by Ava Walsh
“Just keep it in check, Declan. The press shouldn’t get hold of another story like Lisa,” David said. Declan turned from Heidi to throw his friend and manager a sour look.
“That wasn’t my fault. I didn’t know she was seventeen,” he said. David sighed.
“You should have known, Declan. If you weren’t drunk out of your senses, you would have known,” David added, shaking his head disapprovingly.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I asked her her age and she said she was twenty.” Declan sat up straight on his couch. “Show Heidi her photo. Ask her if that girl looks seventeen,” he continued, and both of them turned to Heidi.
“Don’t get her involved in this.” David shook his head and turned back to Declan.
“So what are you involved in Heidi?” Declan asked her, and David walked over to block the path of vision between the two of them. Heidi was blushing still. The tension and awkwardness in the room were palpable and too much for her to handle, especially after the day she had had.
“Declan, you need to get a grip on yourself. You need to get yourself a girlfriend.” David ignored Declan’s question to Heidi. This made Declan snort.
“Really? Tell me, which precious lady am I supposed to get into a relationship with?” he asked. David rolled his eyes.
“That’s what you need, though. A picture-perfect steady relationship with a charming, simple girl who will not attract any media dirt. That’s the best we can do to save your reputation,” David said, his voice becoming pleading. Declan shrugged his shoulders and continued to smile.
“You want me to pretend to be in love with some girl for the media? I don't care about my reputation.” Declan raised his legs onto the coffee table and crossed his feet. His arm dangled behind the couch. Heidi wished she could stealthily walk out of the room. David seemed to have forgotten she was even there.
“You can kiss your career goodbye, then. The media are sharks. They will destroy you if they smell more blood, Declan. If you want to keep doing this, you have to listen to me. At least for some time, until all this dies down.” David had moved closer to Declan, trying to talk some sense into him, but it was like trying to take candy away from a child. Declan just refused to see it as sensible.
“And where will we find this simple, charming girl who can pretend to be my girlfriend?” Declan asked, turning lazy, heavy eyes towards David now.
“I don’t know…I’ll think of something. Give me a few hours.” David was happy. It looked like he had been successful in changing Declan’s mind. This was actually going to work out!
“I’ll take her.” Declan turned a smiling face to Heidi and she froze. David slowly turned to look at his sister, who stood cowering in the corner. The last thing she wanted was to be a part of this rogue plan.
David turned back to Declan.
“Fuck off,” he said.
Chapter Three
“What?” Declan smirked and David shook his head.
“I didn’t mean my sister. I said I’ll find someone for you.” David’s voice was raised while Declan continued to smirk. He reached for a guitar that was lying on the couch next to him and started strumming it.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?” He sang the words along with a made up tune, and Heidi could see David’s face turning red.
“Not my sister,” David hissed, and Declan strummed again.
“But she’s the one I want,” Declan sang again, and David ran his hands through his hair. Heidi could see the signs, her brother had always been short-tempered: he was about to scream.
“Declan…I…” David was struggling with his words, while Declan remained unperturbed. Before David could finish that sentence, Heidi spoke up.
“Shouldn’t both of you consult me first?” she said loudly, almost awkwardly. Declan’s strum on the guitar died as he looked up at her and David turned to her as well.
“Yes, Heidi, tell us what you want.” Declan planted the guitar between his legs and rested his chin on top of it.
“You don’t have to do this, Heidi. This is some sort of joke for him,” David said quickly and turned around to his friend again.
“I’ll do it if it’s a job,” Heidi blurted out before she could stop herself.
“There you go,” Declan said with a flourish and sat back on the couch. David turned to her again.
“What are you talking about, Heidi? Don’t you have a job already?” David’s eyes were aghast. He couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Not anymore,” Heidi said.
“Well. It’s settled then,” Declan spoke up, and David threw him a threatening look.
“I can get you a different job if you want one, Heidi.” David turned to his sister with pleading eyes, and Heidi managed to smile at him.
“I want this one. It sounds easy enough, pretending to be his girlfriend.” She was nervous but tried to keep her voice as casual as possible. Her heart was beating out of her chest in the meantime. She had no idea what madness had overtaken her. At any other time, in any other place, she wouldn’t have even considered this.
“Declan Xavier is not easy,” David stated through gritted teeth.
“Oh, c’mon David. I’m easy enough. Ask any of the other girls,” he said with a laugh, seemingly pleased with his own joke. Heidi threw him an indulgent smile. The dimples on his cheeks had deepened, and his eyes glittered like gems in the darkness of the changing room.
“Heidi, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. This is serious business. The media can’t find out that this is just for show. You’ll have to keep up appearances 24/7.” David had walked over to her and was pleading with her again.
“I understand, David. It’ll be like any one of the other shitty jobs I’ve had in the past few years.” Heidi flicked some of the curls off her shoulder to her back.
“Are you calling me a shitty job?” Declan asked. He sounded annoyed, but that smile still remained on his face. David was right, this was some kind of a joke to him.
