“Heidi, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. This is serious business. The media can’t find out that this is just for show. You’ll have to keep up appearances 24/7.” David had walked over to her and was pleading with her again.
“I understand, David. It’ll be like any one of the other shitty jobs I’ve had in the past few years.” Heidi flicked some of the curls off her shoulder to her back.
“Are you calling me a shitty job?” Declan asked. He sounded annoyed, but that smile still remained on his face. David was right, this was some kind of a joke to him.
“The more important question,” Heidi said, ignoring Declan’s light-hearted probing, “is how much are you willing to pay me for this?” She walked past David to the center of the room. This gave her a good vantage point to look at both of the men. David was still in shock, his voice caught in his throat.
“How much do you want?” Declan asked.
“Enough to start my bakery business.” Heidi crossed her arms over her chest. She noticed how Declan’s eyes flitted over her ample breasts as they stretched the material of her blouse. He could look all he wanted, but this was going to be a job, strictly professional. Heidi had already made up her mind.
“Deal,” Declan said, in a more serious tone.
“Wait,” David screamed out, but Heidi whipped around to him and threw him a look that made him shut up.
“It’s my life, David. And I need the money. I can’t waste any more time doing shitty waitressing jobs. I need to start my business now. This works out well for all of us,” she said. She watched as David ran his hands through his hair again.
“You’re doing this just to piss me off.” He spoke in a low guttural voice to Declan, who laughed it off.
“You’re my best friend, David. Why would I want to piss you off?” Declan said, and jumped off the couch to grab Heidi by her waist. He pulled her close to him and she could feel her palms growing sweaty. The muscles on his arms moved, his lips looked delicious enough to eat and his droopy eyes were sexy…but Heidi pushed him away.
“That’s not how it’s going to work, Declan. You’re not paying me to sleep with you,” she said, and he slowly backed away. The smile on his face remained as his eyes bored into her face.
“Sorry. I forgot. My mistake.” Declan raised up his palms to face her by way of apology. David was standing behind them, gritting his teeth.
“This is not going to be fun for me. Not in the least,” David said, and Heidi couldn’t help but laugh.
“Relax, David. It’ll be fine. Why don’t you treat me like any other business employee and give me a task sheet?” She spoke to her brother sweetly, but David only rolled his eyes and looked away from her.
“First task is that you stay away from this guy. You’ll have to move into his house, but you’re getting the guest room.” David walked slowly over to the couch. He looked like a man who needed to sit down.
“Are you kidding me?” Declan spoke up. “The last thing we want is the staff in the house gossiping. We have to sell it to them too, remember? You never know who is on the payroll of some paparazzi or journalist.” Declan had a smirk on his face, even though he had managed to make his voice sound serious. Heidi sighed and looked at her brother.
“It’s true. Selling it to the staff is equally important,” David said, a look of apology on his face.
“Fine.” Heidi sighed. “I don’t mind sharing your room. Again, it’s just a job, isn’t it?” she said, turning to smile at Declan. Her first task was to set the right standards. Declan Xavier, as far as she could tell, was an overgrown child, a teenage boy at heart. What she needed to do was set down some rules that he should follow, if this plan was going to work out at all. “This also means that you’re not allowed to bring any girls over for this period of time. As long as I’m employed by you, anyway,” she added, and Declan raised his eyebrows.
“It’s only been a few minutes and you’re already possessive. Feisty, this one,” he said with a laugh, and David rolled his eyes.
“She’s right. We have to sell it to the staff, remember?” David said authoritatively, and Declan shook his head.
“So you’re saying I have to pledge to celibacy for God knows how many months? That is not going to work. I’m going to crack.” Declan’s smile had dropped. He genuinely looked worried. Was it that hard for Declan to keep it in his pants, for his own sake? Heidi looked away from him and to her brother, slightly irritated by Declan’s claimed lack of self-control.
“You’ll just have to do it, Declan. This is an act, but it has to be done to perfection. You can’t be cheating on your sweet, simple new girlfriend.” David stood up from his couch with a sigh and came over to Heidi to hold her by the shoulder.
