Page 12 of Would You Rather
“You know I haven’t.” Rule number one. Never check the comments. Whether they’re good or not, I just don’t do it.
“Then I suggest you do,” she says, turning her monitor to us. On the screen is the picture from that day. I’ve seen this picture hundreds of times without wanting to, but I never reallylookedat it. My gaze drifts to Madeline, who’s holding onto me for dear life, her red, long nails clawing at my neck. Her mouth is parted in an O as she looks up at me in shock. She has her head pressed against my chest, and I’m looking down at her with my brows furrowed. Fuck. We actually look like a real couple.
I glance down at the comments. They’re all about how cute we look and how happy they are for us.
I almost laugh. People believe anything.
“They aren’t commenting the usual stuff. They think you’ve changed,” Ana tells me, making my eyes lift to hers. “They think you’ve settled down. That you’re dating.”
“Dating?” Madeline asks, sounding like she’s been offended. “That was the first time we met.”
“You’re right,” she says. “But they don’t know that. They’ve never seen Lucas act so intimately with anyone before, so it’s natural for them to just take what the press publishes as facts when the picture backs it up.”
She’s spewing a load of bullshit. Other people might believe it, but I know it’s not true. I shake my head. “No,” I tell her. “I’m not fucking doing it.”
“I’ve already had interest from the press. Photoshoots, interviews. People want to see more of you two,” Ana tells me. “And I really think I can get more gigs for you if we keep this up.”
Madeline’s brows furrow. “People are that interested in his love life?”
My agent breathes out a laugh. “You’d be surprised what people care about when it comes to celebrities.”
Madeline’s head snaps to face me. “Celebrity?” she asks.
“I’m not a celebrity,” I assure her. “And it doesn’t matter anyway,” I say with a shrug before turning to look at Ana. “Because I’m not doing it.”
Ana shakes her head. “I’m at a loss here, Lucas. I’ve had a hard time finding you work. And we’ve been talking a lot about switching your image up,” she reminds me. “I really think this is the way to go if you just—”
I don’t even wait for her to finish that sentence. I shake my head, interrupting her. “You’ll have to find something else because I’m not doing it.” I turn to face Madeline, seeing her brows knitted together. “You’d be up for this?” I ask her, anticipating her response.
She crosses her arms. “Of course not. I’m not dating you, real or otherwise.”
Well fuck. I smile, glancing at my agent. “Well, you heard her. It’s a no-go.”
Ana faces Madeline with a serious look on her face. “This could be beneficial for you, too,” she tells her. I grind my teeth. She’s good at persuading people to do what she wants. I would know. It’s how she got me to agree to this whole thing in the first place. She got me right where she wanted me, using all of my weaknesses against me, and I folded like a lawn chair, pure putty in her hands. And now it’s biting me in the ass.
“What do you mean?” Madeline asks with intrigue in her tone.
Oh great. She’s already falling for it.
“You want to be an actress, right?” Ana asks her. “Well, this would be great publicity. You can get your name out there and make people notice you. You might not know who Lucas is, but a lot of people do.”
Madeline’s eyes widen and I squeeze my eyes shut, cursing under my breath. Of course, she’s just another actress wanting fame. She’s a damn good one, too, almost had me convinced she was different.
She’ll say yes, and I’ll have to spend a few weeks with this girl acting like I’m in love with her when it’s the furthest thing from the truth. I’ll lie to everyone I know, and when this is all said and done, she’ll have the fame, she’ll move on and get to do what she wants, and I’ll be stuck doing the same old thing until I’m old and fucking gray.
“You’re saying that pretending to be in a relationship with him would help me land an audition?” she asks.
Ana smiles at her. “Honey, it could make you a star. Do you know how many girls wish they were in your position right now? Lucas is one of New York’s biggest models. They love him. And if they see you with him, then they’ll love you too. This could be the stepping stone to finally landing a role in the movie business. Isn’t that what you want?”
I glance at Madeline, and for an actress, she’s not hiding her emotions very well. They’re all over her face. She’s fucking thinking about it. I can tell in the way she chews on her bottom lip, staring into space, her brows knitted together. Shit. I’ve got to end this now. No way are we going to be able to be aroundeach other for a day, never mind however long they want this to go on for.
I sit up in my chair. “What about the hate comments?”
Madeline turns to face me, her eyes widening. “Hate comments?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “You’ll get attention, that’s for sure, but not all of it will be good. You’ll get hate comments just for being with me. Do you know how many girls want to date me? They won’t like seeing you with me. They love that I’m single, that I have a new girl in my bed every night.” Everything I’m telling her is true. People are like that, but little do they know it’s all a fucking lie. “They think it could be them one day. But if I have a girlfriend?” I shake my head. “They know that can’t happen anymore. They’re going to hate you, Madeline.”
Hey eyes widen in shock, and I almost smile. I might not like the girl, but I don’t want to see her get hurt by those comments. They’re fucking brutal, and if it helps me scare her off from going along with this ruse, then all the better.