“The more important question,” Heidi said, ignoring Declan’s light-hearted probing, “is how much are you willing to pay me for this?” She walked past David to the center of the room. This gave her a good vantage point to look at both of the men. David was still in shock, his voice caught in his throat.
“How much do you want?” Declan asked.
“Enough to start my bakery business.” Heidi crossed her arms over her chest. She noticed how Declan’s eyes flitted over her ample breasts as they stretched the material of her blouse. He could look all he wanted, but this was going to be a job, strictly professional. Heidi had already made up her mind.
“Deal,” Declan said, in a more serious tone.
“Wait,” David screamed out, but Heidi whipped around to him and threw him a look that made him shut up.
“It’s my life, David. And I need the money. I can’t waste any more time doing shitty waitressing jobs. I need to start my business now. This works out well for all of us,” she said. She watched as David ran his hands through his hair again.
“You’re doing this just to piss me off.” He spoke in a low guttural voice to Declan, who laughed it off.
“You’re my best friend, David. Why would I want to piss you off?” Declan said, and jumped off the couch to grab Heidi by her waist. He pulled her close to him and she could feel her palms growing sweaty. The muscles on his arms moved, his lips looked delicious enough to eat and his droopy eyes were sexy…but Heidi pushed him away.
“That’s not how it’s going to work, Declan. You’re not paying me to sleep with you,” she said, and he slowly backed away. The smile on his face remained as his eyes bored into her face.
“Sorry. I forgot. My mistake.” Declan raised up his palms to face her by way of apology. David was standing behind them, gritting his teeth.
“This is not going to be fun for me. Not in the least,” David said, and Heidi couldn’t help but laugh.
“Relax, David. It’ll be fine. Why
don’t you treat me like any other business employee and give me a task sheet?” She spoke to her brother sweetly, but David only rolled his eyes and looked away from her.
“First task is that you stay away from this guy. You’ll have to move into his house, but you’re getting the guest room.” David walked slowly over to the couch. He looked like a man who needed to sit down.
“Are you kidding me?” Declan spoke up. “The last thing we want is the staff in the house gossiping. We have to sell it to them too, remember? You never know who is on the payroll of some paparazzi or journalist.” Declan had a smirk on his face, even though he had managed to make his voice sound serious. Heidi sighed and looked at her brother.
“It’s true. Selling it to the staff is equally important,” David said, a look of apology on his face.
“Fine.” Heidi sighed. “I don’t mind sharing your room. Again, it’s just a job, isn’t it?” she said, turning to smile at Declan. Her first task was to set the right standards. Declan Xavier, as far as she could tell, was an overgrown child, a teenage boy at heart. What she needed to do was set down some rules that he should follow, if this plan was going to work out at all. “This also means that you’re not allowed to bring any girls over for this period of time. As long as I’m employed by you, anyway,” she added, and Declan raised his eyebrows.
“It’s only been a few minutes and you’re already possessive. Feisty, this one,” he said with a laugh, and David rolled his eyes.
“She’s right. We have to sell it to the staff, remember?” David said authoritatively, and Declan shook his head.
“So you’re saying I have to pledge to celibacy for God knows how many months? That is not going to work. I’m going to crack.” Declan’s smile had dropped. He genuinely looked worried. Was it that hard for Declan to keep it in his pants, for his own sake? Heidi looked away from him and to her brother, slightly irritated by Declan’s claimed lack of self-control.
“You’ll just have to do it, Declan. This is an act, but it has to be done to perfection. You can’t be cheating on your sweet, simple new girlfriend.” David stood up from his couch with a sigh and came over to Heidi to hold her by the shoulder.
“You see what I’m talking about?” he asked her, and Heidi nodded. She had to smile to make sure her brother’s fears were relieved. She didn’t want him to worry about her. She knew how to take care of herself.
“It’ll be fine, David. So when do we start?” she asked him, and it was Declan again who contributed.
“Now. The sooner the better. And when else will we get so much free publicity than at the end of a concert?” he said and walked over to the door.
“Now?” Heidi couldn’t hide the shock from her voice. She wasn’t prepared. She wasn’t dressed. What was she supposed to say?
“Just come with me. I’ll be doing all the talking. You can just stand and smile and look pretty.” Declan held out his hand towards her. Heidi swung her head to look at David, who shrugged, as if to say, this was your choice.
“Alright,” Heidi said grudgingly and reached for Declan’s hand. She felt an electric zap when their hands touched. It went down her spine, as much as she tried to ignore it.
“You coming, David?” Declan asked her brother. David shrugged again, his face downcast, but this was his job too. He had to stand by Declan.
Together the three of them left the room and started making their way towards the front of the stadium.
Heidi was overwhelmed. Cameras flashed in her face, people screamed, girls swooned and others tried to intercept them for an autograph from Declan.
He was an accommodating celebrity. He posed for photographs with his fans, signed posters and album covers. Heidi couldn’t help but admire him for his people skills. No wonder his fans loved him. He treated them with humility, like he was proud of them and grateful for their support. The whole time they made their way, Declan held on to Heidi’s hand. The photographers were going wild. Every time he stopped for a picture, he pulled her close to him and their arms grazed. She smiled for the camera, hoping that her nervousness wouldn’t quite be as visible in the pictures. He sometimes leaned in to whisper in her ear as the cameras flashed away. He usually said nothing more than, “This is going great,” or, “Well done,” but each time he pulled away from her Heidi remembered to smile, hoping they appeared to be a happy couple in love who were sharing a private joke.
