by Olivia Evans
“At least you’re being genuine then! This—all the plants, coffee, and doughnuts... Actually, I didn’t mind the doughnuts, but that’s beside the point. This is not who you are.”
He crossed the room and set the plant on the table. “How do you know? You won’t give me a chance to show you who I am.”
Josie shook her head, a look of disbelief on her face. “I know who you are, Anders. Everyone does. Your picture is splashed across the front of trashy magazines with different women all the time.”
Anders chuckled, the sound low and angry. “Wow. I didn’t peg you for a judgmental hypocrite. Or did you forget how we met?”
Josie took a step back as if he’d hit her. He might as well have because no matter how much she wanted to deny it, he was right. She wasn’t any different than those girls. They didn’t care about him. They wanted to say they’d slept with Anders Ellis, nothing more. While Josie had no intentions of bragging about her night with him, it was essentially for the same reason.
Anders noticed a look of shock and something else cross her face before letting out a heavy breath. “Why do you always have to fight with me?”
“You make me crazy,” she whispered.
“And crazy makes you angry? Mean?”
“With you it does. I don’t understand what you’re trying to prove. You don’t do repeats. So don’t act like the wounded party. You can’t be pissed that I expect you to act as you always have.”
Anders nodded. “No, I can’t. But what’s happening now—this—is different. I have no idea what I’m doing, as you’ve pointed out over and over again.”
“What do you expect? First you don’t remember me. Then you make it your mission to fuck me again because I said I wouldn’t. When that didn’t work, you’re what? Willing to settle for dinner and conversation? Come on Anders, give me a little credit.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “You drive me crazy too, you know. Yes, this started with wanting to fuck you, and I’d be a liar if I said I still didn’t. But I’ve never given a fuck about anything enough to put forth a real effort until now. That alone is reason enough for me to be here.”
“What if I made this easy and said okay? Would you lose interest? Would knowing I’d fuck you again make you go away?”
Anders’ brows drew together. His gaze slid down her body, taking in the curve of her neck, the swell of her breasts, and the flare of her hips. The memory of her naked body assaulted his mind, causing his breathing to falter. He shook his head and lifted his gaze to hers. “Just the thought?” he asked, his voice thick and gritty. “No fucking way.”
Josie’s stomach tingled and her hands shook. The way he looked at her, the way his eyes burned into her skin like a branding iron made her heart race. The heat between them was almost unbearable. It was everything else that turned her off—his attitude, his manipulations.
“Then I guess we’re at an impasse.”
“I don’t accept that. You want to get rid of me? Give me one date. One. Drop the attitude and snark, and I’ll try to stop thinking about fucking you every five seconds.”
“Then what, Anders? That’s it? You don’t even like me, and I’m not all that fond of you either. Why can’t you…why can’t we go our separate ways?”
Anders clenched his jaw and moved until their chests almost touched. His eyes burned with determination, confusion, and anger. “Because goddamn it, I don’t want to and neither do you.”
“Stop pretending to know what I want. You know nothing about me.”
“Ivy, we can argue this point all day, but the fact remains I won’t give up.”
She let out a bitter laugh and stepped around him, moving toward the door. “Whatever. Enjoy wasting your time.”
Two days after her confrontation with Anders, Josie did as she promised and called Philip. The excitement in his voice caused guilt to twist her stomach. He was a nice guy, and she felt bad for ignoring him. They spoke casually here and there, so by the time they made plans to meet for dinner, Josie was at ease. However, as she sat at a table in the back of a local sushi restaurant, her nerves spiked. Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it, expecting to see Philip’s name. It wasn’t.
One date.
Her heart raced when she realized her late night music texter was indeed whom she thought.
No music trivia tonight?
She lifted her eyes from her phone as Philip made his way toward her. He leaned into her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before easing into his chair.
“Hello, Josie.”
“Hi.”
“Sorry I’m late. I’m still learning my way around the city. I get lost from time to time.”
Josie smiled and squeezed his hand. “No worries.” She opened her mouth to speak just as her phone buzzed again. She wanted to ignore it, but the knowledge that a message from Anders was there ate a hole through her hand like acid.
“Sorry,” she apologized, a smile spreading across her face as soon as she read the words.
We can have song trivia. Name the song where the girl agrees to go out with the guy. I need to find the guy who wrote it and ask how he convinced her.
Josie laughed and cleared her throat. She lifted her gaze to Philip, who was watching her with a soft smile. Guilt flooded her.
“Madison is being nosy,” she lied, smoothing her hands over her lap.
“Do I want to know?”
“Not even a little.” Josie laughed. It was the most truthful thing she’d said.
Josie looked at her phone and tapped out a quick message, hoping it would be the end of their conversation.
Go away, Anders. I know it’s you. I’m busy.
She set her phone aside and ignored it when it buzzed again. Instead she listened as Philip talked about his love for cooking and his dreams of living in Los Angeles. She tried to engage him, be interested, but it was like having a conversation with Holden. When he excused himself to the restroom, she couldn’t grab her phone fast enough.
Too busy for me? No such thing. Have dinner with me.
