She was wearing a white tank, cute sandals, and khaki shorts that showed off her best assets: her long, impossibly beautiful legs. She wore her shoulder-length blond hair off her neck in a high ponytail, and despite the fact that she wore no makeup, my girl was a knockout.
“You look hot,” I said after locking the door and joining her in the living room.
“Define ‘hot’ for me.”
“You know what I mean. You look great.”
“What I am is a sweaty mess.”
“At least you make sweat look good. Not many can,” I said.
“And look at you,” she said, turning to me with narrowed eyes. “Already primed with the compliments. You’re either up to something…or you’re deep into something.”
“To be discussed when the moment isn’t so heated,” I said.
“Then please, by all means, turn up the air-conditioning,” she said. “Because I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”
“You still look hot,” I said as I turned the air-conditioning on high. “I especially love your sandals.”
“I’m literally basting in my own juices, Sienna,” she said as she lifted her arms above her head and started to turn in front of the cool air. “It’s murder out there. I hate being in the city in July. I should be in the Hamptons enjoying the ocean breeze, but since that takes the kind of money I don’t have, I’m stuck here.”
“And I’m glad you’re here,” I said. “Because that selfishly means you’re near me. Can I get you a drink?”
“Before or after I take a cold shower?”
“Forget about the shower. Just keep turning like a rotisserie in front of the air conditioner, and you’ll be fine in no time. What would you like?”
“Is that even a question?”
“Probably not.”
“An ice-cold martini, please.”
“Coming up!”
When I went into the kitchen to make our drinks, Julia called out to me. “The other day, you mentioned something about moving, which you’ll be able to do when you finish your contract with Jackson. Have you given any thought to where you’d like to live?”
I don’t know, Julia? Maybe in Austin’s arms? But that’s still to be determined…
“I’d like to stay in Chelsea,” I said. “I love this neighborhood. It’s become like a second home to me.”
From the freezer, I removed a tray of ice cubes and a bottle of Absolut before grabbing a shaker and two martini glasses from the cupboard above me. With a deft hand, I started to make our drinks.
“I’ve lived here so long that I’ve made friends here. The area is safe, and I know exactly where to go for anything I might need—from dry cleaning to my doctor’s office to Whole Foods, which is just down the street. What I need is space, because this joint is the size of a mole—which should be lanced, by the way. Whenever I go to your apartment, I feel like I’m at the MET. What you have is huge.”
“Look, I just got lucky,” she said. “And might I remind you that it took me a full year to land that apartment? Hopefully the same won’t be true for you.”
“Agreed,” I said as I joined her in the living room with our drinks in hand. Julia liked her martini dirty with olives, while I liked mine crisp and clean with just a twist of lemon. She took hers from me, we touched glasses, and we sipped. “To a larger apartment,” I said.
“Cheers to that,” she said as we sat next to one another on my sorry-looking sofa. It was so old that the cushions had long since been supported by a sheet of plywood. Without it, Julia and I would have collided with one another when we’d sat down. “Now, tell me why I’m here,” she said. “Naturally I’m curious.”
“How about if you have a few more sips of your drink, and then I’ll tell you?” I said.
“It’s that bad?”
My shoulders slumped. “I’m not sure whether it’s good or bad,” I said. “But I do know this—I’m in deep.”
“Deep into what?”
“Just drink,” I said. “And when I feel that you can handle everything that happened to me tonight, I’ll tell you all of it. Because I need to bare my heart and soul to someone other than Harper. In a minute or so, you’ll see why that person is you.”
* * *
“Well, shit,” Julia said after I told her what Austin had said to me in the car. “I mean—my God! On the surface it all sounds promising, doesn’t it? Especially since he’s a ridiculously good-looking man. And also smart. And a super nice guy. He’s kind of the total package. But when you think about the ramifications, what he’s proposing sounds way too risky to me, Sienna. With ten million dollars on the line, I wouldn’t chance that for the world. My best advice is to turn him down—at least for now.”
“I was worried you’d say that,” I said. “But I’m not sure I can.”
“Of course you can.”
“I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
“Why?”
“Because the moment I first laid eyes on Austin, I was instantly attracted to him, Julia. How often has that happened since you’ve known me?”
“Never,” she said softly. “Ever since Eric cheated on you, you’ve been so focused on your career that you’ve allowed nothing and no one to sideline you from it.”
“Then, why am I willing to do so now?”
“Because Austin is special,” she said. “Both of us know that. Each of us agrees with that. But if we take a step back and look at the big picture, things are going really well for you now. It took Harper no time to line up three major movies for you to headline. Your career is literally in the process of blowing up, and let’s be frank—it’s not just because of your win at Cannes. It’s also because you’re now seen as Jackson Cruise’s new girlfriend. My best advice is to stick to your contract. Don’t destroy this moment—you’ve worked too hard to get here.”
“There’s a tiny problem when it comes to that,” I said.
She furrowed her brow at me. “What problem?”
