Cross Check (Marriage Contract #1)

by Colleen Masters

  “Look. I know that this arrangement isn’t perfect, and that there’s a lot we still don’t know about each other,” he says, “But let’s just try to focus on what we do know, while we’re making up for lost time.”

  “And what do we know, Jay?” I ask, sincerely wanting to hear his thoughts.

  “We know that we work incredibly well together,” he begins, “We know that we have compatible sensibilities, creatively speaking.” He leans in close so that the driver can’t hear him as he continues, “And I know that you turn me on like nobody else ever has.”

  “I’m sure,” I laugh softly, feeling my body respond to the nearness of him.

  “It’s the truth,” he insists, his eyes hard on my face, “As for the rest, well… If I get my way, we’ll have all the time in the world to figure each other out. But right now, we’ve got work to do.”

  And with that, he lets himself out of the car, circling around to open my door for me.

  “What a gentleman,” I tease, accepting his hand as he helps me out of the car.

  “Yeah, well,” he grins, “What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”

  Just as we turn toward the towering office building, a bright flash of light erupts before my eyes, causing me to stagger backward. Blinking furiously as I regain my balance, I see a man standing directly in our path on the sidewalk, holding up his smartphone. The flash on his camera goes off again and again as he snaps pictures of me and Jamison. For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. Jay, however, does not have the same problem.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Jay growls, storming over the slight, sneering man.

  “Hey, I’m just trying to get in on the action,” the weaselly little photographer, “You guys are all the rage on the blogs right now. I can sell these pictures for a—hey!”

  I gasp as Jamison snatches the man’s cell phone out of his hand, drops it on the sidewalk, and stomps in the screen with his heel. The rude man lets out an outraged yelp, dropping to his knees to pick up his precious phone. But it occurs to me as I glance around that he’s not the only one with a sudden, keen interest in Jamison and me. A handful of other passersby have whipped out phones of their own, capturing the moment Jay destroyed our paparazzo’s phone.

  “Jay,” I mutter, trying to keep my cool, “We need to get inside.”

  “You asshole!” our harasser shrieks, throwing a tantrum as Jamison follows my gaze to the other bystanders. “I should sue you for this!”

  “Get a fucking grip,” Jay growls, shooting the man a look that would silence even the most adamant protester. “And a different hobby, while you’re at it.”

  He lays a hand on my back as we hurry through the glass doors of our building. My head spins in the wake of our encounter. Something feels seriously wrong, here.

  “What did we mean, we’re ‘all the rage’?” I ask Jay, as we walk toward the elevators.

  “Something tells me the jig is up,” he replies through clenched teeth.

  I glance over my shoulder as the elevator doors begin to close. Every person in the lobby has turned our way, openly gaping. I turn to Jamison and the doors hiss shut, heart pounding as we begin our ascent.

  “OK. Let’s not panic,” I say, trying to convince myself as much as him, “What information could the press possibly have gotten their hands on?”

  Jamison lets out a sharp laugh, very much at my expense.

  “You’re definitely not used to being a public figure, are you?” he says, as the elevator doors open once more.

  We step out of the car together, and I can practically feel the entire office hold its breath. The staff falls into hushed conversations across the entire floor, peering over their cubicles and sneaking glances and Jay and me.

  “Come on,” I say to him, making tracks toward my office.

  Even Pippa can barely bring herself to look at Jamison and me as we brush past her. You know something is wrong when even my chatty assistant is at a loss for words. I let my office door slam shut behind me with a bang, rushing over to my computer as Jay crosses to the wall of windows overlooking the river.

  “Just remember not to read the comments,” he says gruffly, grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket as it begins to chirp.

  I ignore him, opening up my internet browser and typing “Leah Brody, Jamison King” into the search bar. As soon as the search results start to roll in, I have to sit down lest my knees give out beneath me. The number one search engine hit is an article on a well-known gossip blog that specializes in outing celebrity secrets:

  Sorry, Ladies — Jamison King is Engaged!

