Beautiful Liar (The Reed Rivers Trilogy 2)

She giggles.

“It was the embodiment of ‘fake it till you make it.’ I even posed for photographers on the red carpet outside, like they were all there for me.”

We laugh together.

“So, what’d you say to CeeCee that made her want to give you that first big break?”

“Nothing particularly ingenious. I told her about Red Card Riot, and I guess my genuine passion was evident. She said, ‘Send me the album and I’ll give it a listen.’ And the rest is history. I think the main thing was we just genuinely liked each other. There was an instant connection.”

“I felt that with her, too,” Georgie says. “When I had coffee with her, I immediately felt like I’d known her for years.”

“Yeah, CeeCee has that effect on people. So do you.”

She blushes. “Thank you.” She draws her knees up to her chest. “So, is that everyone on your short list?”

I pause to consider. “No, I’d put Amalia on the short list, too. Also, Owen. I’d take a bullet for Owen, but, for the love of all things holy, don’t put that into your article, or he’ll demand a massive raise.”

Georgina looks surprised. “Oh. I wasn’t thinking about the article. I’m just enjoying getting to know you.”

Oh, Georgina. She’s such a liar. A beautiful one. But a liar nonetheless. “Isn’t everything we talk about this week fair game for your article?” I ask. “Are you saying this conversation is off the record?”

She ponders that. Or pretends to, anyway. “No, I can’t promise that. I guess I was just thinking I’d get to know you this week, organically, and have faith the article will take care of itself.”

I take a sip of water. “Sorry, I don’t think that approach is going to work for me. At the end of this, I don’t want to open the special issue and read something I thought I’d said to you during a private, intimate moment, like during pillow talk or whatever. If you really want to get to know me, then I’m going to need the ability to designate certain conversations as off-limits.”

She sighs. “Aw, Reed. So sure everyone is out to get you.” She crawls like a cat across the floor, opens my bent legs, and crawls between them onto her knees. She shoves her gorgeous face into mine. She’s so close, I can see every pore in her smooth, olive skin. The gold flecks in her hazel eyes. She puts her hands on my cheeks. “Reed Rivers, I hereby promise I’m not here to trick or trap you. I’m here to get to know you and use whatever I learn to write an amazing article about an amazing man that will blow you, and everyone who reads it, away.”

I shake my head. “Georgie, you have to understand, I haven’t read a single interview or article about me that got everything exactly right. There’s always something that gets lost in translation. Every time.”

“Well, that sucks.” She twists her mouth, considering. “All right. Here’s what we’ll do. You’ll promise that anything you say to me this week, and whatever I might observe, will be fair game for me to write about.” She puts her fingertip to my lips, silencing me. “But I promise to let you see my article before showing it to anyone else, even CeeCee. And if there’s anything you don’t want in there, anything I’ve gotten wrong or you don’t particularly like, then I’ll take it out. It’s as simple as that.”

I squint. “What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one. This way, you’ll feel free to say whatever you want around me, no matter how stupid or arrogant or condescending it might be.” She winks playfully. “And you won’t have to worry it might make you look bad later.” She slides her arms around my neck and kisses my cheek. “Now you have no excuse not to let down your guard with me.”

Let down your guard. I can’t believe it. Normally, when a woman says this sort of thing to me, I get hives. Or feel the urge to run away. Or shut down. But hearing those words from Georgina, I’m feeling nothing but excited and turned on.

“My only request?” she says. “When you read my ultimate article, just remember I’m not out to get you. Give it a chance. Please.”

I pause. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” I kiss her, and, just like that, those damned butterflies are going to town inside my belly again. Rippling and flapping like crazy. I smile. “Now that we’ve got that figured out, let’s celebrate.”

She motions to the massive bulge behind my shorts. “Gee. Do you have a particular kind of celebration in mind, Mr. Rivers?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” I grin wickedly. “You mentioned you like being weightless...”

“Oooh, after last night’s torture, you’re dying to fuck me in your pool, aren’t you? I’m definitely in favor of that.”