Secret Gifts (Steamy Version) (14 page)

Gage managed to squeeze past two of the reporters, but it was another voice that stopped him. "Gage," the man said. "Can you confirm the rumors that you are directly responsible for the death of Lana Brown?"

He froze in mid-step, and for a moment everything stopped. His blood felt like ice in his veins and the room with all the people crowded in it swirled around him.

"Gage, is it true that you were still dating Lana Brown when you were filming
Extinction
and associated with model..."

The reporter’s voice turned to a buzzing in Gage's brain. He didn't need to hear anymore. He didn't need to hear the model's name, or the actress after that, or the dozens of women he'd been associated with.

They knew. The room spun. He looked around, desperately searching for an escape.

"Gage.” The reporter was relentless. "How do you think the producers of
Tumbleweed
will respond to this latest scandal? Do you think it will tarnish your reputation when your fans find out you killed your girlfriend?"

Rage flooded through him at the reporters last words. He spun around and grabbed the recorder out of the man's hand. For the second time that day, he wanted to punch a man.

"I did not—"

"They'll be no more questions for Mr. Mitchell at this time."

Gage looked to his left and saw his manager, Lucas, pushing his way through the crowd. He reached Gage, put his arm around him and, with his free hand, plowed a path through the throng of media to the outside, where Gage gulped at the fresh air.

"Come on," Lucas said. "We can't hang out here. They won't leave you alone for long." Gage followed after his manager and friend until they were headed down the path to his suite. "I'll see what I can do about getting them off the property," Lucas said. "They weren't supposed to be here. When I find out who invited them here, I'll—"

"They know," Gage said. "They know about Lana." He stopped walking and stared into the trees.

"About that," Lucas said. "You have some explaining to do. Now come on."

For the last twenty-four hours, Megan had managed to avoid both Ryan and Gage. She’d fully intended to hunt down Ryan and demand what he was up to, but after listening to Lisa’s confession and seeing the look in Gage’s eyes, she didn’t have the energy to fight a battle that she couldn’t win.

She pulled her dress out of the garment bag. It was simple but elegant with a deep neck line—enough to be sexy, but not too much. The party was in less than two hours, and while she’d done her best to do her job to the best of her abilities, she’d seen the news and read the reports. Scandal had broken. Working with Lucas, Megan had advised Gage to release an official statement about Lana Brown, and he’d done beautifully.

Her heart ached for him, while she watched from a distance. She couldn’t bring herself to stand next to him; her own wound was too raw and she didn’t want to distract the reporters from Gage’s message. He spoke from the heart and told the truth. Despite being angry with him, Megan was proud of him and how he handled the situation, but she didn’t stick around to say so. As soon as he was done speaking, she’d fled back to her room. Whatever there’d been between them, she was certain she’d imagined it and it would be best for everyone if she forgot all about it.

Megan slid the dress on, wiggling just enough to get the zipper up and turned to survey herself in the mirror. When she’d ordered the dress, she’d thought maybe she’d be attending the party with Gage. The ache in her chest surprised her with its intensity. She’d been so naive. A few kisses and a few tender moments, and she thought there was something more between them. It didn’t matter if she’d felt a connection. Obviously, he hadn’t.

She resisted the urge to laugh at herself and her foolishness. Not only had she let a man get to her, she’d also pretty much secured the fact that by the end of the night, she’d be looking for a new job. No one had heard anything from the
Tumbleweed
producers yet, but Megan could guess how they’d react.

With one more quick look in the mirror, Megan practiced a fake smile and slicked on a coat of lip gloss before picking up her evening bag. She took a deep breath and headed downstairs where anything could be waiting for her.

What was waiting for her was a much calmer lobby than the day before. With the reporters banned to the outside, and most of the guests still prepping themselves in their rooms, things were pretty quiet. Megan liked to be early for parties, especially ones she was in charge of. And even if she was going to get fired, she was still going to go out in style, making sure the party was as fabulous as possible.

“Well, well,” a voice behind her said.

She didn’t need to see him to know the voice belonged to the man she once loved. She took a deep breath and faced him. “Ryan,” she said.

