by Alexa Davis
"Right, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She handed me the phone and gave me a half smile. “And we’ll go from there.”
“Yep,” I replied through pursed lips. “See you then.” I shook my phone at her, adding to my dorkiness. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
Chapter Six
Lindsey
Saturday
I sighed loudly as I glanced down at the address Adam had sent me to go and meet him. It certainly wasn’t the corner of New York that I was from! The Upper East Side in Manhattan was filled with rich, pretentious people that didn’t have to work to get by, which couldn’t have been more opposite from me if it tried. That, combined with the fact that I already didn’t like this arrogant asshole meant I wasn’t much looking forward to the day.
Three hundred dollars… I still couldn’t get over it. Maybe that should have been enough cash since I was only acting like his girlfriend for a few hours, but I was promised much higher. I needed that higher amount to give me some breathing room, I wasn’t about to back down just because the guy didn’t much like what he saw of me.
Not that I thought much of what I saw of him, either. At first glance I thought him to be very handsome, dark hair, light green eyes, striking cheek bones, and an obviously muscular body under that expensive suit of his. Admittedly, my heart did skip a beat…
But that had to be more to do with the fact that I hadn’t been with anyone for a very long time because as soon as he opened that horrible mouth of his, any desire that I felt for him simply fell away. I could just tell that he looked down on me and I didn’t like that at all.
No wonder he’s still single, I thought bitterly to myself as I pulled a plain black tee shirt over my head. He just doesn’t know how to speak to women, at all.
Still, I was going to have to put up with it because the car would be here soon enough and now that I’d negotiated the right rate of pay, I had to somehow make this work. It was going to take all of my acting skills to act like I didn’t hate this man, but still it was better than getting nude.
Mildly.
I shivered at the memory of that audition and turned to face myself in the mirror. With no make up on and my hair hanging lose around my shoulders I looked plain and boring, but since I had no desire to impress this guy, it really didn’t matter. I would just go as myself, get to know what the deal was with all of this, and that would be the end of it.
Right, time to wait outside. I tried to boost myself up but it didn’t work much. I needed to go though because I didn’t want to be late. It was the first well-paid acting job that I’d ever had, and I really didn’t want to screw it up. Even if it wouldn’t be recognized as an acting job, the cash was key.
“Bye, Denise,” I called out, despite the fact that I wasn’t sure where she was. The fact that she didn’t answer me suggested that she was either sleeping or had gone out a while ago. Without her as a security blanket I didn’t have anyone to calm down my racing brain.
I pressed the elevator button without holding out much hope. The damn thing was always broken and as it made a rough buzzing sound I realized this was going to be another of those days. It drove me nuts, what was the point of it being in the building if it wasn’t ever going to work? Now I would have to take the stairs two at a time to ensure I wasn’t late.
As I raced down, my heart raced in my chest, my brain got itself all twisted up in knots, and my stomach churned. By the time I actually stepped outside into the cold, fresh air, I felt like I might throw up. This was a mistake, I felt absolutely certain of it. This was going to be the one acting role that I was never going to pull off.
Oh my God.
There wasn’t just any car waiting outside for me, it was one that made my heart pound even heavier. It was practically a limousine, which was unheard of in my neighborhood. When Adam said that he was sending over a car to pick me up, I wasn’t expecting this…but it had to be for me. There wasn’t any other reason that a car like this would turn up out of the blue.
I wished that I had a hood I could pull over my face as I tiptoed as conspicuously as I could to the car, hoping that no one was watching me. They would be though, I just knew it. If it wasn’t me getting into the car, I would be looking, too, wondering whose fortune had magically changed.
The cringe deep inside my chest didn’t even subside as I got into the car. I could barely hear him as the driver introduced himself, and I wasn’t even sure if I replied or not. All I could focus on was trying to calm myself down, so as the car kicked into gear and slid down the street, I allowed my eyes to close while I tried to refocus what I needed to do.
I have to become this character, I reminded myself. I need to lose who I am so I can make this work I have to become the girlfriend of Adam Britt, who loves him, doesn’t hate his guts… No, that isn’t helpful. Instead, I’ll breathe.
I focused on breathing in and out carefully until the driver pulled the car to a stop. I thought that I’d done it, I presumed that I’d cracked it, but as soon as my eyes snapped open and I saw the gorgeous, luxurious town house that stood in front of me, the bitterness came flying back. Of course, he lived in a place like this, why wouldn’t he? It was only saps like me who lived in shitholes.
“Thank you,” I muttered to the driver as I got out. “I appreciate it.”
My eyes scanned up the building, making me feel small and insecure. My outfit felt all wrong, as did the natural look I had decided to wear in defiance. I didn’t fit it, that would be obvious to absolutely everyone around, which meant it would be to Adam, too. Much as I didn’t want to do the job, I didn’t want him to cancel it, either; I damn well needed it.
Just be confident, I tried to convince myself as I took shaky steps up towards his front door. Don’t be intimidated, all will be okay.
My whole body trembled as I raised my hand to knock, but the thought of ten grand kept me going. I banged my hand against the door, hating the way that the sound seemed to ricochet violently through my body.
