Page 71 of Faking It

Ana’s gaze shift to the door, then back to me as she sighs with a breath that sounds like surrender. “Yet, it feels like… like, I’ll go crazy if I don’t kiss you tonight.”

Hell yes, I know what you mean.

“At least once,” she whispers.

Needing no further prompting, I close the distance. She presses her hands against my bare torso, groaning as our lips meet. My fingers curl around the back of her neck as I lost myself in the slow, sensual dance of our tongues. Fuck, she tastes amazing. Kissing her feels good. Effortless. I run my hand down her back, squeezing her firm ass. She lifts her leg and wraps it around my thigh, the action pressing her pussy against my erection.

Then she rolls her hips. Once, twice. Over and over, dry humping me.

Holy fucking shit.

I suck on her tongue, grip her ass with both hands, then grind like hell against her. Pleasure builds in my scrotum, letting me know that I’ll be coming in a few minutes if I don’t stop.

But I can’t stop. I don’t want to, either. Not when I’m feeling the most pleasure I’ve experienced in a while.

The sudden shrilling of the cell phone on the desk jolts us both, ruining the steamy moment. Ana backs off with a sound like she’s coming up for air and with a look that says we just did a bad, dirty thing that she already regrets.

While backing to the desk, I keep my eyes on her as if a simple shift of my gaze would make her disappear. My hand gropes for the phone, and I raise it, seeing Jared’s name on the screen. I instantly remember seeing his ex at the party, and I press the answer button while hoping he’s okay.

“Jared.”

“Did you turn off notifications on your phone or something?” he greets me, sounding worried.

“What’s going on?” I counter.

“ANON posted an update about an hour ago. A photo of you and some guy fighting over Ana. At least, that’s what the caption read. Check your phone. I just sent the link.”

Ana draws closer as I put the phone on speaker and open my chat with Jared. An image pops up as I click the link. Ana gasps as she peers on my screen. “What the hell?”

“Hell is right,” Jared mutters. “Which is exactly what Cheryl will rain on both your assess. To put it bluntly, you’re both fucked.”

Chapter 27

Ana

Jared was wrong about one thing. Gideon and I aren’t fucked.

I am.

He’s off the hook. I’m the one in the spotlight and not in a good way. He’s not being dragged into a meeting with the execs. I am. The tabloids aren’t tarnishing his name. Only mine.

Swallowing the bitterness down my throat, I face Cheryl’s stern demeanor as she takes her seat around the conference table across from me. Norman and Elliott flank her sides, their chairs scraping the floor as they sit down, looking equally serious.

“Do you remember why I hired you, Ana?” Cheryl begins.

I nod, barely having the energy to say a word. Crying all night had drained most of it. Right now, I’m only awaiting my fate.

“You have an amazing talent, but let’s be honest. Great talent isn’t hard to find in this city. What you brought to the table is the publicity I needed. Good publicity,” she emphasizes.

Tears sting my eyes as she pauses.

“What happened last night and the backlash that follows is definitely not good publicity. It’s taking the spotlight away from our work and onto your… lifestyle.”

“What the tabloids have been posting is far from the truth. I’m not a whore.”

Cheryl’s eyes narrow at me. “They’re claiming you’ve been sleeping with Gideon, Michael Galanos and that up-and-coming film director. Gideon got involved in two fights last night, defending himself against the men you’ve been cheating with. At least, that’s what they’re saying. Are you telling me that’s not true?”

“It’s not. Neither is the allegation that I slept my way into getting this part, or that I’m playing these guys to climb my way to the top.”

---