CHAPTER ELEVEN
With the names and numbers of three wedding planners in hand, Billie headed back home after her lunch with Dinah. Tyler’s car was in the driveway along with a vehicle that Billie didn’t recognize. A quick check of the calendar she was keeping for him until he found a new assistant told her it had to be the interviewer from a national men’s magazine. Personally, Billie found the publication rather misogynistic with its half-naked pictures of simpering females on the cover and inside but Garrett insisted it sold movie tickets to the right demographic.
One of Billie’s jobs was to help visitors to the door when their time was up. Tyler was fun and likable and people enjoyed his company. Sometimes that meant they didn’t know when it was time to leave. It even happened with insiders in the movie business. All Billie had to do was stick her nose into their interview and remind Tyler of his next appointment.
Which he didn’t actually have but it served to help the interviewer wrap things up. Tyler’s image was one of a good guy and Garrett didn’t like him to be the enforcer. Billie however didn’t mind it a bit. So with practiced ease, she breezed into Tyler’s living room but found herself rooted to the spot in front of the doorway.
Tyler and…some woman…were sprawled out on the floor in front of the television watching a movie, on their stomachs and way too close together. The female had a hand on Tyler’s back as if giving him some sort of massage, which was of course ridiculous because he’d just had a massage the day before and could call up his favorite masseuse at will any time of the day or night.
He’d promised. Billie should have been grateful he’d stayed faithful for almost a week. It wasn’t a record for Tyler but it still was longer than she’d imagined.
Stepping farther into the room, her pulse sped up and her stomach churned. She wanted to smack her erstwhile fiancé and then kick him in the balls. “There you are. Your next appointment is in ten minutes, Tyler.”
Tyler was not a stupid man, although he sometimes liked to act that way so he had to know the situation looked bad. Lifting his head, he grinned when he saw Billie, rolling away from the female.
“Hey, babe. We’re watching Double Indemnity. Tara has never seen it before.”
Calm. Controlled. Cold. That’s what she needed to be.
“Great film. Maybe we can lend her the Blu-Ray then.”
Tara, all blonde and tanned like the perfect little Californian, took her sweet time taking her hand off of Billie’s man. She even ran her fingers down Tyler’s back as she did it, gazing at Billie the entire time.
A challenge? For real? He’s newly engaged, bitch.
“That’s a great idea,” Tyler replied, leaping to his feet and snagging the disc from the player. “Tara, you can keep this one. I’ll get a new one. Everybody who loves movies should have a copy of Double Indemnity. Consider it a gift.”
A parting gift. Time to go.
Gathering up her laptop and purse, she accepted the movie from Tyler with a sweet smile.
“I don’t mind returning it. Maybe we can meet for lunch or a drink so I can give it back.”
Quirking an eyebrow at the man that had asked her to marry him only a few days before, Billie waited for his answer. Apparently, his survival instincts were strong because he chuckled and shook his head.
“Billie and I are going to be pretty busy with all the wedding preparations, the promo for the new movie, and of course the comic book convention. I won’t have time to meet again, but I think you got some good quotes, right? And please keep the movie. Like I said, everyone should own a copy.”
Tara pursed her glossed lips. “That’s right. You’re getting married. Have you set a date yet?”
Somehow Tyler had sidled to Billie’s side and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He had to be able to feel how rigid she was holding herself and his fingers tightened on her hip. “As soon as I can get this angel down the aisle. I can’t wait.”
Billie inwardly gagged but to anyone else he sounded genuine.
Swinging her purse over her shoulder, Tara’s smile had disappeared. “You’re a lucky woman.”
Tyler didn’t let Billie reply. “I’m the lucky one. Billie is one of a kind.”
“I’ll just bet she is,” Tara said in a low voice as she slipped past Billie and Tyler. “I’ll send the draft to your publicist. Thanks for the movie. I’ll see myself out.”
“You’re welcome,” Billie replied with a saccharine smile, waving to the woman’s retreating figure. “Have a nice day.”
Moving away from Tyler, Billie headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She could hear the roar of an engine as the reporter sped down the long driveway, leaving her alone with her fiancé.
“You’re mad,” Tyler said flatly, dogging her heels as she went out onto his back patio and sat next to the pool, studiously trying to keep her emotions in check. Yelling wouldn’t help the situation.
“Why would I be mad, Tyler? Have you done something that would make me angry?”
She hated this passive-aggressive bullshit and it wasn’t her style in the least, but then she’d never been the bride to be of a major movie star before. Was it expected that she’d turn a blind eye to his flirtations?
Fuck that.
“Don’t. Just don’t.” He sat down on the edge of her lounge chair. “Since when do you hide that you’re pissed at me? Just say it.”
Taking a sip of the cool water, she ran through her options. She could, indeed, chew him a new asshole or she could just let this all go. They weren’t really together, after all.
But she couldn’t let it go and she didn’t want to examine why too closely.
“I’m pissed at you.”
