Craig took a moment to formulate his response. It was short but effective.
“Bad boys don't have girlfriends,” he said quietly. What kind of shit was that? Did people really care that much about what I did in my spare time? As long as I wore leather jackets and played cocky characters in the movies my bad boy image would stay. That was what I thought, but I was doubting myself now.
“This bad boy does,” I said. We weren't official yet, but I was planning on asking her soon. Maybe I'd take her on a really nice date again. I could even buy her a nice bracelet. Yeah, that would be perfect. She was bound to say yes. I couldn't resist adding, “I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend.”
It wasn't something that I'd been thinking about much, but the moment I said it aloud was the moment that I knew I had to do it. No matter how much sense Craig tried to talk into me.
He literally spent the next two hours informing me why this was an awful idea and how he couldn't in good conscience advise me to do what I was planning on doing.
“It won't work. You're going to have to chose,” he said, “Be successful or fuck off with some girl.” “I chose both.”
Craig laughed spitefully.
“Fat chance in this industry. You get one if you're lucky and then deal without the other as best you can,” he said.
“That's an old fashioned way of looking at things,” I said, which was a polite way to tell him that his ideas about how the world worked were fucking stupid an outdated.
“It's a realistic way of looking at things,” he said, “I'm sorry, I know I'm your manager and I'm trying my best to support you, but you can't throw your career down the shitter like this buddy. You just can't.”
“I can do whatever I want.” Craig inhaled deeply.
“Fine, but if you do you'll be doing it without me,” he gave me an apologetic look, “I am sorry to do this, but if you go public with your relationship I'll no longer be able to represent you.”
“Oh,” I said. Craig had been cleaning up my messes for years now. I wasn't quite sure that I could handle Hollywood by myself without him to act as a buffer for the worst of it, “I see. That's your choice and you're entitled to make it I guess.”
“Yes I am, but I don't want to. Please buddy. Just reconsider. Sleep on it for a little while,” he said. Maybe he was right. It did feel like I was being a little bit rash with all of this now. I hadn't even managed to tell Savannah that I loved her to her face. How the fuck did I expect to do it in front of the whole world?
“All right,” I said, “I'll think about it for a few days.” Craig beamed at me.
“That's my guy. You'll be back to your old self in no time.”
My old self. I couldn't remember if he was the good version of me or that was the current version of me. It was difficult to say. Maybe I wasn't good at all.
Craig was usually right about these things, as much as I hated to admit it. I would end up listening to his advice, no doubt. If I wanted his representation I would have to force myself to keep my relationship with Savannah secret for as long as possible. Maybe even forever. It wasn't that far fetched an idea.
I left the office and returned home without any groceries. Savannah didn't even notice or ask where I had been. She was too busy working on Chrissy's ball gown. It was coming together nicely now. With a few finishing touches it would be absolutely perfect. Chrissy would love it. Everyone would. Savannah Finn would become a famous brand in itself and she wouldn't need me anymore.
That would probably be what was best for both of us.
Savannah
The evening of the premiere sneaked up on me like a wolf waiting to pounce on a vulnerable baby lamb. Not that I wasn't thinking about it every day in the lead up to this fabulous event. In fact I was living and breathing this event like no one else was. Dressmaking was stressful at the best of times but especially so when you were on such a tight deadline and using such expensive material. There were sleepiness nights spent sewing decorative pearls onto the silk or crying when the sewing machine wouldn't co operate with my vision. I was stressed out of my fucking mind but it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all because I was all right. I wasn't thinking about my complicated relationship with Dane and where the hell we thought it was going. I shoved that right out of my head in order to focus on my work. If I hadn't managed to do that I would have simply gone crazy, I was sure of it.
Chrissy arrived to pick up her dress on the night of the premiere. I had it waiting in the living room for her, pinned to my model. She let out a gasp of disbelief when she saw it. It had turned out as well as any of us could have hoped. Better, even. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever designed. I was so pleased with her reaction to it that I wanted to cry and call my mother. However, I somehow managed to control myself. Just for a little while.
She immediately asked to try it on. I gave her permission to do it, telling her that it was her dress now and that I was finished with it. She gingerly removed it from the model and I looked away when she slipped it on.
When I looked back it was my turn to gasp. It looked perfect on her slender frame and the pink complimented the warm tones in her skin. The front had a high neck and a fitted waist, while the other side was cut low to show off a lot of her perfectly toned back.
“Oh Savannah, you did an amazing job!” she said, gazing at herself in awe, “This is the nicest dress I've ever worn. I'll be so proud to let people see me in this on the red carpet. I hope you're proud too.”
“Thank you so much, that's so kind of you,” I said. The stack of money that she gave me was even kinder. I hadn't been planning to charge her for this dress. At the end of the day she was doing me a favor by wearing it and I would be paid back in exposure. Though I tried hard not to accept her money, Chrissy was more aggressive that I was. I tucked it into the pocket of my jeans, trying not to think about how much she had just given me. It was a lot. That was all I knew.