“You see what I’m talking about?” he asked her, and Heidi nodded. She had to smile to make sure her brother’s fears were relieved. She didn’t want him to worry about her. She knew how to take care of herself.
“It’ll be fine, David. So when do we start?” she asked him, and it was Declan again who contributed.
“Now. The sooner the better. And when else will we get so much free publicity than at the end of a concert?” he said and walked over to the door.
“Now?” Heidi couldn’t hide the shock from her voice. She wasn’t prepared. She wasn’t dressed. What was she supposed to say?
“Just come with me. I’ll be doing all the talking. You can just stand and smile and look pretty.” Declan held out his hand towards her. Heidi swung her head to look at David, who shrugged, as if to say, this was your choice.
“Alright,” Heidi said grudgingly and reached for Declan’s hand. She felt an electric zap when their hands touched. It went down her spine, as much as she tried to ignore it.
“You coming, David?” Declan asked her brother. David shrugged again, his face downcast, but this was his job too. He had to stand by Declan.
Together the three of them left the room and started making their way towards the front of the stadium.
Heidi was overwhelmed. Cameras flashed in her face, people screamed, girls swooned and others tried to intercept them for an autograph from Declan.
He was an accommodating celebrity. He posed for photographs with his fans, signed posters and album covers. Heidi couldn’t help but admire him for his people skills. No wonder his fans loved him. He treated them with humility, like he was proud of them and grateful for their support. The whole time they made their way, Declan held on to Heidi’s hand. The photographers were going wild. Every time he stopped for a picture, he pulled her close to him and their arms grazed. She smiled for the camera, hoping that her nervousness wouldn’t quite be as visible in the pictures. He sometimes leaned in to whisper in her ear as the cameras flashed away. He usually said nothing more than, “This is going great,” or, “Well done,” but each time he pulled away from her Heidi remembered to smile, hoping they appeared to be a happy couple in love who were sharing a private joke.
“Declan, who’s this young lady?” One of the reporters stuck a mic in his face, while some others were recording them together. Heidi was already starting to feel faint. She was sure that the expressions on her face looked fake, but she had no other choice but to carry on.
“This is Heidi Scott. She’s my girlfriend,” Declan said. An immediate buzz spread around them. More people were throwing questions at them, most of which Heidi couldn’t even decipher. How could people be so interested in Declan’s personal life?
“How long have you been going out?” someone else yelled out.
“A few weeks. We just decided to move in together.” Declan had a winning smile on his face, and he leaned in suddenly to her and placed a warm, gentle kiss on her cheek. Heidi was blushing and she looked into one of the cameras as it flashed away at her. She was self-conscious and embarrassed, but at the same time, Declan’s hand in hers gave her some kind of rising confidence. This was a kind of fantasy that she was living. It was absolutely unreal.
She t
hrew a look at David, who was helping Declan’s security guards to keep the crowds off him. She was grateful to have him as a brother and, as little as she trusted Declan, despite how strangely attracted to him she was, she was sure her brother would be there to look out for her if she needed him.
Chapter Four
Declan’s house was a mansion. He had the kind of rock star home that Heidi had only seen before in documentaries. They were greeted at the door by his housekeeper, who led them in. David followed them closely.
“Maud, this is Heidi. She’s moving in with me tonight,” Declan announced to the housekeeper, who had maintained a tight-lipped look until now, but turned around to stare at them with a look of absolute disbelief when he said that.
“Moving in?” the older lady exclaimed, and Declan laughed.
“Don’t look so surprised, Maud. We’ve been dating for a few weeks now and we’ve decided to take the next step,” he said, patting Maud affectionately on the back.
“Hi.” Heidi smiled sweetly at the lady, who shook her hand, still in disbelief.
“I didn’t know you lived in New York,” Heidi said in a low voice to him, as he led her into a grand living room. It was luxuriously designed with thick tapestries, carpeted floors and oak furniture. For a rock star, Declan had quite old school, classic taste in decorating.
