Tagged Heart: A Fake Girlfriend Romance Read online

  And fuck, how I wanted to give her more pleasure.

  The guys continued talking and I ordered a beer from a passing server, suddenly parched. Where had that thought come from? Sure, Brin was hot as hell, and I liked being around her, but she wasn't here as my plaything. She was here as my pawn, and she'd made it clear that the only moves I could make were those across the board to victory. Those were the only ones I should want to make. I was trying to win back Lori, after all.

  I finished up with the guys and downed the rest of my beer. They were heading off to the golf course and asked me to join.

  "Nah," I said. "I'm gonna check in with Brin, see how she's enjoying the room."

  Martin gave me a knowing smile. "Sure thing, man. Have fun."

  I waved them off and headed to the elevator, tapping my foot as I waited for it to arrive. What did I intend to do when I got up there? Brin was probably rolling around in the Egyptian cotton sheets or something. This was her vacation, and I should be leaving her to it.

  Still, the elevator doors opened and I jammed my finger down on the button for our floor, already running through the scenario in my head. Maybe she'd want to go down to the bar and grab a drink. Maybe I could invite her for a walk down by the beach. I just had this crazy urge to spend time with her, which was something I hadn't felt in a long time. It reminded me of how I hadn't been able to take my eyes off her on stage, how I'd felt myself drawn closer to her with every look, even though I hadn't moved an inch.

  I strode out of the elevator the second the doors slid open and down the hall to our door. I made as much noise as possible when opening the door, in case she needed a moment, and let it slam closed behind me.

  The room was empty.

  It was a big room, with a separate sitting area and kitchenette, so I tried calling out for her. "Brin?"

  No answer.

  Shit. She probably went out for a walk or something. Why wouldn't she? She knew we weren't doing any shooting until tomorrow at the earliest.

  I texted Martin and told him to wait up, that I'd be down in a minute to go to golf with them. I felt like a total idiot. I changed clothes quickly, noting Brin's discarded jeans by her suitcase, and smiled.

  I headed toward the door but stilled with my hand on the knob. There was a pad of paper on the desk by the door and I scribbled onto it hastily, then left the note on top of her jeans. Then I was gone.

  Six

  Brin

  This. Now this was the life.

  I sighed, happily sprawled across one of the dozens of poolside loungers, sun basking on my face. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this relaxed. I wanted to stretch and mewl like a happy kitten. I settled for a slight hum as the sun's rays warmed my exposed body.

  I didn't know when the last time I'd been so scantily clad in public and not performing was. Each puff of air on my midriff made me feel like I was two seconds away from my stage manager coming out to yell at me and tell me to get in line, but the yelling never came. Of course it didn't. I was far away from Vegas, far away from everything I'd ever known. For once, I was the tourist. For once, I was the one who everyone else had to please.

  I'd come straight down to the pool after checking out my room. Our room, I supposed. I noted the lack of a second bed with a hint of displeasure, realizing I should have specified sleeping arrangements when I was making my demands. I'd been so giddy at the prospect of getting a free vacation that I hadn't considered how that would work on the ground, and now I was just going to have to deal with it. It was a king bed, so it shouldn't be a problem. Except it was a problem, because a teensy part of my heart skipped every time I thought about how later tonight Chad and I would be getting into the same bed together.

  I consciously removed myself from thoughts of the bed and turned them back to thoughts of this sunbed. My interest in Chad had blossomed into a schoolgirl crush, and I felt just as silly as a schoolgirl for having it. Every breath of sea-soaked air was a reminder that this business arrangement had nothing to do with romance. It was about a free vacation and a bit of acting, that was all.

  My phone dinged and my hand darted for it instinctively. I was a little disappointed to see it wasn't Chad who had texted me. Kimberley was anxiously awaiting news of my trip, and though I didn't have much to tell her yet, I needed to hear her voice. I called her without even replying to her text.

