on the line today and we want to make a good impression.
Dandy. Now, on top of everything, I had to wear a monkey suit to some meeting I didn’t want to go to.
“What’s going on?” Valerie asked.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
She laughed. “I wish it were that simple.” Her expression was impossible to read. Her words were confusing. What was she talking about? “Anyway, do you mind giving me a ride home? I really need to get ready for work. I’m late as it is.”
“Sure,” I answer. “Just let me get my keys.”
“You might want to put on some clothes while you’re at it,” she suggested, motioning with her eyes that I was wearing nothing but a towel.
“Right, right.” I nodded. “Let me do that.”
Chapter 11
Valerie
It’s difficult to keep the past in the past when I’m riding on the back of Camden’s motorcycle. It brings back a slew of memories. And then, when his scent finds its way to my nose, it makes matters even worse. All I could think about was the happy times we spent together when we were younger.
Life was so simple then. I had no idea about the rollercoaster of emotions I’d experience by being with Camden.
“You alright back there?” He asked, taking an exit.
“I’m fine.” I shimmied a little closer, soaking in the warmth of his body. Without thinking, I rested my head on his shoulder. It felt good to be next to him again.
But, I couldn’t let myself get lured in. Camden hadn’t changed. Last night proved as much. He still didn’t think about me. He’s still as selfish as ever. And for my own sanity, it’s probably better if I didn’t get involved.
Finally, we arrived at my apartment.
“Thanks,” I said, handing back the helmet.
He put it away and looked at me. “So…”
“You’re not coming inside,” I said before he could even ask. “I need to get to work.”
“Fine.” He sighed. “It was worth a shot, right?”
“Sure.” I wave. “Good luck for your next game.”
“Thanks. Will I see you there?”
“I’m not sure, yet.”
“Well, I certainly hope so.” He flashed a smile before getting back on his motorcycle and driving off.
I stood there, watching him until he disappeared around the bend. For some reason, I felt strikingly empty now that he was gone. I shook off the feeling and headed inside.
There, I’m met with a bitter coldness.
“Damnit.” Quickly, I closed the living room windows which I had accidentally left open the night before. “It’s freezing in here!” I rubbed my arms as I rushed toward the coat rack to grab a sweater. I wrapped it tight around my body. “I really need to get the fireplace fixed.”
I glanced at the clock. Shit. I’m late. Really late.
For a second, I contemplated calling the office, but I felt much too gross to do anything before taking a shower. Besides, I was already late. What’s an extra hour?
The bathroom paled in comparison to Camden’s. He really was living in the lap of luxury. He must have hired one hell of an interior decorator. His apartment was like something you’d find on HGTV.
You know, I bet with all his money, he could have bought a house or a luxury penthouse in the city. Fill it with supermodels and throw all the parties in the world. But, from what I could tell, that wasn’t his intention. This was why he was always mysterious to me. Behind that typical popular guy persona, there was just something about him, something that I still could not figure out.
Only he could build, remodel, and transform nothing into a huge, stunning apartment. Private, too. No one knew there’s secretly a house attached to the bar.
The more I think about it, the more I dawn on the fact that the place looked like he had started from scratch, building it from the ground up. Surely, he’d spent a lot of time and energy on that apartment. Not to mention, money. He could have bought a ready-made apartment and partied there every day like all the other football players, but he had created his home for the peace and quiet of it all. A place to get away from the world.
As I took off my clothes, he’s all I could think about. His gorgeous smile. That goofy laugh of his. The way he snickered at his own jokes. His horrible attempt at flirting whenever he’s drunk. Camden still held a huge part of my heart, but I didn’t want to get hurt for the second time, so I pushed him from my thoughts and stepped into the shower.
The water felt warm against my body. I sighed and tilted my head back, wetting my hair. I started humming to myself as I shampooed. The bathroom fogged up as steam billowed over the top of the shower curtain.
Minutes passed and by the time I walked into my bedroom, it was already quarter past eleven.
Shit, now I’m really late.
Quickly, I rummaged through my bag, trying to find my phone. Of course, this was no easy task. My bag was nothing less than a black hole that swallowed everything I needed at the exact moment when I needed it.
“Ugh. Come on, you stupid thing, where are you?”
Finally, I find it.
I had a bunch of missed calls; mostly from my boss.
Fuck, that’s not good.
I’m probably going to be in hot water for missing the better part of my shift.
I dialled the number.
Ring… ring… ring…
I paced the room, still wearing nothing but a towel, the water from my hair dripping onto the carpet.
“Hello?” My boss’s voice was gruff. I could tell he’s irritated. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Mr. Hopkins—”
“Miss Taylor, frankly, I don’t want to hear whatever cockamamie excuse you’re about to give me,” he interrupted with a curt tone of voice. “I’ve been calling you all morning and only now do you bother to call me back. This is unacceptable.”
“I know, Sir, but—”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Again, he cut me off. “I saw the video from last night.”
“What video?”
“Don’t act like you know nothing.”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Maybe you should check Birch’s Twitter account.”
“What…?”
“Look, if you want to fool around with football players, that’s none of my business but when it starts to interfere with the company, then it is my business.”
“I’m sorry.”
“As you should be.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Don’t even bother coming in. The day’s already over.”
“But, Sir—”
“Taylor, one more word and you won’t have a job to come back to.”
I gulped at his words and remained quiet. I couldn’t quite afford to lose my job. Rent was due in a couple of days, not to mention all the other bills that needed to be paid.
“We’ll discuss your absence tomorrow.”
Click.
He hung up the ca
ll before I could respond.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my still-damp hair. Great. Just great.
Since I wasn’t going to work, I tossed on some pajamas and plopped in front of the TV. I tuned to some game show and left the volume on a low setting.
“Alright, let’s find out how much damage Camden had done…” I said to myself as I opened my laptop, about to log in to my Twitter account when my email notification popped at the bottom of the screen.
New message from SportsCast!
My eyes widened. I clicked the notification, opening the email.
Dear Miss Taylor,
We hope you have given our offer some consideration. We would love to have you on the SportsCast team because we believe you’d bring some valuable skills to the table. If you’d like to have an informal meeting with me, I’m available around 3 this afternoon. Hopefully, I’ll have the pleasure of seeing you today. Please, do not hesitate to contact me personally with any questions.
Sincerely,
Morgan Trott
Damn. They really seemed to want me. Maybe I should give them a shot, especially after today’s fiasco. Who knows how long I’ll be able to hold my current job.
So, trying my luck, I typed up a response.
Dear Mr. Trott,
Thank you for the generous offer. I’ll be at your office today at 3. I look forward to it.
Best,
Valerie Taylor
Chapter 12
Camden
I hate ties. I really do. Sure, they complete a look but they’re annoying as hell to wear.
As I ride up the elevator, I tug at my collar. It’s hard to breathe, too.
Ding!
I reached the top floor and stepped out onto marble tiles. The CEO’s secretary smiled at me. “Afternoon, Mr. Birch, he’ll be with you in a moment.”
“Sure, sure.” I nod, sitting down in the comfortable waiting room.
“You had a wonderful game the other day,” she commented, making small talk.
Fake Out_A SECOND CHANCE PRETEND GIRLFRIEND ROMANCE Page 5