I half-expected a butler to answer, so when it was Adam who stood on the other side of that swinging door, my heart leaped in my chest again and it was hard to suck enough air back into my lungs for a moment.
“Ah, hello.” Was it me or did Adam look a little awkward, too? “Come in.”
He stepped aside and I kept my eyes focused on my feet as I walked through his home. I didn’t want envy to get the better of me right now. I needed to keep my head in the game. It was important that I always remembered why I was here.
Eventually we reached his living room and Adam sat down in one of the plush, real leather couches that lay there. It was so different from the shabby second hand thing that Denise and I kept saying that we were going to change, but I found it uncomfortable to sit on. I perched my butt right on the edge and waited for Adam to speak.
“So,” he sighed loudly as if he didn’t want to be having the conversation just as much as I didn’t. “I guess I should fill you in a bit more about why I need you to do this.”
“Oh.” My eyes widened in surprise. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t expect him to start with that. I mean, he hadn’t even offered me a drink yet. Clearly being wealthy hadn’t helped to improve his manners at all. “Yeah, okay that would be good.”
“So.” He fell back and stared up at the ceiling as if he couldn’t bear to stare at me as he explained. “My dad is kind of…harsh in his ways.” I had to bite on my tongue to stop me from telling him that helped me to understand him better. “He’s always had these ridiculous expectations of me. None of which I’ve met.” He let out a bitter sounding laugh. “But my older brother, Brandon, always has.” Ah, sibling rivalry. Okay, that helped me a little.
“So, to prove to them that I’m not just this playboy who can’t hold down a job or relationship I told them that I have a girlfriend.”
“Why?” I asked before catching myself. That wasn’t fair; it wasn’t up to me to delve into the complicated nature of someone else’s family lif
e. “I mean, never mind ignore that. So what do you expect from me?”
Finally, he looked at me and for a split second, I thought I caught a glimpse of vulnerability there. “It’s only for one night, one meal, just pretend that we’re together, pretty much go along with everything I say. That’s it.”
It was simple. Too simple. “But what do they think about us? How do they think we met?”
“I haven’t told them anything yet, I can just tell them we met in the library.” He shook his head as if realizing his mistake. “No, actually that will make my dad start on ridiculously intellectual questions…”
“I can answer intellectual questions,” I insisted. “I am intelligent you know.”
He smirked then, as if I’d said something that amused him. I folded my arms across my chest and pouted out my lips in anger. I wasn’t about to be insulted, no way!
“Well, there’s also my mom. She’s great, but she’s very interested in me settling down, so she’ll probably have all sorts of questions for you. She’ll want to know how long we’ve been together, say seven months...”
“Why seven months?” I interjected. “That’s specific.”
“It’s more believable than six months, I think, because it’s specific, but I don’t think they’ll buy much longer than that.”
“Surely, they would know if you’ve been with someone for that long?” I asked curiously. “Won’t they question why you haven’t mentioned me before?”
His whole expression tightened, making me feel bad, although I wasn’t sure where the guilt was coming from. “We really aren’t that close,” he said firmly. “I don’t see them that often or tell them about me. Trust me, they’ll believe this just fine.”
“Okay.” I gulped loudly. “So is there anything I need to know?”
He handed me a thin sheet of paper with a redness to his cheeks. “I’ve written down all the main details I think you might need to know.”
I scanned my eyes over it feeling very awkward. It was just like a script really, but it didn’t feel that way. “So what about me? What do you need to know about me? Is there anything I should write down for you, too?” All of a sudden a bolt of panic washed over me. “And what about kissing? Do we need to practice that to make it look more real?”
Adam laughed at that one. “That won’t be a problem,” he assured me. “And, maybe you should write down some details for me, just so it’s obvious we aren’t strangers. Do it for tomorrow.”
“Why, what’s tomorrow?” I demanded as his eyes travelled over my body in a way I wasn’t sure about at all.
“I am going to have to buy you something to wear. There’s no way you can come to the meal in your own clothes.”
Chapter Seven
Adam
Sunday
I was going to have to heed Max’s advice more. I thought I was great at being nice, but judging by the way I’d pissed Lindsey off no end yesterday, I wasn’t quite what I thought.
I hadn’t meant too much about it when I referred to her clothing, I was just being practical. There was no way in hell my father would accept a girl who dressed in such poor clothing – but of course she took it all wrong. I could tell as she eventually stormed out of my house that she was only putting up with me for the money. I was such a bad person that I actually had to pay people to like me.
Just don’t be a dick today, I thought as I pulled up the car outside the address that Lindsey had given me. Think before you speak and everything will be okay…
Woah!
My brain stopped spinning for just a minute as I ran my eyes up the tower block that Lindsey lived in. All of a sudden my flashy car didn’t feel safe and my nice suit left me vulnerable and uncomfortable. It couldn’t have been more obvious that I didn’t belong here if I tried.
Maybe that was a moment where I should have been happy for what I did have. I should have been grateful for the fact that I hadn’t even had to try hard in life and I lived somewhere really out of this places league, but I didn’t. I felt sick and sorry for everyone that lived here, especially Lindsey.
