by Nana Malone
That was taking the cake, even for Dorian. “What?”
“My mother.”
His eyes bugged. “Holy fuck.”
“I know Jamie was behind it.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Mia. What are you going to do?”
“For starters, we’re going to have a conversation. My life is not up for grabs.”
“Can I help?”
Mia shook her head. “I need a break from this.”
“Okay, whatever you need. But if you want to talk about it, I’m here. And for what it’s worth, I had fun too. Next time, how about I cook for you again?”
Her stomach grumbled. “If it involves good food, I’m game. I’m going to go now before you find a way to distract me again.”
“On the contrary. You’re the one who distracts me. Honestly, I should get some kind of medal for being able to keep my hands off of you at all.”
“Incorrigible.”
“Maybe. Come on; let me walk you to the station.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not like you live in the hood. This is the Upper East Side. I can go down the block on my own.”
“Well, I was raised to be a gentleman. Besides, I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
Ryan kissed her nose as he reached behind her to open his front door.
They were met by cameras. Holy hell, they’d been caught.
Chapter Twenty-six
Ryan felt like he was being dragged into the principal’s office. He could give a shit what Jamie would do to him; his main worry was Mia. He’d wanted to make sure she got home, but the line producer told him he was expected in the office first thing. This was his fault. Chris would be livid, but he had to keep the heat off of Mia.
“Jamie, before you start, I want to take complete responsibility for what happened last night. None of this was Mia’s fault. If you want to punish someone, punish me.”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “Oh, save it. I’m not buying it. She knows better. She knows what is riding on this. She understood even if your pretty-boy ass didn’t. What the two of you did has completely jeopardized the show.”
He raised a brow. “Don’t you mean boosted the ratings?”
Her face turned bright red, and he was pretty sure he’d see steam coming out of her ears at any moment.
“What did you say?”
“Please, Jamie, your indignation would be more believable if you hadn’t sent cameras. This couldn’t have turned out better if you’d planned it. Maybe you were tipped off as to where we were. Maybe you had us followed. Either way, it means viewers are going to be tuning in more than ever. You’re just pissed because you’re not in control of the situation.”
She cast him a narrow-eyed glare. “Keep talking, and you’re off the show. You’re lucky I put a tail on Mia after she ditched her film crew a few nights ago. It could have been the paparazzi on your doorstep.”
He smirked, but inside, a tiny voice reminded him to tread carefully. If he wanted to bring her down, he’d have to play ball, as much as he hated it. But he still had to play the part. If he gave in too easily, she’d be suspicious. “Do you think I need this show?”
“Of course you don’t. You’re Ryan Matthews. I’m sure a bevy of eligible woman are waiting on your doorstep as we speak, eager to spend a night with you. Oh, wait, and you’re filthy stinking rich.” She frowned and tapped her chin. “Oh, that’s right. You’re not. This show is the only thing you have going for you, so don’t forget it.”
At least his cover was still intact. “What do you want?”
“For starters, you’re not going to be Prince Charming number one anymore.”
Fury boiled in his gut. The crazy bitch was going to leave Mia hanging out to dry. “You’re going to slut shame, Mia? She’s the star of your show.”
Jamie scowled. “Of course not. She’s our golden child. As long as she plays ball, all we’ll show is that kiss last night before you got on the subway train. If she chooses not to play ball, we show that parting kiss as she’s leaving your place this morning.”
He tightened his jaw. If she had her way, he wouldn’t be seeing Mia ever again. “You’re a real bitch, you know that?”
“You know, you’re not the first person to tell me that. And the pity of it is this didn’t need to be this way. If you’d just worked with me at the beginning. You’d have your own development deal with the network. Now you’re back to being a nobody has-been who doesn’t even have the Matthews money anymore.”
He sat back calmly. “The things you actually know about me wouldn’t fit in a gnat’s nut sack.”
“If you say so. If you don’t cooperate, fade into the background, and give Mia a wide berth, unless it’s on camera, then I will make her life miserable. Because, whether she likes it or not, and whether she believes it or not, I own her.”
He clenched his jaw. “I’ll do whatever you need, just leave her out of it.”
* * *
“You are so incredibly selfish. I cannot believe the mess you’ve put us in. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Mia stared up at her boss. What the hell could she say? After all, Jamie had a point. In terms of the production, she had endangered it.
But this wasn’t about the show. This was about her life. And Jamie didn’t run it. No matter how much she thought she did. “What you sprung on me at the gardens with Dorian was low. You have no right to my life. It’s none of your business.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she swallowed hard and clenched her jaw, waited for the dramatics to start.
Jamie, in her staggering heels, still only reached to five feet four inches at most, but still, she was intimidating as hell as she stood before Mia with her arms crossed. “What the hell did you just say to me?”
Oh fuck. Yeah, that part of ‘none of your business’ probably should have just been said in her head. “All due respect, Jamie, I appreciate the opportunity, but I still need to live my life. And you overstepped.”
