Chapter 14
14
K ate gazed out the car window, the lights of the city blurring as they sped through the night. Her heart raced, replaying the feel of Vanessa’s lips on hers, the warmth of her hand entwined with her own. It had felt so real, so achingly genuine, despite the fact that it had all been for show.
She stole a glance at Vanessa, whose expression was unreadable, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. Kate’s stomach churned with uncertainty. How could she reconcile the passion they had shared with the knowledge that Vanessa felt nothing for her?
Kate’s gaze drifted to the wing mirror again, scanning the road behind them. There were no flash of headlights, no cars getting a little too close. That photographer hadn’t followed them. So, why had Vanessa wanted them to go back to hers?
The invitation had come just a few minutes after they’d gotten into the car. “Come back to mine?” Vanessa had asked.
Without the excuse of maintaining appearances, without an audience to convince, Kate struggled to understand Vanessa’s motives. Their kisses at dinner had seared through her defenses, leaving her raw and exposed. But those had been calculated, orchestrated moments - hadn’t they? The memory of Vanessa’s fingers threading through her hair, drawing her closer, sent electricity down Kate’s spine.
The houses grew larger, more palatial as they wound through the exclusive neighborhood. Each curve in the road intensified the flutter in Kate’s stomach. Their evening had already delivered the photos they’d wanted. There was no reason to extend their time together, no need to maintain the illusion behind closed doors.
So why had Vanessa asked? And why had Kate said yes without hesitation?
The car’s bluetooth chimed, breaking the thick silence. Vanessa tapped the steering wheel control.
“Vanessa, darling.” Elliot’s voice filled the car’s interior.
“Hi Elliot.”
“Are you home?”
“Almost. Kate’s with me.”
“Perfect! I’m five minutes away. Mind if I stop by?”
Kate watched Vanessa’s jaw tighten, a brief pause before her response. “Sure. See you in a few minutes.”
Kate accepted the wine glass from Vanessa’s outstretched hand, their fingers brushing, just as the front door opened.
Kate sank into the plush cushions of Vanessa’s sofa, her heart thumping in her chest. Vanessa perched casually on the arm beside her. With each subtle shift, the brush of Vanessa’s thigh against Kate’s shoulder sent a tingling sensation down her arm. She swallowed hard, stealing glances at Vanessa out of the corner of her eye. The way Vanessa held herself, poised yet relaxed, only heightened the tension in the air. Kate tried to breathe normally as a rush of warmth crept up her neck.
Just then, Elliot breezed into the living room, his phone held high like a trophy. “Ladies, you’ve outdone yourselves. The internet is ablaze! Look at these headlines.”
Elliot leaned closer to them, angling his device so they could see. Kate’s throat tightened at the image. Her and Vanessa on the rooftop, bodies pressed together, lost in what had been an amazing kiss. At least it had been for her.
Vanessa leaned forward too, their shoulders almost touching as they peered at Elliot’s screen. The closeness sent another thrill through Kate.
“‘Hollywood’s New Power Couple’!” Elliot read aloud with exaggerated flair. “And this one: ‘Vanessa Prescott Moves On with Rising Star Kate Monroe!’ Plus, TMZ is calling this the romance of the year.” Elliot paced the room, his excitement filling the space.
“The response on social has been astronomical.” Elliot scrolled through his phone. “The chemistry is—” He paused, looking up at them with narrowed eyes. “Well. Let’s just say no one’s questioning the authenticity.”
Kate’s cheeks burned. She took a long sip of wine, avoiding Vanessa’s gaze.
Kate watched Elliot drop into an armchair across from them, crossing his legs. His enthusiasm radiated through the room.
“I’m glad that your here, Kate,” Elliot said. “I’ve already had three major outlets request exclusive interviews. But before we do any of those, you two need to spend some quality time together. Away from the cameras. Get comfortable with your story, make it feel natural. We need authenticity,” Elliot continued. “When they ask how you met, when sparks first flew? You can’t hesitate. You can’t give different answers. The tabloids will tear that apart faster than you can blink. I know you’ve had a bit of practice with this last night on the red carpet, but I’m talking about in-depth interviews here. Follow up questions. You need to be comfortable with that or all of this has been for nothing.”
Kate bit the inside of her cheek. The idea of spending more time with Vanessa both thrilled and terrified her. Their staged moments already felt too real. Could she really keep going like this? And even if she could, how was she going to go back to her normal life after this?
“What kind of quality time are we talking about?” Vanessa’s voice carried a hint of wariness.
