The Game (Wagered Hearts Series, #3)(9)

"Sounds perfect," I said.





Chapter 4: Emilia



He was late. I sat in my seat and fidgeted before shooting back up to pace the well appointed office of my lawyer, Carl Casner. We had agreed to meet today to sign the contracts and begin our fake relationship. Things seemed to have gone smoothly--almost too smoothly. Now sitting in my lawyer's office, I wondered if he had gotten cold feet.

Even though this wasn't a real relationship, there was still a certain amount of commitment involved, and the Rob I knew ran at the first sign of commitment. He was one of those guys that clung tightly, almost defiantly, to his bachelor lifestyle. When we first met, one of the first things he told me was that he wasn't looking for anything serious.

I couldn't blame him and actually appreciated his honesty. I hadn't been looking to be tied down either. My career was just taking off and I had the whole world at my fingertips. Being with Rob was a fun distraction. It didn't hurt that he was handsome, charming and filthy rich. Not that I needed the money, but being seen around town with a billionaire was great for publicity, and it added a certain cachet to my reputation. When I got offered the role in The Time Warden, I jumped at the chance and never looked back. That had been the end of our relationship, and I couldn't say I regretted it one way or the other.

A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. Carl's secretary peeked her head in. "Mr. Benedict is here," she said.

"Please show him in," Carl answered.

I sat back down on the leather couch and folded my hands in my lap, feeling a sudden, inexplicable nervousness. Rob walked in and flashed us both a bright smile. I found myself holding my breath and releasing it slowly as he sat down. I didn't know why I had this reaction to him. Sure he was handsome--with dark brown hair that waved slightly, curling over his brow, deep piercing grey eyes, and a perpetual five o'clock shadow. Not to mention that smile. If he could bottle that boyish, sexy grin and sell it he'd make a mint. But I was no stranger to handsome men. I worked with some of the most beautiful men in show business, but Rob was in another league. He had movie star looks with none of the vanity and self awareness so typical in male actors.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he said, taking the seat opposite me. "I got held up in another meeting."

"Don't worry about it. We haven't been waiting long," I lied.

"Yes, Mr. Benedict. I trust you've had a chance to look over the contracts," Carl asked, striding over to shake Rob's hand.

"I have. There are some points I'd like clarification on," he said.

"Such as?" I asked.

He turned his gaze to me before reaching into his pocket and drawing out the contract. His finger traced over the paper until he got to the section he was looking for. "Well, it says that there will be no sexual relations between both parties--"

"Yes? What's the problem," I said narrowing my eyes at him.

"Then here it says; 'During the period the contract is in effect, neither party will engage in any outside relationship or engage in sexual relations with outside parties'," he said. He looked up from the contract and frowned. "The contract is for eight months, so by these terms, you expect me to be celibate for eight months?"

"Is that going to be a problem?" I asked. My words came out harsher than I had intended, and I cringed at the way I sounded like some jealous hag already.

"I'd just like to be clear on the terms," he said, his lips twitched in amusement.

"In other circumstances, it wouldn't be a problem if you were very discreet, but since this is a very sensitive matter, we thought it best not to give the press any more fodder for gossip," Carl interjected.

"I understand," Rob said.

I shook my head silently, wondering if I'd somehow ended up on the Twilight Zone. When we originally came up with the contract, it was easier to forget that we'd be dealing with another human being.

The "fake fiancé" was just a vague idea at the time. Haggling over contract length, and the amount of time we were to be seen out in public together, as well as allowable forms of PDA were just par for the course. Now having Rob here, and hearing him go over what my manager, lawyer, publicist, and I had come up with was a bit jarring and disconcerting.

"Are there any other concerns you have about the terms of the contract, Mr. Benedict?" Carl asked.




"Everything else seems in order, but I'd like to add something. I see there's a requirement for me to attend all awards shows and movie premiers. I'd like to add a meeting with my family as part of the terms," he said. "My parents are throwing a Ruby wedding anniversary party in November, and I'll need your attendance there," he said, looking at me.

"Of course."

"And one more thing," he said.

"Yes?" Carl and I both asked at the same time.

"The compensation clause, you can take that out. I won't need to get paid for this."

I was about to argue, but he cut me off with a wave of the hand. "We're both doing each other a favor and that's that," he said with finality. I knew it was pointless to argue with him since he seemed so adamant about not getting paid. Then again, the money we were offering, though generous by anyone's standard, was probably just a drop in the bucket for him.