The Star’s Fake Marriage
a clean fake relationship romance book two
Bree Livingston
Edited by
Christina Schrunk
The Star’s Fake Marriage
Copyright © 2018 by Bree Livingston
Edited by Christina Schrunk
https://www.facebook.com/christinaschrunk.editor
Proofread by Krista R. Burdine
https://www.facebook.com/iamgrammaresque
Cover design by Victorine Lieske
http://victorinelieske.com/
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Bree Livingston
https://breelivingstonwrit.wixsite.com/breelivingston
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
The Star’s Fake Marriage / Bree Livingston. -- 1st ed.
ISBN: 9781719985802
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Sneak Peek! The Bodyguard’s Fake Marriage Chapter 1
Sneak Peek! The Bodyguard’s Fake Marriage Chapter 2
Other Books by Bree Livingston
About the Author
Here I am again. People to thank and all that stuff.
I mean, I do have a lot of people to thank, but they’re the same people. How do you shake things up for each book?
Do me a favor, wiggle your kindle. We’ll call it shaken. HA!
Chapter 1
Callie Chapman pulled her car to a stop in the Country Music Weekly’s underground parking garage. Her editor, Gil Spraker, had called at dawn Monday morning to tell her there was an emergency and she needed to meet him at his office. She pushed out of the car and locked it before walking to the elevator. Once inside, she let herself hope that Gil had something special for her.
“Oh, man,” she said as her gaze dipped to the two different-colored shoes she wore. Maybe Gil wouldn’t notice. Or if he did, hopefully he’d suck it up. After all, he was the one who told her to hurry. And at five a.m. with no coffee, mismatched shoes should be a given.
As soon as the doors slid open, she strode down the hall until she came to Gil’s office—where she heard him on the phone. He held up a finger, halting her before she could enter. Who could he be talking to this early in the morning?
Holding the man’s gaze, she tried to understand the conversation, but nothing gave her a clue as to who he was speaking to or what he was discussing.
“Hey, Callie,” Gil said, finally putting the phone down.
She looked up. “Hey. What was the big rush to get down here?”
“Oh, you aren’t going to believe this, but I’ve got you an in with the most difficult-to-interview country singer to hit the scene in years.”
“Uh, okay.” Great. Difficult didn’t necessarily translate to a great article, just a lot of magazines sold―which Callie loved. But no one knew it was her, so it made for a bittersweet victory when her articles went viral. Still, this could give her the ammunition she needed to tell her mom she wasn’t a CPA. She was tired of the charade. It was one thing to be single, but it was another to be single and working for a tiny no-name accounting firm. A firm that didn’t exist.
Gil steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. “What do you know of Tucker Hawk?”
Tucker Hawk? Ha. Like everyone in her circle didn’t know she was his biggest fan. She’d loved him ever since hearing him sing six years ago in Nashville during her last year at Vanderbilt. The first weekend back after summer break, she and a few friends had ducked into a little club called Tex and Song. Tucker was there performing, and from that moment on, it had been love at first melodious note.
A smile spread on her lips as she remembered following him around, cheering him on. She’d been twenty, and he’d been twenty-four. It felt like forever ago. They’d dated briefly at the end and even shared a few kisses. But he was focused on his career, so their actual dates had been spotty. It had taken no time for her to fall for him. But fame had called, and they’d gone their separate ways, both agreeing it was for the best. Of course, she didn’t tell him how hurt she was, because she knew how much singing meant to him and didn’t want to stand in the way of his career. She wasn’t mad at him, not even now, but she had spent a lot of time wondering what would’ve happened if things had been different.
No way was she telling Gil that. He’d wield that information like a sword. Besides, she wasn’t even sure Tucker would remember her. It was a long time ago, and a lot had changed since then. Most likely, he wouldn’t even remember her. She’d never been able to forget him, though.
“Um, just that he’s had it pretty hard recently.”
That was an understatement. In the past year, Tucker Hawk’s clean-cut, all-American image had taken a huge hit. His nasty public breakup with his girlfriend, Petra, and subsequent spiral had been the focus of more than just a few of the country’s gossip magazines. Everyone was desperate for the inside scoop as to what had really happened between him and the up-and-coming model. It’d been completely out of character for him, and Callie kept her knowledge of the situation limited. She hated seeing him hurt.
“What if I told you I could get you an exclusive with Tucker, but you’d have to keep it hush-hush.”
Her brain froze. Another chance to see Tucker? She’d chew used gum if it meant face time with him. Not that she still cared about him that way, but as a reporter, he’d be a great subject. “Uh, well, I’d say sign me up.”
