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Already, the wheels inside his head were turning.
?
Georgia tied the straps of her crimson bikini around her neck and grimaced at the full length mirror in front of her. After the last twenty or so hours she’d had, she needed a little time to decompress. A morning dip in the hotel’s gorgeous pool sounded like just the ticket. Maybe, she’d figure out what to do then.
Her publicist hadn’t been upset about the date mishap like Georgia had predicted. Instead, she’d gone wild for the photos of Georgia fleeing the restaurant with Alaric Hammond looking desperately handsome and shocked in the background. The news had gotten out about her recent negotiations with Linex Investments to represent their dating app, Spark. Apparently, they’d had a surge in sign-ups overnight. And it was all thanks to her.
“I know you’re stressed right now, but you’ve got to think this through,” Angela said, leaning back on the nearest chair in her own black monokini. She was the base guitarist in Georgia’s band and only a year older. Tattoos lined her arms and legs in intricate and colorful designs. A silver stud in her cheek moved as she smirked. “Don’t want to make your publicist angry. Trust me.”
“I’ve already thought this through,” Georgia said in a huff. She narrowed her eyes at Angela through her reflection. “I won’t sell my private life to the tabloids. Not anymore. Not after Vance.”
It hurt to think of her recent breakup. She hadn’t been prepared for the realities of dating another celebrity. Nothing had been real about Vance. She’d learned that a little too late.
“Vance is a crummy wannabe popstar who never grew up.” Angela pulled her long bleach blonde hair off her shoulder and started to braid it. “You’re not selling your private life. Just commit yourself to one guy for a month or two so the public sees how great Spark is. They’ll be scrambling to buy the app and you’ll be on the fast track to super-stardom. No more singing crappy pop tunes because your label demands it. You’ll be the one making the demands.”
Georgia made a face in the mirror. She wanted everything Angela was talking about, but not at the price of her heart. When she’d originally signed up for Spark, it had just been an experiment. But the way she’d connected with Alaric had made her hope that maybe this new partnership with Linex Investments wouldn’t be so hard. That she could find something real.
But then she had to go and mess it all up.
“Look, you know how important my career is to me,” Georgia said, taking a seat across from her friend. “But there are just some things I’m not willing to compromise on and one of those is my heart. And it wouldn’t be fair to the guy for me to use him and then dump him when it’s all said and done. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I broke his heart.”
Angela narrowed her blue eyes at her and smirked. “You know, you’re too pure to be a rock star.”
With a sigh, Georgia shook her head. “I think you tell me that every day. But it’s not going to change. You’ll have to love me despite my flaws.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes, grabbed a pillow, and chucked it at Georgia’s face. “You and all your numerous flaws. How do you manage to live with them all?”
Georgia grinned. “One day at a time.”
They both hopped up and slipped on their flip flops, ready for the pool. Despite her bold statements just moments ago, Georgia’s stomach still churned. Her publicist had practically threatened her if she dropped the Spark deal. Told her that her career would flatline before it even had a chance to live.
There was nothing Georgia wanted more in the world than to make music for her fans. If she couldn’t do that, she wasn’t sure what else she’d do. She had no other real skills. Just her voice and her guitar. That’s what made her feel whole.
She hoped she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.
Grabbing a bottle of sunscreen, she headed toward the door. She yanked it open just as someone began to knock. A tall man stood in the doorway, his shoulders broad and intimidating from only a foot away.
It wasn’t the first time a fan had tried to break into her hotel room. Only two months ago, a guy had tried to climb onto her balcony when she was in Chicago. They’d had to bump up security hard core. No one was supposed to know she was here.
With a shriek, she shoved the man, hard. He stumbled back a step, but had no problems righting himself before Georgia threw the bottle of sunscreen at him. It hit the side of his face and fell to the floor, the lid popping off and sunscreen splashing everywhere.
“What was that for?” Alaric Hammond rubbed his jaw as indignation flashed in his eyes. He stood in the hallway with his phone in his hand, wearing a well-tailored suit that looked like it belonged on the cover of GQ.
Georgia’s stomach flipped at the sight of him. She’d never expected to see him again, let alone, right outside her hotel room. Her mouth fell open and horror filled her head.
“I’m so, so sorry,” she said, reaching out a hand, but pulling back before she could touch him. “I thought you were a stalker.”
“Really?” Alaric smirked and worked his jaw. “And you thought sunscreen would take out a stalker?”
“I panicked,” she said, her voice growing smaller. How was it that Alaric Hammond seemed to always find her at her worst? “It was the only thing I could think of in the moment.”
“Hmmm.” He pursed his lips together and let his gaze drift down to her bikini for the first time.
Georgia’s cheeks burned and she grabbed a towel off the nearby chair, holding it in front of her torso like a shield. “Why are you here?”
“Just to be clear, I’m not a stalker.” He placed his hand on the door frame and leaned against it, a cocky smile slowly growing on his face. “But I don’t think we got to finish our date.”
She gaped at him, confusion clouding her head. Surely, he didn’t want to date her. Not after she’d pretty much lied to him about her identity. The horror on his face when the paparazzo started snapping away had pretty much made that crystal clear.
