Hollywood & Vine (23 page)

“This is hard for me. I…I’ve never had to deal with anything like this. Seeing her touch you like she did, in ways that I can’t… I hated it.”

Anders nodded, relieved that the fight seemed to have left her too. She sounded genuinely upset, and as messed up as it might be, it made him feel better. “I’ll handle Aubrey. You just have to trust me. Okay?”

All Josie could muster was a nod. Trusting him was easier said than done, especially since his trust in her was superficial. It was for show and skimmed the top, a Band-Aid to cover whatever secrets lay hidden just below the surface. Cracks and holes littered the foundation of their fragile relationship, fault lines that shook with the slightest bit of pressure.

T
he next couple of weeks passed with little fanfare. Josie and Anders saw each other less and less on set, preferring to spend their free time together after work without fear of being watched. Anders was content. He was in control.

Josie, however, was not. Each day she felt more cagy, the feeling of being a dirty secret nagging at her. She wanted to go to the movies or out to dinner. It had nothing to do with showing him off. She wanted a semblance of normalcy, to experience things with Anders. She wanted to experience life.

Another thing Josie discovered was that she hated Aubrey Nash with unbridled rage. Every chance Aubrey had, she was all over Anders. Even though Anders did as he promised, keeping their interactions limited to filming, she was relentless. Which was why Josie wasn’t surprised by the magazine cover Anders tossed on her desk.

“Can you believe this shit?” Anders chuckled, his eyes darting to the hall then back to Josie.

She picked up the magazine and stared at the cover, her fingers tightening around the edges. “Hot on-screen chemistry leads to off-camera romance. Aubrey Nash takes role of leading lady both on and off the screen.” Josie’s voice was monotone, devoid of emotion, but on the inside she was anything but. Anger, jealousy, and hurt twisted inside her chest.

“What’s the matter with you? You know this is all bullshit, right?” Anders wrapped his hands around the back of the chair across from Josie, a small smirk on his lips as he tried to hide the unease her demeanor caused. He expected more of a reaction. She seemed unaffected, and it pissed him off.

“What do you want me to say? You want me
―
” She stopped speaking when Anders’ phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and blew out an exasperated breath when he saw Nathan’s name light up the screen.

“What?” There was no point in ignoring Nathan. He’d continue to call until Anders answered.

“One day you’re going to answer the phone like a normal person. Obviously today is not that day.”

“Yes, I’m an asshole. Alert the press. At least if they printed
that
, it would be the truth.”

“Ah, so you’ve seen the magazine. That explains your sunny disposition.”

Anders clenched his jaw. “Nathan.”

“Okay, okay. Clarence wants to meet with you.”

“Why didn’t he call me himself?”

“Are you joking? You’re not the easiest person to talk to on a good day. Considering what came out today, he figured you might be...testy.”

“What does he want? I don’t have time for this bullshit.” Anders flicked his eyes to Josie, who wasn’t even looking at him. She’d tossed the magazine to the side and was furiously dragging her pencil across the pad in front of her. He snapped his fingers and waved his hand in the air until she looked up. “What are you doing?” he mouthed, annoyance clear in his features as he pointed to the drawing. He was being irrational, but it bothered him that she didn’t seem concerned with his conversation or the magazine she’d discarded.

“Working,” she drawled, the expression on her face meant to make him feel stupid.

The sound of Nathan’s voice stopped Anders from responding. “He’d like to speak with you. He’s waiting in his office.”

“He wants me to come now?”

“So it would seem. Try to be civil. I realize this can be difficult for you.”

Anders didn’t bother to respond. He ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. He stared at Josie, waiting for her to look up, waiting for a reaction, waiting for something.

“You have to go.” It wasn’t a question. Contrary to what Anders believed, Josie was listening.

“Clarence wants to see me.” Anders pulled in a deep breath, prepared to leave without another word but stopped. “You’re not mad at me about this are you?” His words came out in a rush, the slight edge to his voice caused Josie to startle.

She dropped her pencil and sighed. Pressing the tips of her fingers into her temples, she shook her head. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just frustrated. I kind of hate her, Anders.”

Anders looked over his shoulder, hesitating for a moment before pulling her into the office behind her cubicle and locking the door. Ignoring her protests, he pushed her into the closest chair and crouched in front her. “Ivy, hey. Look at me.” He planted his hands on the tops of her thighs, his voice softer when he spoke again. “I’m doing my best here. I know that’s not saying much, but I’m trying. I don’t want her. I just want to be with you, okay?”

“I just wish we could be normal sometimes.”

Anders’ jaw clenched. “I can’t give you normal.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Anders gripped her a little tighter, hating the sudden pressure sitting on his chest. “We’ve talked about this.”

“And yet I still don’t know why.”

“I told you
―
”

“You’ve told me half-truths. There’s more. I’m not stupid. Or am I?”

“Ivy.” Her name was both a plea and a warning.

“Anders.” The challenge in Josie’s voice was unmistakable.

“Can you”
―
he reached up and stroked her cheek
―
“can you give me some time? Please?” He thought he’d have to school his features, force pleading sincerity in his expression. His stomach dropped when he realized he didn’t have to do any work at all; everything about his expression was genuine.

Josie saw it too. It made her heart clench. Her desire to believe him was enough to make her sink a little further, fall a little deeper, become a little more lost. “You’ve got to give me something.”

Anders rocked on the balls of his feet. Vulnerability made him anxious and jumpy. He wasn’t sure why he asked for more time, or if he was actually considering telling her about Eva and Nicholas. The moment their names popped into his head, his entire frame stiffened and the reason he was so guarded in the first place came surging back. No, never again. He wouldn’t give anyone power like that again.