Gil smiled. “That’s my star reporter.”
Callie narrowed her eyes. Her weird-o-meter was hitting a million. “Okay, but you know I’m leaving the day after tomorrow for my sister’s wedding. It’ll have to be after that.” If she missed Georgia’s wedding, Callie wouldn’t have to worry about exclusives or anything else because her mom would kill her.
“Didn’t I hear you say you needed a date for that?”
Seriously? She didn’t remember telling Gil that. How did he find out? More than likely he’d caught her on the phone with her mom. Not that it’d be hard to figure out there was a wedding and she was dateless. “And what does that have to do with an interview with Tucker Hawk?”
Gil stood and walked around his desk to perch on the corner facing her. She’d seen this look before. It usually meant he had something up his sleeve.
Fantastic. She took a deep breath, waiting for the bomb to drop.
“My best friend, Derek Underwood, is the CEO of Tucker’s music label, Reckless Records. They’re working on a plan to polish Tucker’s image that includes him getting married,” Gil said.
“Married? I didn’t even know he was dating anyone.” Why did it feel like her lungs were suddenly lacking oxygen?
“Accordi
ng to Derek, he’s not.” Gil’s lips twitched into a wider smile.
It took her brain a second to catch up, and her eyes widened. “A fake marriage?”
Gil nodded but didn’t speak. Almost as though he was afraid someone would overhear.
“Okay, and what do they want from me?”
“First, does your family still believe you’re a CPA?”
“Yeah, why?” Gil knew that. It’s why she used a pen name to publish her articles.
“Good. You’ll need to keep it that way.”
Callie crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s going on, Gil?”
“We thought maybe you’d be an excellent candidate to be his wife.”
Hold the phone. His wha-wife?
“I’m sorry, what?” Callie asked, blinking. She could see Gil’s lips moving, but the words were making no sense.
“Tucker is on board, if that’s what has you worried.”
“He is?”
“Yeah, he’s all on board. Only, you can’t tell him you’re a reporter.”
Her mouth dropped open as she tried to get her brain up to speed. “What do you mean?”
“He’s avoided all media this past year. Well, as much as someone fall-down drunk can. Anyway, Derek said we could get exclusives over the next year, and I know how much you’ve wanted to come clean to your mom. With a story like this, she’d have to see how great a reporter you are. No more fake CPA office. Only, we can’t tell anyone the marriage is fake. They’ve even been working up a story the past few days, and everything is already set to go. They just need a wife. That’s where you come in.”
Faking a marriage? Callie shook her head. “No. No way. I won’t do it.”
“They’re offering a five-hundred-thousand-dollar incentive.”
Like she needed the money? The only reason she had kept her writing career from her mom was because…well, there wasn’t a great reason other than Callie didn’t want to disappoint her mom. Plus, she liked being anonymous. Another reason not to marry Tucker.
“There isn’t enough money for me to do that.” She shook her head.
Gil shrugged and straightened, walking to his chair and picking up the phone. “I guess I’ll just call Derek. He’s got Petra on standby if they can’t find someone else.”
Callie held in a gasp. That woman? According to Callie’s sources, Petra Vislosky had used Tucker to further her own modeling career by leaking information about Tucker’s family to the tabloids. Things about his mom’s illness and other little intimate details that shouldn’t have been leaked. She couldn’t let Petra near him again.
“Wait.” She sighed.
Gil, still holding the phone, paused as his finger hovered over the buttons. “Yes?”
“They’re going to do this no matter what?”
He snorted. “Oh yeah,” he said, still holding the phone.
“And Tucker is willing to do it?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but you can’t—and I mean this—you can’t tell him you’re a reporter. The only way we’re going to get to know the real him is to keep it from him.”
Callie scoffed. “As soon as the press finds out Tucker Hawk is married to me, they’ll start digging into me and my past. They’ll find out who I am.”
Gil shook his head. “Derek and I are working to bury it. Don’t worry about that.”
“Okay, but I want it in the contract that if Tucker finds out—and not from me—I won’t be penalized.” Man, she sure wished her dad could read the contract, but there was no way she’d let him know she was doing something so crazy.
“All right. I’ll make sure it’s in the contract, and throughout the year, you give the magazine juicy details about Tucker Hawk. Of course, being under your pen name, no one will ever know you’re the insider.”
“And if I don’t?”
Gil’s normally carefree, friendly demeanor disappeared. “I’ll out you as Jamie Pearson and make it my job to make sure you never work for another magazine. We’ll sue you until you have nothing left. You’ll be lucky if you get to keep your mismatched shoes.”