He inched over a little more, crowding her on the lounger. “Now we’re getting somewhere. You’re mad about that woman but you have to know that nothing was going on. Hell, I’m not attracted to her at all. It was just business. I gave the interview and then she wouldn’t leave. I was happy when you showed up.”
It was probably all true. Women came on to him all the time and he barely acknowledged it. He was definitely a player but even Tyler Gaylord couldn’t fuck every single female that was interested. He had to have time to work, sleep, and eat too.
“She had her hand on you,” Billie said through gritted teeth. “You said you wouldn’t embarrass me. Just so you’re aware, that’s embarrassing. She thinks you’re available.”
“I can’t imagine how she could,” Tyler declared with a shake of his head. “I spent two hours telling her how amazing you were and that I couldn’t wait to get married. As for her hand being on me, she’d just done that when you walked in and I frankly didn’t know how to get her to stop without making it a humiliating moment. For her. Garrett doesn’t like that shit.”
The only reason Tyler would spend so much time extolling Billie’s virtues is because he was trying to get that meeting with the director. He had to persuade everyone in Hollywood and beyond that he was deeply in love.
“You’ve never been engaged before. I think Garrett could cut you some slack on pushing away grabby females when you’re supposed to be committed to one woman. That’s the point of all of this bullshit, isn’t it? We’re supposed to be convincing the world that Tyler Gaylord, the biggest man-whore on the planet, has finally settled down with one person.”
Her voice had gone up quite a bit at the end, telegraphing her tumultuous state of mind. Normally she was the calm one in their relationship but she didn’t feel relaxed in the least.
“Because honestly if you can’t extricate yourself out of that kind of situation,” Billie went on. “I just don’t see how this is going to work at all. Women throw themselves at you a dozen times a day. Am I supposed to just stand there while they hang all over you? Because that’s crap, Tyler. You need to man up and step away. I won’t let you make a fool of me. I’d rather give the money back and forget all about this.”
Except she’d already sent the money to her sister so she couldn’t give it back.
His hands came up and cupped her cheeks so she had to look at him, his face inches from her own and his skin rough and warm.
“Listen to me,” he said, urgency in this tone. “I would never do that to you. You’re my best friend, Billie. You’re the most important thing in my life other than my career. I’d walk in front of a bullet for you.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “A fake Hollywood bullet.”
His hands fell away and she instantly missed the contact. “Are you still mad?”
She couldn’t lie. “Kind of. I’d just like to remind you that I didn’t ask for any of this. You begged me to do you a favor.”
“Because you’re the only woman in the world that I trust. Other than my mother.” His brow was furrowed and his lips turned down, his expression sad. “But I think you don’t trust me. At least not the way I trust you. That hurts, babe.”
Tears burned the back of her eyes and her stomach churned. Hurting Tyler wasn’t what she’d set out to do. He was the one person who had brought stability into her world. He was as close to home as she would ever get, and when she was thinking straight, she knew in her heart he would never hurt her on purpose.
“I do trust you.”
“No, you don’t, but that’s my fault. It’s mine to fix, and I will.”
That he cared to do it at all overwhelmed her. Her own family hadn’t cared this much.
“How?”
Chuckling, he gave her a lopsided grin. “Now that I don’t know. I’m not famous for my brains, baby girl. I’m just pretty.”
“Too handsome for your own good.”
“Mom says that to me all the time,” Tyler sighed. “And she’s always right. You are too.”
“I know. I got it from her.”
Levering to his feet, he nodded toward the house. “I’m going to get changed and go for a run. Want to go with me?”
Normally she would and she ought to. The exercise would clear her head and drain any residual anger, but then she had a better idea. Peace and tranquility coming right up.
“Actually, I think I’m going to go to the yoga studio down the street. They have a class starting in about forty-five minutes.”
She thought he might argue with her but he simply nodded and loped back into the house, leaving her alone. Stretching out her legs, she tipped back her head so the sun warmed her face. It felt good and calming. Summer had always been her favorite season and here in Los Angeles it was pretty much summer all the time. Those long, cold winters back in Wisconsin were still all too fresh in her mind. She’d never been able to get warm. The house had always been freezing and she’d been sick more than she’d been healthy. Day after day, week after week, month after month of being nothing but miserable, sick, cold, and hungry. It wasn’t a shock that Billie had chosen somewhere pleasant to run off to.
Would she have been as upset with Tyler if she wasn’t already emotionally drained? Between her family and the wedding plans Billie didn’t know if she was coming or going. She was constantly worried about whether Sierra was safe, and then this…relationship with Tyler. She’d always been able to handle stress but she might have reached her limit.
She didn’t have the luxury of falling apart, however. People were counting on her and it was her job to be the practical one. She’d gone into this with her eyes wide open. Hadn’t she?
It was too late to back out now. They’d have the best damn wedding ever and Tyler would win an Oscar for the film role he desperately wanted. Everything was going to work out.
A Hollywood ending…completely made up and not a bit real.