“I just wish you were coming with me,” she said, once she'd changed back into her regular clothes and I had her dress all wrapped up on a covered coat hanger. “I bet we'd have fun.”
“I bet we would, but you'll still have fun on your own. Besides, I've got some microwave popcorn with my name on it to snack on while I'm watching the live coverage. I'm not going to miss seeing my dress on TV for anything in the world,” I said. Chrissy laughed.
We said goodbye and I wished her luck before she got back into her car. I closed the door and leaned against it. I was stating to understand how Cinderella felt in the old story. Being the one who wasn't invited to the ball sucked. The dress had looked so gorgeous on Chrissy, but that didn't stop me from wanting to keep it for myself.
Suddenly Dane strolled down the stairs, dressed in a full tux and holding a midnight blue dress in his hands. It was a ballgown that I'd been making eyes at for the last few weeks anytime we'd passed the store window it was displayed in. I had no idea he'd even noticed.
“So,” he said, “Feel like going to a premiere?”
“Are you serious?” I asked. He nodded, that mischievous grin that I loved so much appearing on his fine features.
“Yeah. I got tickets forever ago and figured I wouldn't go. These things are usually boring as fuck, but I think it might actually be fun with you there,” he said, hastily adding, “Only if you want.” “Of course I want to go,” I said. In that moment it was what I wanted most in the whole world. Well, almost. What I really wanted was for Dane to grab me and profess his love for me. I wanted him to stop being too afraid to let people see us together. Even if they made up terrible rumors in the tabloids it wouldn't matter. We knew ourselves well and we knew each other well so we knew what each of us were capable of.
Still, a movie premier was the next best thing.
Dane
I agonized over Craig's ultimatum until the night of the premier. I woke up feeling so clear and so good that day that the choice was obvious to me. I mean, who was a choosing between? My scummy agent, who'd only b
een kept in business for so long by screwing over his competitors and stealing clients. Or on the other hand, there was Savannah. The sexiest, smartest, most beautiful woman I'd ever met in my life. I could never imagine meeting someone else who made me feel this way. This was love.
This was love, all right. It was the love you heard about in songs or saw tearing people apart in films. It was powerful, potent and often devastating in the wrong hands. It was vast and unstoppable. So I stopped trying to fight against it.
Savannah appeared at the top of the stairs after changing into her gown. The shade of midnight blue I'd chosen perfectly illuminated her milk white skin.
“What is all this even for?” she asked, stroking the material of the dress.
“I want to show you off,” I smirked, “I have a trophy girlfriend. Not really. You're gorgeous and sexy as hell but you've got brains and talent too. I'm sure everyone will be asking about when you're putting a collection out.”
“Girlfriend?” the other words seemed to get lost in translation. That was the only part that managed to filter through. Part of me had hoped that she would just go along with it without question. Then again, that wouldn't be Savannah. Not my Savannah, anyway.
“Yeah. I was thinking I might start calling you that if you're OK with it,” I said, shifting from foot to foot. Fuck, this dating stuff really was hard. I could only wait and hope that she wouldn't flat out reject me as I was sure any normal woman would do.
She took a deep breath and smiled at me.
“I'd love to be your girlfriend if you want to be my boyfriend,” she said, looking at me hopefully. I couldn't resist planting a gentle kiss on those rosebud lips before I replied.
“I don't mind at all, baby doll.” She gave a little growl.
“My name's not baby doll,” she was only playing but I knew better than to push her on it.
“All right, all right. I don't mind, Savannah. You can call me your boyfriend if you want,” I said. For the first time in my life the idea of being someone's boyfriend was actually appealing. Only if that someone was Savannah.
“That's great,” she leaned forward and gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek, “But what about your reputation and everything. Isn't your branding important? I don't want to be the chick who ruins your career.”
“You won't be, I promise. I can maintain my image without pretending that I'm single when I'm not. Even if I can't it doesn't matter to me,” I said. Savannah looked up at me with those sparkling eyes and that pointy angel face. Fuck, she was getting even more beautiful to me with every day that passed us by.
“Why doesn't it matter?” she asked. She looked so hopeful that I would say something kind for the first time in my life. I couldn't let her down on this one.
“Because I love you.”
The words sounded even stranger when they were coming out of my own mouth like that, but it didn't matter. They were all true. I looked at the beautiful girl in the beautiful blue dress and I knew that I'd stay with her regardless of what anyone thought. She was too special to let go.
She took a breath. “I love you too.”
I needed to hear that. I took her hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. Things wouldn't be the same now. How could they be? But that was all right. We had each other.
Bonus Novel
Blurb
Ruby
I've been screwed over by guys and now all I want is to have fun. My cousin's wedding is the perfect time to meet someone to distract me from it all. A one night stand never hurt anyone, right?