  Below the headline march a series of paparazzi photos, each one featuring Jamison and me. There we are in our booth at DeLeonardo’s…on the Hudson River Park Pier…on the steps of his brownstone. Someone knew to be keeping an eye on us. But how?

  “I don’t understand,” I say, my voice hollow with shock, “Nobody knows about your dad’s marriage ultimatum but us.”

  “Not just us,” Jamison says, his jaw pulsing with rage.

  “What, you think one of the lawyers mentioned something?” I ask.

  “Who else was in the room when it first came up?” Jay snaps, turning to face me.

  “Oh, shit…” I mutter, “Cordelia.”

  “That’s right,” he says, shaking his head, “My darling big sister.”

  “You can’t know this was her,” I say quickly.

  “Can’t I though?” he replies, holding out his cell phone to me, “Check out the text that just came in.”

  I rise shakily to my feet and go to him, taking his phone in my hands. On the screen is a new text from Cordelia herself. It reads:

  Sorry little bro, had to do it. Enjoy the spotlight! xoxo

  “But…why?” I ask, shocked by her callousness, “Why would she leak this?”

  “To try and embarrass us,” Jay says, pacing the length of my office, “She thinks she can shame us out of accepting Dad’s terms. Make the whole arrangement into a sideshow.”

  “Well, if that’s true she’s doing a bang-up job,” I say resentfully, “I’m sure the videos of you smashing that guy’s phone will be all over Reddit within the hour.”

  “She thinks she can just swoop in and steal the company from me,” Jamison fumes, “After never showing a scrap of interest her entire life.”

  “You know as well as I do that it’s not the company she’s interested in,” I reply, crossing my arms, “She’s just interested in adding another billion dollars to her hedge fund fortune once she sells it off.”

  “Fuck that,” Jay says determinedly, “She’s not getting this company. I’m gonna make damn sure of it.”

  “What’re you gonna do, take a hit out on her?” I shoot back.

  “No,” Jay replies, a sly smile spreading across her face, “I’m just gonna beat her at her own game. And you’re going to help me.”

  “Oh?” I scoff, “And how is that gonna play out?”

  “She thinks she can scare us off this deal by making our relationship tabloid fodder,” Jay goes on, “But what if, instead of freaking out about a few blog posts, we embrace the attention?”

  “Embrace it,” I echo flatly, “Embrace being gossiped about by the same people who catalogue what the Kardashians have for breakfast?”

  “Hey, any press is good press, right?” Jay smiles, placing his hands on my shoulders.

  “Not in my book, it isn’t,” I reply, “I’m not a celebrity, Jamison. I’m a business woman.”

  “Looks to me like you’re both now,” Jay points out.

  “Do you know how hard I’ve hard to work to be taken seriously in this job?” I ask him, stepping out of his embrace. “From the second your dad hired me, I’ve had to fight for respect every step of the way. I’ve had to be ten times more professional than my male coworkers, ten times as talented.”

  “And now you’re poised to be the co-president of this company,” Jay says, “Your hard work has paid off.”
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  “All the more reason not to throw it all away now,” I tell him, “If I just let this tabloid story unfold, I’ll lose my credibility. Everyone will just see me as Jamison King’s girlfriend.”

  “Well. Fiancée, actually,” he corrects me.

  “My point,” I snap, “Is that no one is going to respect me if I let this story go unchecked.”

  “And my point,” Jamison replies, “Is that the story is already out there. It’s not going to go away if we ignore it. If anything, it’ll be much worse if we let the tabloids fill in their own sordid details.”

  “So, what are you suggesting?” I ask, planting my hands on my desk.

  “I’m suggesting that we take control of the narrative,” he says, stepping up behind me, “We tell our story to the world, our way. I’ve had plenty of practice getting the media to eat out of my hand, Brody. We can turn this thing around. But we have to move fast.”

