Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Athena
A rushed knock on the door pulls me from my film, and I scowl. Pausing, I rush from the bed just as the door bangs again.
“Hold up!” I shout out as I walk towards the noise.
Unchaining the door, I tug it open to see a well-dressed Royce. He’s wearing a fitted polo and smart jeans.
“Er?” I furrow my brow as I sweep my eyes over him.
“I need to talk to you.” He glances at my pyjamas.
I have changed from earlier. These have cute little pastries scattered over, the soft blue and white stripe background printed behind. He walks over the threshold and heads straight for my bedroom.
“Sure, come in.” Sarcasm drips from my tone before I close the door and follow a pacing Royce.
He looks at me, mutters something under his breath, then begins pacing again.
“Please, for the love of God, stop pacing. You’re going to put tread marks in the carpet.
” I move towards him and grab his arms. “Stop, Royce.” My tone is assertive and he nods, nibbling the skin around his thumbnail.
I push him towards the bed and he sits, eyes bouncing all over me. “What the hell is wrong?”
“You need to get changed; we have dinner plans.” The words tumble from his lips.
“Right?” I place my hands on my hips. “Why?”
“Because you got me thinking earlier with your playboy shit.”
I blink.
“This will work well for both of us, so just hear me out.” He is cautious.
As soon as someone says, ‘hear me out’, you know they’re about to drop some bombshell that you would never agree to.
“Me, you… date.”
My eyes widen.
“Not like, real dating, just fake… you know, pretend.”
“I know what fake means, Royce,” I snap, my hand pressed to my forehead. Now it’s my turn to pace. “Why…” I whisper, pausing as I turn towards him.
“I don’t want to be what they perceive me as.” His vulnerability echoes around the room.
“Then get a girlfriend,” I snap.
“I don’t want a girlfriend, I just want someone to be with me, when I need them… stop the stupid stories and rumours.”
“You just need to keep the monster in the cage.” I point towards his groin area, and he drops his head to look into his lap.
“You think I have a monster?” A stupid boyish grin spreads across his lips and I stamp my foot.
“Not what I was insinuating, it was just a term.” I roll my eyes.
“Please, Athena.” Those blue puppy dog eyes have me leaning towards him, hazing my thinking.
“How does this help me?”
“You get to be with me all the time.”
I nibble the inside of my cheek. “I’ll ask again, how does this help me?”
“I don’t know, it just does.” He runs his hand down the side of his dark hair.
I ponder for a moment, resuming my pacing. His eyes watch my every move. I’m muttering my thoughts out loud, arguing with myself about why I should or shouldn’t do this.
“No feelings?” My voice is soft.
“No feelings.” He nods firmly and my chest tightens. “Just two friends helping each other.”
“One acquaintance helping another,” I correct him.
“Po-ta-to, po-tah-to.” He shrugs, that boyish grin back on his lips.
“I mean it, Royce Lexington, if you do not play ball, or embarrass me… this is my career on the line too.”
“I swear it, kid.” He crosses his finger over his heart and my heart jolts.
Silence blankets me for a moment.
“So, you’ll do it?” Hopefulness dances in his eyes.
“I’m such an idiot,” I whisper to the floor.
He jumps from the bed, pulling me into his arms and holding me close to him. My head rests against his chest, and I listen to the steady beat of his heart.
“Thank you, I owe you massively.” He places a kiss on the top of my head before unlocking his arms from around my trembling body. “Now, get dressed. We have to meet Nora in twenty.”
“Jeez, gives me so much time,” I mumble, walking towards the bathroom and slamming the door.
Dressed in a long, burnt orange maxi dress and sandals, I walk alongside Royce up the pavement towards where we’re meeting Nora. My curly hair is half clipped up, the rest tumbles down my open back. Royce keeps smiling at me, and it’s putting an uneasiness deep inside my chest.
“After you,” he mutters as we stand outside Chin Chin.
His hand teases at my lower back as he ushers me forward, almost as if he is scared I will turn around and run. We’re greeted and taken to the table where Nora sits with someone I haven’t met.
“Royce, Athena.” She stands, kissing us both on the cheek then holding her hand out for us to take our seats. “This is Patrick, he is from HR.”
Royce shakes his hand and I give him a curt smile. This is awkward. Placing my small clutch beside me, Royce’s hands are linked and resting on the table.
“Let’s get this out the way, then Patrick can head to his eight p.m. meeting.”
I nod, not quite sure why. She mutters something to Patrick who then leans down and reaches for his briefcase, popping it open on the table and then pulling out a wad of paper.
I swallow. Royce’s hand grips my thigh under the table in a reassuring matter.
“Don’t worry.” He flashes me a toothy grin and I give him a sarcastic smile.
“These are both of your contracts, as well as an NDA for you, Athena.” She winces as she slides it across.
“Why do I need an NDA?” I flick through it, looking to Royce, then to Nora.
“It’s just to cover Royce and us at the team.”
I shake my head. Patrick hands me a pen, watching me like a hawk. I read through the NDA; it’s the normal jargon. It’s still intimidating, though.
Signing it, I push it towards Patrick, and he switches it out with the contract that Royce is currently reading through.
