The Playboy's Princess (31 page)

It was a surreal moment.

A man talking into a two-way radio waved them along the carpet. “We have to get you inside for the Q and A, Mr. Malik.”

“All right. Sorry, folks,” Aaron said, addressing the media. “One more shot and then I’ve gotta go inside.”

The cameras went crazy, all trying to get the best shot of the night. The Maliks gave the screaming crowds one last wave and then moved into the theater. Drew didn’t let go of Jade the entire time, keeping either their fingers laced together or a guiding hand on her waist. It felt reassuring to have him there.

They were guided to their seats, and Aaron left them, heading to the front of the stage with the director and the other actors from the movie.

“You did very well,” Laura said, leaning around her son.

“Thanks.”

Drew squeezed her hand, and even though the lights went down and there was no one to show off for, he didn’t let go through the entire movie.

Jade had never watched a movie with a person she knew was actually
in
the film. She’d known Aaron for several months and perceived him to be a jovial and friendly man. Seeing him on screen swearing, smoking, and shooting people was quite a shock. She looked at Drew, who appeared to be engrossed in the film, and then across at Laura, who beamed up at the screen with pride. It was obvious that she only saw her husband and not the murdering bank robber everyone else saw.

When they left the cinema, there was just as much media outside as on the way in, but most of the general public had left, which helped calm Jade’s nerves. She was still getting used to being Drew Malik’s wife, and being Aaron Malik’s daughter-in-law was another terrifying step into the limelight she wasn’t prepared for.

“Drew! Can I ask a question? Drew!”

Drew nodded in acknowledgment and held his hand out to Jade. She slipped her fingers into his, and they walked over to the reporter.

“Drew, good to see you.”

“Thanks.”

“What did you think of the film?”

“It was fantastic. I think it’s the best my dad’s done in a long time.”

“And, Jade, what did you think?”

Jade’s eyes bugged, and she chewed her lip. Drew smirked. She’d been lucky on the way into the movie. He’d been able to field all the questions, and no one had addressed her directly. But Drew didn’t jump in to save her. If they were going to be married, she was going to have to learn to deal with the media. She tried her best to remember the lessons Cassandra had given her and took a deep breath.

“It was excellent. Aaron was really good. Although I’ll be more careful at family dinners now and make sure to check him for concealed weapons.”

The reporter laughed. Out of the corner of her eye, Jade saw Drew smile, and he squeezed her hand.

“So tell me, what’s married life like? Is he sleeping in the doghouse yet?”

Jade laughed and snuggled into Drew’s side. “It’s great. I’m very lucky. This guy is a keeper.”

She leaned her head up, and Drew took the cue, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. The reporter looked like Christmas had come early.

“Come on, there must be one little secret you can tell us about him,” he pushed.

Jade thought for a moment, looking up at Drew’s face. Drew froze, his eyes wary.

“Well, he…”

“Drew, can you join me for a moment?” his mother called from further down the carpet, cutting Jade off.

He looked over his shoulder and nodded.

“Join me when you’re done here, okay?” he asked Jade.

“All right.”

He kissed her cheek and walked over to his mother.

Jade turned back to the reporter.

“So, you were saying?”

“Oh right,” Jade said. “He snores.”

The reporter laughed. “Awesome. While I have you, Jade, do you have a response to the statement Tully Whittaker made about your marriage? Did you really agree to that arrangement?”

“What arrangement?”

Jade hadn’t heard anything about Tully in weeks. She hadn’t even seen her since bumping into her in the bar at her bachelorette party. She’d been at the wedding, but Jade had barely seen her except for glimpses in the crowd.

The reporter pulled a magazine out of his satchel and handed it to her. She flicked through the pages until she saw a picture of her and Tully. It was from the bachelorette party, when the paparazzi had cornered them in the bar. Jade scanned the article. It said that the two had become close friends, bonding over their shared love of Drew, and had agreed to an arrangement where Tully and Drew got to spend one night together a week.

Jade read the words, and her mouth dropped open. She wanted to ask Drew if he’d seen this and kept it a secret from her, but when she looked over her shoulder, he was deep in conversation with a group of people.

“Can I keep this?” she asked the reporter.

“Sure. Is it true?”

Jade snapped the pages shut. “No, it’s not true.” She stomped over to Drew with the magazine tucked under her arm. He smiled when she approached and introduced her as his wife to everyone he’d been speaking with.

Jade played the dutiful daughter-in-law for the rest of the night as they all had dinner together, but she kept as quiet as she could, only speaking when spoken to. It didn’t go unnoticed by Drew, who questioned her as soon as they got into the limousine to go home.

“What’s up with you?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She slumped down in the seat, the seat belt cutting into her neck.

