by Olivia Evans
“Of course it will be amazing.” Aubrey stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. “But I’m going to miss working with Anders every day.” She looked at her nails and sighed. Silence settled between them and Josie was about to bolt when Aubrey looked up and smirked. “Although, the upside will be all the free time we’ll have.”
It took every muscle in Josie’s face to keep her jaw from dropping. The desire to call Aubrey out―to ask if she realized people knew the relationship with Anders was fake―was so tempting she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep quiet.
“That’s...great.”
“Isn’t it?” Aubrey grinned and moved toward the back of the room. “The thing about Anders is, underneath that rough exterior, he’s just a guy waiting for the right woman to come along and make his life make sense.” She tossed the garment bag on the dresser and turned back to Josie. “He was never going to find what he needed in those women he associated with. He needs someone on his level, someone who understands his lifestyle and can handle all the pressure of fame. An equal.”
Aubrey’s words were like a punch in the gut. Josie focused all her energy on keeping her expression neutral. Aubrey might have been delusional and a little creepy, but she’d just put into words every fear Josie had about her relationship with Anders.
“And you think you’re that person?”
Aubrey’s laugh was over the top, her expression condescending. “I know I am.”
Josie took a step back; she just wanted to get away from the crazy woman in front of her. “Well, best of luck with that.”
“I don’t need luck. I’m Aubrey Nash. If you’ll excuse me,” she said, turning her back to Josie and dismissing her with a flick of the wrist. When the door closed moments later, Aubrey walked to the clothes rack and pulled down the top for the scene tomorrow as well as its backup. With a quick glance at the door, she tossed the backup top in her bag and zipped it. Using the scissors on her vanity, she cut a small tear on the sleeve of the original garment and tugged. Satisfied the tear was large enough to do what she needed, she replaced it on the hanger and returned her attention to the bag of lingerie.
She smiled as she inspected it. Her window of opportunity to snag Anders was closing. She needed to step up her game. Which was why she planned on sabotaging Thursday’s shoot. If she made it impossible to film the scenes, the director would have no choice but to flip the schedule.
Which was exactly what Aubrey wanted. She wanted to film her sex scene with Anders the same day as their date. She wanted the image of her naked and panting underneath him to be the first thing he saw every time he looked at her that night. A few drinks and some dancing, and there was no way he wouldn’t wake up in her bed the next morning.
Josie had just reached her desk when the phone started ringing. Dropping her things, she answered.
“This is Josie.”
“Little sister. You are alive. Wonderful.”
Josie laughed at Holden’s overly dramatic tone. “Just barely. I’ve cooked for myself enough lately it could be considered a health code violation.”
“Well, that’s not my fault now is it?”
Josie shifted her weight and sighed. “No, it isn’t.”
“Everything okay with you? It seems like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Busy.”
Holden hummed into the phone. “I see. I suppose you’ll tell me when you’re ready, but I wasn’t calling to give you the third degree. There are a few places I want you to see tomorrow night after my shift. I can’t decide which one I like best. Since you’re an investor, I thought you should have a say.”
Josie’s shoulders sagged with relief. Anything that would keep her thoughts occupied tomorrow was welcome. “Yes, of course.”
“Awesome. Come to the restaurant around eight and have dinner. We can go straight from there.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
After dropping the phone in her purse, she grabbed her sketchbook and the new script then headed for her car. She planned to work on her next project and try not to think about delusional divas or fake relationships.
While Josie got to work, Anders spent every second he wasn’t filming trying to dodge Aubrey. She’d been more persistent than usual the past couple of days but in a different way. She seemed more relaxed and laid back. He wanted to believe she’d taken the hint he wasn’t interested, but the way she kept appearing kept him from becoming too hopeful.
When the director told everyone to break for dinner, Anders didn’t waste a second more than necessary getting to his car. He only had a couple of hours, and he needed to see Josie and call Owen. After pulling through the drive-thru of the first fast food restaurant he passed and ordering for himself and Josie, he called Owen.
