Rise - Part One (Rise #1)(12)

"Did someone cheat on you?" I try to straighten my dress, pulling on the belt around my waist to tighten it.

"No. At least not that I know of." He swallows hard. "I've seen other people lie to each other. I've seen people hurt one another. "

"I'm not cheating on him. I never cheated on Ansel." I stop myself when I hear his name from my lips. I haven't said it aloud to another person since I told my father that my relationship with my college sweetheart had ended.

He rakes both of his hands through his hair. "Did he cheat on you? Is that why you won't marry him?"

The question makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I don't want to talk about my former boyfriend with a man I may only sleep with once. This conversation is too heady and thick for the promise of a moment of pleasure. Landon Beckett doesn't strike me as the type of person who is actively looking for a relationship. I don't picture his smiling profile on a dating website. This is a man whose entire persona screams one night stands and short term relationships.

I adjust my hair over my shoulders. I had taken time and care this morning to straighten it for my meeting with Gabriel. I wanted to look mature and in control. Ironically I feel none of that right now. "I don't see why my ex-boyfriend should factor into anything between us, Landon. What we had is over. It's done."

"How is it done?" He eyes me carefully. "Ansel Rinaldi wrote that letter to you didn't he?"

Fuck. Just f*ck.





Chapter 9


There's this strange phenomena that has gripped our world today. Back when my parents were my age, celebrities were mysterious oddities. They'd appear in movies, on television or their voice would flow through the radio or fill the room when you played one of their songs. No one followed them on social media. Any television segments or newspaper articles devoted to them generally focused on their latest, and greatest, career achievement.

It's different now. Celebrities, or people who are celebrating their fifteen minutes of fame, interact with the people who have placed them high on their pedestals. They are more accessible now and because of that, they can steer their image directly towards the perceived persona that they want the rest of the world to see. That's exactly what Ansel Rinaldi has done.

"It's him, isn't it?" Landon taps me on the shoulder as if that simple gesture is going to dislodge something within me and everything that has been held back will come flowing out.

"Yes. I dated him." I nod. "We met in school."

His mouth twitches. "He's killing it right now, Tess."

I shouldn't find humor in that statement but I do. Landon doesn't strike me as the type of man who would know who Ansel Rinaldi is. Ansel's core fan base is teenage girls. "You actually know who he is?"

"No," he snaps, a scowl taking over his face. "I mean, I didn't know who he was until Gianna clued me in when I spoke to her yesterday."

I can't tell if I'm more surprised by the fact that Gianna knows who Ansel is or the fact that Landon cares. "Who he is doesn't matter at all. It's over."

He edges forward until his leg is touching mine. "He's filling venues for concerts. His music is selling like crazy right now and you're telling me it's over?"

I'm mildly offended by the assumption that Ansel's success would somehow impact my desire to marry him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

The question immediately catches him off guard. His hands fist in front of him. "I don't want us to get involved if there's a chance he's going to pop back into the picture."

The chances of Ansel and I getting back together are about the same as the chance of me having sex with Landon Beckett today. "I've told you that it's over. I mean that."

"He's in love with you, Tess." He looks down at my left hand. "I read that letter. He wants to marry you."

He read the disjointed offering of a man who panicked when he feared that I'd reveal one of his secrets to his devoted fans. It was a bribe, pure and simple. It wasn't based in love or the desire to build a life with me. I hadn't even seen him in the four months before he asked me to meet him in Milan. Ansel Rinaldi loves himself and he'll do anything he can to protect his precious image.

"Landon," I say his name calmly as I push past him. "I thought you brought me here to f*ck me. I was hoping you brought me here for that."

I stop when I realize how brazen those words sound. It's what I'm feeling and trying to temper that right now seems unnecessary given the fact that we're wedged in the middle of a conversation about my ex-boyfriend with no ending in sight.

"You're very attractive." I stare up and into his face. "I thought we could have some fun but you're stuck on who my ex is, and I'm trying to put my past in the past, so I'm going to take off."

"I like you, Tess." His hand reaches for my elbow, stalling me mid-step. "I don't want you to go."

Of course he doesn't. He's probably got another hundred questions related to Ansel lined up. "I'm not going to stay."

"Why not?" he asks genuinely, his jaw tightening. "I'm just trying to understand what happened between you and your ex."

"Honestly," I begin before I stop to rest my hand on my stomach as I pull in a heavy breath. "Honestly, it's none of your business. He's part of my past. The relationship has been over for a long time. Besides, I don't generally tell the men I casually sleep with about my ex."