A Hollywood Deal(37)

Avoiding the kiss was maybe the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The heat in my blood makes me almost light-headed. I feel like there’s an inferno raging inside.

If you have him, maybe you can snuff it out.

I give myself a good slap mentally. I can’t afford to buy into a temporary fantasy. Ryder is an actor, and he probably just got carried away. We aren’t in public anymore, and there’s no reason for us to continue the charade.

Taking in a deep breath, I go into the…suite. It’s sumptuously appointed with hardwood flooring and multiple fans hanging from the extra-high ceiling. A couple of abstract paintings in shades of purple hang on the walls covered with pale blue and gold wallpaper. The wooden four-poster bed is a California king, way bigger than the humble twin back in my apartment.

A vase full of fresh pink roses sits on the low, glass-top table in the living room. I take one and put it to my nose, hoping the flower’s sweet scent will erase Ryder’s from my memory.

It doesn’t. In fact, it only serves to accentuate how masculine, how alluring, how irresistible he smells. I can’t even claim that it’s his cologne. He never wears much, and I have yet to encounter an artificial scent that can wet my panties or bead my nipples until they’re aching.

I stick the flower back in the vase and go to the closet. Hopefully it has something I can change into for the ni—

What the hell?

My clothes are hanging in front of me, all tidy and clean. I walk over to the bathroom, which has a double vanity and a hideously expensive toilet I remember custom ordering for Ryder from Japan. My cherry blossom-scented lotion—half-full just the way it was that morning—and my pink robe are there as well.

I explore and find more of my things. A lot more. So Ryder moved me out of my place sometime during the day. Apparently, this wasn’t something he thought important enough to mention.

Just because I agreed to marry him for a year doesn’t mean he gets to make all these decisions without talking to me about them first. I shoot to my feet, ready to battle my boss slash fiancé, but my phone starts ringing. Renni.

“Hello? Renni?” I say, girding myself for her anger.

“OhmyGOD! Paige!” She doesn’t sound upset. In fact, her voice is vibrating with excitement and energy and going two hundred miles an hour. “I just told Gary, and trust me, I almost died holding this news. I got a call from Mira Brasson. And she wants to talk!”

Wow. Mira moves fast. Guess she doesn’t want me to back out now that I’m beginning to realize the full implications of being engaged to Ryder. “Great!” I say, trying to match her elation. “I’m so happy for you!”

“I know, right? She’s one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. I couldn’t even catch everything she said because I was hyperventilating. What do I do when I see her? What if she thinks I’m an idiot for not remembering anything she says?”

“I’m sure she’s used to it.”

Mira told me once that an aspiring actor fainted in the middle of their first meeting. “I should start carrying smelling salts,” she said in a droll tone. “Least I could do, ‘cause I’m sure as hell not catching ’em when they fall.”

“Where are you?” I ask.

“At Gary’s. I stopped by after work.”

“Good. Stay there tonight if you can.”

“Why?”

“You didn’t get my text?”

“Yeah, uh…maybe. Was it something important? I can’t remember.” She sounds completely distracted.

“No, it’s okay.” She probably barely remembers how to use the phone in her excitement. I clear my throat. “I’ve, um, temporarily moved out of the apartment.”

“I know. I heard! From Mira, that is. I think it’s smart to lay low for now. You’re the number one trending keyword in social media right now.” She then goes on, her tone turning half-accusing. “Because you’re engaged to Ryder fucking Reed!”

I cringe. I guess my engagement is finally registering now that all the excitement over Mira is out of the way.

“I never even suspected you guys had anything going! And I read that thing, you know, about him doing those three chicks a couple of weeks ago? So of course I assumed he wasn’t dating anybody seriously. But I guess you can’t really believe everything you read these days. So many fake stories.” She lowers her voice. “But seriously, you have to tell me what happened. I thought you were just getting over Shaun. If I didn’t know you so well, I’d say you were seeing Ryder behind Shaun’s back.”