Matt

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?”

“That’s my boy,” Sinclair said. “Yes, she’s single, and I know for a fact that she thinks you’re hot, so it could turn into a real thing, you never—”

“I’m with Lana,” I said through gritted teeth. “If Kristin was seeing someone, too, then it might be easier.” At least then Lana wouldn’t have to wonder whether any lines had been crossed. Things would be less messy. “It won’t work if she’s single.”

“We can make it work,” Brian said.

“If you keep seeing Lana in private, without publically dating someone, people are either going to think you’re gay or fucking everything that moves unless you’re a public couple,” Sinclair said.

“I don’t care if people think I’m gay.”

“You don’t need me to tell you that you’re not going to get a franchise if there are more than three rumors that you might be gay.” As usual, I hated what Sinclair was saying, but he wasn’t wrong. “The only alternative is to date Lana seriously and publicly. But I don’t like that option. It doesn’t give you the publicity push. And it could get very messy. We need someone who understands the game.”

Fuck.

I was pretty sure that Lana wasn’t suddenly going to be okay with going public. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was ready for that. Privately dating someone was something I’d only just got accustomed to—would it survive media scrutiny?

I sighed.

“I can set up a dinner for you and Kristin, see how it goes,” Sinclair said.

“No. Don’t do anything. Yet.”

“Listen, Matt, you don’t know how this Lana thing is going to go. I know you like her now, but she’s a long way away and she’s not used to the pressure of Hollywood.” Sinclair had a point. “You think she’s ready for all the attention and publicity? Give it twelve months with Kristin, then if you’re still crazy for Lana we can transition you into that relationship. By then the franchise is in the bag.”

“I don’t know.” Audrey and I had managed, but she’d been with the same guy since high school. More importantly, I hated the idea of pretending someone other than Lana was my girl.

“It’s the smart move, Matt. And like you say, you’re serious about your career,” Sinclair said.

“Don’t try to manipulate me, Sinclair. You know I hate that. I’ll make my decision and let you know.”

“Why don’t you just have a drink with Kristin? I think you’ll get along with her really well.”

“No. I’m not going to do that. Not yet.” If I gave Sinclair an inch, he’d take a mile. I just couldn’t see how dating one person but wanting to be with another was a good idea.

But I wasn’t sure I could convince Lana to date me publicly, anyway. I knew she didn’t crave fame or publicity, which was one of the things I liked about her. She understood the beauty of being in Maine and stepping out of city life. Her motives were clear to see—she wanted peace and happiness. How could I deny her such worthy aspirations? I didn’t want to be the one to take it all away.

Brian continued on about Kristin, but I was only half listening. “I said I’d call Audrey, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” The other end of the phone fell silent. “What I do want to speak to you about is The Brothers. Did you approach the author’s agent?”

Brian cleared his throat. It was how he built up to bad news. Shit. “I’m just not sure this is the way to go for you at the moment, Matt. You need to stay focused.”

Whose career was it, though? “Does that mean you haven’t approached the author’s agent? What about Fox? Did you talk to them about a production deal?”

“You don’t have any experience producing. And you came from modelling. It’s not an easy transition. You need to look focused. It’s not good to be overcommitted.”

“Every actor out there has a production deal.” I swept my hand through my hair.

“I know, and I understand that this might be frustrating to you.”

I hated when he adopted the tone of a parent of a two-year-old having a tantrum.

“But you need to take this business one step at a time. What you don’t want to happen is to get a production deal too early and then have it fail.”

I took a deep breath. He had a point. “Surely we can still option the book?”

“You think a decent agent would recommend an actor without a production deal taking an option on this? It’s not like you’re going to take it to a studio and say you’ll star if they make it. That I could get behind. But I read the fucking thing. There are no adult male leads in the book.”

Christ, Brian could be a douche. I was very close to telling him to fuck off. When someone told me I couldn’t do something, it lit a fire under me. If Brian wasn’t going to play ball then I’d have to change up my game. I hadn’t made it this far by playing things safe. “Okay. Well, keep your ear to the ground. If you hear of anyone else looking to option it, let me know.”

“Sure will,” Brian said. I genuinely believed he thought he was acting in my best interests, but it didn’t seem like we were aligned on what those were anymore. Yes, I wanted the franchise, but I could option the book and try for a production deal at the same time. I could do both, couldn’t I?

And as long as I wasn’t getting into trouble, I didn’t see why I needed any woman in my life other than Lana.

I’d never felt so out of sync with my team as I did right now.