“Well,” Elliot gestured at them with his phone, “continue what you’re doing right now. You’re both here sharing a bottle of wine, and no one is watching. Just talk.” He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “Get to know each other beyond the surface details. Share stories about your childhood, your first acting gig, favorite memories. The stuff real couples know about each other.”
Kate’s pulse quickened. She glanced at Vanessa, catching the slight furrow in her brow, the way her fingers played with the sleeve of her blazer.
“The best lies,” Elliot continued, “are built on truth. So find your common ground. Oh, and there’s just one other thing.” He stood up as he glanced around the room. “The contracts. I left them in the car. Be back in a sec.”
The front door clicked shut behind him, leaving Kate alone with Vanessa. The air thickened between them.
“More wine?” Vanessa’s voice broke the silence.
“Please.”
Kate watched as Vanessa rose from the sofa’s arm, her tailored cream blazer shifting with the movement. “I’ll grab the rest of that bottle from the kitchen.”
The click of Vanessa’s heels against the hardwood marked her path across the living room. Kate took a steadying breath, but the lingering warmth where Vanessa had sat beside her remained.
Vanessa returned, bottle in hand, and her fingers brushed Kate’s as she took her glass. The touch, brief as it was, sent electricity through Kate’s arm. She watched, transfixed, as Vanessa poured the wine, golden liquid catching the soft lighting. Vanessa’s perfume drifted over Kate. A subtle, intoxicating scent that made her head spin more than the wine.
The front door opened again, and Elliot strode back in, manila envelope in hand. “Now, ladies, can you please sign these contracts? Every day I grow more anxious.”
Kate watched him open the envelope and fan the papers across Vanessa’s glass coffee table with theatrical precision.
“I know there’s no money changing hands,” he continued, “but there has to be some kind of guarantee that if things go sideways, no one’s running to the press about being someone’s fake girlfriend.” He looked at both of them. “The NDA at least? Please. It’s keeping me up at night.”
Kate glanced at Vanessa, who raised an eyebrow at Elliot’s dramatics. The paperwork lay in front of her, reminding her that this was all business.
Vanessa’s voice cut through Elliot’s theatrics. “Leave them on the coffee table. We’ll look at them later.”
Elliot’s phone buzzed. “Oh! That’s Logan. I should get going.” He slid his phone into his pocket. “You’ve given me life tonight. Those photos were even better than the last ones.” He pressed air kisses to both their cheeks. “Kate, you’re a natural. And Vanessa—” He paused for dramatic effect. “Lauren who?”
Kate’s shoulders tensed at the mention of Lauren.
“Get some rest,” Elliot said, and then he showed himself out.
The silence that followed Elliot’s departure was deafening. Kate sat frozen, the sound of the front door clicking shut reverberating through the expansive room. The distant sound of a car engine pulling away punctuated the silence, the muffled roar fading into the night. Kate found herself holding her breath, waiting for Vanessa to break the tension that had settled between them.
Vanessa was still standing, and she bent down to slip off her heels before she padded across the room, wine glass in hand. She stopped at the windows that overlooked the city in the distance.
In the reflection of the glass, Kate could see Vanessa’s expression. It was pensive, her brow slightly furrowed as she gazed out at the night. Kate found herself transfixed, trying to decipher the thoughts that played behind those hazel eyes.
Was Vanessa thinking about the events of the evening? The way their bodies had fit together on the rooftop, the heat of their staged kisses that had felt anything but fake? Or was her mind on Lauren? On the confrontation at the after-party?
“Vanessa?” Kate ventured, setting her wine down on the coffee table. “Why did you ask me to come back here with you?”
Vanessa turned to look at her, her eyes flicking to the stack of contracts Elliot had left behind. She opened her mouth, then closed it again in a rare moment of hesitation from someone who always seemed so sure of herself.
“I...” Vanessa sighed. “I wanted to talk to you. About all of this.” She gestured vaguely between them.
“Is something wrong?” Kate asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“No, nothing’s wrong, exactly.” She took a deep breath. “I just... I wanted to make sure you’re still comfortable with all of this.”
Kate blinked, caught off guard by Vanessa’s words. Her heart raced as she wondered if Vanessa could somehow sense the truth. That Kate’s feelings for her were genuine.
Kate swallowed hard, trying to keep her expression neutral. She couldn’t risk Vanessa discovering the truth. What would Vanessa even think of her if she knew?
With a steadying breath, Kate met Vanessa’s eyes, her heart pounding in her chest. “I am,” she said, though the words felt heavy on her tongue. “Are you?”
Vanessa’s expression shifted, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features. She took a sip of her wine, the motion graceful and measured, before turning to gaze out the window once more.