What should she do? There was no way she could write tell-all articles about Tucker without his knowledge, and she couldn’t let Petra near him either. But if she wanted Gil to think she was trying, she was going to have to act like she was trying.
“What if Tucker doesn’t reveal anything?” asked Callie.
He lifted an eyebrow. “You’re a reporter. Surely you can think of a way to entice a celebrity to dish something juicy.”
Callie exhaled sharply. “I get that, but with as guarded as he’s been, who’s to say he’ll ever warm up to me enough to spill anything? Besides, if I’m under pressure, I’ll be putting pressure on him. He’ll know something’s up, and the whole thing will explode.” That sounded convincing, right?
Gil tapped his fingers against his leg. “Fine, but I want regular check-ins. A text or something.”
“Yeah, and he finds my phone and sees a text to my editor Gil? Great plan.” It was quick thinking, and true. No better way of having a cover blown than that.
He groaned. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”
“I’m not being difficult. I’m being cautious.”
“All right. No texts, no calls. I’ll set up a fake email. You can write it up and send it to that. Does that work?”
“And no pressure?” Callie asked, mentally crossing her fingers. Could she help it if the difficult country music star didn’t give her anything to report?
“No pressure. But you need to produce. I should see something no later than a couple of weeks.”
Even if there was no pressure to produce material, there was still the issue of having a fake relationship. How was she supposed to have a relationship with someone, fake or otherwise, and lie to them the whole time? Besides, she had her sister’s wedding. “It’ll have to be after my sister’s wedding.”
“No, it happens tomorrow. You’ll be flying into Vegas this afternoon, having a get-to-know-you date, and getting married tomorrow.”
“Before my sister’s wedding? No way. My mom will kill me.”
He held her gaze until the silence in the room became uncomfortable.
“Hold on.” He picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Hey…yeah, I think she’s on board, only she wants it in the contract that if the press finds out she’s Jamie Pearson, she won’t be penalized. And she’s got her sister’s wedding. She doesn’t want the press finding out before then.” Gil spoke to whoever it was on the phone a few minutes longer and then hung up. He flicked his gaze to her and smiled. “You’ll get married tomorrow, but they’ll keep it under wraps until your sister’s married. As soon as the ceremony is over, you’ll fly to Los Angeles where Tucker lives, and they’ll make the announcement. Where’s your sister’s wedding being held?”
“Carolina Beach, North Carolina. It’s my family’s vacation home.”
“While you’re there, your apartment here will be packed up and moved into Tucker’s home.”
Her eyes went wide. “Move in with him?”
“You’ll be married to him, so yeah.”
Calle’s stomach flipped. This was a horrible, horrible plan. “How long will I have to be married to him?”
“A year, during which you’ll secretly be sending the magazine articles about him. We want everything. All the details of his breakup with Petra, what really happened…seriously, everything. The world gets their exclusives on Tucker, and your bank account will be a half-mil richer.”
Why, all of a sudden, did it seem like she’d become the lowest of the low? Even she thought she was gross. Paid to get married? No.
“I’m not going to do it for money. If money exchanges hands, then I want it to go to something else besides me.”
Gil’s eyebrows darted into his hairline.
“You don’t want the money?” His eyes narrowed. “Are you a Tucker Hawk fan?”
“No and no. I just don’t want the money. Send it to the NICU
at the Wilmington’s Children’s Hospital. My niece Mary was a preemie, and the more money they have for equipment, the more babies they can save.”
“I’m sure they won’t care as long as you sign the contract.”
Callie stood and whirled around. “This is beyond insane.”
“Really? Like crazier things haven’t happened?”
No, but it was the craziest thing she’d ever even thought about being a part of.
“I don’t know, Gil. A relationship is hard enough. Pretending to have one…” What word would adequately describe just how strange this whole plan sounded?
“Look, Callie, would you prefer someone marry him that doesn’t care about him, or would you rather it be you?”
When he put it like that…she couldn’t let someone hurt him like Petra did, but being fake married to him? This was a big deal, and not something to jump into.
“How long do I have to decide?”
Gil looked at his computer screen. “Your flight leaves at two.”
“So, no time at all, really.”
“No. They were afraid if they gave too much warning, someone would leak the details of what they were doing, and they can’t afford to allow that happen.”
With one huge breath, Callie looked Gil in the eyes. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Awesome. I’ll tell Derek, and we’ll get the contract together so you can sign it. In the meantime, go home and pack.”
“Okay.”
“And take something nice to wear to your dinner tonight.”
Energy pulsed through her, but she did her best to hide her excitement. Despite herself, butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
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