“This is home to me. I have a few houses in other cities, LA for instance, where I have to spend time when I’m recording. But this is always home.” He touched her waist lightly, but unlike with other people, Heidi wasn’t repelled by Declan’s touch. She looked around her, trying to hide her awe as much as possible.
“So, this is the living room. I’ll have Stuart, my chauffeur, go and pick up some of your stuff from your apartment tomorrow. And we’ll also go shopping for a new wardrobe,” he said, walking over to the small bar in the corner of the room.
“New wardrobe?” Heidi asked, watching him pour whiskey into three glasses. David accepted one of the glasses gladly, but Heidi only shook her head when he offered her one.
“I rarely drink,” she said, and Declan raised his eyebrow at her.
“Anyway, yeah, new wardrobe. I’m guessing these are the only kinds of clothes you own?” He was looking at her intently, not at her body but at her clothes, and Heidi suddenly felt very self-conscious. Was he judging her taste in fashion?
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, and David cut in.
“It won’t do. People won’t buy it. You need to have the charm of the girl next door, but also dress and play the part of a rock star’s girlfriend. Why else would Declan be attracted to you?” David was drinking from his glass, and his mood had calmed since they arrived at the house. He seemed to have made his peace with his sister’s decision.
“Exactly,” Declan said, still looking at her.
“What will I have to wear?” Heidi looked from one face to the other, still in disbelief. She hadn’t thought this through, clearly.
“Short dresses, leather jackets, high heels, makeup. Your hair needs to be done up, too.” Declan emptied the whiskey into his throat and walked over to the bar for some more.
“My hair?” Heidi glared at her brother, but David smiled.
“You asked for it, sis. What did you think this was going to be? You’ll have to be seen in public together, to really solidify the relationship. And you’ll have to look the part,” David exclaimed, one of his brows raised. Heidi realized then that her brother was enjoying this, he was enjoying the I-told-you-so moment. He emptied his drink into his mouth and clapped his hands.
“It’s been a long day. I’m off. I’ll see you, the happy couple, in the morning, then,” David said, thumping Declan on the back.
Declan had poured himself another glass and was already drinking from it.
“Leaving already?” he asked, and David nodded.
“Be good, you two,” David said, with a flourishing smile, and then he was gone.
Heidi was alone in the living room with Declan, who was polishing off his second glass of whiskey.
“Sit down, Heidi, make yourself comfortable,” he said, and she walked slowly over to one of the leather chairs. It was plush and she sank into it when she sat on it. Her head was whirling, all of this was happening too fast. Just a few hours ago, she had been fired from her job and was baking cupcakes in her kitchen. Now she was in the living room of one of the most celebrated young musicians, pretending to be his girlfriend.
“So what are we going to do for fun, Heidi Scott?” Declan was pouring a third drink, and he turned to face her, the ice cubes tinkling in his glass.
Heidi turned her eyes to him, her heart beating out of her chest with nervous excitement.
“Talk?” she suggested, and Declan burst out laughing.
“The only time I talk is either at interviews or when David and I get really stoned late at night and we have nothing else to do. Like brother, like sister, huh?” He walked over to the middle of the room. His eyes had glazed over a little. It seemed like he had drunk his whiskey too quickly and the alcohol was beginning to take effect.
“There’s not much point having a conversation now if you’re going to continue drinking like that.” Heidi crossed her legs as she sat. She wasn’t quite sure what had made her say that, but Declan raised his eyebrows.
“So why don’t you join me? We can both drink together,” he said, his eyes glittering as he looked at her. Heidi saw in him what everybody else seemed to see in him on stage. His body was lithe in his leather jacket, his fingers held chunky silver rings and his hands were large as he gripped the glass. His dirty blonde hair fell in short, spiky strands over his blue eyes. His lips were plump and glistened with the moisture from the drink. His eyes dropped as he looked at her, and of course that voice! It had a magnetic effect that Heidi couldn’t describe. She was struggling to keep it together.