“Come to my place tonight.” It was the first time he suggested she come to his home, and from the shock on Josie’s face, he knew he’d managed to deflect her again. At least for a while.

“What?”

“Come to my house. We’ll have dinner. Go for a swim.”

“But I thought you were worried about paps. What’s changed?”

Anders shook his head and smiled. “Let me worry about that.” He lived in one of the most secure neighborhoods in LA. What he’d told her about paparazzi hiding in his bushes had been true. What he failed to mention was that he moved after it happened and took out a restraining order against the offending bastard.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you later. I need to see what Clarence wants.”

“Yeah, of course. Okay.” Josie was still reeling from his offer. As he walked out the door, she tried not to let the bitter taste from his kiss linger on her lips, because suddenly she felt like a dog thrown a bone.

Anders pulled in a deep breath before entering Clarence’s office. His eyes widened the moment he took in the scene before him. Clarence and Tucker, both executives with Argent, sat at a table in Clarence’s office. It wasn’t the two men who had Anders’ attention, however. No, his attention was on Aubrey, who sat among them, a huge smile on her face.

“Anders, we thought Nathan had been unable to reach you.” Clarence smiled and stood from his chair. Crossing the room he clasped Anders’ hand and led him to the table. “Can we get you something to drink?”

“How about we skip the chitchat and get to why I’m here.”

Clarence cleared his throat and shifted his feet before settling in his chair and gesturing for Anders to do the same. Anders cut his eyes over to Aubrey before easing into the chair next to her. “We,” Clarence began, waving his hand toward Tucker, “came across some interesting information this morning and wanted the opportunity to discuss it with you.”

Anders stared at him, his expression annoyed and impatient.

“What he means,” Tucker cut in, “is we wanted to ask the two of you if there was any truth to this.” He pulled out a magazine and laid it on the table in front of Aubrey and Anders. The very same magazine Anders had dropped on Josie’s desk just earlier.

“Jesus Christ,” Anders muttered, raking a hand through his hair.

“Are the two of you”
―
Clarence paused and lifted his brow
―
“involved?”

“No,” Anders answered at the same time Aubrey answered yes. He turned toward her, his expression incredulous.

“Not yet,” she smirked, a devilish twinkle in her eye.

Tucker hummed and looked between the two actors. “Could you pretend?”

Anders’ eyes snapped to Tucker. “No fucking way.”

“There’s no reason to be so hostile, Anders. Do you have any idea what kind of buzz this has created? Twitter, trash mags, fan sites
―
people are salivating at the idea of an on- and off-camera romance between you two. Since this article hit, the film has been Googled almost half a million times. The IMDB MOVIEmeter jumped from 111 to 13. In one day. Do you have any idea the potential this has for sales? For your bonus?” Clarence smiled when Anders’ shoulders slumped. If there was one thing Clarence understood about Anders, it was his need for success. Buzz about the film, regardless of the source, was a good thing.

“It’s not like you have to do anything major,” Tucker added. “The story’s already printed. You don’t have to confirm anything, just go out for lunch. Be seen together a few times. Nothing major.” Tucker turned to Aubrey and lifted his brows. “Aubrey?”

Aubrey shrugged and inspected her nails. “I could fake it. It would be good for the movie. That’s what’s important, right? It’s the reason we’re all here.” She looked at Anders and smiled, then slid her hand over his. “It’ll be fun.”

Anders didn’t care about fun, and he was less than thrilled about the idea in general. What he did care about was the success of the movie. If pretending for a couple of months would get it more attention, then he’d do what they asked. This type of thing happened all the time. It wasn’t a big deal.

“Fuck it. I’ll do it.”

It was hours later, as Anders stared silently across the room, that he realized how big of a deal it really was. With his hands tented in front of his face and his elbows propped on his knees, he watched Josie pull on her shoes and grab her keys. Taking a deep breath, he dropped his hands to his knees and pushed off the couch. He moved in front of Josie, blocking her path before she left the room.

“Why won’t you just fucking listen to me?”

“I’ve done nothing but listen to you, Anders. ‘Ivy, you can’t tell anyone. Ivy, I don’t date. Ivy, we can’t be seen together.’ Your rules, your game. I’m the one that’s going to end up the loser. I’ll be damned if you’re going to take me down piece by piece. I’m cashing out.”

“What the fuck are you even talking about? You’re not making any sense. It’s fake. None of it is real. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

“Why is it so damn hard for you to understand why I’m upset? You’re going to go out with her. You’re going to let people assume you’re a couple. You’re going to be in more of a relationship with your fake girlfriend than your real one. Unless part of the agreement is you get to fuck her. Then I’m fucking obsolete.”

“Ah, God. Here we go again,” he groaned in exasperation. “I’m not going to fuck her. The only reason I agreed to do this was for the movie. As you just said, you are my girlfriend. Not her.” It was the first time either of them had put a label on their relationship. Both were taken aback that the declarations happened during an argument.

“Anders, I’m jealous, okay? I hate it, and it makes me feel foolish to admit it, but I am. She gets to do things we can’t, and you agreed to it without giving a second thought to how it would make me feel.”

“Of course I care how you feel. Christ, look where we are.” He swept his arms out wide. “If you think I care so little about you, then why are you here? Why are we doing this?” Anders wanted to take the question back as soon as asked. He didn’t want her to answer. He wanted to go back to an hour ago when they were naked in his bed. But he did ask and, just like he dreaded, she answered.

“Because you won’t let me leave. Every time I try to go, you stop me.” Her words were sharp and coated with venom. A poisoned arrow aimed right for his pride and hitting its mark. Lifting his chin, he stepped to the side and held his arm toward the front door.

“Well, I’m not stopping you now.”

Josie nodded and clenched her jaw before moving past him, her mind focused on getting as far away from him as possible.