He stood with his arms crossed, a smug look on his face. “I didn’t think you’d show up,” he said.

“I was kind of put in charge of organizing the party, remember?” She tried not to engage him in the fight she knew he was looking for. “Of course I was going to come.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like you’ve done your job very well, does it? I’m assuming you’ve seen the reports.”

She nodded.

“It seems your new boyfriend has quite a past,” he continued. “Frankly, I think you can do better.”

Megan sighed. “Ryan, he’s not my boyfriend.” Ryan raised his eyebrows. “He’s not,” she said. “Look, whatever happened between us, I’m sorry. But can we please leave business out of it? We’re on the same side here.”

Anger transformed his face. “We are not on the same side,” he said, through clenched teeth. “I was on the side of you and me, Megan. You ruined that. You threw it all away.”

“Ryan.” She reached for his arm, but he shook it off. “Please. This isn’t about us.”

“Oh yes it is.” He glared at her with so much hate in his eyes, Megan couldn’t imagine how he’d ever looked at her with love. “You destroyed everything we had, Megan, and now I’m going to make sure you hurt just as much as I did.”

“You set all this up,” she said. “I know you got Lois to send me here, and I know you thought I’d fail, but…” She trailed off as the realization hit. “You knew,” she said. “You knew all about Gage’s past and Lana Brown, didn’t you?”

Ryan didn’t say anything, but his expression changed just enough.

“This whole time,” Megan said. “You knew you were going to bring him down, and why—just to hurt me?”

“I told you, I was going to make you hurt, too.”

Her stomach churned with anger and she clenched her fists in an effort to keep herself under control. In the corner of her eye, she saw Lois walking towards them. She didn’t have much time before she’d be fired. “I understand hurting me,” she said, even though she didn’t really. “But I don’t understand why you would bring his family all this way to witness such a thing. If he loses
Tumbleweed
, he’ll be humiliated, and for what?”

The face Megan once thought of as kind and handsome flared with anger and jealousy. “His family is here for insurance,” he said, coldly. “I knew Mommy and Sis wouldn’t be able to lie if reporters started asking questions. I needed to make sure it went down the way it was planned.”

“It’s not right, Ryan. He’s a person with feelings and what happened to him was—“

“Seriously, Megan. Listen to yourself,” he spat. “You’re defending Gage Mitchell. He’s a womanizing party animal who just happened to get lucky enough to be a star. That’s it. And now you think you’re in love with him?”

Heat flared through her but she stood her ground.

“What a joke,” Ryan continued. He took a step closer to her, focused only on Megan and his revenge. “Didn’t some blond bimbo just come forward about hooking up with him? Shocking, right? Gage Mitchell is over, Megan. I made sure of that.”

“What about the Grace Agency, Ryan?” Megan asked, taking a chance. Lois was close enough to overhear and if she was going to lose her job, she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. “Once it comes out that you set up your own client, the agency is going to suffer.”

“It’s never going to come out,” he said. “It worked out even better than I thought when Gage confessed everything to you. So sorry, sweetheart, but you’re going to be the one taking the fall on this one.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

Megan kept her face neutral as Ryan spun around to face his mother. “What…I…Mother—“

“I’m extremely disappointed in you, Ryan.” Lois crossed her arms and looked every bit the formidable woman Megan knew her to be. “When you asked me to send Megan on this assignment, I understood it was because you needed distance after your breakup. Against my better judgment I agreed.” She looked to Megan. “You have to understand, I am a mother, too.”

Megan nodded.

“And it was an important assignment,” Lois continued. “Gage Mitchell is a very important client, and I knew if anyone could do the job, it would be Megan. There was a lot riding on this.” She turned to her son. “But to hear that you masterminded all of this,” she waved her arms, “chaos, and have put our company’s reputation in jeopardy, well, there simply aren’t any words for how disappointed I am in you.”

“Mother, I—“

“You’ve said enough.” She held up her finger, silencing him before turning her attention back to Megan. “I heard Gage Mitchell give his statement,” she said.

Megan nodded. “He did a good job,” she said. “It came from the heart.”

Lois clucked her tongue. “Well, as his PR rep, you did a good job advising him on the best course of action. I hope that continues.”