“I told you, I don’t drink much,” she said, shying away from holding his gaze. Declan walked over to her, taking the leather chair facing her. He drank slowly from his glass now, conscious of the fact that he was getting drunk and she wasn’t drinking.
“And what else do you not do?” he asked. Heidi bit down on her lip.
“I don’t wear leather jackets or high heels or glittering dresses. Neither do I date rock stars,” she said. Declan raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“Noted. Who do you date, then?” he asked, and Heidi tried avoiding his gaze. This was hard, maintaining her composure under his hard stare.
“Not very many people. I’ve not been in a relationship for a very long time.” Heidi was blushing as she spoke. She knew she didn’t have to tell him any of this, but who was he going to tell? They were both in on a lie and he was forced to keep her secrets, too.
“Neither have I. I’m sure you’ve been with people since then, though?” he asked, throwing back his head as he drank the remnants of the whiskey in his glass. Heidi blushed again. This was getting too personal. But did she really care?
“Not really,” she replied, challenging him with a hard stare of her own. Declan’s eyes widened and he smiled like he thought she was telling a joke.
“Are you serious? Who were you with last?” he asked. Heidi blushed and looked away. She couldn’t look at him while she confessed her secrets to him.
“Nobody,” she said, and Declan clapped a hand to his mouth. His expression was exaggerated. She could tell that he didn’t believe her.
“You’ve never been with any man in your life?” he asked with a laugh, and Heidi bit down on her lip.
“Not entirely. I’ve fooled around with boyfriends, of course. But nothing else.”
“Why?” He nearly screamed out the question.
“It was never the right person, I suppose.” She said wistfully, looking out of the French windows. She hadn’t thought about that aspect of her life in a long time. What was making her suddenly think about it now, in the presence of Declan Xavier?
“That’s a pity,” he said, sitting back
in his chair. He was still looking at her, the empty glass dangling from his hand. “You’re a strange one, Heidi Scott,” he said after a few minutes of silence. She looked back at him, a twinkle in her eye. There was a certain thrill in revealing this secret to him, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to make it public, spread it as gossip, now that they were in a fake relationship.
“Man, I can’t imagine what that would be like, having your first time now,” he said, and Heidi smirked.
“It’s not such a big deal, really. I just want to get it out of the way now,” she said, staring back at him with a smile in her eyes. Where was this conversation taking them? She wasn’t sure of it herself. All she knew was that nobody had ever looked hotter to her than Declan Xavier, and he was a guy who every girl in the country wanted to sleep with, and he was stuck in a relationship with her. A wide smile spread on Heidi’s face as she watched him watching her. What was he thinking?
“So you just want to get it out of the way, huh?” he asked. Heidi nodded her head.
“Something like that,” she said and licked her lips.
“Maybe this fake relationship can turn out to be beneficial for both of us.” Declan looked at her from under his fallen eyelids. Heidi raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe,” she said and stood up from her chair suddenly. “Maybe not. I haven’t given it much thought. Either way, it’s a business contract, and I need the money to open my bakery,” she added, and Declan stood up as well.
“So you keep saying,” he said in a drowsy voice, before he walked past her and opened the door, holding it in place for her to walk through.
“Off to the bedroom, then, so I can make sweet, homely love to you,” he said loudly. Maud stood near the stairs with a fresh towel in her hands. Heidi smirked, and then turned with a smile to Maud.
“Here’s a towel for you, miss. I wasn't sure what else you might need. Your clothes?” Maud ignored Declan as he climbed the stairs, grabbing Heidi’s hand on his way up.
It was clear to see that Maud didn’t believe them. She had no faith in the relationship. She didn’t buy that Declan suddenly had a girlfriend, someone he was in love with and serious about. Heidi breathed in deeply, the smile still on her face. She needed to do something to get the ball rolling. She needed to show Maud and the rest of the people who would be watching their relationship closely that Heidi was not like the other girls Declan brought home. She was here to stay…maybe just for a while, but they didn’t need to know that.
The Boss’s Secret Baby Page 10