I flick to the terms. No sex. No kissing.
Blah blah blah. Rolling my eyes, I sign and date.
It lasts for the entirety of the season, and once the season is finished and I have turned in the first draft of my book, the contract is done.
“Why do you need my book?’
Nora sighs, and Patrick eyes her. “Just so we can make sure that there’s nothing in there that shouldn’t be.”
“Right.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Mmmhmm,” I hum, pushing the contract towards Patrick.
Royce is finishing up and I watch as he signs on the dotted line. Patrick then hands me Royce’s and vice versa, and we sign and date once more.
“Done.” Royce claps his hands together as if dusting them off.
“I’ll get this filed.” Patrick places them in his briefcase and then sees himself out.
“Well, congratulations, happy fake relationship.” Nora smirks then gains the attention of the waiter.
The food was amazing, the vibe was cosy, and the drinks were delicious. I definitely had more than I should have. Nora, Royce, and I walk towards his car, the warm summer breeze dancing across my skin.
“God, I never knew how much I needed to get away.” I sigh as we reach the car.
“I think we all get so wrapped up in life that we forget to take a break,” Nora says softly as Royce opens the door for us.
Nora slides in the back and I go to follow but his large hand curls around my waist as he pulls me towards him, shaking his head before he opens the passenger door. My doe eyes lock on his, confusion lacing my face.
“You’re my girlfriend, you ride up front.” He winks and places a kiss on my temple.
Sitting in, he leans over and straps me in before closing the door. I slowly turn my face around to look at Nora, who gives me a baffled shrug just as he climbs in next to me. Facing forward, I focus on the road ahead as he pulls out onto the evening stream of traffic.
“Thank you for dinner,” I say softly as Greenlight by Tate McRae plays in the car.
“No problem.” He flashes his teeth at me in a dazzling smile, and I hear Nora clear her throat.
“Oh God.” My cheeks turn pink. “Thank you, Nora, for dinner.” I want the ground to swallow me whole.
“I wasn’t referring to you, my love,” she sings in the back, her fingers dancing across her screen as she types. “I was referring to the man child next to you who didn’t pay a bean towards dinner."
He snorts a laugh, his finger tapping on the steering wheel. “I’ll thank daddykins once I stop driving.”
She rolls her eyes.
Pulling outside the hotel, the valet greets Royce and I see a crowd forming before we get out the car. Panic spreads at the base of my neck. Royce catches me, eyes volleying.
“It’s nearly race week, this happens,” he reassures me, scooping my hand into his as his thumb rubs back and forth.
“Okay.” I roll my lips. “And how do we act?”
“Like you’re a couple,” Nora pipes up from the back of the car. “Public outings, anywhere you could be seen… you’re a couple. The only time you are not is when you’re in your rooms or sleeping.”
I swallow down the thickness. “Right.” Nerves cause my voice to tremble, and I catch Nora’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Not good with crowds?” Her brow raises.
“Just not used to being watched in public, that’s all.”
“Get used to that, baby girl, because you’re about to be watched a whole lot more,” she says, opening the door and stepping out, but she doesn’t move, she waits.
“Eyes on me.” His voice snaps my head up. “You’ve got this. Follow my lead, and I promise I won’t let you go.”
I nod.
“Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper just as Royce exits and meets me at my side. Opening my door, he holds his hand out and my fingers fit perfectly between them.
“Eyes on me,” he mouths, reminding me.
He leads me, a protective arm swooping around my waist as he holds me close. Nora walks ahead of us as fans scream at him. He gives them the odd wave and smile. They’re holding out photos of him, shirts, caps… anything that is his, they have.
Stepping into the lobby, I exhale a shaky breath.
“Good girl,” he whispers into my hair as he places a kiss where his lips brush.
My insides flame as we walk to the lift. Nora gives me a small smile, and a sigh passes her lips.
“I think this is going to work out just fine,” she admits, stepping into the lift and we follow, all turning around to face the doors.
Royce smiles down at me, his fingers loosening from mine as he slowly steps away. My stomach drops as nerves present themselves, whirling around in my tummy. Suddenly, I feel like I have made a terrible mistake.
A groan escapes when my alarm screams at me, it’s Monday and race week. Royce had his schedule emailed to me last night and I studied it for far longer than I needed to. I stayed out of Royce’s way over the weekend, we agreed to keep our distance when we didn’t need to be together.
This is just a contract. Temporary. I fought with myself all Friday evening once I was home whether this is the right thing to do. After a lot of talking myself down and hundreds of unsent voice notes to Edel, I decide to use this opportunity for me, as much as Royce was using it for himself.
I have a career riding on this, too. If we are going to play the part, then I am about to put on the best damn show. Fake it till you make it, and all that… and that’s exactly what I am going to do.
We both need to play dirty, we need to be a team in this, and there is no way I am backing down.
Hi PaddockHotties, Paddock Hot Goss here it’s race week. Are we excited to be back? Hot dating news, seems we have a new girl on the arm of the notorious playboy, Royce Lexington… How long until he gets bored and dumps her? Text in your answers xoxox.