Nate is the rich, arrogant, tattooed bad boy of my nightmares. Hate at first sight is an understatement, but I can't help but imagine his body pressed against mine. I know I shouldn't let him have his way with me, but I can't help it.
Even if everyone else thinks it's wrong...
Nate
Sitting next to the sexy redhead at a wedding felt like hitting the jackpot. Taking her back to my hotel room was the bonus prize. Finding out we were step-cousins? Priceless.
Ruby thinks it's wrong. Maybe it is. I don't care.
All I know is I'm addicted to that body. I'll do whatever I can to have a second taste...
Table of Contents
1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine
Chapter One
Ruby
My Cousin Trisha's wedding was an event that I had been dreading from the moment I'd received the invitation a few months back. The two of us were the same age, born within a few hours of each other on the same day in August. Next month to be precise. As kids we had always been forced to play together, though our idea of play usually involved me cutting the hair off of Trisha's precious Barbie’s and her retaliating by punching me in the face. As teenagers we hadn't been much better.
Trisha was the preppy homecoming queen, cheerleader stereotype and I was the goth who wrote depressing poetry under the bleachers. We did our best to avoid each other back then and even though I had now long outgrown my goth phase, I still avoided Trisha when at all possible. Our relationship clearly hadn't improved much. I wasn't quite sure why she even invited me to her wedding, but then I realized. She wanted to rub her happiness in my face. Typical. When I took my seat at the reception next to the tattooed guy who thought it was appropriate to wear jeans to a wedding, I knew it was intentional. The worst part was that it was a five person table and the three other people were absent, so I didn't even have anyone else to talk to. Conversing with the tattooed bad boy was unavoidable.
“So where's your plus one?” he asked, his eyebrows raised at the empty seat beside me. I took a sip of my wine before answering.
“I don't think that's any of your business. My personal life is not something I feel like talking about with a stranger,” I said, trying to stop my voice from wobbling. It did, but only a little bit. He smirked at me and I wanted to punch him. Who the hell did he think he was? I hated people who asked awkward questions just to satisfy their mild curiosity. I decided that despite his good looks, that he was an asshole. Certainly not worth engaging with. To my surprise, he held out his hand for me to shake.
“I'm Nate Watson,” he said. I really wanted to let his hand just hang there until he withdrew it in shame but I wasn't feeling quite bitchy enough to refuse. I took his hand and shook it, enjoying the feel of his firm grip. He was strong. I liked that.
“I'm Ruby Heron,” the handshake lasted a few seconds to long before I withdrew as if I had touched a hot stove. The smirk didn't leave Nate's face.
“So now we're not strangers, huh?” he said, “Ruby's a great name, really pretty. And it really suits you, seeing as how red your cheeks are going.”
Before I could think of a clever retort we were interrupted. Trisha had arrived at our table, new husband in tow, ready to be smug and put me down. I hadn't been within ten feet of her all night but now that I saw her up close I had to stifle a giggle. Her dress was big and poofy, covered in crystals and her yellow blonde hair was piled up on top of her head in a bizarre up to. Her already impressive cleavage had been hiked up as high as it would go and covered in gold body glitter, the kind that nine-year-olds wear to birthday parties. She looked ridiculous, but even so, I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest. She looked bad, sure, but she looked happy.
“Ruby!” she exclaimed, and kissed me on both cheeks. “I am so happy you could make it!”
“Me too,” I lied, and Nate laughed as if he was reading my mind. I felt myself blushing even more but Trisha didn't seem to pick up on anything. She awkwardly introduced me to her husband, a handsome but generic looking guy with a nervous smile and eyes that didn't want to leave his new wife for more than a second at a time.
“And of course, you know Nate now,” said Trisha, gesturing at him. He raised his glass in a m
ock toast before noisily slurping down its contents in one gulp. The smile that was plastered on to Trisha's face only faltered for a second, “Nate is hilarious, Ruby. He tells such funny stories sometimes. Nate, have you told Ruby one of your stories?” Nate shook his head and thought for a moment, obviously searching for the perfect tale to bless my ears with.
“I got one! So this one time I was in Maui with these two chicks, just chilling in a hotel bar. Then they started making out and grabbing my dick and stuff, and the funniest thing happened...” Trisha gave an indignant snort to mark that she was changing the subject now, before fixing the smile back on her face once again.
“That's great! I'm sure it will really cheer Ruby up to hear about your adventures,” Trisha shot me a pitying look, “The poor thing's been going through a tough time lately, haven't you Rubes?”
No, please no. Nate was looking especially interested now. Even Trisha's husband, Peter or Patrick or whatever he was called perked up. For some reason, my misery seemed to make everyone else happy. So I'd had a few relationship problems. So what? Why did everyone have to treat me with pity? Poor Ruby the spinster, destined to be alone forever thanks to her shitty taste in guys. I hated it and I didn't want Nate to see me that way. I tried to defuse the situation by grinning at Trisha.
Dane: Hollywood's Finest Page 19