“Maddox.”
Anders chuckled. “Do you really have to answer the phone like that every time?”
“Every time.” Owen laughed. “I didn’t expect to hear from you now that you’ve hung up your party hat and settled down.”
“Now who’s talking about relationships? Are we going back to braiding each other’s hair again?”
“Fuck you, dick. Glad to see some things haven’t changed.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m actually calling to see if you want to go out tomorrow night.”
“Really? What do you have in mind?” The surprise was clear in Owen’s voice. It made an uneasy feeling settle in Anders’ stomach.
“Um, yeah. There’s a new club opening and Clarence reserved a booth for me and Aubrey.”
“So you’re ditching her for me? I don’t know whether to be flattered or concerned.”
“No, I’m not ditching her,” Anders sighed. If he could ditch her, he wouldn’t need to call Owen to tag along. “I just thought it’d be cool to hang out. Maybe you can call Molly and Whitney, see if they want to come along.”
“Anders, why the fuck would I bring two women that aren’t interested in men? What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing, man. I just thought it’d be cool to hang out as a group. It’s not a big deal.”
Owen blew a heavy breath into the receiver. “Okay, yeah. I can call them. Walker’s out of rehab now too. He called me yesterday wanting to party.”
“Yeah? Well, bring him too. Look, I gotta run. I’ll text you the info. Later.”
Anders dropped his phone in the seat as he turned into Josie’s neighborhood. He slowed to a crawl, checking his rearview mirror to make sure no one was following him. Satisfied, he pulled against the curb a few houses down. With his hat pulled low and the bag of food clutched in his hand, he jogged to Josie’s and up the stairs.
He grinned at the surprise on her face when she opened the door. “Hey.”
“Hey. What…what are you doing here?” She pushed the door open wider and stepped to the side.
“I was worried you’d try to cook for yourself. I didn’t want you making yourself sick, so I brought
dinner.”
“You’re such an asshole.” She laughed and smacked his arm.
He shrugged and leaned down to kiss the side of her face. Smiling, he moved to her ear and whispered. “Don’t forget cocky. And hot. And―”
“Conceited?” she interrupted. “Egotistical?”
Anders chuckled and stood up straight. “And starving. Come on, I don’t have a lot of time. Let’s eat.”
Josie grinned and grabbed the bag. “You really came here to bring me food?
“I was in the neighborhood.”
“Is that so? And what prompted you to leave the studio in the first place?”
At this Anders frowned. “I just needed some space.”
Josie’s face twisted as she nodded. “From Aubrey I presume?”
Anders grabbed the burger Josie held out toward him. “Yeah? How’d you know?”
“I had the pleasure of her company earlier today. She’s, um, very invested.”
Anders groaned. “What did she do this time?”
“She’s convinced that you guys are a real couple. At least that’s how it seems when she talks. I don’t know if she’s putting on a show or if she believes the shit she’s saying. Either possibility is a little scary.”
“Look, I told you not to worry about Aubrey. I can handle her. This thing will be over soon enough.”
“Have you talked to Nathan?”
“No, but I did call Owen. He’s getting a group of people to come out tomorrow night.”
Josie arched her brow. “Does Aubrey know about this?”
“I don’t owe her an explanation for anything.”
“I think you underestimate her.”
“And I think you’re letting her get under your skin. I can handle her.” Anders couldn’t figure out what was more annoying: Aubrey’s constant presence or needing to reassure Josie every damn day.
Silence fell between them as they ate. When Anders made the decision to come over and spend time with her, this wasn’t how he planned for things to go. He looked at his watch and balled up his wrapper. “I better get back.”
“Okay. Thanks for stopping by with dinner.” Josie stood and moved in front of Anders, looping her arms around his neck.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her between his legs. “You know I came over here because I wanted to see you. The food was just a bonus.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. I really was about to cook for myself.”
“I see. Using me for my delivery skills.”
“Among other things.” She smiled and leaned in for a kiss.
“I’d ask what those other things are, but I’m afraid I might not get back to the studio on time.”
