CHAPTER THREE
Nate stared out of the large hotel window that overlooked the New York City skyline. All he wanted to do was go home to London for a few weeks – see his friends and family and sleep in his own bed. Maybe even grab a pint down at the local pub with his best friend Max. But first he had a little business to attend to. Important business that couldn’t wait.
“I’m not going to beg, Garrett. I won’t do that.”
Garrett had worked for Nate since “the incident”. Nate hadn’t wanted to change publicists but hadn’t had a choice. When the entire debacle went down last year and his public profile had taken a huge hit, he’d needed someone to come in and do major damage control. Garrett had done that and more, re-shaping Nate’s image as a serious actor who was so naive about Hollywood he’d had no idea what he was getting himself into. It wasn’t much of an exaggeration. He was more book-smart than street-smart. Nate hadn’t known what kind of backlash he was in for nor had he realized that the lady in question was going to throw him to the wolves. It was only with Garrett’s help that they’d been able to change the narrative from him being a cheating cad to one of an intensely busy actor who simply couldn’t give a relationship the time and attention it deserved.
That wasn’t a lie either. Nate had a fire in his belly that pushed him to work harder than anyone else in the business. Ambition was a weak word for the drive that consumed him day in and day out. It was murder for any sort of a relationship to survive, let alone thrive.
Sure he’d had girlfriends on the down-low since he’d hit in the first Thunder movie, but there was never enough time to just be a regular boyfriend. Eventually the girls all realized that Nate wasn’t Kai, the bad boy biker. He was simply himself, an Oxford-educated actor who liked fine wines and good books. Things usually ended soon after.
“I’m not expecting you to beg, Nate. But you need to know that Paige Mitchell is incredibly new to this. Helen said she had to explain the entire concept to her and it didn’t go over well. The only thing that even got her to agree to this meeting was that her image would get a huge boost being linked to you. She’s serious about getting this movie made.”
Nate snorted, knowing full well he could walk Paige Mitchell through the minefield she was facing. If she’d let him.
“After we all get comfortable with each other, why don’t you and Helen leave us for a little while? I’d like to talk to her, just the two of us, without an audience. If she’s as shy as I expect she is, then that might make her more relaxed. Plus. it might make this feel a little less like a business deal.”
Garrett shrugged. “That may be a plus to her, Nate. Remember, she’s a widow and from what Helen has told me, she’s as much or more of a workaholic than you are. If that’s even possible. She’s only dated a few times since the death of her husband three years ago. I’m told she’s almost as boring as you are but I find that hard to believe.”
Nate held up his hand. “I’m proud to be a snooze. It’s made your job much easier.”
Once that nasty incident was taken care of Nate had embraced his inner geek and spurned the Hollywood scene. Now his name wasn’t in a tabloid unless he wanted it to be. He found he was far happier that way.
A knock on the door saved Garrett from having to respond. “I’m sure this is them. Are you ready to turn on the famous Mason charm? If she hasn’t had any male attention in awhile she should be easy pickings. You should have her falling at your feet in less than ten minutes.”
Inwardly rolling his eyes, Nate stood straight and tall, knowing he looked good in the dark trousers and blue long-sleeved sweater. Casual but not messy. His hair was back to its natural blond at the moment and he’d even used a bit of gel to tame his unruly curls. They’d grown out a bit since his last role that had finished a month ago. He wanted to make a good impression today. Paige Mitchell had something he desperately wanted. No, make that needed.
The door opened and two women entered the hotel living room, Helen first, a smile on her lined face. Tall and lanky with graying hair, Helen Bailey was something of a legend in publicity circles as was her incredible energy levels. She could put in an eighteen-hour day without blinking an eye.
Nate grinned and took her hands before giving her a kiss on each cheek. “Helen, so good to see you again. You look gorgeous as usual.”
The older woman chuckled and patted his face. “I see you still have your silver tongue. It’s good to see you too. Now I want you to meet someone very special. Nate, this is Paige Mitchell. Paige, this is Nate Mason.”
None of the photos he had seen had prepared him for just how petite Paige truly was. If she was five-foot-two he’d be shocked; she didn’t even come to his shoulder. Curvy where it counted, the red dress paired with brown boots showed off her assets nicely. Quite nicely. Shoulder length blonde hair framed a heart-shaped face with stunningly vivid green eyes. She was currently smiling widely, and he noticed that she had deep dimples in her cheeks that made her more cute than beautiful or exotic. Paige Mitchell had an all-American girl-next-door quality that Nate found very attractive.
That lovely woman was currently staring at him as if he was an alien from outer space, eyes wide and mouth open.
“Is there something wrong?”
Paige Mitchell took a few visible deep breaths. “Yes, Mr. Mason, there is something very wrong. Does anyone honestly think that people would believe that you and I would be a couple? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I’m a widow with a kid. No one is going to buy that.”
Since it had been Nate’s idea to choose her he was slightly insulted, but he understood her skepticism. They weren’t the most obvious couple and that’s what made this so brilliant. “I don’t see it that way.”
Her brows shot up. “You don’t? Really? On what planet do British sex symbols date and fall in love with frumpy middle-aged housewives? They’re going to laugh at the very idea.”
Nate grinned wickedly, his gaze raking her from head to toe which turned her pink cheeks a bright red.
Hmmm…married, baby, widowed, and she can still blush. Now this is interesting.
“I don’t see anything frumpy about you, darling. And no one is going to laugh. They’re going to ship us. Hard. Trust me on this.”
Paige threw up her arms. “This? This is a stylist picking out my clothes. This is a fresh haircut and me actually sitting down and putting on some makeup. I spend most of my time in pajama shorts and a tank top with my hair pulled up into a ponytail.”
“Sounds delicious, love. I have no objections.”
Her mouth hung open but no sound came out. He’d rendered her speechless. This was better than he’d thought. Now came the charm offensive. She had something he wanted and there was one thing Nate was unashamedly. Ambitious. Luckily he had something to offer her in return. He just needed her to listen with an open mind.
“Have a seat and let’s chat. We have so much to talk about.”