  "Tell me everything!" she answered. "What's the hotel like? Are there any cute guys? Besides the one you're dating, of course..."

  I laughed. She was nearly as excited about this whole thing as I was. As it turned out, I was just better at covering it up.

  "The hotel is incredible," I replied, pulling the lounger up into a reclined position. I let my head loll to the side and stared down at the sandy path that wound down to the beach. It was lined with Birds-of-Paradise orchids, and I decided that would be the next place I explored.

  "I'm sunning myself beside the pool right now like a happy lizard. The only thing missing is my best friend by my side."

  She laughed. "I don't know, Brin. If I got the choice between going on vacation with you and going with a sexy Internet celebrity, I'm not sure we'd be sharing the sights right now."

  "Rude. You would totally take me. What does he have that I don't?"

  "Money, fame, money, gaggles of adoring fans... Oh, and did I mention money?"

  "I'll admit he does have me beat there." I brought my head back up to center and watched a group of kids splashing each other in the shallows. "This place must've cost a fortune. How he can just casually toss cash at another person to come with him on a whim is insane."

  Kim hummed in agreement. "Ain't that right. I did a little Internet sleuthing on your adventurous amore and his estimated earnings place his fortune in the millions. Has he told you how much he makes exactly?"

  "Not something we've discussed," I replied.

  "Ask him. I'm curious."

  I let out a bark of laughter. "As if! He already thinks I'm some poor charity case based on my complete inability to play it cool about how nice everything is. The last thing I need is for him to think I'm out to get his fortune."

  "Boo. In any case, he's rolling in it. If he's going to age as well as Richard Branson, I suggest getting that locked in now."

  "Now you're just being ridiculous. I'm not even his real girlfriend."

  "Yet," she joked. I could practically hear her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "What could be more romantic than three weeks in Hawaii together? Is it too soon for me to start working on my maid of honor speech?"

  This time my laugh was more of a cackle, attracting the attention of the kids in the pool. I slapped a hand over my mouth and stifled my outburst into a giggle.

  "You're killing me, Kim. There is nothing, and will never be, anything between Chad and me. We're parting ways after this and that's that. It would never work between us anyway."

  "Whatever you say, hon. I'll make sure to include that in the speech."

  "You're incorrigible."

  "I've been told it's my best feature."

  "Whoever told you that has obviously never seen your ass."

  Kimberley laughed, and I was smiling so hard that my cheeks started to hurt.

  "I miss you already, babe. I'm glad you're having a fabulous time though."

  "I am having a fabulous time, aren't I?" I sighed and closed my eyes, letting the sun sink into my pores. "It's too bad I can't just marry Chad and live like this for the rest of my life. It beats coming back to stinky Vegas any day."

  "I wouldn't say that just yet," she replied. "You haven't seen what adventures he's taking you on. Any word on what to expect?"

  I groaned. "Not a peep. He's very tight-lipped about the whole thing."

  "Hold on. Let me practice something." Kim cleared her throat and continued in a high, strained voice. "I don't know, officer. The last time I heard from her she said she was about to go deep sea diving with sharks during a tornado off the coast of Waikiki. I really don't
know what could have happened to her."

  I laughed so hard that tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I didn't care if anyone was staring. God, I loved this woman.

  "Oh, stop it," I chastised. "It's not going to be anything like that, and I have full veto rights."

  "Just don't fall down a ravine because you're staring at Chad's ass and not where you're walking."

  "You're almost having as much fun as me and you're not even on vacation."

  "I'm not having fun at all. My life is an empty husk when you're not here."

  "I'll be home before you know it, Meryl Streep," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'll try to update you as much as possible, though I imagine I won't get service at most of the places we go out to on the day trips. I'll be safe though, I promise."

  "Yes, be safe," she said. "Remember, one night of passion could lead to a life sentence."

  "Oh my god! You cow. I'm hanging up now."

