by Magan Vernon
Before I could figure out my next move, my phone rang, alerting me it was my manager’s secretary.
“Chris, here.”
“Chris, you’re being called to Mr. Tate’s office,” she said in a worried tone.
“Oh…Um…okay…I’ll be right there…” I stammered before hanging up the phone.
Noah Tate was the co-CEO of Tate & Cane. My Aunt Rosie was his assistant and a good friend so I’d seen him at a few family functions but never actually talked to the guy, and I had no idea what the hell I did to warrant a meeting with him.
Was this how people got fired?
“We can talk about this later,” I muttered to Danny before locking my computer and standing up, heading down the hallway to the elevators.
I went all the way up to the top floor, holding my breath until I got out of the elevators and saw my Aunt Rosie behind the desk in front of Mr. Tate’s office.
“Christiano! That was fast!” she said, standing up and hugging me over the desk.
I took in the scent of spices and a hint of her floral perfume before letting her go. “Do you know why he’s asking me in?”
Aunt Rosie smiled, walking around the desk to open the large oak door. “I guess you’ll see.”
Mr. Tate was only a few years older than me but had a commanding presence. Even just sitting behind his desk in his tailored suit and a fresh haircut, he exuded power. The only crack in his exterior was when he looked up and smiled at Aunt Rosie. “Thanks, Rosie. You can leave us.”
Aunt Rosie nodded and closed the door, leaving me standing there and staring at the most powerful man in the company.
“Have a seat, Christiano,” Mr. Tate said, pointing to the leather armchair across from his desk.
“Yes, sir,” I said, nodding and taking the seat, my hands on my knees.
“You can call me Noah. I’ve known you for years now,” Noah said, cracking another smile.
“Oh. Okay. Um. You can call me Chris then.”
Noah let out a single laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve seen in the papers. Chris Garcia, publicist for Tate & Cane, arm-in-arm with actress Mary James.”
I winced. Shit. Was I breaking some sort of company protocol?
“Sir, it was just a fake relationship. We did it for the publicity to help her career, and it has. I’ve just been informed she booked a movie role in LA,” I said, rattling off the information as if my life depended on it. And it probably did. At least my work life.
“A fake relationship?” Noah raised his eyebrows.
I nodded, licking my lips. “Yes, sir. I know it was a stupid idea, but it was partially hers. And it worked. It helped her get some good press, showing she was in a stable relationship and seeing my family.”
Noah nodded. “And now? Are you still in that fake relationship for the press?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, sir. I can end it if you want. If that’s what I need to do to keep my job.”
Noah leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Tell me something, Chris. Did this fake relationship turn into something more or was it strictly business?”
I could have lied like I did to Danny. Like I had been. But I was sick of lying. Sick of trying to hide something just for my job. If I was to get fired now, then so be it. At least I was finally honest. “Yes, sir. It did. It’s unprofessional, and I know it shouldn’t have happened, but I care for the girl. More than anything.”
Noah’s face went still, and I held my breath until a small smile crossed his face. “Did you know my relationship with our co-CEO Olivia was planned in our fathers’ wills? There was a clause we could only inherit the company if we were married and produced an heir.”
My mouth dropped open, and I just stared before muttering, “Seriously?”
Noah laughed. “Yes. It’s true. We both were just going along with it for the company, but then something happened along the way. It turned real. We fell in love.”
And they were. From what I’d seen and heard around the office, the two, who were expecting their first child, were always smiling, joking around, and holding hands when they thought no one was looking.
Noah stood up. “What I’m trying to say, Chris is that if you really care about this girl, just because it started out one way in your relationship, doesn’t mean it can’t finish another.”
Before I could respond, Noah leaned forward and smiled. “Go get your girl, Chris. And when you come back we can talk about that promotion.”
Chapter 25
Mary
I’d barely cried over my break up with Eddie, and we were together for two years.
But now I couldn’t stop the tears falling down my face from hearing Chris’s words.
I had to move on, though. I accepted the job in LA, and now my bags were packed and ready to go into the car.
“Is this everything?” Lance asked, grabbing my last suitcase that sat next to the living room sofa.
“I think so,” I muttered, looking around my apartment, my eyes roaming over the couch where Chris and I spent the night talking, laughing, and kissing.
I’d make sure to get rid of that as soon as I got back to New York.
“No, not everything.”
A familiar voice made me gasp as I looked up to see Chris walking off the elevator.
“How…? What…? Why…?”
Brian walked in behind Chris with a smirk. “I let him up.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you hated Chris.”
Brian shrugged, grabbing my suitcase. “I did. But any guy who would try and beg the doorman and dare stand up to me, even when I threatened to kick his ass, deserves at least a minute of your time.” He then turned to Lance. “Let’s give them some space and put this in the car.”
Then Brian turned to me. “We’ll be a few minutes, but text me if you need anything. And I mean anything.”
I nodded, and with that, Lance and Brian headed down the elevator, and the room fell into a stiff silence.
“Listen, Mary,” Chris started, but I put my hand out, stopping him mid-thought.
“Chris, don’t. If you’re just going to apologize and say you didn’t know, I’d be standing there and you wouldn’t have said those things, don’t. I don’t want to hear excuses.”
