Page 53 of False Promises

I high-fived myself in my head.

“You better get on to it right after because that dress hasn’t hit the market yet. Lucky me, your charm is hard to resist. I’m sure you can pull some strings. I have faith in you.”

My fingernails dug into the flesh of his back as I deepened the kiss, ready to rock his world.

* * *

Carter kissed me before I hauled myself out of his SUV. This morning, he had insisted on driving me to the studios. He tended to do that often when he was in town and I had to go to work. Like he enjoyed making sure I got on set on time in one piece. “I’ll grab food from your favorite salad place and meet you at lunch.”

I felt giddy at the idea of parading my boyfriend in front of the two Hollywood-fake actresses on my set. One was a nepo baby of a long line of Hollywood celebrities with an ego problem, and the other found fame when she uploaded a homemade sex tape on the internet a while back and it went viral. They made everyone’s lives a living hell on set. Since they were cash cows that brought in millions of dollars each, nobody raised an eyebrow, and they let them act out without saying anything.

I knew for a fact one of them had a thing for Carter. She didn’t even shy away from it on the day I joined the cast. Once, I’d entered the wrong dressing room and seen a picture of him stuck to her mirror. If I flaunted my hot man in her face, perhaps she would think twice before stabbing me in the back next time. Yeah, that girl was a two-faced hypocrite.

Carter didn’t know about her infatuation with him, or else he would have liked to intervene and make things better. Yes, he was a fixer. But I didn’t want him to fix stuff for me. The surprise effect would be better if no one knew what I had in mind.

With hurried steps, I rounded the SUV and kissed him once more through the open window. “Can’t wait. See you later.”

I waved at him as he drove away. Yeah, in just a few hours, Priscilla would eat out of my hand. I would own all the cards.

She tried to trip me when we shared a scene together. I called her rude, and the next thing I knew, she dropped a glass of water all over my shirt, which required a wardrobe change and a new take, making us late and affecting the tight schedule. Whatever. I was counting the hours until Carter walked in here and she would shut up.

It was almost one o’clock when we took our lunch break and Carter arrived, a bag of food in hand and a grin drawn on his face on seeing me. “Hey you,” he said, inching closer and kissing my lips.

I felt Priscilla’s eyes on me. They burned my back. Just for show, I wrapped my arms around my boyfriend’s neck and pulled him closer, the kiss turning filthy in seconds as I moaned into his mouth.

When we detached, I held his hand and pulled him forward. “Let’s eat outside. It’s a beautiful day.”

My nemesis walked to us, a giddy fangirl’s expression tracing her features. “OMG, you are Carter Hills. I thought everyone was lying when they said you guys were dating.” She jumped on the balls of her feet. “I’m such a fan. I love you so much. I’ve been following your career since you released your first single with your band.” She used a hand to cool herself down. “Can I get a picture? And an autograph? I can’t believe it’s you. Savannah, how could you hide from me that Carter would be visiting the set today.”

Like we were friends and we had that kind of relationship, she and I.

Carter blinked. I knew how much he hated the recognition. Which still made no sense in my head. Before he could reply, I pulled him away. “Baby, I’m starving.” I used my most honey-dripping voice. “Can we eat now? I wanna spend time together.”

His head traveled back and forth between Priscilla and me, debating what to do. “I’m sorry,” he finally told her. “I’m not staying long. If I have some free time after lunch, I’ll come to find you,” he told Priscilla.

If I had my way, he wouldn’t have a second to spare.

Her jaw slackened. Priscilla wasn’t used to being turned down. Trust-fund baby and all, everybody always bent their knees to please her. When her eyes rested on me, I shrugged, twisting my lips in the most condescending smile. One that said Payback, bitch.

Priscilla tried to argue, “It will only take a minute. Can’t you make time for your biggest fan?”

Guilt-tripping wouldn’t work with Carter. I had tried it many times and failed.

“Like I said, I’ll find you later if I have time,” my man said, leading me away. And that shut her up.

We sat on a picnic table shaded by a big tree behind the studio. The sound of Los Angeles traffic resonated in the distance. A thick smog hung low, a dense blanket preventing us from admiring the flawless blue sky above.

“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Carter asked after a moment. “I sensed some tension between you two earlier.”

I shrugged. “Let’s just say Priscilla hasn’t been nice to me since I joined the show. She’s been terrorizing everyone because her grandfather was a big-shot producer and her dad is Aaron Letterman.”

Carter angled himself so we faced each other. His warm palm cradled my cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I shrugged again. “Because I don’t want you to offer to fix the situation. I’m a big girl, and I can do it on my own.”

He sighed. “By parading me like a possession in front of her?”

“I wasn’t… It’s not what I was—”