He went into the foyer to retrieve her business card. He’d placed it under his keys when he came in last night. The fancy card read Kate Garrison, President of Atlantis Records.
His cell phone rang, playing the Bonanza ring tone. It was Stan.
“Stan, my man with the plan!”
“Cut the shit! I am on my third Valium this morning.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to take so many in one day.”
“You think? Being your agent has significantly shortened my life span faster than Valium. Why do I bother talking to you?”
“Because you said I had superstar potential.” Chris laughed.
“Are you trying to screw yourself out of a career? You are playing with fire. Jack Pierce’s wife?”
“Soon to be ex-wife.”
“I hope you’re ready for the fallout. It’s going to take a miracle for Jack Pierce to let you keep your part in the movie.”
“Trust me, this will all blow over.”
“How long have you been seeing Kate Garrison?”
He thought for a moment. “Long enough to know she’s the woman for me.”
Stan choked. “You really know how to screw the pooch good. You in love with her?”
“I don’t know where I’d be without her right now.” Wasn’t that the truth?
“If I were you, I’d go to church today and pray to any deity willing to listen to grant you Hollywood absolution.” Stan ended the call.
The news program placed a photo of Kate Garrison on the screen. If he had to get knee-deep in some trouble he couldn’t get out of, he was pleased it was with a woman with full breasts and a waist that tapered nicely into an hourglass figure. She looked like a model, not the president of a record label.
He’d passed on an invite to one of their parties last month; he could have met her then. Surely if she didn’t have a ring on he would have pressed his luck and tried to chat her up. Having her long legs wrapped around his waist for an evening wouldn’t be a bad way to pass the time. The softness of her lips still lingered on his, and her eyes catching glances at him as he drove her home gave him hope that she was thinking about that kiss too.
He pulled out his laptop and did an Internet search on her. Kate Garrison was something of a media darling in this town. Her record label was a big player with huge acts signed to it. She managed the company with her best friend, John Gray. They had been friends since grade school. John was the playboy rogue, whereas she was the responsible one who kept him on the straight and narrow.
Chris had a theory about women who had men for best friends. He was hoping he was wrong about that. But she’d saved his bacon last night, and she hadn’t had to do that. She’d put on an act outside the restaurant to help bring closure to the charade. Would she be willing to do more? If this blew over as a casual affair, not only would he be party to an imaginary affair, but he would have trampled on the already broken heart of one Kate Garrison.
He had to convince Kate to continue the ruse to see if he could appeal to the masses that he was only trying to save her heart from the dastardly brilliant Jack Pierce.
Chapter Two
Kate zoned out while John Gray rambled on about a talent prospect.
“Kate!”
“Yeah?”
“You haven’t listened to a word I said since I entered your office.”
Kate turned to him and smiled. “It’s that damn tie of yours. If it were any louder I’d need earplugs.”
“Ha, ha. I’ll have you know Siobhan bought this for me.”
“You’re still seeing her?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ll figure it out one of these days.”
“And you’re one to talk. I told you not to marry that asshole, and you went and did it anyway.”
“That’s precisely why I did it.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “So, I guess we’re at a stalemate on this Lana issue?”
Lana McNeal’s future was so bright she could have illuminated the East Coast power grid. One glance at her mass-appeal features and a single listen to her heavenly voice and you knew she was destined for pop star stardom.
They were at odds about whether to take her on. Kate feared that Lana was going to be sucked up in the vacuum that was being created around her. A hormone-riddled young lady on the verge of blossoming into young adulthood, tired of singing gumdrop tunes, as Kate called them, coupled with an overbearing stage mother had the makings of a natural disaster movie.
Kate had lunch with Lana a couple times to get a feel for the girl. Lana had talent. But she also had stars in her eyes bigger than that of any constellation in the sky.
“She’s going to be a megastar, and I don’t want to be the producer who passed her up.” John slapped his hand down on Kate’s desk.
“And I don’t want to be the record label with an out-of-control celebrity on its hands.”
“You get too emotionally attached to the artists. It’s none of your business how Lana conducts her personal life. And please don’t mention Malik.”
“Why not bring up a perfect example?”
“He was different.”
“How so?”
“Because he was our friend, and I’m not going through that again.”
John never talked about Malik since he was shot and killed, and Kate worried about that. Malik’s fast-paced lifestyle finally caught up with him. Even after years of covering his ass so all of their careers could flourish, no one was able to stop fate from meeting up with—what some would call—an apt ending to a wild ride.
“I miss that asshole.” Kate rubbed her temples.
“Me too.” John sighed.
Kate’s phone buzzed. “Hey, boss, your secret lover Chris Cavanaugh is here to see you.”
“Thank you, Sabrina.”
“By the way, I saw the news this morning. Didn’t know you were stepping out on Jack?”
