by Julia Bright
Cam stood and moved closer to her, his gaze intense. She wanted to hide from him, because she’d done this, well, not her, but she’d left her phone on her bed, not thinking that anything bad could have happened.
“What?” Cam smoothed a hand down her shoulder as his brows bunched.
“My roommate—”
“Kady?”
“No, old roommate. She’d come over, asking for money. When she moved in she didn’t pay a deposit, none of us have. We’ve been floating on Sue’s deposit—Sue lived there first. Anyway, Amanda showed up and started in on me about the deposit. I was tired and pissed. I told her to go away and leave me alone. She hadn’t paid any money for the deposit, and I didn’t have any extra to give her. I barely make it here as it is. We’re all strapped for cash. Anyway, I tossed my stuff on my bed and went to take a shower. I’d not even looked at my phone, and I sure as hell didn’t know you had taken any photos of us. I came out of the bathroom and found her going through my phone.”
“And the story, the pregnancy thing. Where did she get that?” Andrew asked.
Rose shook her head as tears filled her eyes. She’d really fucked up. “I don’t know. She made it up.”
“So you didn’t tell her you were pregnant?” Cam asked.
“No way. I don’t even have sex. Well, I do, but it’s been so long. I couldn’t be pregnant, it’s been that long, and I’m—well, I’m not.”
“Okay, so at least we know how this got out.” Cam pulled her into a hug, his fingers smoothing over her back. Having his body pressed up against hers made her think that if he kept this up she would be pregnant because she would demand they get busy. His chest was as strong as she remembered and his hug felt as good as she thought it would. But being in Cam’s arms was dangerous. They weren’t a couple, and even if she’d had fantasies of the man, this scandal had destroyed any slim chance she’d ever had of being with him.
Rose stepped out of his hold, knowing if he held her for a little longer, she would be lost to him. “So now we just need to release a statement that it was all a lie.”
“No way,” Andrew said.
“What? Why not?” She turned to stare at Andrew then Cam, begging him to side with her.
“I’ve got an email from the director stating that they were ready to sign Cam to a movie deal, but only if this is dealt with in a sensible manner.”
“But it’s a lie.” Rose couldn’t believe they would keep the lie going.
Cam drew in a slow breath before he spoke. “Andrew, what are you thinking?”
“No one will believe that the story is false, not with the photo of the two of you lying in bed like that. Cam, it looks like you were naked. Now people have seen you at the diner where Rose works…twice. The security guards will confirm that Rose was at the house if they’re asked. The driver who picked her up and then the one who dropped her off know. The two of you are in a Hollywood relationship, like it or not.”
“Lying like this is reckless. You can’t expect me to go along with it. The director wants Cam to handle this responsibly and this isn’t responsible by any stretch.” Rose’s head had started pounding earlier and now she felt sick to her stomach.
“Listen, Rose, Cam Harris already has a name as a party boy. If he abandons you now, he’ll never get another movie deal. His career is over, and he might as well move back home.”
“I can’t. It will ruin my life.” Rose was living in an alternative universe. How could these people want her to continue with this farce of a relationship? She and Cam hadn’t even kissed, and now she was going to be playing the part of his baby momma.
“If we come out as a happy couple, will that get me the part?” Cam asked.
Rose grunted and threw up her hands. “I can’t believe you are going along with this. This is crazy.”
Cam turned to her, his chest heaving as his gaze drilled into hers. “Andrew, can we have the room?”
She stood her ground, staring at Cam, wondering if the man was safe to be alone with. She rolled her eyes as Andrew got up to leave. Of course, Cam wasn’t safe to be around. He and his brother had already turned everything in her life upside down. Andrew stepped out of the room and closed the door, giving them privacy.
“Please, Rose, just hear me out.”
She gave her head a short shake. “This is crazy.”
“I know, but that’s Hollywood. You want to act, right?”
“Duh, that’s why I’m busting my ass to live here. I could be a waitress anywhere. Hell, in another city, I could work in my field, be a museum curator, or at least I could work in the field somehow.”
“Okay, I—of course I didn’t know that, but please can we give this a try. If you agree to pretend to be my girlfriend for a time—”
“How long?” Rose interrupted.
“Until you lose the baby and we can break up.”
Agitation swirled and she clenched her teeth together. “There is no baby.”
“I know that and you know that, but the people who live and die by TMZ have no clue, and in a few months, when you lose the baby, they’ll be satisfied when we say we’re too devastated to stay together.”
“This is—”
“Crazy, I know, you’ve said that already. I’ll make sure you get representation. You may not ever be a star, but we could get you a few parts on a TV show, maybe a movie or two and then you would have some extra money. Maybe not enough to live full time in Hollywood, but if you’re good and have talent, you might be able to turn it into a real career. Just think of this as your big break into acting.”
“This can’t be real.” Rose shook her head, wondering if she stared at Cam long enough, he would morph into some weird animal, and she’d wake up, finding out this was all a dream.
