International Guy: Volume 4

by Carlan, Audrey

  There’s a Remington Steele poster. A Moonlighting poster. Love Connection. Though my personal favorite is the X-Files image of Mulder and Scully. As a kid, I watched a lot of that redheaded Gillian Anderson running down streets in heels and beating down bad guys. It was a show my mother and I loved watching together, even if some of the episodes were pretty scary. That show and the time I spent watching with my mom are part of what made me fall in love with acting.

  As Louise offers the chairs in front of her desk to us, my cell phone rings.

  “Shit. It’s Parker!” My heart instantly starts pounding wildly as if I’ve already been caught.

  Ellie pats my shoulder. “It’s all good. Just breathe and take the call. Pretend like nothing is amiss, or your plan is going down the toilet fast.”

  I take a deep breath and let it out before hitting the green button and pressing my cell to my ear.

  “Hey, honey.”

  “Hiya, Peaches.”

  “What are you up to? It’s pretty early there, right?” I do my best to leave any jitters behind, focusing on steadying my voice.

  “Late afternoon. We’re taking a break. Cameraman is having some type of functionality problem with his camera.” His voice is smooth and reminds me of how much I miss him, even though it’s only been a few short days.

  I nod. “Ah. That does happen. They’ll get it up and running, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah. How about you? What are you up to?”

  The lie ripples up my throat and out my mouth, tasting foul. “Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Have you met all the contestants yet?” I change the subject back to him.

  “Nope. The females are supposed to show up anytime. Roy and I have been working the fellas, and although it’s a rough bunch, I think they’ll make for good TV.”

  “Mm-hmm. That sounds good.” I pace the office and try to keep up my ruse.

  “You’ll never believe this . . .” His tone changes to one that sounds painted in humor.

  Fuck.

  “Uh, what’s that, honey?”

  “A little bit ago, we were working, and Royce swears he saw you in the production booth. Crazy, right?” He chuckles. “I told the brother he needs to get his eyes checked, because my girl’s pretty face was three thousand miles away pining for her man.”

  “I’m not pining!” I snort-laugh.

  His corresponding laughter fills me with happiness. We’ve had such a hard road, every time we can laugh is a moment to be cherished.

  “Just wanted to be sure you were paying attention. Though I swear, baby, even the mention of your name got me hopeful to see you.” His voice dips low when he adds, “I miss you.”

  Now I’m grinning like a lunatic. I finger a lock of my hair and twirl it around and around, butterflies once again filling my belly with excitement. “I miss you too. When are you coming home?” I pose a standard question I would normally ask if he were really away and I didn’t know all the details.

  “Probably in a few days. We do the pilot filming in two or three days, depending on how the female contestants do.”

  “Makes sense to me. I hope you’re having fun even if it’s without me.” I pout, imagining him all alone in his hotel room at night, no one to keep him company. These images lead me right to the thought of me crawling beneath the sheets, lips pressing to warm flesh until I reach his hard, long cock. I close my eyes and imagine my lips pressing a simple, adoring kiss to the bulbous tip before licking in a swirling motion that always makes him groan and thrust his hips, seeking my mouth and a deeper connection.

  “I wouldn’t say I’m having the time of my life, but I am enjoying this. It’s nice to know that, when the job is done, I’ll be coming home to you and our dogs and our life back in Boston, with no crazy stalker or whacked-out lunatic trying to harm either of us. Baby, I just like the idea of being normal with you. Plain, old, boring, day-to-day family life.”

  “I like the idea of being boring with you too, honey.”

  I glance at Ellie and Louise and find them both blatantly staring and listening to every word of my conversation, not that I’m being inconspicuous or speaking at a lower volume. It’s hard when I get Parker’s voice in my ear, and I haven’t seen him for a few days. It’s like being served a hot-fudge sundae. You don’t think of or worry about the calories; you just indulge with fervor. That’s how I feel when I’m talking to my man. Indulgent.