“Declan, who’s this young lady?” One of the reporters stuck a mic in his face, while some others were recording them together. Heidi was already starting to feel faint. She was sure that the expressions on her face looked fake, but she had no other choice but to carry on.
“This is Heidi Scott. She’s my girlfriend,” Declan said. An immediate buzz spread around them. More people were throwing questions at them, most of which Heidi couldn’t even decipher. How could people be so interested in Declan’s personal life?
“How long have you been going out?” someone else yelled out.
“A few weeks. We just decided to move in together.” Declan had a winning smile on his face, and he leaned in suddenly to her and placed a warm, gentle kiss on her cheek. Heidi was blushing and she looked into one of the cameras as it flashed away at her. She was self-conscious and embarrassed, but at the same time, Declan’s hand in hers gave her some kind of rising confidence. This was a kind of fantasy that she was living. It was absolutely unreal.
She threw a look at David, who was helping Declan’s security guards to keep the crowds off him. She was grateful to have him as a brother and, as little as she trusted Declan, despite how strangely attracted to him she was, she was sure her brother would be there to look out for her if she needed him.
Chapter Four
Declan’s house was a mansion. He had the kind of rock star home that Heidi had only seen before in documentaries. They were greeted at the door by his housekeeper, who led them in. David followed them closely.
“Maud, this is Heidi. She’s moving in with me tonight,” Declan announced to the housekeeper, who had maintained a tight-lipped look until now, but turned around to stare at them with a look of absolute disbelief when he said that.
“Moving in?” the older lady exclaimed, and Declan laughed.
“Don’t look so surprised, Maud. We’ve been dating for a few weeks now and we’ve decided to take the next step,” he said, patting Maud affectionately on the back.
“Hi.” Heidi smiled sweetly at the lady, who shook her hand, still in disbelief.
“I didn’t know you lived in New York,” Heidi said in a low voice to him, as he led her into a grand living room. It was luxuriously designed with thick tapestries, carpeted floors and oak furniture. For a rock star, Declan had quite old school, classic taste in decorating.
“This is home to me. I have a few houses in other cities, LA for instance, where I have to spend time when I’m recording. But this is always home.” He touched her waist lightly, but unlike with other people, Heidi wasn’t repelled by Declan’s touch. She looked around her, trying to hide her awe as much as possible.
“So, this is the living room. I’ll have Stuart, my chauffeur, go and pick up some of your stuff from your apartment tomorrow. And we’ll also go shopping for a new wardrobe,” he said, walking over to the small bar in the corner of the room.
“New wardrobe?” Heidi asked, watching him pour whiskey into three glasses. David accepted one of the glasses gladly, but Heidi only shook her head when he offered her one.
“I rarely drink,” she said, and Declan raised his eyebrow at her.
“Anyway, yeah, new wardrobe. I’m guessing these are the only kinds of clothes you own?” He was looking at her intently, not at her body but at her clothes, and Heidi suddenly felt very self-conscious. Was he judging her taste in fashion?
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, and David cut in.
“It won’t do. People won’t buy it. You need to have the charm of the girl next door, but also dress and play the part of a rock star’
s girlfriend. Why else would Declan be attracted to you?” David was drinking from his glass, and his mood had calmed since they arrived at the house. He seemed to have made his peace with his sister’s decision.
“Exactly,” Declan said, still looking at her.
“What will I have to wear?” Heidi looked from one face to the other, still in disbelief. She hadn’t thought this through, clearly.
“Short dresses, leather jackets, high heels, makeup. Your hair needs to be done up, too.” Declan emptied the whiskey into his throat and walked over to the bar for some more.
“My hair?” Heidi glared at her brother, but David smiled.
“You asked for it, sis. What did you think this was going to be? You’ll have to be seen in public together, to really solidify the relationship. And you’ll have to look the part,” David exclaimed, one of his brows raised. Heidi realized then that her brother was enjoying this, he was enjoying the I-told-you-so moment. He emptied his drink into his mouth and clapped his hands.
“It’s been a long day. I’m off. I’ll see you, the happy couple, in the morning, then,” David said, thumping Declan on the back.
Declan had poured himself another glass and was already drinking from it.
“Leaving already?” he asked, and David nodded.
“Be good, you two,” David said, with a flourishing smile, and then he was gone.
Heidi was alone in the living room with Declan, who was polishing off his second glass of whiskey.
“Sit down, Heidi, make yourself comfortable,” he said, and she walked slowly over to one of the leather chairs. It was plush and she sank into it when she sat on it. Her head was whirling, all of this was happening too fast. Just a few hours ago, she had been fired from her job and was baking cupcakes in her kitchen. Now she was in the living room of one of the most celebrated young musicians, pretending to be his girlfriend.