LIE (Right Men Book 1)

by Mayra Statham

  “Us?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’re both leaving?”

  “Yep.”

  “Together?”

  “Yeah.” His lips were no longer twitching; they were smiling fully. My heart skipped a beat.

  “Why are we both leaving at the same time?”

  “Because I’m driving you home.”

  “Oh.” The doors pinged, and an older gentleman with silver hair in a suit stood there with what looked like housekeeping and a bellhop behind him.

  “Mr. Wright, my apologies about the paparazzi downstairs.”

  “No problem, Manny. Manny, this is Grace Rivera. Grace, this is Manny Gomes. He is in charge of making sure this entire place runs smoothly.”

  “You are very kind, Mr. Wright. Miss Rivera, I am very sorry about the elevator.” I nodded and gave a shy smile as thoughts bombarded me of what had happened in there. “We will make sure we have someone come out and look at it to be certain that doesn’t happen again.”

  “Come on, Manny, that wasn’t your fault. You can’t control the way California rocks and rolls.” Marcus winked, and Manny looked relieved.

  Marcus’ hand grabbed mine. I didn’t argue or fight. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. I had no idea what was going on with me. There was something about the way his blue eyes glittered honesty that made everything feel right. Like somehow everything would be alright.

  Chapter Seven

  Marcus

  He tipped the staff as they left and closed the door behind them. Heading into a suite with her was probably not a good idea. His body ached for her, but he had to behave.

  “Lunch?”

  “Yeah. Do you mind if I use the phone so I can call my sister, make sure she’s okay and that she can still get Lexi?”

  “Of course.” He pointed to the phone and grabbed the menu, pretending to read it as he overheard her speak to her sister. Her voice softened, and he couldn’t help but blatantly stare at her now. From where he sat, he could only see her profile. Her face gentled. He wanted to have her sit on his lap and work his ass off so that she’d look at him like that.

  Fuck, he was in over his head with this woman.

  After Marcus ordered room service, Manny brought him a change of clothes he had no idea where the hell he’d found but was certainly grateful for. Maybe with layers of clothing his dick would finally settle the hell down. Though he doubted it.

  Conversation flowed easily between them while they ate lunch. He asked her questions about Lexi, enjoying the stories she shared about her daughter. The way her eyes lit up or the way she laughed. A look that feel over her face as she recounted past memories. He knew she was remembering them as if they had just happened.

  She asked him about himself, and he shared a little about his brothers and best friend. She found it intriguing that they all lived together, laughing that she’d kill her own sisters if they ever had to share a roof again.

  They moved over to the couch in the living area, where he handed her the remote when the hotel room phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello? Where the fuck is your cell?” His manager was pissed, which he should have expected.

  “Don.”

  “Don’t ‘Don’ me, man. I’ve been calling to find out what the fuck happened, and you don’t pick up. Then I turn on my fucking computer and have a million google alerts about you.”

  “Shit,” he hissed and instantly felt the warmth of her dark eyes on him.

  “Yeah, shit. What the fuck, man?”

  “Don —”

  “I thought you were fucking around last night.”

  “Last night?” He scowled, and a bad feeling sunk into the pit of his gut.

  “About doing anything to secure the rights.” Shit.

  He’d completely forgotten about that. He looked over his shoulder, and sure enough she was looking at him. She didn’t turn away. If anything, her gaze was warm, and he wondered if that’s what she’d looked like when he was fingers deep in her wet…

  “Are you even listening, man?” His best friend snapped him out of his thoughts, and he sighed.

  “Don, calm down.”

  “Calm down? Are you serious right now?”

  “Tell me about the story.”

  “They’re not bad.”

  “Not bad?”

  “Well, TMZ is wondering who the ‘everyday girl’ is and is claiming to have sexy security camera footage.”

  “Do they have it?” he asked, only to be met with silence. “Don—”

  “Tell me you didn’t fuck her.” He knew by the tone in Don’s voice he was about to blow.

  “I didn’t. But—”

  “Fuck,” Donnie hissed, and his neck prickled. There was no way they could have footage of what they’d done in the dark. Was there? His next call would be to Manny.

  “Just got an email from my contact at TMZ.”

  “You mean the chick you’re fucking?” Marcus asked, hoping his friend would finally admit to it.

  “I’m not—”

  “Whatever, man, what’s on it?” he impatiently asked. Don was quiet until he wasn’t.

  “You kissed her?” Don screeched in a loud whisper. “Did you fuck her in that elevator, Marc? I need to know.”

  “What?”

  “I’m asking as your manager right now. I need to know if I need to get a team in here to clean shit—”

  “No. I told you I didn’t.”

  “Okay. Anything else I need to know?”

  “Umm…”

  “Anything, Marc. You need to lay it on me.

  “Well… uhh…”

  “She’s there,” Donnie surmised.

  “Yep.”

  “Don’t go anywhere. Be nice and behave. Make her stay with you until I get a plan of action with Manny on how to get you out of there without being seen. Did she drive there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, I’ll send a car, have my assistant take her car back to her place.”

  “Okay,” he agreed quickly, wanting to get the hell off the phone and back to the sweet woman on the couch who was staring at him.