  “Um, Parker, I need to go. Elliott is trying to get ahold of me on the other line. She has an opportunity she needs to discuss with me. We’ll talk tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, baby. Sleep well tonight.”

  “I will. Love you.”

  “Love you more.”

  I press the “End” button and slip the phone into my back pocket. “He loves me.” I shrug.

  Ellie’s gaze is on me, eyebrow cocked, and a saucy smirk is on her lips. “That, Skyler, is obvious.”

  “I hate lying to him.” I frown, the dishonesty clutching at my conscience. “Takes some of the goodness out of what we’re planning.”

  Louise nods and leans against the arm of her chair. “Think of it this way: the end result will be worth the means.”

  I straighten my spine and firm my shoulders. “It better be.”

  Elliott tilts her head to the side. “It will. Have a little faith.” Her tone is soft and compassionate.

  “When it comes to Parker, I have all the faith in the world.”

  6

  PARKER

  A warm, paw-like hand grips my shoulder. “You good, brother?” Royce asks, his tone low and private.

  I nod. “Yeah, yeah. I didn’t think it would be this hard being away from her, you know?”

  Royce sucks in his bottom lip and holds it in his mouth, a thoughtful expression on his face. “It’s been a long time since I felt that way about a woman, but I get you. Can’t say that I don’t envy what you’ve got. I know what’s happening in my own situation right now, and it’s rocky as fuck, but I’m hoping to get through to the other side unscathed. Definitely don’t want to have to go through what you and Sky did to find your happy.” He licks his lips, squeezes my shoulder again, and dips his head. “Though I will say, what you got is special. The fact that you survived all the odds and came out on top means it’s meant to be. You can’t live life afraid every time you gotta take a trip for work. Have faith that no merciful God is gonna put you through any more of that shit. Believe it, bro. Sky’s and your time is now. Dig deep, and it will be all right.”

  I close my eyes and let his words sink in. It’s normal to travel, normal to be apart, for any couple. We have to get back to living our lives day to day in the knowledge that the worst is behind us.

  With my brother at my side, supporting me in my every move, I inhale full and deep before clasping both of his shoulders. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

  Royce gives me an all-white, giant grin. “Anytime. I got your back. Always.”

  “Same.” I grip him on the bicep and look beyond us as a line of females walk in from the back of the room. Six in total. I shake my head and squint, zeroing in on one in particular.

  Golden hair.

  Dark eyes.

  Tall.

  Smokin’ hot body.

  “What the fuck?” I narrow my gaze and squint to get a better look.

  Royce turns around. “Shee-it. Is that . . . ?”

  I don’t hear the rest of what he has to say because I’m storming over to the line of women approaching the stage. “Hold up, ladies,” I say, one step down from yelling.

  The six of them stop where they are.

  I move right over to the last woman in the line. When I get closer, my eyes adjust to the light, and I realize it’s not her. But holy fuck, she looks like my woman. “Who are you?”

  The blonde blinks dumbly, raises her hand to her chest, and looks from side to side before she settles her gaze back on me. “Um, me?”

  “Yeah, you.” I can feel my entire body tighten.


  “I, uh, I’m Tara Darling. Contestant for the show.”

  I frown and take her in from her hair to her ballet flats. She’s taller than my Sky, but if I didn’t look close-up, she’d be a dead ringer for her. Eyes a little wider apart, chin pointier, but the entire package together is uncanny.

  “Who brought you here?” I ask, while Royce walks up and stands beside me, crossing his arms over his massive chest and staring down the blonde.

  “Uh, Louise Gonzalez picked me out of a casting call. Is there a problem?” She grabs a lock of her hair and twirls it around her finger in a move that’s so much like Skyler I have to grind my teeth not to rip her head off.

  “You look a lot like Skyler Paige,” Royce rumbles, laying the issue flat out.

  She pouts and tilts her head. “Yes, I’ve heard that before. Is it a problem?”