“Please, be my girlfriend—well, my fake girlfriend—until we can arrange a believable miscarriage story. I’ll make sure Andrew gets you a few auditions. The rest is up to you.”
She narrowed her gaze, wondering if the world had turned upside down. “Do you know what you’re asking me to do?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t take it back. I should have deleted both of those photos, but I didn’t.”
Desperation filled Rose. No one in their right mind would agree to this. “If anyone finds out the truth, we’re screwed.”
“No one will know the truth.” Cam ran his hand over her arm from her shoulder to her elbow. The man was so sweet and cute, and it was messing with her ability to think straight. This was a terrible idea, but for some reason, she was thinking about going along with the story.
Her phone buzzed, and she saw a text from Kady, asking if she was fine. She opened the application and typed a one-word reply—Yes—before she set her phone on the table and squared her shoulders.
“Fine, let’s say we do this. How the hell do we convince people it’s the truth?”
“That’s where Andrew comes in. He’s brilliant. He can figure this out. Let me go get him.” Cam moved to the door and stepped out of the room.
Rose flopped down on a chair and placed her arms on the table before dropping her head to rest on her forearms. She drew in a deep breath, trying to figure out if she should be admitted to a hospital for evaluation. There wasn’t any way she could do this convincingly. Someone would find out she was lying and that she was a fake. She was a faker and everyone would know. They would expose the sad truth and then both of them would be in trouble.
The door opened and both Cam and Andrew stepped in. A smile spread wide over Andrew’s face and he slapped his hands together.
“Okay. We have work to do.” Andrew sounded way too excited.
Rose narrowed her gaze and stared at Cam. How could he accept this so easily? She shook her head as desperation flowed through her. “This is so wrong.”
Andrew paused and turned to look at Cam. “I thought you said she’d agreed.”
Rose stood and moved to stand in front of Andrew. She held her head high though she felt like crap. “I’ve agreed
, though I think it’s crazy. I’ll do it, but that doesn’t mean I like it. And what if Amanda, if that is who sold the photo, comes forward and exposes our lie?”
“She won’t do that,” Andrew said.
“Why?”
“They’ll ask for the money back.” Andrew grew serious. “You have to be convincing with this.”
She shook her head. “How can the two of you lie so easily?”
“Rose, in this business, it’s all about perceptions. Reality is far from what people read about or what is reported to the public,” Andrew said.
“We’ll have a few dates. People will think we’re the real deal, and it will all blow over. Andrew has a statement ready. If you agree, it will go live on social media in the next few minutes.” Cam spoke quietly, his head bowed a little, looking at her as if they were already playing the part. But it wasn’t real. None of it was real. Cam didn’t care about her, she wasn’t the girlfriend of a hot star, and she wasn’t having his baby, but the man was acting as if they were entrenched in a relationship, trying to solve a problem that would keep them together.
Everything inside her told her to run screaming. She knew, without a doubt, she would regret taking this course of action. But she felt totally trapped, unable to stop the momentum. She was a boulder rolling downhill, just going along for the ride, because there was nothing else she could do.
Cam handed her a folded piece of paper, and she looked at it for a moment before the words started to make sense.
Earlier, a report was issued stating that Rose and I weren’t a committed couple, and that I’d abandoned her and our child. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am committed to Rose and our relationship. When we found out she was pregnant, we made plans to move in together. We aren’t sure how someone came to the conclusion that Rose was worried about my commitment to our child, but I’m already in love with the little bean and am looking forward to raising him or her with Rose at my side.
Rose is still early in the pregnancy, so please don’t expect updates any time soon. Rose is taking her health seriously and is putting the baby first. She is just as thrilled as I am and can’t wait for the birth of our first child together.
Rose’s stomach turned. “I want to throw up.”
“That’s fine, because you’re at the early stages of pregnancy and you would be throwing up anyway,” Andrew said.
“Is it fine? Are the words okay?” Cam held her hand and squeezed. He was being so nice, so kind, and if she wasn’t lying about their relationship, she would seriously consider falling for him.
“Let me read it again.” She glanced over the note, trying to comprehend everything it was saying. They were a committed couple, but how committed. “It looks like we’re going to move in together?”
“It would be best,” Andrew said.
“Are you kidding me? What will happen once we break up?”
“I’ll pay your rent and hold your place. When it all ends, you can move back to your apartment, or I could find you another place.”
She shook her head, getting dizzy. “No, just no. I can’t have you paying my bills.”
“Rose, we have to work together for this to go over well. It’s not optimal, but it is what we have to work with. I know you’re unhappy, and I don’t blame you. I swear you’ll get something out of this. It won’t be forever, and once it’s over, you won’t be dumped. Andrew will help you find a few roles that will help you get a start in the business. A connection with Andrew will open doors for you.”
Her heart and her head ached. Everything about this entire situation was wrong, but there didn’t seem to be any other answer without ruining Cam’s chance at getting this part in the movie that he wanted.
She dropped into a chair, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. “Fine. Send it. Seriously, we’re going to hell for this. What will I tell my mom?”
“Andrew, do you have any ideas about that?” Cam asked.