  I arch my back as Jay places his hands on my hips. I can see our faint reflection in the wall of windows before me. I have to admit, we make a formidable pair. Not to mention a photogenic one. I’ve always worked behind the scenes in entertainment, never stepping in front of the camera myself. But now that the lights have been trained on Jay and me, I guess I don’t have a choice. He’s right about one thing—we can’t force this story out of the headlines now that Cordelia’s handed it to the world. The only thing we can do is try to work it to our advantage.

  “Well. We’re gonna need some kind of game plan,” I finally say, turning to face Jay.

  His resolute smile widens as he brings his hands to my hips. Pulling my body flush against his, Jay catches my lips in a searing kiss. That gesture speaks volumes more than words could ever say. We’re in this together, I feel in his kiss.

  That’s all the assurance I need. Which is lucky, since it’s the only assurance I can hope for in this bonkers situation.

  “First things first,” Jamison says, pulling away from our kiss and straightening his tie. “We’re gonna need a little help.”

  “From who?” I ask.

  “Pippa!” Jay calls, “Would you get in here please?”

  “Yes, Mr. King?” my assistant replies, poking her head through my office door.

  “Do me a favor and get Charlie Bridges on the phone,” Jay commands, “Tell him it’s Jay King calling, and it’s urgent.”

  Pippa nods and disappears once again, off to track down Jay’s contact.

  “Who the hell is Charlie Bridges?” I ask Jay, “And what can he do for us?”

  “Charlie Bridges is my agent,” Jay tells me, sitting down on the edge of my desk, “He’s been shaping my career from the very beginning, particularly when it comes to my public image. And as far as what he can do for us, well… the sky’s the limit, Brody.”

  “Mr. Bridges in on line one!” Pippa says over the intercom.

  Jamison takes the call, putting it on speakerphone for my benefit.

  “Charlie,” Jay says, “I’m here with Leah Brody.”

  “Ah, Leah Brody: the fiancée!” a slick voice says over the line.

  “Actually, we’re not officially engaged,” I say testily, rolling my eyes, “So that’s Leah Brody: the business partner and fellow tabloid darling, at the moment.”

  “Ooh, you caught a live one, Jay!” Bridges chuckles, “I like you already, Leah.”

  “I’m assuming you’ve seen the press coverage,” Jay cuts in before I can chuck the phone across the room.

  “That I have,” Bridges replies, “Steamy stuff. Looks like you two have had a busy couple of days.”

  “Well, for obvious reasons, we’d like to get out in front of this thing,” Jay says to Charlie, “Any suggestions?”

  “Loads of suggestions,” the agent replies, “But I’d prefer to deliver them in person, if that’s all right with you.”

  Jamison looks up at me, silently asking my permission to bring Charlie into our office. And as detestable as he sounds over the phone, I shrug my consent. Just because he’s obnoxious doesn’t mean he’s bad at his job.

  “Come on over,” Jay tells Bridges, “And make sure to bring your A game.”

  “I always do,” Bridges replies, and promptly hangs up the call.

  Before you can say “public relations disaster”, Charlie Bridges arrives at our office. Jay had Pippa run out for some rations, so there’s a lovely lunch spread arrayed on my desk when the agent arrives.

  “All this for me?” he grins, strutting onto my turf.

  He looks exactly as I imaged from his manner on the phone: mid-40’s, thick-set, no chin to speak of, head shaved bald. His clothes are expensive but utterly lacking in taste. He walks with the swagger of someone who’s made a lot of money by less-than-noble means.

  All told, he looks like a bonafide asshole.

  I look on as Jay and Charlie share a hug, thumping each other on the back in true macho style. These two have been working together since Jay’s career really took off eight years ago. And whether I like it or not, Charlie Bridges has a lot more experience dealing with the media than Jay and I do. We need his advice right now.

  “Good lord,” Charlie says, staring at me from across the room, “I thought you were pretty in those paparazzi pictures, but you’re even more gorgeous in person. I love a redhead.”

  “Thanks,” I say shortly, keeping my arms tightly crossed, “You can help yourself to some lunch, if you like.”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” Charlie says, diving into the spread.