“Probably not,” she laughed and stepped away. “Thanks for coming over. I kind of missed you too.”
“Of course you did.” He dodged her attempt to hit him. Instead he jumped to his feet and smacked her ass before darting for the front door.
“You better run!”
“I’ll call you later, Ivy.” He chuckled and slipped out the front door, leaving her leaning against the wall with a smile on her face.
Thursday morning started with one disaster after another. Josie overslept, poured coffee down her shirt, and broke the heel off one of her favorite pairs of shoes. And that was before she even made it out the front door. She wanted to throw in the towel, write the day off as a failure, and go back to bed.
However, no matter how appealing that idea was, she knew it wasn’t a possibility. She had a meeting with Craig and needed to submit the new designs for approval. With a tired sigh, she crawled into her car and headed to work. Just as she pulled into the studio lot, her phone beeped with a message from Craig.
The director wants you on set.
Josie rolled her eyes but did as he said. She was beyond fed up with this week. She slipped onto the set, unnerved by the silence until she heard Anders groan. She took three quick steps forward and froze. Her heart stuttered in her chest and her eyes grew wide as she watched the scene before her. It wasn’t supposed to be today. Their scene was tomorrow.
“Josie,” Amelia whispered, her eyes glued to Anders and Aubrey.
“Why are they filming this today? It’s supposed to be tomorrow.” Josie turned her wide, glassy eyes to Amelia.
“Aubrey’s top for today’s scene is torn and the backup is missing.”
“What?” The word was no more than a hiss when she spoke. “How did it get torn?”
Amelia shrugged. “She caught it on something. The entire side ripped. When we couldn’t find the other, the director switched the scenes. We’ll need to make a completely new top.”
Amelia continued to prattle on, but Josie was no longer paying attention. The entire world disappeared the moment she looked at Aubrey and Anders again. She wanted to look away, turn and leave before she saw another second, but like most train wrecks, looking away was easier said than done.
Anders trailed his hands over Aubrey’s collarbone to the opening of her blouse. He popped each button and pushed the fabric away, his palms brushing over the swell of her breasts. Josie’s throat tightened as he dipped his head and kissed her neck, his arms encircling Aubrey and pulling her against his naked chest.
She tried to close her eyes as he pushed Aubrey to the bed, but the noises were worse than the visual. Her lungs burned from holding her breath as they shed their clothes, and her stomach twisted like a knife in the gut when he thrust against her. She knew it was acting. She knew it was all fake. But it looked real. And it sure as hell felt real.
“Why am I here?” She pressed her palm against her stomach, trying to soothe the ache building and gathering strength.
“My God, that’s hot,” Amelia exhaled, oblivious to Josie’s verging panic attack.
“Why am I here?” Josie asked again, blinking back hot, angry tears as she fought to hold her composure.
“Oh, the shirt. I have it for you. Hang on a second.” With a sad sigh, Amelia took off to fetch the torn garment.
Josie’s nails dug into her palms until they cut into her skin, the stinging pain barely registering as her rigid body shook with adrenaline. She needed to leave, to get as far away from the set as possible.
Aubrey threw her head back and moaned as Anders thrust harder, his pace increasing. He looked exactly like he did with Josie and the comparison made bile hit the back of her throat. She didn’t realize she’d moved forward until Anders’ voice sounded in her ears.
“Oh, God,” he groaned, the muscles in his arms and neck straining as they both hit the climax of the scene. “I love you, baby.”
Her broken inhale sounded like a cannon in her ears as a single fat tear rolled down her cheek. She spun on her heel and took off for the exit as soon as the director yelled cut.
“Josie! Hey, Josie, wait!” Amelia took off after her, Aubrey’s shirt clutched in her hand. Josie’s shoulders slumped as she slowed to a stop. “The shirt. You forgot the shirt.”