She had contemplated all the way to work whether she would let John in on the ruse. But something in her was not willing to divulge this latest fiasco. John seemed to trust her instincts musically, but declared her a shipwreck in her personal life. He was protective of her—he’d been that way all their lives—but she was an adult. She could make her own decisions without needing or wanting his approval.
“I guess you aren’t the only player in town.” Kate turned the corners of her mouth into a smirk.
Sabrina escorted Chris into the office.
“Chris Cavanaugh, this is John Gray, the other half of Atlantis.”
John’s face showed that he wasn’t in the mood. Hopefully he wouldn’t do something stupid. He’d already threatened Jack at a movie premiere the previous week.
“Nice to meet you, man.” Chris extended his hand.
John kept his hand at his side.
“Thank you, Mr. Gray. Meeting at two—don’t forget.”
“Do me a favor? Try not to get married again before then.”
“Still working on my divorce.” She gave him a cheesy smile, and Sabrina and John filed out of the office.
Chris had a on a pair of jeans and a red shirt that barely covered his well-defined chest. Why was it when a man wore something tight fitting that accentuated every muscle on his body it was sexy, but when a woman tried, she was immediately branded a tramp? His five o’clock shadow thing was working for him. Even though it felt like a gentle loofah against her face last night, it gave his pretty-boy image an edge. He was definitely Sabrina’s type. She could see the drool on her assistant’s face when she walked through the door with him.
“And what trouble do you have for me today, Mr. Cavanaugh?”
“See the news today?”
“I did. So it’s safe to assume you officially know who I am?” She raised an eyebrow.
“You are soon to be divorced to the man I am going to be working with in a few weeks.” He laughed.
She shook her head. “When you screw up, you do it in style, don’t you?”
“That’s what my agent says. But I have a question for you.”
“Sure.” She walked to the window and gazed out onto the city.
“Why did you help me?”
Kate took a deep breath. Why had she helped him? “I’m a sucker for lost causes.”
Chapter Three
Of all the things he imagined Kate wearing today, pristine business attire was not one of them. He didn’t know what went on at a record label, but he assumed when he arrived they would be partying in the reception area with martinis in their hands and blasting their latest artist’s number-one hit. Instead he walked through double glass doors and entered what one could only describe as a museum-like setting. The office was tranquil with the exception of a nice mellow instrumental playing on a looping feed. The only hint of unprofessionalism had been Sabrina.
Sabrina had seemed to get a kick out of him being there. When she called Kate and said her secret lover had arrived, he thought for sure that would be grounds for dismissal. She rattled on about the scandal as they walked through the halls of the huge office suite until she reached the doors of Kate’s office. Kate didn’t even mention Sabrina’s crazy remark.
“I have a proposition for you.”
Kate laughed.
“No, I’m serious. I know you’re thinking: ‘Chris, what can you do for me? I obviously saved your ass last night in the men’s room at Coriander.’ Sure, it would have been cool to have sex with you in one of the stalls, but instead it turned into an episode of Miami Vice. And because of the sexual chemistry between us, any further action would be a huge mistake.”
Kate moved closer and put her hands on her hips. “Would you like me to edit that speech for you?”
“Sure, as long as you keep all the sex words.” Chris smiled and then lowered his head to meet her lips.
Kate reached up and slapped him. Hard. “Until now, I’ve never met anyone with a one-track mind.”
“It’s not my fault.”
“And whose fault is it? Little Chris’s?” Kate’s eyes traveled south to his crotch.
“There is nothing little about Chris Jr. As a matter of fact, I can show—”
“No, thank you!”
Chris cocked his head and gave her a sideways glance and a smile. “You know, on one of my first auditions in Hollywood this producer told me he needed to see my penis to make sure there wouldn’t be any bad camera angles when they did close-ups.”
“Really? What did you do?”
“I told him to come closer, I needed help with my zipper.”
“I see an NC-seventeen rating coming this way.”
“So he comes closer, reaches for my zipper, and I decked his ass.”
Kate burst out laughing. “So who was it?”
“That’s the beauty about this town, Kate. It doesn’t matter who he was. People make deals all the time. After he got over his embarrassment of being hit by me, my agent advised him of how unwise it would be if he were accused of trying to de-zipper a young, innocent Missouri boy just off the bus. For my silence he agreed not to blackball me.”
“And you went for that?”
“Hell, no. For six weeks straight I spray-painted pervert on his BMW. That idiot kept buying a new one. After his fifth new car, he quit his job and joined some cult. He said God was sending him messages about his sins. He did learn a lesson about coercing young guys to show him their junk.”
“So scandal just follows you around?”
“My point is that it was six years ago. And that taught me how to wiggle my way out of tight situations in which no positive outcome seems likely.”
“And what does that have to do with us?”