She smiled and made sure Philip wasn’t coming back before she responded.
I’m having dinner. I’m on a date. Not an ivy plant in sight.
She dropped her phone and drummed her fingers on the table. Her heart beat out an unsteady rhythm as she waited for a response. She wasn’t sure why, but telling him about her date made her feel strange. She didn’t like it. He was an asshole, that much was certain, but there were moments, tiny fragmented glimpses, that almost made him seem...human.
Regardless of how she felt about Philip, she shouldn’t be texting with another guy. Part of her considered pushing a little harder with Philip, trying to find that link that would make them click. But it wouldn’t be fair to anyone.
Maybe I don’t need to find a singer to tell me how to get the girl. Maybe I should find your date.
Her mouth fell open. He was kidding or out of his mind. Either way she refused to engage him anymore. Slipping her phone into her bag, she took a sip of sake and smiled at Philip as he returned to his chair. She might not be interested, but he deserved her attention while she was with him. Not that it mattered. Even with her phone in her bag and her mind swimming with sake, Anders Ellis invaded her thoughts. When Philip kissed her on the cheek at her car door, it was obvious nothing romantic would ever happen between them.
Josie wondered how someone as attractive and nice as Philip held no interest for her, but when she thought about Anders, she felt everything. He was rude and self-absorbed. A manwhore. An insufferable, infuriating prick whose only goal was to have sex with her.
She had to make a decision. She could continue to argue with him until one of them landed in jail, ignore him, or just relent. Agree to go on a date and be done with it.
Anders slammed his beer on the table and swore under his breath. Owen lifted his brow and leaned over to get a look at Anders’ phone, unable to stop the laugh that burst from his chest. “She’s on a date? Oh, man. That gir
l is playing you hard.”
“Fuck off,” Anders spat. He moved his phone away from Owen and shoved a fry in his mouth. When Owen had called earlier to see if he wanted to grab some dinner, Anders was leery about going out. But he wasn’t going to shut himself up either while he waited for Josie to do what they both knew she wanted.
“Do you believe her? Do you think she’s really on a date?” Owen asked.
“If you saw her, you wouldn’t ask that question.” Anders clenched his jaw at the thought of some guy touching her. The image caused him to order a second beer. He sent her a text and waited. One hour turned into two, and after sending two more messages, he threw his phone on the table in disgust.
“What the fuck am I doing?” he muttered, his eyes falling shut.
“Hey, um, excuse me?”
Anders opened his eyes to find two girls at the end of the booth, their gazes bouncing from Anders to Owen. “What’s up?”
“Can I…would you take a picture with us?”
Owen chuckled. “Yeah Anders, you feeling photogenic?”
Anders scowled and kicked Owen’s leg. “Move fucker. Let them slide in.”
The girls beamed as Owen moved around the circular booth and made room. Anders turned and smiled at the girl next to him. “What’s your name?”
“Jana. I love your movies. I’m so sorry to bother you. My boyfriend told us to leave you alone, but I had to try to get a picture. He’ll never ask, but if you signed something for me to give him, it would make his day.”
Anders nodded and pulled the camera from between her fingers. “Here Owen, do something useful and take our picture.” Owen laughed and took the camera, snapping a couple of shots of everyone before passing the camera back to Jana.
“If you bring me the bill for your food, I’ll sign it,” Anders offered. As Jana and the other girl stood from the booth Anders’ phone buzzed. He snatched it from the table and unlocked the screen. There were only two words on the display, but it changed his entire mood.
One date.
Jana grabbed the ticket from her stunned boyfriend and darted back to Anders’ side. He chuckled at her enthusiasm, his mood improved. “What’s your boyfriend’s name?”
“Clay.”
Anders nodded and began writing out a message. Jana leaned over his arm as he wrote, an enormous smile on her face. Once he finished, Jana leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek before thanking him and rushing back to her table.
“Who was the text from?” Owen asked.
“She said one date,” Anders answered.
“Well, that’s all you need right?”
“Damn straight it is. This girl is making me crazy. This needs to end.”
“So what’s the plan? You got her to agree to a date, but now what? Are you going to invite her to your house? Take her out? The paps watch you all the time.”
“Fuck.” Anders’ momentary happiness washed away. “I don’t want to be seen with her. Why is everything always so difficult where she’s concerned?”
“Use my house. People come and go all the time. No one would give it a second thought.”
Anders liked that idea. Josie wouldn’t know where he lived, and he wouldn’t have to worry about being seen. While there were plenty of pictures of him with women, most were at clubs. A picture of him on an actual dinner date, however, hadn’t happened in years. “Thanks, man. I’ll let you know when as soon as I talk to her.”
“No problem. Just tell me which room you fuck her in so I know where to have the maids clean.”
Anders laughed. A bed wasn’t necessary. Any surface would work. “Will do.”
The next morning, Josie and Madison sat at a desk in a conference room for the costume department sipping coffee and eating bagels, courtesy of Anders. Josie couldn’t focus. After an unsuccessful attempt to convince Madison it was the caffeine, she admitted to agreeing to go out with Anders.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing it.” Madison shrugged and leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against the desk as she stared at Josie.
