by Olivia Evans
“I told you―”
“You’ve told me half-truths. There’s more. I’m not stupid. Or am I?”
“Ivy.” Her name was both a plea and a warning.
“Anders.” The challenge in Josie’s voice was unmistakable.
“Can you”―he reached up and stroked her cheek―“can you give me some time? Please?” He thought he’d have to school his features, force pleading sincerity in his expression. His stomach dropped when he realized he didn’t have to do any work at all; everything about his expression was genuine.
Josie saw it too. It made her heart clench. Her desire to believe him was enough to make her sink a little further, fall a little deeper, become a little more lost. “You’ve got to give me something.”
Anders rocked on the balls of his feet. Vulnerability made him anxious and jumpy. He wasn’t sure why he asked for more time, or if he was actually considering telling her about Eva and Nicholas. The moment their names popped into his head, his entire frame stiffened and the reason he was so guarded in the first place came surging back. No, never again. He wouldn’t give anyone power like that again.
“Come to my place tonight.” It was the first time he suggested she come to his home, and from the shock on Josie’s face, he knew he’d managed to deflect her again. At least for a while.
“What?”
“Come to my house. We’ll have dinner. Go for a swim.”
“But I thought you were worried about paps. What’s changed?”
Anders shook his head and smiled. “Let me worry about that.” He lived in one of the most secure neighborhoods in LA. What he’d told her about paparazzi hiding in his bushes had been true. What he failed to mention was that he moved after it happened and took out a restraining order against the offending bastard.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’ll text you later. I need to see what Clarence wants.”
“Yeah, of course. Okay.” Josie was still reeling from his offer. As he walked out the door, she tried not to let the bitter taste from his kiss linger on her lips, because suddenly she felt like a dog thrown a bone.
Anders pulled in a deep breath before entering Clarence’s office. His eyes widened the moment he took in the scene before him. Clarence and Tucker, both executives with Argent, sat at a table in Clarence’s office. It wasn’t the two men who had Anders’ attention, however. No, his attention was on Aubrey, who sat among them, a huge smile on her face.
“Anders, we thought Nathan had been unable to reach you.” Clarence smiled and stood from his chair. Crossing the room he clasped Anders’ hand and led him to the table. “Can we get you something to drink?”
“How about we skip the chitchat and get to why I’m here.”
Clarence cleared his throat and shifted his feet before settling in his chair and gesturing for Anders to do the same. Anders cut his eyes over to Aubrey before easing into the chair next to her. “We,” Clarence began, waving his hand toward Tucker, “came across some interesting information this morning and wanted the opportunity to discuss it with you.”
Anders stared at him, his expression annoyed and impatient.
“What he means,” Tucker cut in, “is we wanted to ask the two of you if there was any truth to this.” He pulled out a magazine and laid it on the table in front of Aubrey and Anders. The very same magazine Anders had dropped on Josie’s desk just earlier.
“Jesus Christ,” Anders muttered, raking a hand through his hair.
“Are the two of you”―Clarence paused and lifted his brow―“involved?”
“No,” Anders answered at the same time Aubrey answered yes. He turned toward her, his expression incredulous.
“Not yet,” she smirked, a devilish twinkle in her eye.
Tucker hummed and looked between the two actors. “Could you pretend?”
Anders’ eyes snapped to Tucker. “No fucking way.”
“There’s no reason to be so hostile, Anders. Do you have any idea what kind of buzz this has created? Twitter, trash mags, fan sites―people are salivating at the idea of an on- and off-camera romance between you two. Since this article hit, the film has been Googled almost half a million times. The IMDB MOVIEmeter jumped from 111 to 13. In one day. Do you have any idea the potential this has for sales? For your bonus?” Clarence smiled when Anders’ shoulders slumped. If there was one thing Clarence understood about Anders, it was his need for success. Buzz about the film, regardless of the source, was a good thing.
