“Got it.” She sighed and nodded.
I slid off of the stool and let my hand linger on Lauren’s arm, dragging it down to the tip of her fingers before finally turning away. I caught a couple of members of the press watching me as I ascended the stairs. The fake encounter appeared to have caught their interest. I walked to the top of the stairs, opened the bedroom door at the end of the hall, and immediately removed my hat. My part in the charade was done. It was all up to Lauren now. I sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. I hoped she would be able to pull it off. She was awkward and shy when we talked, and I was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to do it. When I heard footsteps outside the door, I hopped to my feet and watched as the doorknob turned.
“Did they buy it? Was anyone watching?” I stared at her inquisitively and blinked a couple of times.
“I think so—hey, what happened to your accent?” She tilted her head to the side.
Ah, shit.
5
Lauren
Accompanying Song:
“Good Girl” by Carrie Underwood
My heart was beating so hard that I thought it was going to explode as I walked up the stairs for my fake rendezvous with Brendan. It was all a ploy, a plan to get us recognition in the music world, but my emotions were in turmoil. The brief meeting I had with Brendan in the lobby of Sawyer’s office had inspired His Stetson Hat. I could never tell him that, especially since we were just putting on a show, but he did things to me that were more than make-believe. I had never openly flirted with a guy like him before. Usually, it was just an awkward exchange, followed by a date. I could count the number of guys I had kissed on one hand and none of my relationships had went further than that.
Okay, enough people saw us at the bar and I saw several photographers snapping shots when I made my move towards the stairs, so let’s hope it worked.
I pushed open the bedroom door and closed it behind me. We were finally alone, and we were going to have to stay trapped in the bedroom at least long enough to make people believe we did more than just tease each other. I had let my parents know about the story and told them not to believe anything they saw in the tabloids, but it still didn’t make the reality any easier. I was going down a dangerous road that promised incredible rewards if we pulled off the charade, but one misstep could damage the both of us, and possibly ruin our budding careers. We had to keep things professional, even if my body was begging for me to add a dose of reality to the headlines we were trying to create.
“So your accent isn’t real?” I tilted my head to the side when I heard him speak for the first time when we were alone.
“No.” He took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Just like this relationship, it’s a load of shit.”
Well that’s one way to destroy any fantasy I was creating in my head.
“Oh.” I sighed and nodded. “I guess you’re not even from Tennessee?”
“Nope, I was born and raised in Chicago.” He shrugged and looked up at me. “Brendan Tanner is a persona that Sawyer helped me create when I moved to Nashville.”
“So your name isn’t even Brendan?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
“The first name is real.” He smiled and nodded. “What about you? Is your last name really Williams or are you just trying to make people believe you’re related to Hank?”
“No, that’s my real last name, and there is no relation at all. It’s just a coincidence.” I looked around the room and sighed. “How long do you think we need to stay in here to make it believable?”
“An hour should do it. I don’t want to get branded as the quickie cowboy.” He smirked and patted the bed. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Okay.” I felt my stomach knot up as I walked over and took a seat next to him on the bed.
“It doesn’t have to be pretend if you don’t want it to be.” He turned his head towards me with a look that almost made my panties melt.
“What? Like, a real relationship?” I tilted my head to the side.
Is he actually interested in me?
“No, screw that shit.” He scoffed and shook his head. “I mean I can really fuck you if you want. You’re cute enough to get me hard.”
“How romantic…” I slid a couple of inches away from him on the bed. “No, I’m not interested in that at all.”
Brendan is a jerk—great.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to think about you in that tight dress when I get home tonight.”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t.” I pulled the hem of my dress as close to my knees as it would go and scooted even further away from him.