Unscripted Desires

by Lawson, Cassandra

  “Are you sure your prenup is good?” he asked. “I read that it has to be signed far in advance, or the person you marry can argue they signed it under duress.”

  “Stop worrying,” I told him. “I had lawyers go over everything.”

  “I still don’t think this is a good idea,” he replied. “Each state is slightly different when it comes to divorce laws. What if she files in a state where she can take you for a hefty sum?”

  “It’ll be fine,” I assured him. My attorney wasn’t confident the show’s prenup would hold up in court, but he’d added a stipulation to my contract. If the marriage ended within the first year, and the prenup was contested, the show would be liable for any damages.

  “Are you sure this Jenna chick didn’t know who you were? Maybe she pretended to fall so you’d catch her.”

  “Her name is Gemma, and I’m sure it wasn’t planned,” I replied. “I honestly think I could really get into her.”

  Bad choice of words. Drake laughed. “I already got the part about you wanting to get into her.”

  “You’re so very funny,” I muttered. “What am I going to do if she doesn’t call me back? Tamara and the producers need me to make a decision today, and I’m here waiting on a woman who said she doesn’t want to be on the show to give me her answer.”

  “Pick your second-choice bride.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond. “As I already said, I’m happy that you’re talking to someone and expressing an interest in a woman other than to get your dick wet. It’s great.”

  “Then why not wait for her response?” I asked.

  “Because this shit show you signed up for is not the way to start a relationship,” he replied. “It’s better for you to do this with a woman who’s in it for business reasons. If you start this with a chick you like, and it goes the way I suspect it will, you’ll be back to swearing off relationships.”

  “I didn’t swear off relationships,” I argued.

  “You told me to kick your ass if you ever started to fall in love again.”

  I had—more than once.

  “I’m not falling in love,” I pointed out.

  “But if you like this girl, you could fall in love,” he stated. “Then what happens if all the fucked-up craziness from the show drives her away? You should do the show and track down Jenna after your divorce.”

  “Gemma,” I corrected him in a distracted voice.

  Drake had been happily married for more than a decade. That’s what he believed I needed, but he felt doing this show was the furthest thing from finding true love.

  “I was watching this romantic comedy with Gemma last night.”

  Drake interrupted. “You were doing what?”

  “I’ve watched them before,” I argued.

  “Not that I can recall,” he replied. “Continue with your story.”

  “The couple got married after a one-night stand, and it was rocky, but they got together in the end,” I explained. “That got me to thinking that it could happen for me. Why can’t I fall in love with the woman I marry on this show?”

  Drake was quiet so long that I began to wonder if he was still on the other end of the line when he finally spoke. “Dude.”

  “That’s all you have to say?” I asked with a laugh.

  “What else can I say? I didn’t expect you to say something like that,” he admitted.

  “I know, but I have been thinking about finding someone,” I confessed. “Every time Gemma calls me Ben, I feel like I’m myself instead of the guy all the groupies see.”

  “That guy is also you,” he reminded me. “It’s part of who you are. I’ll admit that you’ve changed a lot since the band stopped playing, and you quit drinking.”

  “My lifestyle changed a lot after Pirates of Paradise broke up,” I agreed.

  “We didn’t break up,” he argued. “Some of us are taking an extended break from that life. We’re a band, a family.”

  “Yeah, I know, but it still feels like we broke up,” I admitted. “Before, you guys would have been in Vegas with me.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” he argued. “None of us would have agreed to go out to Vegas to be on that cheesy show.”

  “So, Tamara hasn’t talked you into it yet?” I asked. The producers were salivating to get some scenes with me and one or more members of the band. Tamara had been working on all the guys.

  “I’m avoiding her calls, so I don’t have to listen to her ask me again,” he admitted.

  “Smart move,” I replied. When my phone beeped with a call on the other line, I looked down, expecting to see Tamara calling again. Instead, it was Gemma. “I gotta go. Gemma’s on the other line.”

  “Good luck,” he told me. “And call anytime you need to talk.”

  “Thanks, man, I will.”

  After taking a deep breath, I answered Gemma’s call.

  Chapter 12

  Gemma

  “Hello.”

  Ben’s incredible voice rumbled across the line and sent a shudder through me. I was cutting it close on giving him an answer, mostly because I’d been trying to pretend I hadn’t already made a decision. I still wasn’t convinced doing the show wouldn’t be a horrible mistake, but it would help me pay for my tuition, and I liked Ben. I didn’t expect this to last, but I wanted to spend more time with him, and I couldn’t deny that I’d be jealous if I saw him kissing another woman on television.

  “Good morning,” I replied. “How did you sleep?”

  “Not great,” he admitted. “I’ve been waiting for the answer to a very important question. I also spent the evening with this amazing woman and couldn’t get her off my mind.”

  His words made me smile. “I had a little trouble sleeping because of a big decision I needed to make.”

  “Did you make a decision?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Are you going to tell me your answer, or do you plan to torture me?” he asked.

  “I’m in,” I replied.