“I told you, he’s driving me crazy. If I give in, he’ll stop and we can go our separate ways.”
“No. I get that part. I told you from the beginning you should get it over with. But why agree to a date? Why go through the trouble of enduring conversation with him if the end game is to have sex?”
“Jesus, Maddie. What do you suggest? Rent a seedy room somewhere that charges by the hour?” Josie knew Madison wasn’t trying to be hurtful, but she was making her feel like a hooker.
“Nah, that’s too much trouble. There’s a wall over there.” Madison cocked her head to the side and motioned toward the wall where Josie had moved some of the ivy plants. “You guys like walls, right?”
“Bitch,” Josie laughed, throwing a half-eaten bagel at her.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Madison giggled. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to have to dig a hole in the desert.”
“Gotcha. But for the record, and I may kick myself for saying this, I don’t think he’s a complete asshole. I don’t mean he isn’t how he portrays himself, but I think there’s more to him.”
“Well, good luck to whoever decides to take on that project.”
“Yeah,” Josie mumbled. She turned her attention back to work and pushed all thoughts of Anders from her mind. In a couple of hours, she would see him. She’d deal with him then.
“Hey, Ivy,” Anders greeted when she stepped inside his trailer later that morning.
“Anders.” She dipped her chin and moved across the room to the rack of clothing, removing what he needed to wear for the next scene. Her heart was beating faster than normal, and her breathing was choppy. She was nervous and she hated herself a little for it.
Anders frowned when she wouldn’t make eye contact. It set him on edge. “You can’t back out. You know that, right?”
Josie spun around, her brows pinched in confusion. “What?”
“You agreed to go on a date with me. You can’t change your mind.”
Josie let out a harsh breath, her expression a mix of disbelief and annoyance. “First, I can do whatever the hell I want, Anders. Second, what are you talking about?”
“You.” He waved his hand in her direction. “You’re being weird.”
“I just walked into the room,” she said, her words slow and measured. “I’ve said one word to you. How am I being weird?”
“Exactly. We’ve been in the same room for almost five minutes and you haven’t called me an asshole yet. It’s weird. You’re being weird.”
Josie cracked a grin. “Asshole.”
Anders opened his mouth then snapped it shut. Chuckling, he cupped the back of his neck and looked down. “Okay, now things feel normal.”
“You’re insane.”
“I wasn’t before you came along. This is all your fault.” Anders crossed the room and pulled the garments from her hands.
“So before you were just an asshole, but now you’re an insane asshole. And that’s my fault?”
Anders hung the clothes back on the rack, the movement bringing them close enough for Anders to smell the sweet scent of her perfume. “Yeah,” he exhaled, his voice low, “that about sums it up.” He drew his arm from the rack, dropping it behind Josie and letting his hand slide down her back and rest on her hip.
Josie shivered from the slight pressure of his fingers pressing into her waist. “Well at least you’re aware that you’re an asshole.” She barely recognized her voice.
“I’m not an asshole, Ivy. People just can’t handle that I make no apologies for who I am. What you see is what you get.”
Josie shook her head. “For some reason I don’t believe you. I think there’s something else to you. I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”
Anders dropped his hand and stepped away. The air around them, once thick with tension and heat, was now barren and ice-cold. The softness in Anders’ face shifted into a hard mask, his stance ri
gid. “Don’t waste your time. What you see is what you get.”
Josie reeled back at the sharp, cutting tone of his voice. She held up her hands and turned away, pulling clothes from the rack again. “I didn’t say I was going to bother. I was trying to pay you a compliment by saying I didn’t believe you were the shallow asshole you show to everyone. I was mistaken. My bad.”
“Fuck.” Anders pushed his hands into his hair and ground his teeth. He wondered if they’d ever have a conversation that didn’t end with one of them biting the other’s head off. Somehow he doubted it. “Can we talk about something else? Tell me something about yourself.”
“Anders,” Josie sighed, resigned. “You don’t want to know anything about me. You don’t have to pretend. I know what the deal is, remember?”
“So I’m not allowed to ask any questions about you?” He didn’t understand why that bothered him, but not caring about the answers was different than being denied them.
“Why do you care?”
“If I knew, don’t you think I would tell you?”
“How about we talk about our date. The one I apparently can’t change my mind about.” The playful tone of her voice and small smile on her face disarmed Anders from his rigid stance. She made him angry enough to put his fist through a wall one second and completely relaxed the next.
“Well you can’t,” he retorted, indignant.
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
“Okay, what’s the plan?”
Anders shifted his weight. He wasn’t sure how to tell her his plan without pissing her off. He hated feeling unsure and awkward; it wasn’t who he was. The fact he had to work this hard for a girl still pissed him off. “What about Friday?”
Josie hesitated. She’d promised Holden she’d look at a few buildings he was interested in for his restaurant. He was at the point where he had enough money and wanted her opinion.
Anders took her hesitation as something else. “Unless you already have a date that is. I wouldn’t want to interrupt again.”
“Friday’s fine. Now tell me where before you say something else that pisses me off. I’m so close to junk punching you and telling you to fuck off for good.”