Continues?
Megan swallowed hard. “Thank you,” she said. “But I assumed I’d be—“

“Fired?” Lois shot another look in her son’s direction. “Your job was never in question, Megan. Whatever happens in your personal life is just that. Personal.”

It took Megan a second to process what had just happened, and she stood, stupefied for a few moments, while Lois turned and marched off, her son trailing her like a scolded puppy. She’d been so certain she would be losing her job, but she should never have underestimated Lois Grace. If there was one thing she’d learned from the woman, it was how to be successful in business. Megan could almost laugh at how ridiculous she’d been, trusting Ryan at his word.

A weight had been lifted from her shoulders, certainly, but Megan still wasn’t in a mood to celebrate. Her heart heavy, she almost didn’t hear the weak voice that called out to her.

“Excuse me,” the voice said.

Megan stopped and looked around. There, almost dwarfed by the oversized easy chair, was Gage’s mother. She was alone, an oxygen tank on the floor next to her.

“Are you okay, Mrs. Mitchell?” Megan went to her.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Just waiting for the party to start.” She smiled and Megan could see the beauty she’d been before the cancer had consumed her. “Could you spare a moment? If you’re not too busy, that is.”

“Of course,” she said. Megan had a million things to do, but there was no way she could say no. She pulled over another chair and sat close enough to be able to hear the other woman’s voice. “How can I help you, Mrs. Mitchell?”

“Please, call me Diane,” she said. “You’ve been helping my son?”

“I don’t know about helping,” Megan said. “I was supposed to, but I don’t know if I did such a good job.” Megan faked a smile, trying to make light of a hard situation.

“No,” Diane said. “You’ve been helping him. And I don’t mean with his PR or whatever all that is. I don’t understand fame and all that goes with it. But I do understand my son.”

Megan nodded.

“He’s been lost,” Diane continued. “And I’ve missed him so much.”

Without asking, Megan knew the other woman wasn’t talking about Gage’s lack of visits. She waited for her to continue.

“We talked last night,” Diane said. “It was the first time in a long time we’d done that. It was nice.”

Megan’s smile was genuine this time as she pictured them together. “I’m glad you were able to have that, Mrs. Mitchell. Sorry…Diane,” she added before the other woman could protest. “I know how much you mean to him.”

“And you,” Diane said. Before she could elaborate, she erupted in a chest-rattling cough that shook her body. Megan’s hands fluttered, unsure of what to do, but after a second, the coughing subsided, and Diane continued, “He told me all about you, and the mountain climbing and your talks together. He cares about you.”

Megan’s face heated with a blush. “He told you that?”

“He didn’t have to. I’ve never seen him like that. Not even with Lana,” she added.

Megan shrugged. Clearly, Gage’s mother didn’t know about Lisa. Gage couldn’t possibly care about her too much, Megan thought. He’d made his choice, and it wasn’t her.

Uncomfortable, Megan stood. “I really should be going, Mrs. Mitchell. The party will be starting soon, and there’s still—“

“Megan.” Diane reached out and took Megan’s hand. Surprised, Megan looked down into dark eyes, so much like Gage’s. “Don’t give up on him,” she said, and squeezed Megan’s hand once before releasing her.

After two hours in his personal gym, and a longer shower than was reasonable, there was no more procrastinating. Gage had to get ready for the party. He’d done his best to hide out in the suite since making his statement to the press earlier in the morning. He’d given strict instructions to Lucas that he shouldn’t be interrupted for any reason. Unless Megan called or came. There hadn’t been any interruptions.

He dressed without paying attention to what he was putting on. Lucas must have laid it out for him. Gage went through the motions and when he’d finished, walked out to the living room where he hoped he’d find Megan.

His sister was waiting for him instead. “It’s about time you appeared,” she said.

“I’m not in the mood, Hannah.” He walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. It would be the only one he’d have all night. He wouldn’t give anyone any more reasons to fire him. Although he was fairly positive that, despite his official statement, the producers would be releasing him from his contract, and at the
Tumbleweed
party, no less.

With a flick of his wrist, he opened the bottle and took a deep pull. The irony of the timing wasn’t lost on him.