  My face reddened at the thought of Chad and I getting into bed together. Why did Kim have to push her agenda so hard? It was bad enough that he was smokin' without my best friend constantly eliciting a mental image of us in bed together.

  "Moo. Love you!'

  "Love you too!"

  I hung up the phone and set it beside me, chuckling. Kim had been my rock since the first day I met her. That was my first day in Vegas too, and my first night living out on my own. I experienced a lot of firsts at eighteen, but I had a feeling I was going to experience even more firsts during this brief three weeks with Chad.

  I spent another hour or so by the pool, periodically wading into the cool water to cool myself off. I kept half expecting—and half hoping—that Chad would meander down here and we'd bump into each other, but there was no trace of him or either of his crew. I didn't know if they were still in their meeting or what, but before long I was starting to feel the sun a bit too much and decided to head indoors for a little lie down.

  The closer I got to the room, the more my heart pounded in anticipation of what I might find on the other side of the door. Would Chad be in there? I hadn't seen him anywhere else, so it wasn't too outrageous a guess that he might be relaxing in the room. After all, these kinds of resorts were probably quite pedestrian to him now. He'd been living this life for years. Maybe he'd be lounging on the couch, reading a book or a watching something on TV. Maybe I could sneak in beside him and we could just hang out for a bit without any pressure, without any expectations. It sounded like heaven.

  The slapping of my flip-flops echoed down the marbled hallway. Everywhere in this place seemed to have an echo. I liked it. It made me feel like I was in some fancy palace in a fairytale land, alone with only the servants and the prince. This fantasy was ruined by the fact that in no way would I ever be considered a princess but hell, fantasies were called fantasies for a reason.

  I flashed my keycard over the lock and waited for the green light, then turned the handle and strolled into the room casually, like I wasn't even expecting anyone else to be in there when I entered.

  Which turned out to be the case.

  I checked the sitting room, bedroom, and even the bathroom, but there was no sign of Chad. His stuff was still untouched by his side of the bed. He probably hadn't been up to the room at all yet, and I felt silly for entertaining such girlish notions. He was here to work, so obviously he was elsewhere working. Or hanging out with his friends. There was no reason for him to stick around in the room. It wasn't like he wanted to spend time with me or anything. And I definitely shouldn't have been wanting to spend time with him.

  I started undressing, already dreaming a dream of a warm shower and a cozy bathrobe, when I noticed my pants on the floor. There was a note lying on top of them, scrawled on the hotel's stationary. I picked it up and read.

  Dinner tonight? Meet me at the hotel restaurant at 7. No pants allowed.

  I gasped at his cheek, but my stomach warmed all the same. I tossed the note into the trash and strolled off for the shower, whistling a jaunty tune.

  Seven

  Brin

  I didn't know whether there would be cameras at dinner or not, so I decided to play it safe and go full girlfriend mode. I figured if Chad was my legitimate boyfriend and he and I were meeting for a legitimate dinner date, I would get legitimately dolled up. So I did.

  I picked out my favorite dress, a slinky red number that showed off just enough cleavage to turn heads without garnering the wrong kind of attention. It clung to my hips and fell to just above my knees, making it sexy but still family friendly. I kept my jewelry simple—a pair of rhinestone earrings, a silver chain necklace, and a couple of rings to accentuate my slender fingers. Then, with an artist's touch, I applied a light smoky eye and red lipstick that made the whole look pop. To top it off, I smoothed my waves with some fragrant oil and tousled them until the overall look was that I might have done it on purpose, but might have just rolled out of bed after a tawdry encounter.

  I liked messing around with my appearance. I'd learned long ago that the skin you wear can still be your disguise if you play it right, but tonight was one of the rare occasions that my outside matched my inside. I was feeling flirty and fun, and not to mention relaxed. I'd been in Hawaii one day but had already released so much tension and stress. If the rest of the trip went as swimmingly, they'd have to roll me back to Vegas as a big ball of goo.