“I don’t know what turnip truck you fell off of, but honey, I run you. Your job is thanks to me. Your new star is rising because of me. You met your boyfriend because of me, let’s not get it—what is it that the rappers say? Oh yeah, get it twisted. You agreed to let me into your life. I will do what I see fit to get the ratings going. And don’t forget, I can take it all away. Just think of me as your reality show God.”
Mia licked her lips. “And you need to understand, Jamie, that I can still walk. You don’t actually own me. You can trash my career, you can yank me from the show, but I’m smart. I can go do something else. Work on another show or network. You and I need to establish a line of respect. I recognize you’re not happy over finding me with Ryan. We made a mistake.” In getting caught. “But you have no right to my family. Current or past. I see that woman again, and you will have a real problem on your hands.”
Jamie stepped right into her path. “You think you’ll have any kind of career when I’m done with you? You think any producer will touch you?”
Mia’s stomach rolled before clenching into a twisted knot. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Oh, it does. That show proposal you’ve worked so hard on—good luck getting anyone to touch it.”
Her stomach dropped. “You don’t have to do this.”
The smaller woman lifted her chin. “It all depends on whether or not you’re going to cooperate.”
Mia could feel her future falling away. All her hard work slipping though her fingers. “What do you want from me?”
“I think it’s time you and your boyfriend started to follow the rules. I can’t get rid of him because he’s so popular, but from now on, you’re going to start to give some other guys a shot, and I want you to stay away from Ryan Matthews until I say otherwise.”
* * *
“Tell me you got that shit on tape?”
Ryan frowned at Chris. “What, I look like an amateur to you?”
His boss’s whoop of laughter filled the s
pace between them. “I knew there was a reason I kept your pretty-boy mug around. This is genius. I mean we have her.”
He shook his head. “Not on anything juicy. I mean, we have her threatening me, but I don’t have her full on saying she was trading sexual favors for a better highlight on the show. Even I’m not that lucky, and she’s not that stupid. And I didn’t have our first meeting recorded.”
Christine chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Where do we stand with the Cinderella—Mia right?”
Here’s where you start tap-dancing, Gene Kelley. “I honestly think the story is with Jamie and the show overall. I don’t think Mia is compelling enough.”
Christine studied him over the rim of her glasses. “Don’t go getting all soft on me. We have to expose her quest for love in order to highlight the way people like Jamie Lee and reality love shows exploit that. You have to expose her.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not comfortable with this, Chris. And she’s not the juicy part of the story. Sure, I thought she was the story, but obviously we’ve gone in another direction. I think we need to stay with Jamie. And thanks to that Cinderella, I have some data on some of the other contestants that have fallen out over the years.”
Chris shook her head. “I knew it. I knew it. You’ve fallen in love with her.”
Yeah, I have. What the fuck? Where had that come from? No. He cared about her. He didn’t believe in love. It always ended up bad for both parties. It would be no different with Mia. He swallowed around the dryness in his mouth. “I’m not in love, Chris. I’m following the bigger story.”
She eyeballed him. “You and I have known each other a long time. So I’m not gonna bullshit you. What I see is a guy in love who doesn’t want to expose his girlfriend to ridicule. But what I’m telling you is that you have to expose her. Even if it’s just a little bit. You have to tell her the truth. She’s a woman like half the New Yorkers out there. She’s being exploited. You have to show how her desperateness to connect is getting her taken advantage of.”
Yeah, all he had to do was exploit her himself. “I don’t think I have to. Let me dig. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s digging. If I can’t make the other story stick, I’ll write what you want.”
She shook her head. “You’re running out of time. I get it. You have feelings for her. But you have to be objective. You’re finally about to get what you want. Don’t throw it all away. Be fair in the article, but tell the truth. That’s your job.”
Yeah, some favor. It certainly didn’t feel like that. He wasn’t going to expose Mia. He just had to solidify the Jamie story.
* * *
Later that night, Ryan sat in the greenroom with the other contestants and Adam stared at him. “So what did you do, man?”
He kept his expression impassive. “What do you mean?”
The big Brit leaned forward. “The producers put you in here with us. Usually it ratchets up the tension by keeping the lead Prince Charming away from the riff raff. So, what gives? What did you do to piss off Jamie?”
Ryan laughed. “What makes you think I pissed her off?”
Adam threw his head back and guffawed. “That woman has a way of making you do exactly what she wants. You being in here with us tells us you did something wrong. What? Did you turn her down?”
Ryan couldn’t believe his ears. Would it really be that easy to get the goods on Jamie? “What do you mean?”
Adam leaned forward, looking over his shoulder a little. “Look, man, she’s a beautiful woman. We’ve all been there. Some of us have taken the bait, and so far it’s paid off. But we understand what happens if we bite the hand that feeds us. We’ll be doing a reality dance competition, and personally, my C-list TV career goes down the shitter. Did you refuse her or something?”
“Let’s just say I broke the rules.” Everyone would find out that he’d gone against the fold and taken Mia out off-camera sooner or later. “So what usually happens when someone breaks the rules around here?”
The Brit leaned back and addressed one of the athletes, Jason. “Hey, mate, what happened to that bloke who slept with the Cinderella during your show?”
Jason sauntered over and joined them. “Oh, man. Jamie was livid. It was a fucking mess.”
