“Don’t give me that. You’ve never been in a relationship with this intensity—on screen. Sleeping with your costar while you are running away from bullets and bombs doesn’t count.”

Megan waved her hand at us and her voice stopped whatever Tom was about spew. “I think you guys need to see this.”

I reached her side right after Tom did. There was a video on the screen. She clicked play.

We were all silent as we watched the forty-second video.

“That’s it?” I asked once it stopped before either of them could start up again.

Megan spun in her chair to face me. The fire in her eyes was visible from that close. “That’s it? That’s what you have to say?”

“It’s a fucking forty-second video some creep took with his phone’s camera. What do you want me to say?”

“So,” she started, linking her hands in her lap. “What you’re saying is, no one will understand that this is you”—she glanced back at the screen—“clearly fucking Jennifer Widner’s brains out? Because my eyes are working perfectly fine, Jason, and I can see your hips pumping into her while her dress is scrunched up around her waist. I can almost make out your dick going into her.” I winced—not exactly what you want to hear coming out of your publicist’s mouth. “Or are you telling me you were just dry humping her out in the alley? Because if you are about to suggest we tell the media that, I’ll have to inform you that it won’t work because we can clearly see the condom you are throwing away when you realize there are paps around. Which is exactly when our little camera man zooms in on your face and then the fucking CONDOM you filled.”

I flinched and got back to my seat without making any further comment.

“Do we know if there is more to the video than that?” I heard Tom ask Megan.

“It doesn’t say. Thankfully, there is no sound.”

“I’m not paying him,” I said from where I was sitting, interrupting them. I looked away from their blank stares. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it. He can sell it to whoever he wants. I won’t make him rich. For all I know, he will just forward it to everyone after he gets his money.”

Tom walked toward me and sat down. “Look, Jason. This isn’t a joke. This will ruin you. If this had been the only thing, you would’ve been fine. Hell, we would be laughing about it. But the pictures with Zoey in your car and everything else before that… They won’t let this one go that easily, not when they have proof like that.”

Leaning back, I looked at Megan. “You have the best team in Hollywood. Do something. Hell, find me a good girl to date, someone to go grocery shopping with at Whole Foods hand in hand every now and then. Divert their attention from this. Jason Thorn dating someone would be more of a shocking story than a blurry sex tape,” I added with disgust.

“Do you think everyone is stupid and won’t see through the publicity stunt?” Tom asked, getting all worked up again. “Every idiot is getting into a fake relationship these days. No one will buy it with you.” His eyes flicked toward Megan, who was staring at me silently. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

She shrugged. “He’s right; dating someone won’t help you deal with all this crap. With the timing of this, they’ll see right through it. However, if we find someone—”

A knock on the door interrupted her sentence, and a second later Alvin’s head popped in. “We’re going to miss our flight, boss. We need to leave right now.”

I waved my hand. “I’ll be out in five minutes.”

When he closed the door, I gave all my attention back to Megan. “You were saying?”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“So far you haven’t said anything I liked, why change it now?”

“If we’re going to lie about a relationship, we have to go bigger than that. You have to do something that will pretty much swallow this whole thing up along with your previous transgressions.”

“Out with it,” I said impatiently.

Tapping her long fingernails on her desk, she let out a long breath. “We’ll have to find you someone to marry.”

I stared at her blankly. Then, looking at Tom’s interested gaze, I laughed. “I think you’ve both lost it. I’m not paying you to come up with a stupid solution like that. They won’t believe that I went ahead and got myself a girlfriend, but they’ll believe that I married someone for love? Do you even hear yourself?”

“You’re not paying the guy off.” She shrugged. “So I’m telling you that having your pictures taken with a fake girlfriend won’t make all this go away. You have to do something big and stop all of this at once. And what does it matter to you? I’m not telling you to fall in love with her. A fake girlfriend, a fake wife—it’ll practically be the same thing for you. The only difference is you’ll have to live in the same house for a few years.”

“Live in the same house? A few years?” I laughed harder. “You’re crazy. Tom, you can’t possibly agree with her.”

“Do you have a better idea?” he shot back. “The public’s perception of you has to change; if this is the way to do that…”

Glaring at them both, I got up from my seat and walked to the door. I was tempted to fire them both on the spot, but they were the best, and apparently I wasn’t in a place where I could do whatever the hell I wanted any more.

I stopped by the door. “I’m not paying anyone. Let him release it to whoever he wants.” Opening the door, I saw an impatient Alvin lifting his brows and tapping at his watch.

“Jason.” Tom’s resigned voice stopped me from moving farther.

“If this…after this gets out, you’ll still get offers, but trust me they won’t be the same offers you’re getting right now. You’ve been playing with fire, and frankly, you’re about to go up in flames.”

My grip on the door tightening, I turned to face the duo. Over the past few years, we had built a good relationship among us. They knew who I was and where I wanted to go in this industry, and I always appreciated their guidance. They had never cornered me like this. They always offered me options.

“I want Olive’s movie,” I said to Tom. “Do whatever you have to do to tie me to it. Leak the news today before this goes out if you have to. I don’t care what you do, just do something so they can’t back away.”

It was reluctant, but he nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

To Megan, I said, “I don’t like your solution, Megan. I get where you’re coming from, but…anyway, it doesn’t matter. I have to think about it. I assume you don’t have any blushing brides ready for me to choose from?”

Calmly, she shrugged. “I might have a few names.”

“Of course you do,” I muttered. Ignoring her, I continued. “When I get back from Canada, you can show me your list and I’ll think about it more. That’s about all I can do right now.”

I turned around to leave.

“Jason, in Canada you have to—”

“Don’t worry, Tom,” I interrupted him. “I’m not planning on letting anyone come near my dick. Not any time soon anyway.”

Chapter Twelve Olive

“What are you doing in there, Olive?” Char asked.

I drew my head out of the freezer and looked at her over my shoulder. “Have you seen my ice cream? I hid it behind the peas, but it’s not there.”

She laughed. “I’m afraid you’re too late, I saw Lucy inhale that last night.”

“Damn you, Lucy,” I muttered, giving up on my search.

“Are you nervous?”

“Nervous? Who, me? About what?”

Tilting her head, she waited expectantly.

Rolling my eyes, I mumbled, “He hasn’t been gone that long, just a few months, and he texted me every now and then, but yeah, I’m excited to see him again.” Even though I knew I shouldn’t have been, I was. “And as if that’s not enough excitement for my fragile heart, I’m gonna meet the casting director and actually be there when they pick who’ll play Evie. I’m definitely freaking ecstatic about that.”

“You’re so lucky. I wonder who’ll come in to audition for her. If Keira Knightley is there, you have to take pictures. A ton of them. From every single angle.”