  I slipped on a pair of simple black heels and did another check of myself in the mirror before heading down to the restaurant. Chad hadn't dropped into the room beforehand and I hoped that he would be waiting at the restaurant and that he hadn't forgotten. It would be just my like to get excited and amped up for a dinner date, only to have my date forget I even existed.

  I was mindful of the fact that just because I was playing his girlfriend, didn't mean Chad had to afford me any of the usual girlfriend perks. I was essentially his employee and he could forget all about me if he wanted to. Which wasn't a problem, I reminded myself, since I wasn't here for him. I was here for a vacation by the ocean. Why was it so hard to remember that when I was getting dolled up?

  I shook off these thoughts. It was okay for me to be excited to have dinner with Chad. He was an interesting guy, and when else would I get the opportunity to casually dine with an internet celebrity? These next three weeks would provide me a bevy of stories to take home and tell Kimberley, and even more memories to keep me going the next time things got tough in Vegas. Why shouldn't I enjoy every second to the max?

  I stepped unsurely into the restaurant, scanning the tables to spot that familiar head of light hair. I didn't notice when someone stepped up beside me until they spoke in my ear.

  "Looking for someone?"

  I jumped. The honey-rich sound of Chad's voice sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine, and the mischievous smirk he displayed when I turned to face him hammered it into place. God, he was handsome. I kept expecting to get used to his good looks but they hit me like a brick each time those eyes landed on mine.

  "I've got a hot date," I told him.

  Chad did a once-over of my appearance. The faintest tingling traversed my body at the same time.

  "You are a hot date," he corrected. "Let's get you at a table before one of the other guys in here tries to steal you away from me."

  "Remember our agreement," I reminded in a sing-song voice.

  Chad chuckled. "Couldn't help myself." He caught the attention of the maître d', who promptly escorted us over to a waiting table.

  Chad pulled out my chair and tucked me in under the table like a true gentleman. He looked the part of one, too, clothed in a fitted navy suit, shirt unbuttoned at the neck. Either he wore that outfit all day or he got dressed in one of his crew's room, which was more likely. It seemed like he was giving me a little space to get settled, not wanting to overwhelm me all at once, and I liked that. Our situation was unique and maybe he sensed that I was a little skittish about the whole deal. I appreciated the thought.

  Chad ordered us a bottle of wine and we
both turned to the menus. I stared hard at the main courses. It was difficult not to glance up at him while I looked. It was difficult not to look at him in general.

  "Did you have a nice day?" Chad asked finally, setting down his menu.

  Having made my decision ages before, I folded mine onto the table as well. "I had an amazing day. I feel like I'm in a dream."

  A little voice in my head warned me to hold back a little, to not show my hand all at once. It felt over the top to be concerned that somehow this admittance of enjoyment could be used against me in the future. Or at least it would, if I didn't have enough experience with that kind of twisted fuckery.

  Another voice, however, told me I could trust him. I wasn't ready to listen to that voice just yet, but I was willing at least to give myself a little bit of slack.

  "I'm glad. I've always loved Hawaii, but seeing you take it all in for the first time makes it almost like it's my first time too."

  The server brought over our wine and took our orders, and then there was nothing between Chad and I but a couple glasses of Chardonnay and the dancing flame of a lone white candle.

  I took a nervous sip of my wine then wondered why the hell I was so nervous. This wasn't a real date. It had all the feel of a real date, but it was more like a business meeting. And business meetings didn't end in sex, which was good since that was the kind of thing that would give me nerves.

  It had been a long time since I last had sex. Contrary to what most people believed, being a burlesque dancer did not automatically result in copious amounts of freaky sex. In my case and in the case of many of the other girls, dancing took up a separate sphere of my life. When I was on stage, I was a different person. I adopted a persona, a fantasy, to titillate and tease the audience with the thrill of the unknown. I didn't live like that. Some girls did, and all the better for them, but I could only muster that kind of blatant sexuality when I was strutting around the stage in six-inch heels.