“Please stick with the story. If we have too many people who know the truth, it will get messy.”
“You do realize this is my life?” Rose had no idea how she would be able to keep the lie going. Her roommates would figure it out, or she thought they would. “When am I moving in with you?”
“We need to find a place first. You can’t live in the same house with Zach.”
She sat up, blinking at Cam. “Why not?”
“He’s got a substance issue. It wouldn’t be safe. We’ll find a small house—”
“We’ve got one,” Andrew said.
“Um, you already have a place for us to live?”
“It’s a small bungalow for rent just outside of Hollywood. It’s furnished so you could move in fast.”
“What about my job?” Rose whined. She hated how she sounded, but the fake pregnancy, the relationship, and now the house—it was all too much.
“You can take a leave of absence,” Andrew offered without looking up from his computer.
“Are you kidding me? If I do something like that, Mike will fire me.”
“You can get another job as a waitress. If this plays well, you’ll be making enough money as an actress and you won’t need a job at a diner.”
“This is wrong.” No matter how many times she said those words, it wouldn’t change the fact that they were on a path and it was one she couldn’t jump off.
When she’d shown up in Hollywood, she’d never imagined her life would end up like this. Just when she thought she was about to get ahead, everything was falling apart. Nothing good would come of this, but she had no idea how to stop the crazy things that had snowballed into a fake pregnancy with a movie star who had a bad reputation.
Chapter Twelve
Cam couldn’t believe he was having to live through his hell. How could he concentrate on getting the role of a lifetime, or at least a role that would set him up for the role of a lifetime, when he had to deal with a girlfriend he didn’t want, a baby that wasn’t real, and a roommate he didn’t know? Before they left the room, he thought of calling it off. They were insane for even attempting to do this. They had no business trying to trick people into believing Rose was actually pregnant. He couldn’t imagine how terrible they would look if the truth came out.
“So what do we do next?” Rose looked like she was going to be sick. He understood how she felt. He thought he might be sick if he had to think about their lies too much.
Andrew looked up from his computer and smiled. “I posted the note.”
“Oh God.” Rose turned even a deeper shade of green.
“The house, have someone show us the place.” Cam knew they needed to move on this quickly to make it believable. Besides, what type of idiot moved into a house with a stranger and pretended she was a girlfriend? No one would do that. Only an insane idiot would pretend to have a relationship with a complete stranger.
Andrew pulled out his phone and placed a call. Cam watched Rose as Andrew spoke. The woman really was beautiful—great skin, bright eyes, cute hair when it wasn’t pulled up for work. It could be worse. He was attracted to Rose, and the other night, they’d had fun. If he had to be mired in this situation, he was glad it was with her. Perhaps they could have had something, if this crazy situation hadn’t happened.
Rose glanced up and caught him with his eyes on her. She shook her head, and he stepped close before wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I’m sorry you’re in this.”
“It’s not your fault. You’re messed up in it too. You didn’t want this to happen. I wish I would have known about those photos.”
“What would you have done?”
“Maybe not left my phone out so anyone could find it.” Rose sighed and rested her head on his chest.
Warmth blossomed inside. He wouldn’t be pretending to like Rose, because he actually did like her. The other night had been the best one he’d had in a long time, maybe ever. Rose was the type of woman he could create a life with, but now some stupid jerk had ruined it for them
. They may not ever get to develop a real relationship because of the false article written about them. Realistically, it would be near impossible for them to have a normal relationship anyway, but before this article had been published on TMZ, he’d had hope.
“Before you two make a public appearance at the house, you need to shower and do your hair,” Andrew said.
Rose stepped away from Cam, her hands going to her hair as her lips turned down. Cam saw what he thought to be insecurity shining in her eyes. She looked beautiful, but this was Hollywood and beautiful wouldn’t cut it. She had to look perfectly put together without a hair out of place.
“I guess I could run home,” Rose muttered as she glanced down and smoothed one hand over her uniform.
“No need. We have a shower here you can use. I’ll find someone to do your hair and makeup. Melissa has a dress being sent over along with some shoes.”
Rose’s eyes went wide and she gave her head a quick shake. “What? A dress. How do you know my size? And shoes? What the hell?”
“It’s customary. We know sizes and this is what my office does best. We make our stars shine.”
The door opened and Melissa stepped in with her arms full. “Okay, it’s time to primp. Rose, if you would follow me, I’ll take you to the staging area where we’ll be getting you ready. Cam, we have a man bringing up some clothes for you. We’ve coordinated your outfits so the two of you will look perfect together.”
Rose turned to him, her brows bunched, and she looked like she was ready to bolt. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it.
“It’s okay. I trust Andrew and Melissa. They want what’s best for us. They will be kind and won’t do anything that will make our situation worse.”
She nodded then squared her shoulders. He liked that she was not bowing under the pressure. This situation would be difficult for anyone, especially for someone who hadn’t received media training.
Rose left the room with Melissa, shutting him and Andrew in the conference room. “Give it to me straight. How fucked am I?”
