Page 36 of Beneath the Fame

Even though I knew my PR agent was correct—more thancorrect—I groaned. Honestly, a conversation about it was overdue.

We’d both been thrust so much attention surrounding our potential relationship over the last few weeks that we were coming to a point that it was going tohaveto be addressed.

One way or the other.

Especiallynow that I’d threatened tosmack the shitout of a man on live TV about her.

“How do you want to handle it?” Chloe asked. “We can work with anything. Are you guys together, and willing to tell the world yet? ’Cause that’s honestly the easiest to handle. If you’renottogether, I can spin that too, just fine. Now…if youaretogether, but don’t want the world to actually think so…that’s unfortunately a bit harder.”

I grinned at her from across the countertop where dinner was spread out.

Our meetings went like this often, casual, over dinner, because Chloe was cool. She’d been on my team for a long time, and I’d watched her grow her business to the point that she’d hired on more people. But because I was one of her early clients, she worked directly with me.

Her husband was here too, absorbing everything as he trained to become part of her agency. He was only about five years out of a federal prison sentence, and nobodyevertalked about that shit. I knew because I knew, but in the public eye, that information was burieddeep.

If she could rehabthatimage, I knew my shit was in more than capable hands.

“Every once in a while, I’ve got to get my money out of you—you know that, right?” I asked and she let out a deep sigh as she caught on to what I was saying.

I was rarely ever in the spotlight for anything nefarious or provably scandalous. The most she’d ever really had to tackle for me was weird rumors, and her philosophy with many of those was just to let it ride. Undoubtedly, some other celebrity would do something much more worthy of the headline news cycle, and whatever was being said about me would fade to the background.

It worked, damn near every time.

Chloe nodded. “Okay. It’s not really a problem, just…like I said, a little more difficult. This is what her people are advising?”

I shrugged. I didn’t know what her people were advising, or if she’d even had a conversation yet about it. But it was definitely what Vanessa wanted and had expressed to me explicitly. Which was good enough for me not to push back on the idea.

“That’s fine—I’ll reach out to her team and see what their preferred method of handling is, so that everything is cohesive. Are we at least clear onwhywe’re keeping it under wraps?”

“To keep the public from tearing it apart before we’ve even gotten to enjoy it,” I answered, simply. “We know what they’re going to do to her, and I would rather put that off as long as we can. I’m less concerned about what they’ll do to me.”

Chloe nodded. “I’m sureshe’sconcerned what they’ll do to you though. I’ve already seen some of the stuff they’re saying. It’s ugly.”

“Which is exactly why I’m not trying to welcome it.” I sighed. “Imagine what happens once it’s confirmed.”

“I already have, because Ihaveto,” she said. “But,youdon’t imagine it—you’re exactly right, it’s not pleasant. It’s more than any young relationship should have to face. I’m happy for you though—chatter aside, based on what I’ve seen and heard, Vanessa seems to be a good match for you. You light up when you talk about her.”

“Yeah, your ass is sprung,” Reggie—Chloe’s husband—chuckled. “But that’s how it should be.”

From there, the conversation moved into strategy—not just about handling the publicity around my love life, but the show, and other career things. By the time they left, I was mentally exhausted, and honestly still physically exhausted from all my activity from the previous night into this morning with Vee.

All I wanted to do was sleep.

Well…notall.

Neither of us had worked on set today, but both had other things to handle which had kept us away from each other all day.

Now though, after my shower when I climbed into bed, instead of reaching for sleep…I reached for my phone.

It only rang a few times before her face was on my screen.

“Hey, baby.”

ChapterTen

VANESSA

Shannon

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