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"Right. You both do. So, are we agreed we'll move forward?" Harrison picked up his phone and tapped at the screen.
Fuck, here it was. Do or die time. "Yeah, we'll move forward." My stomach turned.
Lexi nodded. "Let's do this." She clapped her hands and bounced in her seat. Her energy was so all over the place, it was hard to get a read on her.
Harrison looked back down at his phone, a smile crossing his face because the bastard had gotten his way. "The album comes out in three months, so I've started planning strategic outings for the two of you between now and then."
"Are they all here in LA?" I had to ask. I knew it didn't make any sense for them to be anywhere else; this was where the paparazzi were. But I hoped I could spend at least some time in Washington with Amara. If not, I'd have to work again on convincing her to move here. Being apart was miserable for both of us.
Harrison nodded his head, his eyes still on his phone. "Sorry, mate. They're all here in LA for maximum exposure."
I made a mental note to bring up moving again with Amara. I knew she wanted to, and if it weren't for her job, she'd have moved a long time ago.
"Okay, so I've got you guys making your official debut as Hollywood's hottest new couple Friday night at the premiere for the newFlashing & Fiercemovie. I'll send a car to pick you up, True, then Lexi, so you'll arrive together at eight."
Fuck, Amara was flying down on Friday after work. I wouldn't be home when she got in. I already hated this, and we hadn't even done anything yet. Plus, red carpet? I despised tuxes more than I hated being in a stuffy office. Ugh.
Lexi squealed and pulled out her jewel-encrusted phone, tapping away with her overly long fingernails. "I'll have to find the perfect dress."
Harrison grabbed a pen and started clicking it over and over again, which grated on my already frayed nerves. "We'll see how the press reacts after your debut and then plan next week's outings. I think we'll need at least two a week but preferably three. We've got twelve weeks ahead of us, so we've got to make the most of it."
Twelve weeks felt like a fucking eternity.
I nodded blankly. "Got it, Friday at eight. Are we done?"
Harrison stood up, buttoning the top button of his navy suit jacket. I bet if he could wear a suit to surf, he would. "Yeah, that should be all for now, mate." He glanced at his watch. "Want to hit the waves in about an hour?"
"Yeah, sounds good." I stood and moved toward the door before turning back. "Bye, Lexi. It was nice to meet you." My mom didn't raise me to be an asshole.
She glanced up and gave me a small smile and a wave. "Bye, True. See you Friday." Her gaze dropped back to her phone, and I exhaled loudly. I'd almost made it out the door when her voice stopped me. "Oh, wait! We should probably exchange numbers. You know, in case something comes up." She crossed the office and stuck her hand out for my phone. I cringed before I handed it over and watched her enter her info. She gave it back after texting herself.
When I turned again to leave, I looked down at what she'd entered as her name.Girlfriendwith like ten different heart and kissing emojis. Fuck, that wasn't good, was it? I edited it to just Lexi and let it go for now. I hadn't signed any sort of contract with Harrison. I could bail out of this situation at any time if it threatened my relationship with Amara. I took a deep breath, my shoulders relaxing as I realized I still had all the control here. I could call it quits whenever I wanted, and that made me feel a lot better about the whole thing.
Despite my self-reassurance, I still couldn't help thinking I might have just sold my soul.
* * *
An hour later,I pulled into the parking lot of my favorite beach and took down my board, pulling off my t-shirt and tossing it onto the seat. Harrison's jacked up Jeep pulled up next to mine, and I raised my eyebrow. I hadn't seen it since he'd gotten the modifications done, and it was pretty ridiculous considering we lived in LA. The most off-roading he did was drive to the beach.
"Compensating for something?" My lips lifted in a smirk as I waited for him to pull his board down.
"Mate, I look at this thing as more of an outward expression of my physical gifts." He patted the hood.
"Riiight. I don't think anyone else looks at it like that. Anyone who sees you driving that will automatically assume you've got a tiny dick." The jabs at his manhood made me feel marginally better about this morning. I kinda hoped I was making him a little bit insecure. He could deal with being taken down a few notches.
His eyes narrowed, and he looked back over his shoulder at his ride, a little bit of uncertainty creeping into his gaze. "Whoever thinks that's in for a bloody surprise when they see what I've actually got down here." He made a show of grabbing his junk, and I rolled my eyes.
"I'm sure they will." I tried to make my tone as patronizing as I could. Sort of in the same vein as when someone from the south saysbless your heart."Is Gray meeting us?"
Harrison looked down at his smartwatch. "Yeah, says he'll be a few minutes late, though. I'm not waiting to get out there. He knows the way."
I nodded. "Solid point." We waded into the water, paddling out to beyond the break and sitting up on our boards. It was quiet for several minutes while we both took the time to breathe and decompress from this shitshow of a day. I imagined Harrison's impression of this day was probably a whole lot better than mine, though. He'd pulled off exactly what he intended to, and I was just a pawn in the game.
Before either one of us had a chance to actually catch a wave, Grayson was paddling out to meet us. He floated next to me, bobbing up and down gently with the saltwater. "Hey."
I tilted my chin up in greeting. "Hey. What's up?"
Gray shrugged. Harrison gave him a little wave but didn't say anything.