Anders’ head snapped to the far side of the set, his stomach bottoming out when his eyes landed on Josie. She wasn’t supposed to see this. He pulled his pants over his hips and tried to calm his breathing as he waited for the director to finishing speaking. As soon as he announced for everyone to take a break, Anders discreetly slipped away from the set. It was stupid to follow her, but he didn’t want to text or call. He wanted to wipe away her look of betrayal and the memories that expression evoked. Seeing that look on Josie’s face caused the long-forgotten emotion to sit like lead over his chest and all he wanted to do was stop the hurt it brought. Stop the reminders of a past he’d buried under layers of indifference years ago. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the closest room.
“Hey,” he whispered, pushing the door closed and twisting the lock. Josie turned away, her back rising with choppy hard breaths. “Ivy.” He wrapped his fingers over her shoulder, the contact causing her to jerk away and spin to face him. Her red-rimmed eyes were swollen and black smudges stained the skin below. Her cheeks were flushed and tear-tracked.
“Ivy, fuck. What…?” He never wanted her to see that, knowing how it would upset her. “Why? Why would you go there? What the fuck were you thinking?”
All the air left Josie’s body in one angry exhale. “Do you think I wanted to see that? Craig sent me to get Aubrey’s torn shirt. I had no fucking clue. None.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Anders lowered his voice as he tried to calm her. The last thing they needed was an audience.
He cupped her jaw, and the moment he did, all Josie could see was him with Aubrey. When he dipped his head and kissed her, the smell and taste of Aubrey was overwhelming.
“Stop,” Josie choked and pushed him away. “Don’t fucking kiss me.”
Anders shook his head and batted her hands away from his chest as he pressed them together again. “You stop.”
“You smell like her, Anders. You taste like her. Oh my God.” She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, tr
ying to scrub away the taste of Aubrey’s fruity lip balm.
“Stop fighting me, Ivy.” Anders locked his arms around her. His grip so firm it bordered on the edge of pain as he pressed her against the table and trapped her body with his.
“Let me go!” She pushed again, causing Anders to stumble back.
“Lower your fucking voice,” he hissed, his eyes blazing.
The hateful tone of his voice made her feel small and chastised, vulnerable. “Get out.”
“No.” Anders took a couple of steps forward. “Ivy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
“I said get out.” She reached behind her and clutched the edge of the desk to keep her hands from shaking.
Anders shook his head. “I’m not leaving you like this. You’re pissed at me about something I had no control over and that pisses me off and makes me say stupid shit, but you’re going to listen to me. I’m not leaving until you do.”
Josie kept her jaw clenched and her eyes hard. Her face was a mask of stubborn determination. There was nothing Anders could say, no explanation that would break through the hurt and anger clouding her mind.
Anders hated explaining himself. It seemed to be all he did lately, and he’d had just about all he could stand. “Do you remember the other night when you asked me about acting? How I told you I become the character and Anders no longer exists?”
Josie continued to meet the intensity of his gaze but didn’t speak. If she opened her mouth, all the hurt she felt would pour out. Her pride refused to give in.
Anders huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re going to give me the silent treatment? Fuck, I didn’t realize we’d reverted back to being children. Fine, you sit there and pout. I’ll talk. I don’t want Aubrey. I don’t know how many ways I can say it, and I don’t think it’s fucking fair I have to. What do you want me to do? This is my job.”
“The only thing I want you to do is give me a chance to collect myself. I know you think I’m being ridiculous, but that’s nothing new is it? You love to belittle my feelings.”
Anders snapped. For once, he wasn’t the one to blame. “You know what? Fuck you, Josie. You wanna talk about belittling feelings? Let’s do that. We can talk about how I constantly have to defend myself. I get it. You don’t fucking trust me. But I’m tired of always being the bad guy. I was acting. It’s what I do for a living. But you don’t want to think about that. You want to feel justified for acting like a child. Well, let me tell you, it’s not justified. Being upset is one thing, but acting like a complete bitch? No fucking way. Let me know when you’re ready to have a rational fucking conversation.” Anders didn’t wait for an answer as he wrenched the door open and stormed down the hall.