Page 12 of Undeniable Temptation

Was the woman morally conflicted over the thought of a fake relationship? She certainly wasn’t this timid on stage last night when she was screaming her enthusiasm to the audience and gyrating against the microphone stand.

“Leah?”

She snapped her attention to Ryan. “Yeah?”

“I asked about how we will get the paparazzi involved.”

“We’ll leak it somehow. Don’t worry, they’ll swarm as soon as they hear word you’ve moved on from Julie.”

“You really think they’ll swarm?” Felicity’s voice was panicked, her ruby-stained lips tight with disbelief. “What happens if I can’t make this look plausible?”

“Then you try harder.” Scott stole the words from Leah’s mouth.

This woman still had celebrity training wheels, her cluelessness evident for everyone to see.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Blake answered. “The paps will want this story as much as we do because it sells. They’ll wait for the money shot and they’ll consider any unrealistic behavior as puppy-love nerves.”

“And between now and tomorrow night, we can get to know each other.” Ryan gave her another one of those consoling smiles. “I’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”

“Can I suggest taking a few photos on our terms first?” Leah grated through a clenched jaw. She didn’t want to pussy-foot around this woman’s apprehension. It was bad enough her men were already fawning over her, jumping through unnecessary hoops. Felicity was supposed to be a rocker, an upcoming star. If she couldn’t handle a small dose of media manipulation, she didn’t have the skills to be in this industry.

“What do you mean?” Felicity met her gaze.

“Mitch’s wife is the official Reckless photographer. We can get her to take some staged shots and leak them under an alias. That way you’re assured you’ll look good—” not that this woman could ever appear anything less than fuckable, “—and you’ll be prepared for the first wave of craziness.”

“That sounds good.”

Curse her and her appreciative smile.

“Are you good with that?” Felicity focused on Ryan in hope.

He nodded. “I’m happy with whatever puts you at ease.”

Gagging noises filled the room, or maybe it was only in Leah’s head. This situation was becoming more unbearable by the second. She could only imagine what it would become once the two fake lovers were nauseatingly familiar with one another.

“Great. I’ll call Alana and—”

“No.” Ryan spoke over her. “I’ll do it. You’ll have enough on your plate trying to organize the PR team and track the success of this stunt.”

He was dismissing her? She’d never been relegated to the back seat when it came to publicity. This was her domain. Her job.

“We’re good.” He looked at Felicity. “Right?”

“Yeah.” The woman shrugged. “I’d actually prefer fewer witnesses. I’m not the best actress.”

“You won’t need to act, sugar.” Blake ruffled Ryan’s hair, receiving a scowl in return. “You’ll happily succumb to this guy’s charms within minutes.”

Felicity smirked, the first unscripted reaction of the day. “We’ll see.”

The rest of the meeting was dedicated to how Grander would deem this a success. A social media explosion was expected. There needed to be an influx of followers and friends and tweets. Paparazzi and news outlets had to recognize Felicity as an up and coming celebrity. And the clincher, Slicker was required to hit a chart on at least one major online retailer for this nightmare to be over.

There were also stipulations on the type of attention they were aiming for. Even though any publicity for Felicity would’ve been welcomed, Scott made it known they were only aiming for favorable hype. Meaning—if someone had to take the fall for a stunt gone awry, it would be Ryan.Hisreputation would be the one tarnished in the event of a social media backlash.Hishard earned gentlemanly status would be ruined. Andhisfuture happiness would be at stake.

“Like I’ve previously stated,” Scott drawled, “if this doesn’t work, we’ve already got staff and venues on standby for the additional shows.”

“Yeah,” Blake grated. “You’ve mentioned that once or twice already.”

“We understand the terms.” Leah didn’t require a caustic tone. She made sure her stare was enough. “I’ll just need them in writing.”

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