Chapter 1
There Marcus was, promising me eternal love in a room full of people. He asked me to marry him on bended knee full of emotion. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve fallen for it myself. It came back to me stilted, in broken fragments. Like a child watching from beneath a table—the memory was unreliable but the image was there. The collective gasp from one side of the room, perfectly timed with the rush of cold air from the other as someone opened a door. And me, stuck in the middle, feeling like all the oxygen had been sucked off the stage.
What I do remember, quite clearly, was the series of micro-expressions that transformed Marcus’ face as I stared at him hard. How dare he do a public proposal without going over it with me first? We didn’t have an official script for this fake weekend getaway. But damn it! Proposing to me? I said I would be his fake girlfriend. We never agreed that I would be his fake fiancée. But being the actress I was, I acted shocked. Okay, I was shocked, so that didn’t take any acting. I gazed into his eyes and mustered up all the emotion I could as a tear slipped down my cheek. Yeah, I told him I’d bring home the Oscar.
“Oh, Marcus,” I breathed out.
He gazed deeply into my eyes while a backdrop of cascading fireworks boomed. It was some kind of laser light show.
“Yes!” I squealed. “I would love to marry you! The answer is yes!”
He slid the sparkler on my finger and I stared down at the glittering ring.
Wow! It was the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen.
“This is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done,” I said as a tear rolled down my cheek. “It’s so sweet and flattering that you’d do all of this for me.”
“I love you, Rebecca. I’d do anything for you.”
“I know that. I really do. You’re everything I ever wanted and more.”
He wiped away another tear from my face. I played the part of happy future bride as he lowered his lips onto mine. The entire room exploded with clapping. Flashing bulbs snapped all around us. People cheered and clinked glasses in celebration.
“Did he just propose?” I heard a woman off to the left say.
Yes, I thought. He fake proposed to me. It’s all pretend.
We toasted, and I played the part perfectly as I smiled like I was the happiest woman on the planet. Countless people congratulated us. I said thank you and pasted on the biggest smile. When the attention died down, I made my way to the door.
“Rebecca,” Marcus said, chasing after me. “I can explain—”
“Is there somewhere private where we can talk?” I asked.
Never in my entire life had I been so caught off guard. Not when my father walked out on us when I was twelve, not when the Giants lost the World Series. Not ever.
He took me to a private, secluded room and shut the door.
“What were you thinking?” I screeched before he had a chance to reply.
“Please,” he held up his hands. “I can…I can fix this.”
“You have done quite enough.”
I kept turning to the door, kept turning to leave, but every time I put my hand on the knob to open it, I ended up turning back with more things to say.
“I mean…what did you think was going to happen!”
He ran his hands up helplessly through his hair. “I didn’t know what I thought would happen,” he admitted. “Mr. Takahari was having doubts. So I upped the ante. I figured a public engagement would convince him for sure… I thought it would buy me time to—”
“You can’t throw surprises like that at me.” My voice was abruptly soft and low. “I don’t like being caught off guard like that. We should’ve talked about it. Because a proposal wasn’t in the deal. Am I supposed to go along with this? Do I lie to my family and friends too? I can’t let them be happy for me and fake happiness in my own personal life. That’s not fair! I can handle being your fake girlfriend, but not your fake fiancée. You so crossed the line. If my mom finds out about this, she’ll be beyond upset I didn’t tell her I was in love.”
“No, this wasn’t fair to you, and I apologize for that. It was a last-minute decision.”
“You said all I had to do was give you the girlfriend experience in public. And I did that. I even went above the call of duty and kissed you. Not once did you ever mention plopping a ring on my finger.”
“You can have the ring.”
“Bonus pay for saying yes?”
“Yes. You know I will pay you for all your valuable time and any blunders I’ve caused in your life. I’ll pay you anything you want.”
“Your money won’t stop my mother from flying down here and giving me the third degree. This little ploy of yours has spilled into my life big-time.”
“I wish I could take it all back,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. Was the proposal over the top?”
“No. It’s what any girl would dream of.” I glanced down at the gorgeous ring. My expression softened. “It was the perfect proposal. You’ll make some girl very lucky one day…that is, if you ever settle down.”
“Thank you. And thanks for happily accepting, and not kicking me in the groin.”
“It was part of my job. Even if you took it a step too far. So I wouldn’t have kicked you. I only kicked you when I thought you were offering me some kind of indecent proposal. And I only Maced you because I was scared I was about to get mugged. I swear I’m not a violent person. I’m glad it all worked out for you. I didn’t want to see you lose that deal. I was really rooting for you. You deserve another chance. Just like your pet peacock, Eduardo.”
“You did a fantastic job. You pulled it off like the skillful actress you are. Thank you. And don’t worry. This engagement is nothing permanent,” he exclaimed quickly, cocking his head toward the ballroom. “By the end of the week, they will have forgotten all about us.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, I literally glared them back into hiding.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’ll be able to get back to your normal life soon. This was all fake. It wasn’t real. It was just an acting gig. And yes, I shouldn’t have crossed the line without discussing it with you, but you’re an actress. I figured you could handle it. Good actresses can handle anything thrown at them. Besides, you told me you were at the top of your class in impromptu acting.”
“Acting at the spur of the moment is my specialty. I hope I proved that tonight.”
“When you teared up, it made me start to tear up. You’re a natural.”
“Was all of it fake?” I asked.
“Yes, of course it was.”
“W
e kissed. Was that fake too?”
“You said you were going to bring home the Oscar. And I think you did just that. My image consultant said people are already saying good things about me. Our engagement is really helping. People love that I’m marrying you.”
“Rich guy marries poor girl. It’s every girl’s dream. I see why the story is so sensational.”
Yep. Our kissing escapades meant absolutely nothing to Marcus. It was just a way for people to see him in a better light. He was truly a playboy at heart. He just enjoyed kissing a girl. I should’ve never crossed the line either. We should’ve kept it strictly business. I could’ve played the part without diving into a passionate kiss. Maybe I told him I was just trying to sell this relationship, but deep down inside, I knew it was more.
Damn it! How could I let my feelings get involved? I couldn’t fall in love with every actor I kissed. Okay, I was an idiot. I was hired to be an actress, but it turned into something more. It hurt to know he thought our kisses meant nothing. Yes, I said they were fake too. But damn it, I felt emotion. How could he not feel that? He kissed me passionately and intimately. I thought chemistry of this magnitude couldn’t be contained, and I just let go. It’s like his kiss touched my soul.
I didn’t want to think about this anymore. I needed to leave…right now. This situation had gotten way out of control.