He cleared his throat. “I don’t think either one of us is in the right state to discuss this any further.”
Her brows shot up. Damn, he’d fucked up again. He began easing toward the exit. She might blow at any minute and he wanted to be out of the blast zone.
“I think that what you really wanted to say to Tyler Gaylord was that you owned me and he needed to stay away from your property. Is that about right?”
Don’t answer. Don’t answer. Don’t answer.
“Of course not. I don’t think I own you, but you are my girlfriend and I’m your boyfriend. You’re spoken for and so am I. You’re being ridiculous.”
Dumbass. I told you to shut up. This is why you’re divorced. You always take the bait.
Hopping up from the sofa, she got in his face – or as close as she could at her height – and poked at his chest with her finger. “I’m being ridiculous? I cannot believe you said that. I am not being ridiculous.”
Those words were spat out between gritted teeth and he stood there helpless, not sure what to say or do. He could remain motionless and wait out the storm or try and talk her down. Usually when the woman in his life got like this he swept her into his arms and kissed her. It worked more times than it didn’t, so it was his go-to strategy but she wasn’t his to kiss and there would be no “sweeping” of anything in this fake-lationship.
More pokes into his chest. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, I am and as I said I do want to apologize. My behavior was uncalled for.”
Her eyes narrowed and she regarded him suspiciously. “Which behavior would that be?”
“All of it,” he answered promptly, not really meaning it but knowing she expected it. “I am sorry and I hope you can forgive me.”
She fell back onto the love seat and rolled her eyes. “For an Academy Award-winning actor, you suck at lying. You’re not sorry at all.”
Now it was his turn to grit his teeth. “I was simply nominated. I did not win.”
“Well, now you know why.”
No one in Max’s life had ever had the gall to say something like that to him. Ever. People told him what a great actor he was and that he should have won. They didn’t tell him why he didn’t. It was staggering.
He threw the contract he’d been holding in his hand, already crumpled from his unrelenting grip onto the table between them. “I came to bring you your copy of the contract but honestly I cannot imagine why I signed an agreement with someone like you. You’re rude and unpleasant. What Paige sees in you as a friend I have no idea.”
“Same to you, fella. I think her first evaluation of you was correct. Stiff, cold, arrogant, superior, and pompous. She called you a judgmental asshole and I concur.”
Paige’s opinion of him hurt, more than a little. Max did take time to warm up and get to know people but he didn’t like to think he wasn’t a good person until he did. He just kept to himself.
“I do not judge people.”
“Really? You judged me. Guilty as charged, officer. Some poor bastard came by here with flowers and asked me out. Somehow this became my fault. It was completely innocent – at least on my part – and you blew it out of proportion. You know, it’s just as well you’re calling all of this off because I couldn’t pretend to be your girlfriend, Max. Just for your edification, I’m not an actress. If I’m going to act like a girlfriend, I actually have to know you a little bit. I have to like you as a person. To do that we have to spend time together and do more than stare blankly at each other. You’ve been so busy protecting yourself, you haven’t noticed that you’ve been pushing me away. So here I am. Ready to leave and go back home. I’d rather face my friends and family than have to deal with your sourpuss day in and day out. For a fucking millionaire sex symbol movie star, you sure as hell don’t have much to smile about.” She pointed to the door. “You can show yourself out.”
For a moment he couldn’t move, frozen to that spot on the carpet. But then he realized she was serious, her lips pressed together and her light brown eyes dark with emotion. Fury. She was absolutely furious with him.
He wasn’t all that calm either and that was just fine with him. He wasn’t the one at fault here. She was the problem. She had the issues.
Good riddance.
CHAPTER TWELVE
After the ugly scene with Max, Carrie had managed to lose herself in her work so it was a shock when she received a text from Paige. She wanted to talk to Carrie as soon as possible.
It was a dreary evening outside, cold and rainy but the gas fireplace in the living room was warm and cheery and Carrie sat down on the overstuffed chair, her legs curled under her as she brought up Skype on her laptop. In less than a minute she was seeing Paige’s glowing face. Marriage agreed with her.
“Where’s Nate?” Carrie asked, blowing on her hot chocolate. “Did he have to work today?”
It was still afternoon in Los Angeles.
“No, but he had a meeting with the director and producer but he should be home any time now. What I want is for you to tell me what’s going on in London. According to the tabloids I’m going to be an auntie. I have to say I’m kind of surprised you’re carrying Max’s baby. You two didn’t waste any time.”
Rolling her eyes, Carrie sipped her cocoa. She had told Paige about her broken engagement a few days ago, albeit a sanitized version designed to not upset her newlywed friend. She and Max had planned to tell Nate and Paige together about their relationship, but the moment was upon her and she didn’t think she could pretend with her best friend in the whole world.
“There’s something I need to tell you about me and Max.”
“Are you going to tell me that you and Max are fake?”
Almost dropping her mug, Carrie carefully set it on the table next to the chair. “How on earth did you know?”
