I stared up at the ceiling of my bedroom, my hands behind my head. I’d never enjoyed sharing my bed, preferring to starfish on my mattress to my heart’s content. But this was the tenth day of waking up in Los Angeles on my own in bed, reaching over, hoping to find Lana’s warm body, only to pull away disappointed.
Three days, and she’d be here. I couldn’t help but grin as I pictured her in my bed, naked beside me. I snaked my hand down to grip my morning erection. I wouldn’t have to waste these when Lana got here.
My dick twitched in my fist and I closed my eyes, imagining Lana’s hand rather than my own. My eyes flew open as my cell buzzed. Hopefully that was her, ready to talk dirty to me.
I grabbed the phone. Brian. Just my fucking luck.
I released my cock and sat up against my headboard. “Hey.”
“Thank God you’re back in the right time zone. I have Sinclair on the line as well.”
“Hi, Sinclair. What can I help you with?”
“You’re always all business, Matt.”
“You know me. What’s up?”
“It’s about Audrey. We’ve been doing some media management since those photos in Maine, and we need to bring your breakup forward.”
“I don’t see why. The studio will want to wait until publicity for the film is finished.”
“Look, the press is on your tail after that photograph with the brunette,” Sinclair said.
“Why? Those pictures weren’t incriminating. And for future reference, her name is Lana.” Jesus, the way people were referred to in Hollywood as their most prominent body part was fucking ridiculous. “And she’s my girlfriend.” As I said the words, my throat constricted. Was she my girlfriend? I’d been happy to be casual about what we were to each other when I’d left Maine, but having been separated from her, I wanted to put a label on it. Did she feel the same?
“Whatever. I’m telling you—the press is looking for a cheating story. They’re going to start clocking the time you and Audrey spend together, or go looking for reasons why you’re apart. She could even be caught out with her fiancé. This could all end up a big mess.”
If Sinclair was right, the whole situation was a ticking time bomb. “Do Audrey’s people agree with this?”
“If you’re on board, that’s my next call.”
I sucked in a breath. “Let me speak to Audrey first. She called me about the breakup, so I should be the one to make the first move.” Hopefully she’d see this could avoid a scandal for her as well. “But how will we play it with the studio? Won’t they be mad?” What I didn’t want to do was piss off the producers, who were all banking on the chemistry between Audrey and me to generate ticket sales. Hollywood was a small town. The whole point of dating Audrey in the first place was to show that I was responsible and reliable. I didn’t want this backfiring.
“I think we can spin this so people become interested in the breakup, wonder if you’ll get back together. Particularly if you’re close on the red carpet. People are going to speculate about what’s going on and who broke it off with whom,” Sinclair said.
I could imagine the studio being okay with that. The tabloids speculated all the time whether co-stars’ chemistry spilled off set and into real life. And a breakup would lead to a lot of questions and commentary. “You think you can convince them?” I asked.
It was difficult to know how Lana would react, but surely it was better for the guy you were sleeping with not to be in a relationship with someone else, even if it was fake. Lana and I had never had a conversation about what we were to each other, but I knew I wanted her in my life. The sex was fantastic between us, we made each other laugh and we’d spoken twice a day every day since I flew back to LA. For the first time in my life, I didn’t consider myself single, and I was a mile past okay with that.
“Come on, it’s me you’re dealing with. I can sell sand to Arabs,” Sinclair said.
“Let me talk to Audrey and I’ll let you know. I don’t want you leaking anything to the press in the meantime.” I also needed to speak to Lana. Audrey and I splitting up was a good opportunity to discuss what we were.
“So what does this mean for me going forward?” I asked.
“If you’re thinking you can go back to fucking everything with a pulse, then you’re sorely mistaken,” Brian chimed in. “If you want to—”
“I take my career more seriously than you do, Brian. You might have to convince some of your clients what’s good for them, but I’m not one of them. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Sinclair said. “Because I’ve found the perfect girl for you.”
“You’re suggesting another contracted relationship?” Obviously, that had been the plan, but in the last few weeks, I’d been thinking that maybe Lana might be my real girlfriend.
“Kristin Cooper. She’s beautiful, just finished an arthouse picture that Sundance loved, and has signed on to the latest Joel Schumacher. She’s going to explode over the next twelve months. It will be great publicity for you.” I expected him to elaborate, but his silence suggested he thought that he’d presented a slam-dunk solution.
“But I’m seeing Lana. I don’t see why I can’t just be with her. It’s not like I’m going to be out partying.”
Brian groaned. “No civilians. You just said that you were prepared to do whatever it takes to get the franchise—this is what it takes. The publicity with Kristin will really help keep you hot.”
I moved to the edge of the bed and pushed my hands through my hair. “The whole point of being seen in a relationship was to prove that the press had it wrong and that I wasn’t a kid in a candy store—that I was reliable, stable. That I had some self-control. The publicity was an extra benefit, but not the purpose of this.”
“But a huge benefit nonetheless. And anyway, Kristin will help cement this new version of you,” Sinclair said.
Brian and Sinclair had always wanted what I wanted—a franchise, for me to be the most successful movie star in Hollywood. We might not always agree but they knew what they were talking about and I trusted them. But this time, for the first time, I wasn’t convinced we all wanted the same thing.
“Surely it doesn’t matter who I’m in a relationship with as long as it’s monogamous. Why can’t it be Lana?”
“Because Kristin is beautiful and—”
“So is Lana,” I replied, interrupting Sinclair. She had that old Hollywood glamor thing going on. Sexy and feminine . . . but could swear like a sailor.
“A relationship with Kristin keeps you front of mind. You’ll be the only thing this town is interested in. And she’s got as much to gain and lose as you have,” Brian said.
I slumped back onto the bed. I had no doubt in my mind that objectively he was right. But I wasn’t feeling it. “Is she single?”