No wonder I pissed her off, I thought with stark realization. She has a lot to be defensive about.
The fact that I hadn’t earned my lifestyle did get to me at times like this. My grandfather and father had done the hard work; I just got lucky off the back of it. Of course, it wasn’t easy for me that I was very misunderstood by my family, but when I saw the way that other’s lived it reminded me that really my problems weren’t problems at all.
I took a shaky step forward and stared at the door in dismay. There wasn’t just an easy way to open it – there were buzzers with reams of names the proved just how many people lived inside this tower block. I rattled around inside my big home alone and all these people had to share this one building. The apartments inside of it must have been absolutely tiny.
Most of the names were rubbed off or peeling slightly. I couldn’t really read any of the names so I had to pull my, much too posh, cell phone out of my pocket to find the text with Lindsey’s address on it. She lived at 17A according to her message so after only a few moments I found it. My heart raced as I pressed the button, my discomfort grew.
Bzzz.
The sound was so loud it flew through my brain making me wince. How did anyone live in these conditions, it was barbaric.
“Yeah?” came the brass reply that didn’t seem to be Lindsey. Shit, had I pressed the wrong button?
“Erm, sorry, I’m looking for Lindsey?” I said questioningly.
“Yep, I’ll just get her.”
My pulse pounded as I waited there. My eyes kept flicking back towards my car. There was a part of me that just wanted to jump into it to get the hell away from this neighborhood once and for all…
“Hello?” Her soft voice changed everything; it grounded me and reminded me what I was doing. “Adam, is that you?”
“It is,” I replied smilingly. “I’m outside waiting for you.”
“Okay, I’ll just be a moment.”
Once she disconnected us, I moved back by my car and I rested my back against it as I waited for her to come out. Every single time the door opened, hot anticipation coursed through my veins, but it continued to not be her for a while. All sorts of odd, rough-looking characters emerged, heightening my discomfort to top level. By the time Lindsey did appear in a white dress over some black leggings which gave her a real sweet angelic look, I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing living in a place like this. She was just too beautiful to be there…
“Right.” Her pursed lips reminded me that as sweet as she looked, she had a fiery temper – and right now that was directed at me. “Where are we going today then?”
I opened the car door and let her inside. As she slid into the passenger’s seat her dress blew out just a little bit. “I was thinking Oscar de la Renta.”
Her eyes bulged out of her head, just like I knew they would. A girl like her had clearly never been to a store like that, so she was about to get her mind blown. Partly I wanted her to have the best of the best because I needed to impress my father, and partly I also wanted to help her. I hoped that the money I gave her for the job, plus the sale of the dress would help her to get somewhere much better for her. She wasn’t safe where she was… I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to get her out of there.
Maybe I was nice after all.
“Are…are you serious?” she gasped. “That’s a bit much.”
I got into the driver’s seat and shrugged at her. “I need us both to look top notch – it’s my father’s honorary dinner, after all.”
“Yes…of course.”
She slumped back in the heated seat and rolled her head towards the window. I wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but I didn’t. There was no point – after all we were only going to spend one fake night together. It wasn’t like we were about to start dating. I didn’t need to know any of that. I just needed to get through this with my head in one piece.
&nbs
p; ***
“Okay, that’s enough,” Lindsey barked at me, making me take a step back as she shot me those flame-filled eyes once more. “I’ve answered everything you’ve asked me, satisfactorily, too, I might add. You now know that I understand the economy, I know enough about the banking infrastructure, and I’m also well up on my politics.
“Can I please just enjoy the rest of this shopping trip in peace? I know it isn’t supposed to be a fun thing, but this is an awesome place with the best dresses that I’ve ever seen and you’re running it by being so boring.”
Boring? First not nice, now boring. I really was learning a lot about myself. If anyone else had said that to me I might have been incredibly pissed off, but as Lindsey stood there with her blonde hair spilling down her back, her dark eyes glaring at me, and her hands on her hips while the black dress cascaded around her, it was hard to be angry.
“I’m sorry.” I held my hands up in a defeated gesture. “I’m just trying to prepare you for the sorts of questions my dad might ask you.”
She rolled her eyes and grunted angrily at me. “I told you already that I’m intelligent. Just because I act doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I know what I’m talking about, okay?”
“Right.” I felt chastened, and for someone who spent the majority of his life getting his own way, especially with women, it was kind of nice. I liked the fight back, it was fun and made things more interesting. I also liked the fact that Lindsey didn’t want to impress me, despite my name. “Sure, you keep trying on gowns. I like that one.”
She glanced down at herself critically. “It’s okay, but too much cleavage, I think. We want your family to think I’m a long term thing, right? Not just a floozy. I need to look classier.”
I couldn’t stop my eyes from reaching her chest which made a thick ball lodge into my throat. It definitely wasn’t too much cleavage, high society girls liked to flash the flesh all the time, but maybe it was a good idea for her to cover up. I didn’t need the distraction. The last thing I wanted was to accidently trip up because I was too focused on her breasts.