“I don’t know,” Vanessa said quietly. “We’ve done what we set out to do, and the headlines are...” She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. “The photos look good. Everyone thinks we’re together, but I...” She trailed off, her eyes fixed on the glittering lights of the city.
Kate watched Vanessa closely, the tension in the older woman’s shoulders betraying her outwardly calm demeanor. She longed to reach out, to offer some comfort, but the invisible barrier between them felt impenetrable.
“I should be happy,” Vanessa said. “This is what we wanted, isn’t it? A fairytale romance to distract from the mess with Lauren.” She turned to face Kate, her expression unreadable. “But I...” She shook her head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I don’t feel happy.”
Kate’s heart clenched at the vulnerability in Vanessa’s voice. She wanted to cross the room, to gather Vanessa in her arms and hold her, to reassure her that everything would be alright. But the knowledge that none of this was real kept her rooted to the spot.
“Vanessa...” she began, unsure of what to say. “I...”
Vanessa raised a hand, silencing her. “I’m sorry, Kate. I shouldn’t have asked you to come back here. I just...” She sighed, her gaze drifting back to the window. “I needed to talk to someone, and you...” She paused, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Well, you’re the only one I can talk to about this.”
Kate slipped off her heels and crossed the room to join Vanessa at the window. Vanessa turned to face her, her eyes searching Kate’s face with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat.
“Are you happy?” Vanessa asked. “With how this has all played out? You’re officially out now, and I’m...” A slight smile tugged at her lips. “Well, I guess I’m a cougar now.”
“No one cares about the age difference.”
“At least it works for you,” Vanessa said, a hint of a smile still on her lips. “That first night we met. You said you were interested in older women.”
“I did. And I am.”
Vanessa took a sip of her wine. “You’ll have your pick, Kate. When this is all over, you’ll have your choice of women. Young, old, it won’t matter. You’re a rising star. Everyone will want you.”
Kate felt a pang in her chest. The thought of being with anyone else felt wrong somehow.
“But you still didn’t answer my question,” Vanessa said. “Are you happy?”
“I’m...” Kate paused, choosing her words carefully. How could she explain that being with Vanessa, even in this manufactured way, felt more real than anything else in her life? “I’m happy that I’m out, yes, and I’m glad it’s you,” she said finally. “That I did this with you.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened, and Kate couldn’t help but notice the way her lips parted slightly in surprise. She wondered if Vanessa could hear the tremble in her voice, the way her heart pounded in her chest.
“You’re glad it’s me?” Vanessa asked.
Kate nodded, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. “Yes,” she said softly. “I am.”
Vanessa’s gaze softened. “I’m glad it’s you too, Kate,” she said. “When Elliot suggested this… I didn’t know if I could do it. If I could really put myself out there so soon, even if it’s just for pretend. But you’ve made it surprisingly easy. But we should probably sign those NDAs,” Vanessa said, her voice quiet but firm. She gestured toward the coffee table where Elliot had left the papers. “Before he has an aneurysm.”
Kate watched as Vanessa moved away from the window, her bare feet silent against the hardwood floor. The older woman disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with two pens.
Kate knelt beside the coffee table, the legal documents spread out in front of her. She pulled one closer, scanning the dense paragraphs. Vanessa settled beside her, close enough that Kate caught the scent of her perfume again. Vanessa’s dark hair fell forward as she leaned over the papers, creating a curtain that partially obscured her face.
Without hesitation, Vanessa picked up one of the pens and signed her name with elegant strokes. She slid the second pen across the table to Kate, their fingers brushing briefly.
Kate’s hand trembled slightly as she gripped the pen. She stared at the signature line, before moving her gaze to the start, reading over every line before she signed it.
The scratch of the pen seemed impossibly loud in the quiet room. When Kate finished, she looked up to find Vanessa watching her, those hazel eyes unreadable in the soft lighting.
Kate watched as Vanessa gathered the papers, tapping them into a neat stack against the glass surface of the coffee table.
“Do you want to stay?” Vanessa slipped the papers back into the manila envelope. “Or I can call my driver to take you home?”
Kate hesitated.
“We can take Elliot’s advice and get to know one another better.”
“True.” Kate swallowed. This was a bad idea. “Okay, I’ll stay.” She glanced down at her jumpsuit. “Although at this rate, I should start leaving clothes here.”
“You probably should.” Vanessa’s eyes lingered on Kate for a moment before she stood, envelope in hand.
Kate’s breath caught at Vanessa’s words. Even these small moments of closeness, wrapped in the excuse of their arrangement, made her head spin.