“People are saying that you knew all along Red Jameson was using your relationship as a publicity stunt, Nicole.”
She didn’t answer any of their questions. She just kept walking. Confused, she called Danielle, who answered the phone immediately. “Someone just told me about it,” Danielle said in greeting.
“About what?” Nicole asked, trying to shield her face with her phone as she walked. The half dozen paparazzi followed her down the street, while others gawked at them.
“You didn’t see the article in The Rag?”
“No,” Nicole said. “Tell me what was in it.”
“Oh my god, honey. I’m so sorry.”
“Was it about Red using me for publicity?”
“Yeah. It’s long and detailed and it seems to be from an inside source, someone who knows him really well. Whoever it is must not like him very much.”
“I’m being followed by photographers as we speak,” Nicole said, trying to walk faster. She was close to the building now.
“Come back to the apartment right now. I’ll meet you there and we can figure out what’s next,” Danielle told her.
Nicole sighed. “I need to take care of this myself. But thanks for being there for me,” she said.
“Of course,” her friend said.
When Nicole finally made it back to the building, she ducked quickly inside the revolving doors and watched as the paparazzi continued to mill about outside, smoking and talking.
She went to the special elevators reserved for Red, but now also reserved for her. The operator smiled at her as she got in. “Good afternoon, ma’am.”
“Hi,” she said.
He smiled and nodded as if nothing at all were wrong. Nicole supposed that in his world, nothing much was wrong.
She got out and strode to the office, opening the door without bothering to knock. Red was on the phone, standing beside his desk.
“Make sure you stay on it,” he was saying—nearly shouting into the phone. “And don’t stop until you have an answer for me.” And then he saw Nicole and his eyes widened. “George, I’ve got to go.” He hung up the phone.
“Tell me the truth, right now,” she said.
“About the story in the tabloids?” he asked.
“All of it.”
“It’s nothing but lies.”
“Is it really nothing but lies? Don’t say something you’ll regret,” she warned him.
He came towards her to wrap his arms around her, and how badly she wanted his comfort right now. But instead she shook her head and stepped back.
“You can’t believe what we have is just some stunt for publicity,” he said. His face was a mask of worry.
“I need the truth from you,” Nicole said. “If you lie to me now, I promise you’ll never see me again.”
Red searched her eyes with his own. She tried to understand why he would do all of this, why would he go to such lengths to fool her? Just for an image makeover?
He turned and walked back to his desk, sat down. “There was a plan, a few months back, for me to begin a relationship with a so-called “ordinary girl.” There were some discussions about how the whole scheme would work, but it never took off.”
Nicole produced the emails and threw the papers on his desk. He picked them up and made a face as he read them silently. “God, I sound like such an asshole,” he said, finally, putting a hand up to his face.
“And now you’ve made me look like an asshole.”
“No, Nicole.”
“I was just followed by five or six photographers outside. Everyone knows. The story is all over the place,” she told him.
“It’s a coincidence, I swear.” He stood up again. “Look at the dates on these conversations. It’s from last year. We discussed it, we batted some ideas around, but it never went anywhere. When I met you, I never intended for any of this to happen, I had no agenda whatsoever.”
“What a lucky coincidence that I’m just a regular girl from upstate New York, and you just happen to be in love with me now.”
Red shook his head. “If that’s all this was, why would I even bother sitting here trying to convince you otherwise? The story’s blown. Everyone thinks this was just a big publicity stunt, so there’s no reason for me to keep you around anymore.”
“Why not? Seems like you got exactly what you wanted, Red. Attention for yourself, a new angle, something different and exciting to tantalize the media.”
Red’s expression was devastated. “I swear to you, my love for you and my proposal to you had nothing to do with that ridiculous idea. I’d actually forgotten all about it until this story broke.”
“I don’t know how I can believe you,” she said.
Red sprang from his desk and grabbed her in his arms, and even though she resisted, he pulled her in close. She could smell his scent, his cologne and aftershave. He leaned towards her as he held her. “Everyone’s going to say this is a stunt. But it’s not. You and I know it’s not.”
“I can’t believe you were planning to date someone just for publicity, Red.”
“I was a fool. But then I met you,” he whispered.