  “Did someone put you up to this?” My heart constricts as I think that maybe the shit storm hasn’t passed. Maybe this is another person trying to fuck with me and my girl. Get my mind off the real Skyler while focusing on her carbon copy. My skin starts to tingle and itch as the need to call Sky becomes almost unbearable.

  “N-no. I’m not sure what’s going on or why I’m being singled out. I came to the casting call, got a call back, and here I am.”

  “Why did you choose to come to this show?” I ask, my temperature rising with every second I’m in this woman’s presence.

  “Because I need more airtime on the screen, it’s a paying gig, and I get a free attempt at a love connection. Wouldn’t any woman want that?” She blinks prettily, and I want to point my finger at the door and kick her out. Unfortunately that’s not what we’re here to do. Royce and I have to get these women ready to woo the audience and the men they can’t see sitting behind a wall in order to get the show off the ground and high on the rating board.

  Royce places his hand on my elbow and urges me to walk with him about ten feet away. He leans close. “I know you’re thinking this is some type of setup, but even if it is, I don’t think it’s for nefarious purposes.”

  Just as I’m about to speak, Louise, the production director, enters from the back of the room where the ladies came from.

  “Do we have a problem here, gentlemen?” She walks up, her dark ponytail swinging as she goes.

  “Louise, my friend and I are taken aback by one of your candidates as a contestant on the show.” Royce points to the women.

  Louise’s dark gaze lasers in on me, then Royce, before scanning the contestants. “Am I to assume this has to do with Tara?”

  Interesting how she knew exactly who we were referring to.

  Can you say . . . setup?

  “Yeah.” I cross my arms over my chest in a defensive move. Her dark gaze glances at my arms, and her lips twitch.

  “Would it have anything to do with the fact that she’s Skyler Paige’s doppelgänger?” She announces the exact concern we have without making us give it up. Strange tactic.

  “I think that’s obvious, Ms. Gonzalez. Care to tell us why you’d have a look-alike on the show when everyone in the world knows that my man here”—Royce hooks a thumb over his shoulder toward me—“has been in a relationship with the actress for a year?”

  Her lips press together before she tips her head back and laughs. “Uh, you just answered your own question. Skyler Paige is hot stuff. Tara Darling looks just like her. With you two in the judging panel, the audience is going to eat that shit up with a shovel! It’s pretty genius, if I do say so myself, and since I chose her, and your contract is with me, she stays. Do you have a problem working with someone who looks like your girlfriend, Mr. Ellis?”

  Holy shit. Louise turned the situation around on me so fast I didn’t even feel my head spin around on my neck.

  Before I can speak, she continues.

  “Honestly, I think your issue with her says a lot more about you and your inability to see beyond your personal life than it does about me and my show. Are we going to have a problem?”

  I open and close my mouth, feeling like I just got bitch-slapped. I shake it off and put my hands in my pockets while taking in Tara Darling. She looks so much like my Sky it’s almost hard to look at her . . . but, she’s not my woman. I just have to remember that and do what I came here to do.

  “No. Though I assume you’re up to date on the things that have plagued me and my girlfriend over the past year and have been spread all over the newspapers and celebrity rags.”

  She nods.

  “Please excuse me if I jumped to conclusions about Ms. Darling’s involvement in the show.”

  “Straight up, Mr. Ellis, she’s here because she looks like your woman and will bring more viewers based on that alone.”

  I inhale, giving myself precious moments to calm down. She’s not here to hurt me, or mess with me; she’s here to up the ratings. Now that is something I can deal with. Heck, Skyler will think it’s a hoot.

  “Fine. We’ll continue on as planned.”

  “Excellent. Do your thing. We need to have the women ready in forty-eight hours. Then we’ll mix and match up the contestants and the women for some practice rounds, making sure they don’t see each other. We’ll choose the final pairings for the live show at that time.”

  Royce’s head shoots to the side. “Live show? I thought you were taping this.”