“It’s not like you have to do anything major,” Tucker added. “The story’s already printed. You don’t have to confirm anything, just go out for lunch. Be seen together a few times. Nothing major.” Tucker turned to Aubrey and lifted his brows. “Aubrey?”
Aubrey shrugged and inspected her nails. “I could fake it. It would be good for the movie. That’s what’s important, right? It’s the reason we’re all here.” She looked at Anders and smiled, then slid her hand over his. “It’ll be fun.”
Anders didn’t care about fun, and he was less than thrilled about the idea in general. What he did care about was the success of the movie. If pretending for a couple of months would get it more attention, then he’d do what they asked. This type of thing happened all the time. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Fuck it. I’ll do it.”
It was hours later, as Anders stared silently across the room, that he realized how big of a deal it really was. With his hands tented in front of his face and his elbows propped on his knees, he watched Josie pull on her shoes and grab her keys. Taking a deep breath, he dropped his hands to his knees and pushed off the couch. He moved in front of Josie, blocking her path before she left the room.
“Why won’t you just fucking listen to me?”
“I’ve done nothing but listen to you, Anders. ‘Ivy, you can’t tell anyone. Ivy, I don’t date. Ivy, we can’t be seen together.’ Your rules, your game. I’m the one that’s going to end up the loser. I’ll be damned if you’re going to take me down piece by piece. I’m cashing out.”
“What the fuck are you even talking about? You’re not making any sense. It’s fake. None of it is real. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
“Why is it so damn hard for you to understand why I’m upset? You’re going to go out with her. You’re going to let people assume you’re a couple. You’re going to be in more of a relationship with your fake girlfriend than your real one. Unless part of the agreement is you get to fuck her. Then I’m fucking obsolete.”
“Ah, God. Here we go again,” he groaned in exasperation. “I’m not going to fuck her. The only reason I agreed to do this was for the movie. As you just said, you are my girlfriend. Not her.” It was the first time either of them had put a label on their relationship. Both were taken aback that the declarations happened during an argument.
“Anders, I’m jealous, okay? I hate it, and it makes me feel foolish to admit it, but I am. She gets to do things we can’t, and you agreed to it without giving a second thought to how it would make me feel.”
“Of course I care how you feel. Christ, look where we are.” He swept his arms out wide. “If you think I care so little about you, then why are you here? Why are we doing this?” Anders wanted to take the question back as soon as asked. He didn’t want her to answer. He wanted to go back to an hour ago when they were naked in his bed. But he did ask and, just like he dreaded, she answered.
“Because you won’t let me leave. Every time I try to go, you stop me.” Her words were sharp and coated with venom. A poisoned arrow aimed right for his pride and hitting its mark. Lifting his chin, he stepped to the side and held his arm toward the front door.
“Well, I’m not stopping you now.”
Josie nodded and clenched her jaw before moving past him, her mind focused on getting as far away from him as possible.
“Motherfucker,” Anders hissed, his fist connecting with the door she slammed in his face. He squeezed his eyes shut as his heart pounded against his ribs. This was for the best. It
was going to happen sooner or later. He needed to walk away. When her car door slammed, he reflexively reached for the doorknob. When her engine started, he was outside before he could stop himself. Sprinting down the driveway, he rapped his knuckles against her window as she waited for the gate to open.
Josie threw her car in park and rolled down the window, her anger and hurt morphing into shock and confusion. “What are you doing?”
Without speaking he opened the door and unhooked her seat belt. Pulling her from the car, he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her against him. His words were muffled when he spoke, his face buried in her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m an asshole. Fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Josie stood stiffly with her arms at her sides. “This isn’t healthy.”
“It’s fine. We’re fine. Okay? Don’t leave like this.”
“I thought you didn’t care if I left.” Her words were soft, the feel of his heart racing against her chest calming, comforting. She wasn’t the only one twisted into a ball of uncertainty.
Anders let out a humorless chuckle and leaned back before cupping her jaw. “It looks like I was wrong. I’m not done chasing you.”