  I heard the grin in his voice. “That’s a huge relief. When I talked to my buddy this morning, he told me I should go with my second choice, but I don’t have a second choice. You’re it for me.”

  I let out a nervous laugh. “That makes this sound more romantic than it is.”

  “I suppose it does,” he agreed. “This has been a strange couple of days.”

  “Why did your friend want you to pick your second choice?” I asked. “Is it because I hadn’t given you an answer yet?”

  “Truth?” he asked.

  “No,” I replied in a dry tone. “I want you to lie to me.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that was a stupid question. He could tell I genuinely like you. Drake never approved of me dating Debbie and doesn’t think I should have sworn off relationships because of her. He’s happily married and wants to see me in the same position.”

  “I imagine he’s not in favor of this show if he wants to see you happily married,” I remarked.

  “It didn’t go over well with him,” he agreed. “He’s glad I like you, but he thinks it will all end badly, and I’ll go back to refusing to date anyone.”

  “It could play out that way,” I pointed out. “We need to go into this with realistic expectations. I’m not going to fall madly in love with you in the next three days, and we aren’t planning to stay married. This is more of a business arrangement.”

  “That makes it sound cold and detached,” he argued. “I don’t feel either of those things when I think of you.”

  “I like you, Ben.” I frowned. “Stone. I need to get used to calling you Stone. Let’s start again. I like you, Stone. You’re a great guy, and I want us to remain friends when this is all over. I don’t want an ugly break-up.”

  “I don’t want that either,” he agreed. “It seems strange talking about this like we’re already ending things between us. We haven’t even started the dating process.”

  “It’s an on-camera dating process, so it’s going to b
e different, messy.”

  “Yes, but we’ll still be dating, and I don’t plan to hold back simply because of the circumstances.” He let out a sigh before continuing. “I don’t want to rule out the possibility of having something more later when we aren’t being filmed.”

  “I don’t know,” I hedged. “We both agreed we weren’t in a position to date that first night.”

  “I said that because I was going to marry a stranger soon,” he reminded me. “You said it because you won’t have time, but I think we could work it out. Just think about it. You may decide you don’t even want to date me after this is all over. I’m not the easiest person to live with.”

  “I have to live with you,” I said quietly.

  “It’ll be fine,” he assured me.

  “You just said you’re not easy to live with,” I reminded him.

  “True,” he agreed. “My place is big enough that you can still have your privacy and a place to get away from me if I get on your last nerve.”

  “It’s not so much that I think it’s horrible,” I hedged. “I guess it might be horrible, but I don’t know yet. It feels weird thinking about living with someone I don’t know very well.”

  “I understand,” he agreed. “When they first approached me with the idea of doing this show, they agreed to set us up in a two-bedroom condo for filming since I felt uneasy about bringing a woman I didn’t know all that well into my home. I don’t feel that way with you.”

  “You don’t know me. For all you know, I could have arranged the meeting between us in the casino. I could be playing you.”

  “Drake suggested that possibility,” he admitted. “I don’t buy it. We have to meet some people from the show in an hour. Can I stop by your room and walk over there with you?”

  “I’ll meet you there,” I replied. “My friends are heading home this morning, and I’m going to have breakfast with them before I go up there. Is it the same place they held auditions?”

  “No, they have offices two floors up from there in room 1402. I’ll let them know to expect you,” he replied.

  “Sounds good,” I told him.

  I ended the call and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. What had I gotten myself into?

  Chapter 13

  Ben

  “Celebrity editions of shows are the worst,” James, the director, grumbled after the executives left.

  So far, I liked James. He was in his late forties, with dark skin, a neatly trimmed beard, and a bald head. I’d yet to see him smile, but he seemed friendly.

  “Sorry about the last-minute decision on my bride,” I told him.

  He looked at me over his shoulder as he poured another cup of coffee, his fourth since I’d arrived. “No, you aren’t. You’re too pleased with yourself for getting this girl to agree.”

  “Yeah, I am,” I admitted with no shame. “She’s great.”

  “She seems nice,” he agreed. “She doesn’t see very well, does she?”

  “No, she’s got extremely low vision,” I replied. “How did you figure that out?”

  “I saw her filling out her forms, and she was holding them close,” he explained. “This is good to know. I don’t believe any of the scheduled dates will be a problem with her vision, but I’ll double-check.”

  I was glad James had thought of that since I didn’t know anything about the dates. It struck me as odd that they arranged the dates without asking about our interests and limitations, especially when I’d watched enough episodes to know they often planned horrible dates—like horseback riding for a woman who was terrified of horses.

  “Thanks, James,” I told him. “I appreciate anything you can do to make this easier on Gemma. It took a lot of work to talk her into doing the show.”

  “And that’s why the executives will work with you on this,” he told me. “They’re hoping this will end in some big love match.”

  “Is that what you’re hoping for?” I asked.

  James shrugged. “I get paid either way. Just remember that there will be drama no matter what. If it doesn’t come directly from you and Gemma, we’ll make it happen.”