  “You know you have a full day tomorrow?” Donnie reminded him, and a light bulb went off in his mind, a smile falling over his face.

  “Last couple of scenes, right? What’s the start time?”

  “Four A.M. for makeup.”

  “Sounds good.” A plan brewed in his head. He didn’t want to let the magnificent Miss Rivera out of his sights, and now he had a way to achieve that.

  “Okay, man, talk to you tonight.”

  “I’ll be late,” he shared and made eye contact with her. He liked how she raised a challenging eyebrow at him instead of blushing like a fan. He liked it a lot.

  “Whatever, man. You need to talk to me about what the fuck you’re doing, because I don’t like this shit.”

  “Talk to you later.”

  “Later,” Don sighed, knowing Marcus was done talking.

  He sat next to her on the couch, one hand over the backrest. “That was Donnie.”

  “Your manager?”

  “My best friend,” he corrected, and she smiled, so he gave her more, anything so she wouldn’t stop looking at him like that. “And future business partner and roommate.”

  “Oh, yeah… roommate.” Her eyebrows went up in clear amusement.

  “Yeah.”

  “How very Vince Chase of you.” She giggled, and he couldn’t hold back his own laugh before mocking a scowl.

  “Ha. An Entourage reference. Cute,” he murmured, and she winked at him. Fuck, but his dick strained toward her.

  “I try,” she saucily answered, smiling at him, and he couldn't help himself. His hand cupped her face and gently caressed her. He hardly recognized his voice.

  “You don't have to try.” He'd surprised her if he went by the expression on her face. He cleared his throat, sliding his hand away, holding hers in his. “I have a proposition for you
.”

  “That could be dangerous.” Her eyes still glittered, and he watched her press her lips together before asking, “What is it?”

  “Give me a week.” Confusion and intrigue filled her eyes at his proposal.

  “A week?”

  “I’ve made a bad first impression. Twice—” he started to say, but she interrupted.

  “I don’t know. I thought mine was worse,” she commented, immediately blushing. “I suggested having sex on a washing machine.”

  The image floated through his mind, and he quickly fought the idea. He had to stay on track. He was filled with the intense need to prove to her he was a better man than some self-entitled-up-his-own-ass actor.

  “My second impression was worse.” Heat flared up in her eyes, and he finally was able to relish in it. She was thinking about the elevator ride. Shit, this was going to be harder to do than he’d thought.

  “Let me show you how hard I work. I’m at the end of shooting my latest project and have a couple of promotional interviews for my next movie. I think I also have two photo shoots on my calendar.”

  “I believe you work hard—”

  “Let me prove to you that I have a passion and drive for what I do, and that I have what it takes to make Beyond the Stars a success.”

  “If you could cast anyone as Max, who would it be?” she weirdly asked, and he answered honestly.

  “Not me,” he answered immediately. She stared at him, expressionless, not giving anything away.

  “I might have to leave throughout the day if I can’t get one of my sisters to pick Lexi up,” she cautiously shared, not commenting anything about his casting choice.

  “Okay.”

  “And I would like to be back to tuck her in. She’s used to me being home, and I know it’s only a week but—”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Okay,” she agreed, and he fought from fist pumping the air like a nerd.

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah. I think that’s reasonable. I’ll shadow you.”

  “I’ll prove you can trust me.”

  “With my book,” she said as if testing him.

  “Yeah,” he hoarsely answered, clearing his throat, pushing away the urge to add something more. To tell her she could trust him with anything she wanted and he’d take care of it. He’d take care of her. But he couldn’t. He had just met her. There was no way he could make promises like that.

  Instead, he leaned in and kissed her. He was too fucking happy to stop himself. Pulling away, he enjoyed the way her eyes were closed, her pretty mouth parted. “What about that?” she asked, eyes still shut.

  “We’ll figure that out as well.” He watched her open her eyes slowly, softness shining through.

  He realized his life had been completely shaken up; and it had nothing to do with the California fault lines.

  Chapter Eight

  Grace

  “Wait, what?” My older sister and man-eater, Gloria, asked, her almost black eyes looking at me over her glass of wine.

  “I know.”

  “Wait. You mean ‘Mr. Right?’ Like the guy we drool over at the movies?” Gabby, my youngest sister, asked. I nodded, biting my lower lip.

  “And magazines?” Gab’s face would have been funny if I hadn’t just recapped my day to them. My more than crazy yet insanely sexy day.

  “And online?” I kept nodding.

  All I could think about was how he’d brought me in so close that I had no choice but to rest my head on his shoulder after I had agreed to his crazy proposition. How good he smelled and looked, and how when he walked me to my door he’d kissed me goodbye so passionately, I could still feel the doorknob at my back and his hardness at my front.

  “Oh, did you see that picture of him walking and his…” Gabby started to ask, and I rolled my eyes. Not at her but myself.

  “Wait,” Gloria chimed in, “he wants to buy the rights to one of your books?”

  “Yes.”

  “To make it into a movie?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And somehow instead of signing off and financially securing Lexi’s and your future, you ended up making out with him in an elevator?”