  “Yeah, we were going to, but once upper management realized we could do it live and have you and Parker sitting in the judging booth, we could pan to the two of you and the live audience reactions more often and hopefully score more viewers.”

  I close my eyes and grind my teeth.

  I have to remind myself that they’re paying through the nose for this contract, and people use Skyler’s celebrity status all the time to get ahead. The happier the client, the more likely they’ll refer us additional business contacts in the future. Win-win. I just need to focus on ending this job with a happy client so that I can go back home to my girl as soon as possible. They want to change the plan and go live with the pilot, that’s on them.

  Royce holds his hand out to Louise. “Thanks for the discussion. We’ll get back to work.”

  She shakes his hand and reaches around to me. I shake hers.

  “This is going to be fun, Mr. Ellis.” She grins wide and saunters off toward the production booth stairs.

  Fun. Yeah right.

  Hmm. Something deep inside my gut is telling me there’s more going on here that Royce and I are not part of. Tingles prickle at the back of my neck as I watch her walk up the stairs.

  I turn around and take in the six females standing patiently under the bright lights, waiting for direction.

  Royce looks at me and nods toward the ladies.

  I clap my hands. “All right, ladies, let’s have a quick introduction and find out what your goals are for being on Mix and Match.”

  “Let me get this straight, Crista. You signed up for Mix and Match because you want to get married and have a baby in the next two years?”

  The pretty, redheaded woman with a lush, curvy body and big, bouncy curls hanging down her shoulders nods emphatically. “Exactly! You know me so well!” she practically squeaks.

  I look down at her detail card. “Nope. Sweetheart, you put it down under the section marked interests.”

  She pouts, and I’m not gonna lie, with the woman’s puffy, plump lips, she looks cute doing it. I can’t imagine, based on her looks and mannerisms, that she would be unable to get a date or hook a man to her star. Though I have an idea why she’s striking out.

  “Do you tell men on your first few dates that you’re looking to get married and have a baby?”

  She smiles wide and nods. “Oh yes. I believe in complete honesty, always. I tell them on the very first date.”

  Sweet Jesus. “And uh, how many second dates have you had recently?” I soften my tone.

  She frowns and purses her lips. “Hmmm, not many . . . Actually, come to think of it, I haven’t had a second date in a whil
e.”

  “See a pattern there?”

  Crista scrunches up her face in a manner that makes me believe she’s attempting to connect the dots but coming up blank.

  “Let me lay out something you need to know about men. We don’t often want to think about marriage and children even on the fifth date, let alone the first. Maybe after six months of a committed relationship when we’ve had a chance to really get to know a woman, spend time with her family, see how we pair up in the other areas of the relationship . . .” I let my words dangle in the hopes that she’ll pick up on what I’m getting at.

  She frowns and fiddles with the hem of her too-short skirt. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a man who loves a lot of skin and a lotta leg on display, but when you’re first trying to score a man who’s going to last long-term, the last thing you want to do is lead with your physical attributes. This woman is going to need to turn on a man’s mind as well as his body if she’s going to have any staying power with him.

  “Meaning . . .”

  “In the bedroom.”

  She grins wide and lifts her chest in a move akin to being prideful. “Oh, I sleep with them on the first date if I’m attracted to them, so there’s no worry there.”

  I groan and rub my temples with thumb and forefinger. “Crista, right off the bat, I’m going to warn you against sleeping with a man you’re interested in on the very first date. It can give the impression that you’re easy even if you’re not.”

  Her eyes widen. “But then how are they going to know what I give in the bedroom is so good they’re going to want to keep it in their bed for the rest of their lives?”

  “Sweetheart, what goes down in the bedroom is a definite plus for a man, especially if his woman has skills in that arena. However, it’s not the only thing that matters. Regardless of popular opinion, not all men think with just their dick. I know when it comes to my girl, I fell in love with her smile and laughter, her giving heart, the way she makes me feel, not just how good we are together in the sack.”