  “I thought they wanted something different this season,” I remarked. “Catfights and jealousy are what they’ve had on every other season.”

  “It sells,” he explained with a shrug. “I know that sucks, but it’s how reality television works.”

  I blew out a frustrated breath. “Everyone wants to add some drama to my life.”

  James chuckled. “Don’t act like a little bitch, Stone. You’re famous. No, it’s not perfect, but no one has a perfect life, and you signed on for this.”

  “Good point,” I agreed. “And thanks for calling me on my self-pity bullshit. I’ve been told by my close friends that I need someone to do that regularly.”

  “Most of us need that,” James assured me.

  The door on the far end of the room opened, and I smiled when I saw Gemma enter. She was flanked by Rich, one of the executives, and two women I didn’t know. They were discussing a stack of papers with her as they walked. Her smile was tight, and she looked nervous.

  “I’d better go save Gemma,” I told James.

  “Hey!” he called out when I started walking away.

  I turned toward him with an arched eyebrow.

  “Don’t spend too much time with her,” he warned. “We’ve already missed getting a lot on camera, and the execs are probably annoyed that they have to make excuses for why you got to meet her off-camera. Don’t piss me off by making me listen to them complain about you.”

  I chuckled. “I’ll do my best to avoid creating more problems. We start shooting today, anyway, right?”

  He nodded. “The proposal happens after your girl gets through all that paperwork.”

  I cringed when I saw how much she had to deal with. “She may change her mind after all of this.”

  As I approached, I could hear her arguing with Rich. “I’m not going to sign anything based on your paraphrased description of what it says. We’ll get done faster if you let me sit down and read all of this.”

  They started arguing again, so I decided to interrupt. “Her signature might hold less weight in court if you push her into signing without reading the paperwork.”

  “These aren’t that big of a deal,” Rich argued.

  The woman beside him rolled her eyes. “If they weren’t important, we wouldn’t have her sign them. I know you’re in a hurry to get this done, but I’m the lawyer. Go away and let me do my job.”

  Rich bristled at her tone before stalking away.

  “That guy is an idiot,” I muttered.

  “His father invests a lot of money in this show,” the lawyer explained. “That’s why he’s one of the people in charge.”

  “So, he’s an entitled idiot,” Gemma added. “That’s the worst kind.”

  The lawyer looked around before responding in a hushed voice. “I couldn’t agree more. Why don’t you have a seat and read through these? You can let me know if you have any questions.”

  “Do you need them in large print?” I asked.

  “Large print?” the lawyer asked. “No one mentioned anything to me about large print.”

  “I brought my reading glasses, so I should have an easier time with paperwork today,” Gemma replied. “This is more than I thought I’d have to read.”

  The lawyer nodded, took the papers back, and sorted through them before handing her a smaller stack. “Start with these. I’ll be back with the other forms in large print. The show won’t be happy if you start with eye strain.”

  “Thanks,” Gemma told her before looking at me. “I’d better get to work.”

  I leaned in to give her a quick kiss, grinning when she looked surprised. “And I’d better leave you alone. James, our director, warned me against having any touching off-screen moments. He’s pissed that he already missed so much.”

  “Then behave,” she told me. “Is there any way to get some real food?”

&nbs
p; “I thought you ate on the way up here,” I remarked.

  She let out a frustrated sigh. “They tracked me down right after I left my room. All I got was a stale muffin. This food situation had better improve.”

  “I’m off to grab breakfast for you now,” I promised.

  Chapter 14

  Gemma

  The paperwork sucked, but my morning improved drastically when Ben returned with breakfast. I felt much better about having to read through all the mundane documents with good food. There was an even more extensive nondisclosure agreement along with contracts stating I could be sued if I backed out after filming started. I agreed I wouldn’t engage in any illegal activities. Further, I had to sign away any rights to sue Ben for his assets or demand spousal support in the event of a divorce.

  When I finished, I let out a sigh and rested my head on the table.

  “You’re finally done!”

  I nearly jumped out of my skin at Rich’s nasally exclamation. I really didn’t like him. Aside from trying to get me to sign paperwork I hadn’t read, he’d also tried taking away my beignets, insisting they had healthy bran muffins.

  “We need to get you ready for filming, pronto!” Rich clapped his hands for emphasis. “You really should have just trusted me to tell you what the paperwork said so we could get moving sooner.”

  “Leave her alone, Rich!” James called out. “She deserves a few minutes after doing paperwork.”

  “But we need to get this proposal timing just right,” Rich whined. “It took her so long to get these filled out that I was worried we’d have to shoot the proposal tomorrow. Lighting is everything.”

  James sounded even more irritated when he responded. “Getting the scenes just right is my job. Why don’t you bother someone other than Gemma? I need her fresh and ready to go. If she doesn’t get a break, she’ll look tired and irritable for the proposal.”

  I looked around for Ben but didn’t see him anywhere. James made his way over to me. “They have Stone going over some details. Why don’t you have some coffee?”

  When I checked the time, I realized it was already after three. “Isn’t it a little late for coffee?”