Chris licked his lips, stepping forward, closing the distance between us as he put his hands on my cheeks, his eyes meeting mine.
I gasped, without even thinking what I was doing.
“Mary, I’m not here to make excuses. I’m here to tell you that, yes, I took you on as a client and went through with a fake relationship for a promotion. I was afraid to let this turn into anything more because of my job, but it happened anyway. I fell for you, Mary James. I fell fucking hard. And if you want to kick me out right now and head to LA without even thinking about me again, then at least I know that I told you. That I was real.”
“It was real for me, too,” I murmured.
Chris ran his finger along my cheek. “Then let’s keep it real. Hell, I’m willing to get a ticket right now and go to LA with you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “But your job…your life here…”
He smiled. “It’s only for a couple of months, and I personally spoke to the CEO who said I could work virtually for a while. I don’t want this to end with us, Mary, and I know letting you go for real would be the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. Please don’t make me do that.”
“I…I don’t know…”
Before I could say anything else, Chris’s lips crushed to mine, taking my breath away as his mouth opened to mine, kissing me hungrily as if he couldn’t get enough.
Whether I liked it or not, his kiss and the way my body melted to him let me know this was real. For me. For him. And it was something I didn’t want to lose.
“Yes,” I moaned as his kisses trailed to my neck.
He stopped his mouth and looked up. “Yes, as in you want me to keep doing that or ‘yes’ you want us to work?”
�
��Both?” I grinned.
Chris picked me up and twirled me around, a giggle escaping my lips before he set me down. “So this is it. We’re both going to LA? You and me? The real relationship? Not the fame? Not anything? Just us?”
“Just us,” I whispered before sealing his lips with mine.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Chris
Los Angeles was an entirely different world, and I was more than happy to go back to New York with my famous and very real girlfriend on my arm.
“Are you going to miss LA?” I asked as Mary put her head on my shoulder in the back of the town car.
“It was nice, but I like New York, and I’ve missed your Abuela’s tamales.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You only had them once, though.”
“Yes, but I’m ready to have them again,” she said, the smiling widening across her face and I finally looked out the window, realizing that instead of heading to the upper east side, we were in Jersey, not far from my parents’ neighborhood.
“Are we seriously going to my parent’s right now? They’re not expecting us. What if they’re out or something?” I asked.
Mary shrugged but still had a smile plastered on her face. “I guess we’ll see…”
Before we even got to the front of the house, I could already hear the music and smell the barbecue wafting in from the backyard.
“What is this?” I asked, but Mary had already hopped out of the car, so I followed her around back.
Mary opened the gate, and there I saw all of my family and friends, hell even Danny, and Noah and Olivia Tate, standing under the twinkling lights, holding margarita glasses. A sign hung from the back fence that said “Welcome Home Christiano.”
“What…? How…?” I asked as Abuela came forward, putting a party hat on my head and kissing my cheek.
Mom came next, embracing me in a big hug. “Lourdes called me and said you two were coming home and asked if we were ready for another party since the last one didn’t end so well, she wanted a do-over. A real party as she put it.”
I looked down at Mary. “You told my mom to do this? And you’re on a real name basis?”
Mom put her arm around Mary. “That and she also sent us a very large check that helped pay to get help decorating.”
Without caring who was around I took Mary into my arms, lifting her up and whirling her around then setting her down, wrapping my arms around her waist. “I can’t believe you did this. For me. For us.”
She smiled, putting her hands on my cheeks. “Believe it, Chris. It’s you and me. Famed or not famed. This is real.”
I leaned forward, whispering into her lips. “This is very real.”
The End
For Real
About The Author
Magan Vernon has been living off of reader tears since she wrote her first short story in 2004. She now spends her time killing off fictional characters, pretending to plot while she really just watches Netflix, and she tries to do this all while her two young children run amok around her Texas ranch.
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Acknowledgements
First and for most, I have to thank Kendall Ryan, or more like Texas and for Kendall moving here and deciding I was cool enough to talk to. I remember how excited she was about this opportunity and the email I officially got with her asking me to be a part of her world with so many amazing authors!
Danielle Sanchez with InkSlinger PR, you’re pretty much a PR Goddess with getting the word out about these books. So glad to have you to help!
Alyssa Garcia and Nicole Kuhn, Thank you so much for making this process so smooth and organized!
Kassi Snider, My cover designer forever. Thanks for helping me comb through stock photos and get the right look for this series!
Miguel…whose last name I don’t know and just refer to you as “Bounce House”. Thanks for welcoming my family and I into everything small town Texas and for making the best Mexican barbecue in the world. Every scene at the Garcia’s wouldn’t be the same without your help (even though you may never read this and kind of hope you and the other cheer dads don’t find this).
Wine, thank you for helping me write these sex scenes. My nutritionist isn’t happy about all of the consumption, but I really needed it.
My Writing Dirty group, thank you for helping me find new places to write the boogity. The bedroom is boring, the windowsill? Jeah buddy.
My husband Twothy, thank you for supporting my writer dreams through the ups and downs. For taking care of the girls and the dog when I need it so I can meet a deadline. You’re the real book boyfriend.
For everyone who picked up this story, thank you for taking a chance on my words. I love you all, for real.