  “So, you know our situation,” Jay says, coming to stand beside me as Charlie loads up a plate for himself.

  “Most of it,” Charlie replies, making himself a sandwich, “I know that you’re both contenders for Loudon’s place at the company, and that you’ve got some kind of affair going on. That’s as much as the press has picked up on so far.”

  “It’s a little more complicated than that, I’m afraid,” I jump in, “It’s true, Loudon was considering each of us for his position here at King Enterprises. But because he was taken from us before he could make a final decision, his wish was that Jamison and I get married and run the company together as co-presidents.”

  “It was all in his will,” Jay adds, “The whole arrangement.”

  Charlie Bridges stares at us long and hard.

  “You’re kidding, right?” he finally asks.

  “Nope,” I say, “That’s the real story.”

  “The lawyers gave us two weeks to make a decision,” Jay goes on, “We can either agree to get married and run the company together, or one of us has to bow out of the marriage and the presidency. If we can’t come to an agreement, then Cordelia gets the company for herself.”

  “She’s the one who leaked the story to the press,” I add, “To try and embarrass us out of seeing Loudon’s wishes through.”

  “Well, from the pictures I’ve seen, it looks like you’re seeing those wishes through just fine,” he grins, getting a real kick out of our predicament. “I mean, you are an item, aren’t you?”

  “You could say that,” I reply crisply.

  “I’ve made Leah aware of my wishes to proceed with the agreement. She’s still weighing her options,” Jay clarifies.

  “Weighing her options,” Charlie chuckles bawdily, “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

  “We haven’t come to a final decision about what we’re going to do, is all,” I tell him, annoyed by his adolescent antics.

  “Well,” Charlie sighs, swallowing down a big bite of his sandwich, “I hate to break it to you, but it looks like the decision has been made for you.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, shooting Jay a look.

  “Now that your relationship is in the tabloids, you’re gonna have to embrace it,” Charlie goes on, “That’s the only way you two come out of this looking good. You could deny your relationship, but no one would believe you. You could offer up the details about this legal predicament you’re in, but no one wants to hear about arra
nged marriages and whatnot. It’s not romantic. My advice is, you sell this power-couple angle. It’s absolutely your strongest play.”

  “What if the details about Loudon’s will get out somehow?” I go on, “Won’t people think we’re awful liars if they realize this thing was arranged?”

  “Honestly,” Charlie says, “No one would even believe this story about the will. It’s way too outlandish for most people to stomach, no offense to your dad. Look, people want to hear the simple love story. Give them that, and they won’t bother listening for anything else.”

  “What do you think, Leah?” Jamison asks me.

  “I just want this whole scandal to be over so I can get back to my work,” I tell him. “And if that means letting the rest of the world believe that we have some kind of fairy tale romance, that’s fine with me.”

  “Super,” Charlie grins, wiping a blob of mayo from the corner of his mouth. “First things first, you’re gonna need a high profile sit-down interview to introduce yourselves as a couple. How’s tomorrow morning?”

  “Sounds great,” Jay says, “The sooner the better.”

  “Sure,” I agree, feeling rather like I’m selling my soul to the devil, “Let’s do it.”

  “I’ll start making some calls,” Charlie says, pulling out his smartphone, “Then the three of us can start going over your talking points.”

  “In the meantime,” I sigh, heading for the door, “I have a call of my own I need to make.”

  Ignoring the curious stares of my coworkers, I march through the King Enterprises offices with my head held high. I’m not going to give Cordelia and the rest of the world what they want and be ashamed of myself for having a romantic relationship with Jay. That’s nonsense. But there is one person I want to check in with before this whole thing gets even more out of control, and that’s my dad.

  Closing the conference room door behind me, I pull out my phone and make a video call to Frank Brody. He deserves to hear what’s going on from me, not some staged interview. I can feel my pulse speed up as the phone rings. There’s no telling how my dad will react to this news. I can only hope he’s not angry about being blindsided. But there’s no more time to worry about it as his smiling face pops up on my screen.