“What did she do?” Ryan asked.
“Well, for starters, she made sure Victor was never up for a solo date again for the rest of the show. Caitlin and him had a bit of a chemistry thing, so she kept promoting him anyway. Finally, when it was down to a six-man show, Jamie got so fed up that she unearthed some shit in his past, told Caitlin, then that was the end of that.”
A sliver of icy dread rolled down his spine. There were very few people who knew he wrote his column. But still, he hated the idea that there was something looming over his feelings for Mia that could come back and bite him in the ass.
Adam slapped him on the back. “You’re still here so maybe it’s not that bad. Did you take Jamie up on her offer?”
His skin crawled. “Nope. I like my women without blackmail.”
“Yeah, when she’s crossed, no telling what she’ll do.”
It wasn’t much, but at least he had a solid lead. He’d get Chris’s researchers to locate Victor Miller. If Ryan wanted a way out of the corner, Victor might just be it.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Jamie was on set that night, but Mia ignored her. She wasn’t interested in the bullshit. All she had to do was get through the rest of the show. It was only another few weeks then things could return to semi normalcy. She wasn’t an idiot. Jamie was going to fire her after this was all over.
Which meant a job search. But maybe she was okay with that. It was all about starting a new adventure. Maybe she should stop doing the safe thing. Like producing a show about “Lonely Girl” and do what scared her, like a show about her family.
So far, she had followed Jamie’s rules. For the last two days, she’d given Ryan a wide berth. She hadn’t talked to him. Not a single text or email. And damn it, she missed him.
“Knock, knock. How you holding up?”
Mia stopped pacing to glance at Larissa. “Oh, you know, I’m being held hostage on a show I don’t want to do by my evil, megalomaniac boss, who’s watching my every move like a hawk.” She shrugged. “Things are peachy. I’d give my right tit to have a dozen more days just like this one.”
“Easy there. If you’re handing out tits, then I’d like my fair share. I’m tired of being Prez of the Itty Bitty Committee.”
Despite her dour mood, a laugh bubbled out of Mia. “Thanks, Riss, I needed a laugh.”
“Court Jester at your service. And I come bearing gifts.”
Mia shook her head. “I don’t want anything.”
Larissa practically vibrated with excitement. “This one you want. I promise. Just take it.”
Mia sighed. “Okay, fine, what is it?”
Even though they were alone, her friend looked around like someone might barge in at any moment before handing her a slip of paper.
Frowning, Mia took the slip and unfolded it before reading.
I miss you. I’m sorry this shit went so sideways. Can you meet me? Larissa knows where. –R.
Mia’s insides went molten at the thought of seeing Ryan again. All she had to do was think about him, and her body was all, ‘hell yes, let’s go get more of what he’s selling’. It was dangerous. But dangerous or not, it didn’t stop her from wanting more. Holding up the note she addressed Larissa. “Where does he want—”
Her friend clamped a hand over her mouth then turned the note around for her to read the back. Ryan’s script was clear. It might be a good idea for you to not talk about this to anyone. Larissa will destroy the note when you’re done.
“Thanks, Riss. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up.”
Larissa beamed, clearly happy to be part of the cloak and dagger routine. “Cool. Why don’t you come by my place tonight after filming, and we’ll get drinks.”
Mia read
through that code. Larissa was going to help her see Ryan tonight. Now all she had to do was get through the taping of the rose ceremony.
* * *
“I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
Larissa rolled her eyes. “Mia, we work for the dragon lady. I’m pretty sure she’s the spawn of Satan. I say, if you’re going to go out, then you might as well go out big. Go see him at the hotel. What’s your problem? You’ve been down, blah, and moody. This should make you happy.”
Mia paced the length of Larissa’s living room. “And it does. It’s just—he’s that guy, Riss. You know he doesn’t believe in love. Hell, he’s told me a million times. I don’t want to set myself up again.”
Larissa shook her head. “Honey, you know me. I’m suspicious of everyone. I’m constantly telling you to be careful of your heart. But I think he’s one of the good ones. I’m not suggesting you screw him.” She shook her head. “Not at all. I’m suggesting you screw that man so good he can’t walk again. Matter of fact, until his dick detaches and insists on following you around for the rest of his natural life.”
Mia barked out a laugh. “Larissa!”
Her friend shrugged. “What? You clearly have thing for him.”
Mia scrubbed her hands down her face. “I don’t know, Riss. He has a way of making me feel like I’m the only person in the room. Hell, the only person on earth.” She shook her head. “I want to believe that he cares, really cares. But I can see the future. This is going to be bad for me.”
The moment he’d looked at her the other night and held her gaze as they made love, then told her he would never hurt her, she’d fallen for him a little. She’d lost a piece of her heart.
But then of course the next day, he’d been cold. Acted as if he hadn’t seen her. But was he right? Was Jamie watching her every move? That thought made her stomach turn. A few weeks ago, she’d admired the woman as a leader to look up to. But after peeling back the layers, she didn’t want to be anywhere near the woman, let alone anything like her.
“Honestly, Riss, I don’t know.”