“When I pulled my head out of my ass this morning, I did some research on you. This town loves you right now. Jack sure screwed up. If we stay together and break up in a few months, I will be the second man this year to have screwed you over. I prefer that target remain on Jack’s back; he did you wrong.” He squared his shoulders toward her and lowered his voice. “But at the same time, you get to avoid attending that media pity party they’re all throwing you. I can help you get ahead of all this.” Chris reached out and caressed Kate’s arm. As soon as he made contact he got the same hot and bothered feeling from last night.
* * *
The feel of Chris’s hand running along her arm felt scorching hot even through the sleeve of her blouse. He was the first person to offer a strategy on how to walk away from this with her head held high—she had no interest in becoming a countdown on an entertainment show about celebrity breakups. He was right. Now that the affair was being traded among those in the gossip circles, he’d become yet another bad decision she’d made. She would be forever labeled as a loser in love.
That he would be working with Jack didn’t seem to faze him. Perhaps he was really crazy and didn’t understand the ramifications. But Chris was familiar with the game. So what if she had to pretend to be hot and heavy with who Entertainment Monthly called the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood?
“How is this going to affect your eternal bachelor declaration? You made a pretty big statement on What’s Up Entertainment a year ago.”
“I did?” Chris feigned ignorance.
“I believe you said, ‘The world is filled with too many beautiful women to commit to one. I’m young. I’m just enjoying myself.’”
“You have one hell of a memory.”
“I always remember men who say they can’t commit.”
“Sounds like you’re on your way to redeeming me.” He winked at her.
“So what do we do next?” His furrowed eyebrows and icy blue eyes were nothing but trouble. Too bad she couldn’t look away.
“At three o’clock I’m going on national television and declaring my love for you.”
* * *
He not only declared his love for Kate, but he also threw in during the interview that they were moving in together. When he was asked how he thought Jack Pierce would take the news, he responded that Jack would do the right thing and be happy for him and Kate. After the interview he called Stan and instructed him to stop popping Valium like candy and assured him that it would all be alright. He then called Kate. Chris’s cell phone hadn’t stopped buzzing and ringing since he’d left the studio.
Kate laughed at the part about Jack wishing them well. “You know you just pissed him off royally.”
“Hope so. If not, I didn’t do my job.”
“And what is your job?”
“Taking care of you.”
“Well, guardian, how about dinner at my house tonight?”
Startled, Chris fumbled with the phone. “Sure.”
“Seven o’clock?”
* * *
Kate always felt as though driving her indigo metallic Jaguar XK convertible should be against the law. The luxury and power that pulsated through her as she maneuvered the car around winding roads, crowded city blocks, and country roads made her feel as if she were in her own vestibule of sin.
She normally turned her phone off on the ride home, but when she saw Charlotte’s number she happily answered. They had met in a ballet class after Kate moved to California. Kate had wanted to get back into shape, and Charlotte was teaching the class. They hit it off after Charlotte realized Kate wasn’t a poser pretending she could dance. Charlotte was a breath of fresh air. She just wanted to dance, live in yearlong sunshine, and put a safe distance between herself and her family of criminals.
She hit the button on her dashboard. “Charlotte, how the hell are you?”
“I was calling to ask you. I leave town for three weeks and all hell breaks loose.”
“Tell me about it. How was your visit home?”
“Went as expected.” She sighed.
“How was Jimmy’s trial?”
“Would you believe he was acquitted? Of murder? That brother of mine has nine judicial lives.”
“Your mom’s got to be relieved.”
“More like disappointed and exhausted. My dad blew
up one night and said he’s washed his hands of him. It was an awful mess. Jimmy has to straighten out.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
Charlotte laughed. “Why are your brothers solid citizens and mine menaces to society? My youngest brother Damon got caught for accidentally blowing up a meth lab.”
“That’s something, eh?”
“So, you how did you manage to hide that you were banging Chris Cavanaugh?”
“It’s a bit complicated.”
“I bet it is. He’s an ass hound. His penis has been in more vaginas up and down the West Coast than—”
“I get it.” Kate sighed. Chris’s mega dog reputation did not escape her.
“Is he good in bed?”
“What?”
“The man has a reputation. Supposedly he is a better ride than a commercial flight to the moon.”
Sadly she couldn’t answer that question. “We have more of an intellectual relationship.”
Charlotte laughed. “You would find a hot stud and want to talk to him about music. You could discuss instruments or—”
“Not everything is about sex.”
“Most things are.”
“No.” Kate took the last winding road to the highway that led to her house.
“Yes. Did Jack sign the divorce papers?”
“Hell, no. Jack is still in ‘I can change your mind’ mode. He is an arrogant troll.”
“His mood is going to get worse when it sinks in you’ve been sleeping with Chris. Talk about a slap in the face. I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
“Charlotte, darling, one could say I didn’t want to tell myself. This is all way above my sophistication level.”
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