Page 35 of Lucky Star

“But I can’t do that in front of you!”

I rolled my eyes. “Were you planning on having me banished from the set on the days you filmed those scenes?”

He stared at me. “Yes, I was.”

I reached deep inside of myself in an attempt to locate some measure of Zen. Instead, all I found was frustration. “Do you know how many women you’ve kissed in front of me? I’ve watched you with other women for years.”

He winced and looked away.

My tone gentled. “The difference is now, when I watch you kiss Jillian, I won’t be wishing you were thinking about me instead. I’ll know it. What we have is real, and what you do on screen is make believe.”

“I can’t ask you to sit back and watch while the world thinks I’m with someone else. Not when all I want to do is shout from the rooftops how lucky I am to have you.” He pressed the heel of his palms to his eyes. “I finally have you, and now you’re asking me to keep that a secret.”

My heart broke for him.

For us.

He wasn’t alone in wanting to shout about our love, but that couldn’t happen. Not right now.

We’d chosen to live in a world where the studio’s mandate was law. If he defied them, it would spell the end of any career he might have. Cameron wasn’t getting any younger, and there weren’t a lot of leading roles for unknown actors over a certain age. He couldn’t live on commercials or bit roles in made-for-TV movies much longer. If he played their awful game for a couple of years, he could have more money and fame than he’d ever dreamed of. We would be set for life.

“If you refuse, you’re giving up Hollywood. If that’s what you want, I’ll stand by your side. Heck, I’d even go back to Ohio with you. But I know you, Cameron, and I know how badly you want this. It’s what you’ve been working toward for more than a decade. The money you make from The Ties That Bind will set your family up for life. It’ll set us up for life.”

I hated myself for playing dirty like this, but it was for Cameron’s own good. He’d accused me of not fighting for us, but that’s exactly what I was doing. I was simply playing the long game.

To sweeten the pot, I added, “Once you’re cemented as a leading man, you can have stipulations built into your contracts that prevent people from meddling in your personal life.

“Once this movie wraps, we’ll go public. I promise. But we can’t do it now. Broderick is ruthless as hell. He’ll ruin you if you do anything to ruin the movie.”

When Cameron’s jaw ticked with anger and his eyes dropped into rage-filled slits I realized I might have pushed too far. I needed to convince him, not make him go Hulk Smash on our boss.

“But don’t get hung up on Broderick. Think of this as your best opportunity to achieve all your dreams. A difficult opportunity, true, but it can work. I promise, I’ll be by your side the whole time. You won’t be alone in this.”

I watched his resolve weaken as I laid it all out for him. Once Cameron established himself as a leading man, we could go public, and he could knock me up and buy all the damn farms in Ohio if that’s what he wanted to do. I was offering him the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and all he had to was what he did best: play a part.

When his shoulders slumped, I knew I’d won—if that’s what you could call it. Because in the short term? I was definitely a loser.

This is all for him, I reminded myself. A little sacrifice now ensures our future.

He dropped his head forward and closed his eyes. “I know I’m going to regret this,” he whispered.

And that, my friends, was how I became Cameron Scott’s best-kept secret.

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