Josie’s smile was small and sad. “I need a little time and I need to cool off. Right now, I still want to hit you.”
Anders licked his lips and swallowed around the lump in his throat. “At least if you hit me, it means you’re still around.”
Josie let out a tired sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck, her forehead falling against his.
“For now.”
“That’s better than nothing.”
In an equally secure neighborhood not far from Anders’, Aubrey sat on her lanai sipping a glass of wine. She held her phone to her ear and waited for the call to connect. On the third ring a man’s voice answered.
“Aubrey, love. I trust all is well.”
“Of course, Levi. I called to congratulate you on a job well done.”
“The article worked then?”
“Of course it did,” Aubrey scoffed, a smirk pulling up one side of her mouth. “I always get my way in the end.”
Anders paced the length of his trailer and checked his watch again. Gritting his teeth, he dialed Josie’s number, and just like last time, the call went straight to voice mail. “I didn’t realize needing time meant dropping off the face of the earth. I’m beginning to wonder if you lied. Are you done, Ivy? Is this your way of telling me? Because it’s not going to work. I―” He stopped speaking and ended the call when someone knocked on the door.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, he spun around, his face twisting into a frown when the person standing at the door wasn’t Josie. “What are you doing here?”
“I get the feeling you were hoping for someone else. I can’t help but wonder whom.” Madison moved into the room, a garment bag draped over her arm.
“Where’s Josie?” Anders wasn’t in the mood for games.
Madison wrinkled her nose and pulled a jacket from the bag. “You’re kinda rude. Don’t you know you can catch more bees with honey than vinegar”―she waved her hand in the air and rolled her eyes―“or however that stupid saying goes. Being a jerk will get you nowhere with me. I’m Madison, by the way.”
Anders sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I know who you are, but you still didn’t answer my question.”
“And you’re still fishing for answers with vinegar. I’m not a fan of vinegar. Now lift your arms.” She held out the jacket and raised her brow.
Anders pursed his lips but did as she said. He was silent as Madison moved around him, pulling pins from her sleeve and marking different spots. After several moments she spoke. “She’s with Aubrey.”
“What the fuck?” Anders’ eyes widened, his feet already carrying him to the door. Madison hooked her finger in the belt loop of his pants and yanked him back. “What the hell are you doing?” He turned to face her, his expression a mix of anger and shock.
“What the hell are you doing is the better question. What’s the matter? You don’t like the idea of your girlfriends getting cozy?” Madison crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
Anders stared at her, his eyes hard. “I have one girlfriend and she’s with a woman I’m certain she’d like to murder. I’d rather she not end up in jail.”
Madison laughed. “She wouldn’t go to jail. I have a shovel.” She smirked and jerked her chin in his direction. “Something you might want to remember.”
“Jesus.” Anders chuckled and shifted his weight. “You two are just alike.”
Madison hummed and stepped closer, then started tugging on the jacket again. “How does it feel? Is the fit comfortable?”
Anders circled his arms and lifted them over his head before nodding. He pulled off the jacket and handed it to her, warring with himself about asking her anything further. He thought about how his calls to Josie had gone to voice mail all morning and shook his head. “Fuck it,” he muttered. Since she knew everything anyway, there was no reason he shouldn’t benefit from it. “Why didn’t she come here? Is she mad at me?”
Madison kept her eyes on her hands as she slid the jacket back on its hanger. She didn’t need to see his face to know his demeanor had changed. “The dress she’s fitting Aubrey for is new. She worked hard on it and wanted to make sure it was perfect. Her phone is off for obvious reasons. I’m guessing since you almost bolted out of the room the moment I told you they were together, which…” She scrunched her brows together. “What the hell were you going to do anyway? Storm in there and what? Make Josie watch Aubrey hang all over you? You’re not very smart.”
“Would you stop insulting me? I have no idea what I would have done. And I don’t want Aubrey hanging all over me. She’s like a fucking leech.”