“I might have told Austin I’d meet him at his place tomorrow night. For dinner. Because that’s what he offered—dinner. Not dinner out in public, but dinner in private at his apartment.”
“You did not agree to that…”
“I kind of did.”
“Sienna, what were you thinking?”
“I don’t think it was me who was doing the thinking, Julia.”
“What does that mean?”
I waved my free hand across my breasts and then between my thighs. “They were the ones doing the thinking for me.”
“It has been a while,” she said.
“Over two years and counting!”
“Were you planning on sleeping with him?”
“God, no—you know me better than that. Good Catholic farm girl and all. By spending a few hours alone with him, I just wanted to see if my attraction to him was just physical or if it was more than that. A part of me thinks it’s the latter.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve gotten to know him over the past few weeks. I like how he thinks. I like what I see and hear. But since we’re only ever alone with each other for the short time it takes him to bring me to or from my apartment, I haven’t had enough time to figure out if I’m just turned on by his looks or if it’s deeper than that. So, I figured that if I did have dinner with him, and if there was no lasting chemistry between us, I’d know that I was just hooked on his looks, and that would be that. I’d be free to move on with my life.”
“But what if it turns out to be the other way around?” she asked. “What if the chemistry between you two skyrockets off the charts?”
“Then I’d be fucked.”
“And there’s your answer,” she said. “Don’t do it. Don’t take the risk. Ten million dollars will change your life, Sienna—and you’ve only got seven months to go before you’re handed that final check. You need to see your fake relationship with Jackson through to the end so you can secure your future, because no man in the world is worth tha
t kind of money. You must know that.”
“I get it,” I said with disappointment. “And that’s why I asked you here tonight. I needed a sounding board I could trust—and that person is you.”
“Then, let me say it again—stick to the contract. Forget about Austin.”
“You’re right,” I said. “Ten million dollars will change my life. And…you know what?”
“What’s that?”
“Getting a new apartment would be pretty great. I hadn’t thought about that until you mentioned it.”
“You totally need to get out of here,” she said, looking around my small living space. “And before you know it, you’ll be able to.”
“I also can’t let Harper down,” I said. “She means too much to me. She made this happen between Jackson and me, and just look at all the opportunities that have come my way since.” I sat back on the sofa and finished my drink. “What was I thinking?” I said out loud. “I never should have agreed to that dinner. And now I need to cancel it, which is just going to make me look ridiculous in his eyes.”
“If you explain your reasons to him, I’m not sure that it will,” Julia said. “Austin’s a good guy. Tell him that you’ve since considered the ramifications of meeting alone with him and that you can’t risk the chance of being found out. Remind him that you’ve made a binding agreement with Jackson and that it’s not fair to him if you let anything get in the way of that. And there’s more: you also need to be true to Harper, who has put her full faith in you. If I were you, I’d ask for a rain check. If he’s available when you and Jackson break up, perfect. And if he isn’t, tell him that you wish him well.”
“He’ll probably be with another woman by that point.”
“It could happen,” she said. “But maybe it won’t—neither of us knows.”
“I should call him. If I cancelled with a text, I’d look like an asshole.”
“Agreed. So, call him now, and decline the invitation. It’s not that late. He still might be up. And if he isn’t, at least you can leave him a voice message, which is still far better than a text.”
She got up from the sofa and took my empty martini glass from my hand.
“Where’s your cell?” she asked.
“In my pocket.”
“Then, call him while I’m still here with you.”
“This sucks,” I said as I reached for my phone.
“Actually, losing ten million is what would suck, sweetie. Call him.”
When I mustered up the nerve to dial Austin, he answered on the third ring.
“Sienna?” he said. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” I said. “I’m sorry—were you in bed, Austin? Did I wake you up?”
“I was just reading. What’s up?”
“I can’t do dinner,” I said. “I’ve thought about it, and I…I apologize—I just got caught up in the moment when you asked me in the car. I hope you understand that I need to stay true to my contract and that I need to be focused on being Jackson’s girlfriend, because I have a feeling I won’t be able to if we get to know one another better.”
“Because you feel the same way I do?” he asked. “That there’s something worth exploring here?”
I looked up at Julia when he said that, and while she couldn’t hear what Austin was saying to me, I could nevertheless feel her support raining down on me.
“I do,” I said. “But if I need anything from you right now, it’s your support. I signed a contract, and by doing so, I gave Jackson, Mimi, and Harper my word, which is my bond. Given the money alone, I owe it to Jackson to see this ‘relationship’ of ours through to its end. If you’re still single and interested seven months from now—when Jackson and I are officially over—maybe we can have that dinner date then. Either at your place or in public. Because I’d like that.”
“I don’t give up easily, Sienna.”
“I need you to, Austin.”
A long silence stretched between us before he cleared his throat.
“I should probably go to bed,” he said. “As you know, tomorrow is an early shoot. I’ll see you on set when you arrive for your press shots with Jackson. In the meantime, don’t worry about this. We’ll figure it out. Sleep well, OK?”