Paige nodded. “I didn’t know for sure until you just confirmed it but I know you. You don’t hop from being engaged to one man to dating another without a care in the world. You’re more deliberate than that. You’d think it through, although if you agreed to a fake romance with him I’d say you might not have thought that through either. Want to tell me what happened? And don’t leave out any details.”
It was then that Carrie began to explain the real truth – about Mark, his ex-wife, seeing Max outside when he went for a cigarette that he shouldn’t have been smoking, and then lastly how crappy the last few days had been. She and Max at each other’s throats, his ex-wife, and Tyler Gaylord. By the time she finished, Carrie needed a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes and blow her nose.
“That sniveling little rat-faced git,” Paige fumed, her lips tight. “I’ll punch him right where it counts just for being a jerk. He should have known if he was getting involved with you that meant he was getting involved with me too. Asshole.”
Carrie waved her tissue. “There’s no need. It’s over. He called it off and I’m okay with it.”
Paige scowled at her friend. “I’m going to put my foot up his ass.”
She didn’t need that kind of help. Max had been a jerk but not enough to warrant corporal punishment. “It’s not a big deal. He and I just don’t get on well. He’s got…issues. And then there’s what I said.”
“What did you say?”
“I kind of said that I could see why he didn’t win an Oscar.”
Paige hissed as she exhaled slowly. “Ouch, that had to hurt. But still, so what? Doesn’t give him permission to be a jerk.”
It did, though. But all the other times? That was on him.
“Um…didn’t Nate act a little arrogant when you first met him? I think it’s this movie star thing. People fawn over them and they start to believe their own press.”
“Max is tough to get to know. He doesn’t open up easily but when he does he’s a nice man. Very protective too.”
“I’m not sure I have that kind of time.”
She was in her thirties now. How old would she be when he warmed up to her?
“You’ve been photographed with him, my friend. Plus, that wicked witch of an ex-wife has seen you together. Running away may not be a valid option anymore. Besides, you’d have to face everyone at home. You agreed to this for a reason and my guess is that reason hasn’t suddenly vanished.”
Wrapping her cold hands around the warm mug, Carrie contemplated her less than stellar options. “They haven’t but I’m not sure I can pull this off. I thought Max and I would at least become friends, if not friendly. I wasn’t thinking we’d fall into bed like you and Nate but I kind of hoped we could have fun and laugh. You know, enjoy ourselves. I mean…what does that man do for fun? He hardly ever smiles.”
Paige’s brows pinched together. “You know, I don’t know what he does for fun. I do know that he and Nate go play darts and have a few beers down at the pub. But as for how else he spends his free time, I don’t know. He once told me he likes to read.”
“We have that in common then but I’m not sure that’s enough to base a relationship on, even a make-believe one.”
Heavy footsteps sounded and then Nate breezed in, kissing Paige soundly and giving Carrie a smug grin. This was a happily married man before her. She’d been worried about whether he could do this but clearly marriage looked good on him. He snuggled next to Paige, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while she rested her head on his chest.
“Carrie, it’s lovely to see you my friend.” He frowned and leaned closer to the camera on the laptop. “Have you been crying?”
Paige nodded. “She most certainly has and it’s all Max’s fault.”
Frowning, Nate looked from his wife to Carrie. “What’s going on here?”
“Max is an asshole,” Paige growled before Carrie could answer. “You should hear how your best friend has treated my best friend. He ought to be ashamed of himself.”
Nate settled next to Paige, his elbows on his knees. “I think I need to hear about this.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Carrie protested, already seeing this was going to be trouble. Nate was over the top protective of the females in his life, even her. “We’ll get it worked out.”
“The relationship is fake,” Paige declared smugly. “Just as we thought but Max has been a total arrogant jerk. Let her tell you about what he said when she was talking to Tyler Gaylord. He’s lost his mind.”
“Tyler? How did he get involved with this? Carrie,” Nate said softly. “Talk.”
“I’ve got it handled. Everything is under control.”
He smiled that smile. The one that made women swoon on several continents. “Talk. Don’t make me do something drastic.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she tried again. “I just don’t think he and I are compatible, that’s all. No harm, no foul. Let’s move on.”
Nate and Paige just sat there staring at her, not saying a word.
“I’m not going to say anything.”
More staring.
“Seriously, I’ve said too much already. Let’s change the subject. How’s the traffic in LA?”
Silence.
Fuck. This wasn’t going to go well.
* * *
Max wasn’t a man that sat around feeling badly about himself but he found himself doing exactly that. He’d always known he had a few issues but he hadn’t thought they were all that serious.
Clearly he’d been deluding himself.
According to Carrie – and he had no reason to disbelieve her – he was cold, remote, arrogant, and spoiled.
He’d also seen his need to win rear its ugly head. He was a competitive arse and he hated to lose, even when the stakes didn’t matter. It was the reason he wasn’t allowed to play checkers with Mike and Amy’s kids anymore. He had to win the game even if his opponent was only five years old. He hadn’t been all that proud of his behavior that day and he wasn’t today either. His words had been cruel and unnecessarily so. The last word, the one-upmanship, had been the goal, not being a decent human being.
