Page 46 of Too Little Too Soon
“If she sees that you have a girlfriend, she’ll feel like she’s lost her opportunity. Based on her past actions, she wants that role in your life. So if we fill the role, there is nothing for her to obsess over. Hopefully, she’ll give up and back off.”
“She was obsessed with me when I was in Dog Daze,” Travis pointed out. “And I was married back then.”
“Exactly. And she didn’t constantly try to contact you like she does now, did she? Did she make posts on social media about carrying your secret baby? Did she confess her love for you? Did she do anything crazy at all?”
Well, fuck. “I didn’t even know she was into me until I was part of Demigoddess Revival,” he reluctantly admitted.
“Exactly. Make it a very public relationship,” Mitch continued, clearly warming to his idea. “Remember when Holly McGregor and Sam Stokes first started dating and their fans went nuts over it? That’s what skyrocketed Panic Station to fame. Hell, you doing this could serve double duty; grow your fan base and get rid of your stalker.”
Could this actually work?
“It’d be cool if you already have someone waiting in the wings.” Mitch gave him a hopeful look.
Travis shook his head. Nope. No one waiting on him, wishing their hidden relationship was public.
“Maybe talk a friend into helping. Someone you can trust. Someone who won’t let the public know the relationship isn’t real. We could look into hiring someone if you’d prefer.”
Travis shook his head again. No way was he going to pretend to be lovey-dovey with some random stranger, even if Mitch vetted them and assured Travis they were on the up and up.
He didn’t really want to get lovey-dovey with anyone. Except…
Okay, yeah, he and Ava were supposed to go back to just being friends—if he could ever find five minutes alone with her to let her know that—but he knew she’d be hurt if he suddenly started spending time with some other woman.
What ifshewas his fake girlfriend? She’d probably say no.
Wouldn’t she?
“It’s worth a shot, man,” Mitch said. “Honestly, I don’t know what else to do that won’t cause a crazy media frenzy. And a crazy media frenzy could go good or bad. For the band, I mean.”
Travis was picking up what he was laying down. It was important to make this go away without any smears on the band’s reputation. They were on the cusp of making it seriously big, and therefore making a whole lot of money. For themselves, but especially for Silver Lining Productions.
That fake pregnancy claim had died down pretty quickly because Demigoddess Revival hadn’t been huge yet. The stakes were so much higher now. The consequences had the potential to be so much worse.
He really needed to get that woman to leave him the hell alone.
“I think I know someone who can help me,” Travis said, slowly, scratching at his stubble.
Now, the question was, did he tell Ava he wanted her to be his fake girlfriend?
Or did he let her believe he wanted them to be real?
ChapterSixteen
Ava and Mariawatched the concert from the wings. Her sister was right; this was the best view in the whole arena.
Mostly because she could stare at Travis without him knowing, and she could see all of him from this vantage point. Even in the front row, a fan could only see his upper half. The rest was hidden behind his drum set.
Not that staring at his upper body was a hardship. Especially given, if he wore a shirt at all, it was usually a tight tee that didn’t hide any of the muscles on his inked up arms and barely concealed the sharp plains and valleys on his torso.
That said, standing stage left, Ava was also able to admire his muscular legs as they tapped to the beat. Tonight he wore cargo shorts, so she could see the curve of his muscular calves, the thickness of his thighs.
The man’s body was a work of art, and Ava had gotten to admire it, every single naked inch, up close and personal.
Twice.
And now they were supposed to go back to “just friends.” Or so she assumed. They hadn’t actually talked about it yet, but she could see the writing on the wall. Travis had already told her he didn’t do relationships, and she understood. Really, she did. She’d always felt the same.
Not to mention, his head was undoubtedly muddled, courtesy of his stalker. He wasn’t in a place to consider changing his own rules. Again, she understood.