  “Gloria,” I sighed. I loved my older sister; she was a highly paid attorney who got shit done, got paid, and slept around. But when it came to her sisters and niece, she could be a little over the top protective.

  “Now you are going to—”

  “I think it’s romantic,” Gabby interrupted.

  “You would,” Gloria snapped, rolling her eyes at our younger sister. “What are you going to do exactly?”

  “I’m going to go through this week and sign the rights away,” I told her. She looked at me, deep in her own thoughts. “He wants me to see that he’s a hard worker. That he’d be dedicated to this project just like he is to other things in his life.”

  “Because he was a complete ass the last two times.”

  “Glor—”

  “I’m just reminding you.”

  “Look, I just need your guys’ help with Lexi. I can work around—”

  “Why not just sign?” my hard-ass sister asked, looking right at me, but I didn’t waver.

  “Beyond the Stars means something to me, Gloria.”

  “It’s just one of—”

  “It’s special,” I whispered, trying to keep my cool. “I love that book. I need to know it’s going to be in good hands.”

  “And it doesn’t hurt that it comes with one-on-one time with a sexy man like Wright. Or am I wrong?” she asked. I sighed.

  “I… I guess… I…” I had no words for what I was thinking or feeling. “I’m not naïve, Gloria.”

  “I didn’t say you were. Look. I know you guys think I can be a bitch, and I am. But I love you. I don’t want you to be swept up by false promises from a pretty face and hot body, only to be cut off at the knees in a deal that could help you and Lexi secure a good future.”

  “I love you too. I wouldn’t let anything risk Lexi or her future.”

  “Are you going to let him meet her?”

  “Glo—”

  “Are you?” Her cold tone was grating my nerves.

  “I’m going to work with him. She’s going to meet him.”

  “Don’t let him enchant her, like has you.”

  “I’m so sure. I’m not enchanted. I’m not anything,” I lied, and she knew it. With her perfectly plucked brow raised up, she sighed dramatically.

  “I’ll help with Lexi this week,” she commented, swallowing what was left in her glass before placing it on my coffee table. Her answer took me by surprise.

  “Me too!” Gabby winked at me. I smiled.

  “But I want to look at the contract before you sign anything.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, bossy pants.” Gloria’s full lips twitched, and she shook her head before letting it fall on the couch.

  “Mind if I crash here?” Gab raised an eyebrow at me, and I wondered why my big sister wanted to stay the night.

  She usually only stayed with us when Lexi and her had slumber parties, since her place was not very child friendly. Modern and clean lines, her high rise apartment was gorgeous, but everything was a pristine white and full of breakable goodies that were better kept away from an adventurous six-year-old.

  “You know you can. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she muttered, not meeting my eyes before sighing. “I’m just too tired to drive home.”

  “Whatever, you know the spare room is there.”

  “I’ll stay too!” Gabby chimed, smiling. “I’ll bunk with Lex, though, because you snore.”

  “I don’t,” Gloria clipped, scowling.

  “You do, and you hog the sheets,” Gab added. I nodded, because it was true.

  Growing up, we hadn’t had a lot, but we’d had each other and had grown up close in a small two-bedroom home with our mom, where the three of us had shared a room.

  “Whatever,” Gloria weirdly gave in and
closed her eyes, her lips tipped up.

  ***

  Sleep was elusive. Tossing and turning in bed, I gave up catching any sleep after two in the morning.

  I lay in bed, my eyes on the soft blue walls. But I didn’t see them. Not even close. My mind kept going to the elevator ride and the way my body had reacted to Marcus Wright. He’d sent me skyrocketing so easily. I had never had an orgasm that fast and hard, especially not with a partner.

  My phone buzzed, and I reached for it.

  “Hello,” I answered, clearing my throat.

  “Hey.” One word in that tone, and I knew who it was. I had never heard his voice over the phone. My stomach tightened before a school of butterflies decided to flap their wings.

  “Morning,” I whispered into the darkness of my room.

  “Morning. Did I wake you?”

  “No.”

  “Really? It’s,” a soft silence filled the space. I could hear him moving around, “a little half past two.”

  “Hmm.”

  “You usually up at this time?”

  “No.” I sighed and flipped onto my back, my hand on my chest.

  “Why are you awake?”

  “Why are you calling at half past two is the better question. Couldn’t you sleep?”

  “Honestly?” His deep voice rumbled in my ear.

  “I prefer the truth versus being lied to.” I switched to my side, tucking a hand under my cheek.

  “I keep thinking about you.” My body shivered.

  “Really?” I whispered into the darkness, trying fruitlessly to not let myself feel the emotions those words brought on.

  It would be silly to believe him, I reminded myself.

  “Yeah.”

  “What were you thinking about?” I couldn’t help ask, even knowing I was playing with fire.

  “If you knew, you wouldn’t want to meet me at the studio today.” I felt my breath hitch at his admission right before Gloria’s words stormed back in. He needed something from me, and for all I knew this was a game to him. A seduction to get what he wanted.

  “Is it normal for you to pull all-nighters when you have an early morning call?” I asked, not catching the double entendre until he answered.