He’d been hurt when she’d made the remark about why he didn’t win. To be honest, he’d known he wasn’t going to win from the moment he’d been nominated. Two of the actors in his category were older and had been passed over several times. It was going to be the year for one of them. Since it was Max’s first nomination it was his job to attend the awards, smile at the cameras, and say what an honor it was to be nominated.
It was an honor and he’d totally wanted to win. He’d hoped for a miracle, and it hadn’t come.
Twisting open a bottle of beer, he lounged back on his bed, the television on in the background but it was just noise. The entire situation had to be settled, one way or another. They had been photographed together plus Alana knew about Carrie. Breaking up at this stage wasn’t a good option but sniping at each other constantly wasn’t either. He was going to have to let down his guard and be himself. If she didn’t like him then, he couldn’t say he hadn’t tried.
What would show her he truly wanted to work this out?
Like a lightbulb over his head, the idea came to him. A smile on his face, he reached for his laptop on the side table, opened up his word processing program and began to type.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Two hours later Max was questioning the wisdom of his decision. What had sounded like a perfectly easy task had turned into an ugly monster. He was thrilled for the break when he heard pounding on his hotel room door loudly enough to wake the dead.
“Christ, I’m coming,” Max called before swinging the door open. His good friend Mike stood there, pulling his right arm back and then throwing it forward. His fist made a horrible thud against Max’s jaw, knocking him off his feet and onto his arse.
Shutting the door behind him, Mike entered the hotel room and skirted around the still sprawled Max and headed straight for the wet bar, shedding his coat and gloves on the way. Max had no idea what had gotten into one of his best friends in the world but he wasn’t averse to throwing a punch or two of his own.
“What the bloody hell?”
Slapping two glasses down on the bar, Mike poured a generous measure of whiskey into both glasses.
“I just talked to Nate who asked me to come over here. I think you know why I hit you and I also think you know that you deserve it. Now come have a drink.” Levering off the floor, Max took the other glass as Mike held up his own. “A toast. To Amy, myself, love, and happiness. Something you’ll never find unless you get your head out of your arse.”
Irritation twisted in Max’s stomach but he clinked his glass with Mike’s before taking a large gulp. “I assume Nate has spoken to Carrie.”
“You would assume correctly, although it wasn’t easy to get her to spill her story from what I heard. She was trying to protect you, but why I have no idea. It’s not as if you earned that right.”
Mike pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed. Before Max could even ask who it was Nate’s voice was coming through the speaker.
“Paige is beside herself, mate, and I don’t blame her. I had to pry the story out of Carrie and I was appalled. Now what else do you have to confess? Get it all off your chest and you’ll feel better.”
Max relayed his side of the story, trying not to gloss over the parts he’d screwed up. He could be fussy, arrogant, and generally pompous when he first met a person. It hadn’t been all that bad before but since his breakup with Alana it was terrible. He found it hard to trust anyone.
“How do you intend to fix this?” Nate asked through the phone.
“I’m not sure I even can. Did Carrie say whether she was staying or leaving? When I left her she wasn’t sure.”
“She’s still not sure. In her head she knows you’re not that bad but you’ve hurt her, Max. Carrie may come off all strong and capable but she has a soft heart, just like Paige.”
Scratching his head, Max sighed. “I tried something that I thought she might like but it probably won’t work.”
Mike nodded encouragement. “At least you’re trying. What is i
t? A surprise dinner? Jewelry?”
Grimacing, Max shifted on his feet. Nate and Mike were never going to let him hear the end of this. “A list.”
“A list,” Mike repeated, blinking in confusion. “Just how would a list make Carrie like you again?”
“She mentioned something about how she made certain lists and I kind of made fun of her about it. So I decided I would show her that I was open to it and I worked on the list.”
There was silence until it was broken by Nate. “Is this the list about desirable traits in a significant other? Carrie told us how you made fun of her for that.”
“It is,” Max exhaled, his gaze darting around the room, not wanting to make eye contact with Mike.
His smile widening, Mike chuckled and came down to sit next to Max on the sofa, propping his feet on the table and setting the phone between them on a cushion. “Show it to us.”
“Fuck both of you. I’m not showing you something so personal.”
“Show it to me or we won’t believe you. Maybe if we can see it we can put in a good word for you with Carrie. Otherwise, I’m thinking that she might as well end this farce with you right now,” warned Nate.
“Blackmail,” Max hissed through gritted teeth. “You’re devious little shits.”
“Guilty,” Mike said cheerfully. “Now show me the list. I might even be able to help you with it so you can impress Carrie. I’ve dug myself out of a few doghouses with Amy.”
“That’s true.”
“Gentlemen,” Nate’s crisp voice came through the line. “I’m going to hang up and let Mike handle this. Mate, hit him again if you think he needs it.”
“Will do,” Mike said cheerfully as he hung up. “Now let’s see this list.”
Standing, Max went in to the bedroom and came back out with his laptop, handing it to Mike. A quick perusal of the document had him tapping at the keyboard.
“Are you crazy? You make your dream woman sound like Betty Crocker in black leather. That’s not going to get you any points with a woman like Carrie.”
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