“And yet you agreed to a fake relationship with her. Again, not the smartest thing.”
“Again with the insults. I don’t have to explain anything to you.”
“No,” Madison snapped. “But you do have to explain to Josie. And it’s apparent you suck at that too. She didn’t want to hide from Aubrey if you called. She hides enough for you. At least on the phone she’d like to be normal.”
Her words hit how she intended. Anders’ eyes shut and he sighed. Fighting with Josie was exhausting enough. He wasn’t ready for Josie’s sidekick. “I just don’t want Aubrey to upset her. Things are strained enough right now. That’s just adding shit on top of shit.”
“Look, I want to like you, I do. You make that really hard, by the way. But for whatever reason, Josie does like you, sometimes. You need to work out whatever the hell it is that’s got you so fucked up.” Madison lifted her hand in the air when Anders opened his mouth. “No. Stop talking. You have issues. Work it out. Josie’s not going to put up with this shit forever.”
“Did she tell you that? Why would you say that?” Anders’ tone was sharp, his questions flying from his mouth in rapid-fire succession.
Madison pulled her head back and turned her face to the side, her expression clearly relaying that she thought he was crazy. “She doesn’t have to tell me. I know Josie, and I’m telling you to get it together.”
Anders huffed. The entire situation was causing him to act ridiculous. “Just, tell her to call me, okay?”
Madison rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell her that you asked me to have her call you. But don’t plan on a call tonight. We’re going out.”
“What do you mean ‘out’?” Anders narrowed his eyes, his lips pinched together as he watched Madison grab her bag.
“Out. It’s what normal folks do with the people in their lives. She needs to get out, so we’re going dancing. And I swear to God if you say some caveman shit like ‘the hell she is’ or ‘over my dead body’ or anything similar, I might be forced to cause you physical harm.”
“She’s going out to hook up with some random guy? Is this her way of getting back at me?”
“Of course that’s what you’d think.” Madison roll
ed her eyes. “Not everyone goes out to hook up with someone. She needs to chill. I need to get Holden out of the house. I need to get out. We’re having dinner and then going dancing, which I’m sure she’ll tell you about herself. She may call you tonight, she may not. I don’t interfere in Josie’s life like that. She’s a big girl.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.” The walls Anders constructed around their relationship felt like they were closing in. All the rules and restrictions he put on them made him feel trapped, not protected. He’d backed himself into a corner and still, he wasn’t going to change.
“Well, this was fun.” Madison’s smile was over-the-top and fake. “We should totally do it again.”
“I’ll pencil you in,” Anders snarked. She’d told him more than he expected. He didn’t like any of it.
He didn’t call Josie again. His pride and stubborn mindset wouldn’t allow him to. He wasn’t going to baby and coddle her every time she was insecure about something, which is why he didn’t hesitate to call Owen. If she could go out with her friends, then so could he. Like Madison said, just because someone goes out doesn’t mean they are looking to fuck someone.
His bravado was short-lived, however, because when Owen suggested their normal hangout, Anders balked. He’d find nothing but trouble there, and Josie was mad enough. His face twisted with annoyance when he realized he couldn’t look like more of a pussy.
Later that afternoon, when Josie texted that she was going out and would talk to him tomorrow, it only soured his mood. He met Owen a few hours later at a bar they’d gone to a couple of times. It was usually low-key. What he didn’t know, until they walked through the door, was that a couple of popular local bands were performing. People packed the building from wall to wall.
“Fuck.” He’d dressed down, opting for jeans and a T-shirt. He hoped it would help him stay off the radar a little better.
“No shit.” Owen laughed as he clapped Anders on the shoulder and pulled him farther into the bar. “Don’t worry, I called ahead. They have a table for us upstairs. It’s not private, but it gives us the perfect view of all the pussy walking around down here. Can’t ask for more than that. Fish in a barrel.”