He reached over and stroked her cheek, pulling her chin up to look at him. “Something’s up.”

Jade sighed. “Are you fucking Tully?”

Drew’s hand dropped. “Where did that come from?”

She handed him the magazine, open at the article about her, and waited for him to read.

“This is just tabloid trash. Something you have to learn being in the public eye is that things will get reported about you, and most of it’s not true.”

“Most of it? So is
this
true?”

“No. Have you seen Tully around once a week? I’ve actually barely seen her since I met you.”

“If you want to sleep with her, you can. You’re free to do whatever you want.”

“Jade, don’t sulk. There’s nothing going on.”

“All I’m saying is that it would be fine if there
was
something going on.”

“Okay, I get it,” he snapped.

They turned away from each other, each staring out opposite windows until they got home, and then they went into their own bedrooms without saying another word.

Drew stewed on her words as he changed out of his suit. She’d been so adamant that she didn’t care if he fucked Tully. It was almost as if she
wanted
him to.

The sound of her shower let him know that she was occupied, so he snuck out of the house. He drove into Hollywood and went to his favorite bar. He ordered a drink and continued to think. Perhaps she wanted him to start seeing Tully because she was seeing someone and felt guilty about it. Maybe she’d lied and was seeing Sam behind his back.

That thought upset him more than he liked, and he drained his drink. He thought about the last sex he’d had, with Jade in Australia. Three months was the longest he’d been abstinent since he lost his virginity. Well, if she wanted him to do it, then he would.

He called Tully, and she agreed to meet him at the bar. She was at another bar just a few blocks over so it didn’t take her long to arrive. She sauntered in, smugness all over her face.

“I knew you’d get bored of her eventually. I didn’t expect it to be so fast,” she said, sitting down next to him.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Tully.”

“I know you called me here.”

He didn’t have anything to say to that. He already regretted calling her. She wasn’t the woman he wanted to be with. But he didn’t send her away.

Chapter Eighteen

Good-Bye

J
ADE
O
PENED
H
ER
E
YES
to the sound of thudding. After living in her apartment for a few years, she’d grown used to the usual sounds of traffic and sirens during the night, but this was a new noise, something unfamiliar.

She crept out of bed, hissing as her feet hit the cold wooden floorboards. The sound was coming from across the hall. Carefully she opened her door and peered out into the hallway. It was dark except for a sliver of golden light coming from under Drew’s bedroom door. The thudding was louder now, and it was accompanied by a new noise—a woman moaning.

“Yes. Fuck me harder,” the woman groaned, clearly audible through the closed door.

The thudding sound, which Jade assumed was the headboard smacking against the wall, sped up. Jade felt bile rise in her throat. Drew was having sex while she was in the house.

She didn’t know what to do. She stood, barefoot, in the hallway for several minutes, torturing herself with the symphony going on in his bedroom. Each thud of the bed was like a hammer hitting a nail into her heart. And yet she couldn’t move away. Her feet were rooted to the ground as her tears fell onto the floorboards.

When the house finally went silent and she heard Drew’s husky voice murmur, “You know how to let yourself out, right?” she slipped back into her room.

She went to the window and waited, staring through the darkness until a woman appeared from the front door and danced down driveway to hail a cab, her blond hair glittering like gold under the street lights. Tully Fucking Whittaker. Drew had lied to her.

Jade lay back in her bed but couldn’t sleep. She kept her eyes open because every time she closed them, she saw Drew’s flushed face. She wished she didn’t know what his sex face looked like. She stared at the ceiling until the orange light of dawn lit up her room. She showered and headed downstairs, grateful that the pain in her chest had dulled to a hollow numbness. The newspaper was waiting on the front stoop as it always was, and she scanned the headlines while she waited for the coffee to brew.

Going about her normal morning routine was a challenge. Her thoughts kept darting back to the night before. Drew didn’t owe her anything. In fact, she’d
told
him she wasn’t interested. At the beginning of their arrangement, they’d both agreed that one-night stands were acceptable. She’d told him that again in Australia, and again last night. She had no reason to be mad at him. And yet her heart ached.

After she’d had two cups of coffee, her stomach rumbled, and she decided to go for a walk to get some breakfast. There was a small café around the corner that made the most amazing cream cheese muffins. Her aching heart felt like she deserved a treat.

Jade ate her muffin as she wandered aimlessly through the streets. As much as she wanted to avoid thinking about what she’d heard the night before, it was the only thing on her mind. It wasn’t as if she was in love with Drew. In fact, she’d worked very hard at
not
falling in love with him. She’d just hoped that he would have more respect for her than to bring a girl into her home. She’d let his promise that nothing was happening comfort her. She should have known better.