“I’m sorry, Austin.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “You just got a little freaked out, that’s all.”
“I did—and I apologize. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”
“I get it,” he said in that deep, soothing voice of his. “And I plan to work on that, OK? You’ll see.”
“What will I see?”
But he didn’t answer. Instead, the line went dead. I looked up at Julia, who was standing in front of me and biting down hard on her lower lip as I shut off my phone.
“He’s gone,” I said. “He hung up.”
She sat down beside me. “Tell me everything I couldn’t hear.”
I told her.
“Well, then,” she said when I’d finished. “This isn’t over between you two. He’s going to pursue you.”
“But you just heard what I said to him, Julia. I couldn’t have been more clear with him.”
“I agree,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own agenda. I don’t know what he has in mind to lure you in, but you need to prepare yourself for him to try to do so, because he’s not going to stop now. My best advice is that you stand your ground, Sienna. Be firm with him.”
“I will,” I said.
“But can you?” she asked. “I know you do feel something for him, and I worry.”
“No, I will,” I said, meaning it. “I’ll be firm with him. I’ll be professional, and I won’t let Jackson or Harper down. And in time, all this faking-it bullshit will be behind me. If Austin is still interested in me when the contract ends, great. And if he’s with someone else by then? Sure, I’ll be hugely disappointed, but it is what it is, isn’t it? The good news is that I’ll be super busy at that point, shooting three movies back to back. And because of that, I’ll be sufficiently preoccupied to convince myself I don’t care that he met someone else, even though I know I will care. Very much so.”
Julia hugged me when I said that, and into her shoulder, I said, “He’s the first one to catch my eye since Eric, Julia.”
“I know he is, sweetie.”
“He’s the only man I felt was worth trusting again. So, that’s something, isn’t it?”
“It’s progress,” she said. “You’re healing.”
“But why him?” I asked. “What is it about him? I keep asking myself that same question time and again. Over and over again. Why is he the one who broke through my walls?”
She pulled away from me when I said that and looked at me closely.
“I don’t know why, Sienna,” she said. “But I do know this—by choosing to secure your future, you just made the best decision of your life.”
But even when she said that, I still wondered whether I had. Was my life to be measured by money alone? No—it couldn’t be. But despite that, I’d just thrown the potential of finding love away, hadn’t I?
Yes, I had. And I felt sick about it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The next morning, when I arrived on set at ten thirty in a blocked-off area of West Nineteenth Street, Jackson had just finished a grueling and complicated action scene he’d been shooting since six, which meant that I was right on time.
When I first spotted him in the crowd of supporting actors, extras, writers, cameramen, and the director herself, I thought that Jackson looked bloodied, beaten, and bruised to a pulp—all thanks to the magic of makeup.
Since he’d told me how intense this particular shoot would be, Jackson had already put in a full day’s work as far as I was concerned. But since more shoots were scheduled for later in the afternoon and evening, his day was far from over yet.
As I waited for him to catch sight of me, I saw Austin standing across the street, and when our eyes locked, I couldn’t deny the fire I felt in my gu
t. He was wearing a fitted black suit that showed off his muscular frame, his dark hair had been parted on the side and was slicked down with gel, and his chiseled face and piercing blue eyes nearly got the best of me when he finally nodded at me.
To be polite, I nodded back. We did have to work together, after all. And I didn’t want to make the situation between us any worse or awkward than it already was.
“Hey,” Jackson said when he saw me standing behind one of the three cameras onsite. “How are you, beautiful?”
Since nobody but Harper, Mimi, Austin, and Julia knew about our fake relationship, everyone on the set of Annihilate Them was meant to believe what we hoped the world now believed—that our budding relationship was the real thing.
“Give me a kiss,” I said as he neared me.
When he did, Jackson swept me into his arms and twirled me around once, and I kissed him with everything I had, noticing as I did so one of the extras taking a photograph of us with her cell. Were others doing the same? Probably, which just underscored how important it was that Jackson and I remain in character whenever we were in public together.
Because I already knew that by the end of the day, that photo just taken of us would likely have been sold to the highest bidder, and it would be trending in my entertainment feeds by morning.
“How was your scene?” I asked.
His face lit up when I said that.
“Intense—and fun as hell. You should have been here for the pyrotechnics alone. They were awesome. We blew shit up!”
“You do all your own stunts, don’t you? I think I read that somewhere.”
“All of them. In Quick into Night, that was me strapped to the side of that plane. That was no stunt double. I wanted to do it because I get off on that kind of shit.”
“You’re such a jock,” I said teasingly.
He laughed when I said that and gave me a kiss on the cheek—and this time, I knew that particular kiss was the real thing. It was a kiss between two people who had become friends.
Ever since the disaster at Per Se, Jackson had gotten his act together—just as he’d promised to do. And because he had, he and I had grown close in the ensuing weeks. It had been in the limousine—where no one could hear us but Austin—that we started to open up to each other.
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