Chapter 15
Evie
The Showmance
Having done a quick inspection of the back to make sure there was no evidence of Glenn, we closed the doors, and I left the key for the moving company to come pick the vehicle back up.
Utterly exhausted, I leaned on Sebastian, wrapping my arm around him.
However, the moment I saw a crew member pass by, I yanked myself away.
The guy gave us a tight smile and wave before moving on.
“Ouch.” Sebastian whistled. “That’s hard not to take personally.”
“What?” I cringed. I hadn’t meant to have such a visceral reaction. “Sorry. I just—”
“Don’t want people seeing us together?”
“Sebastian...” I sighed as we walked toward set.
“No, no, I get it. I understand you don’t want us to get serious. I just wish we’d had this talk before we ditched a body in the desert.”
I leaped in front of him and slapped my hand over his mouth. “Beep beep, Ritchie!”
He grinned under my hand. His eyes lit up, knowing he’d gotten a rise out of me. I looked around and tugged him around the corner, behind a sound stage, before removing my hand.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“Apparently, getting shot down.”
“What are you talking about?” I shook my head. This was not the time or place to be discussing something that wasn’t even a possibility. I leaned against the wall, running a hand through my hair.
“That’s why I came to your house last night,” he said. “Because we had a moment at the chemistry test, and I thought maybe—”
“Maybe what? That I’d want to date again? That I’d fall back in love with you, and we would run off into the sunset? Sebastian, that’s not why I’m here. I can’t—”
Dante passed by and caught sight of us. He walked over, and I shut my mouth.
“Beep beep, Ritchie,” I whispered.
“Back?” Sebastian asked.
I cocked my head, confused. His expression had clouded over. His eyes seemed to be recalling a memory, and his jaw had gone slightly slack. An instant later, he looked down at me, his gaze curious. “Fall back in love with me?”
My belly fluttered, and I opened my mouth to tell him this was not the time, but before I could, Dante reached us, and I snapped my mouth shut.
“You’re both here! That’s great. I have to be on set in a bit for some establishing shots, but I need you to go over to the production office. We’ve got our PR managers and some lawyers there that want to talk to you.”
“Lawyers?” I squeaked.
Sebastian reached over and squeezed my hand. Dante’s eyes flickered to them, and he smiled.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine. You’re not in trouble. Let’s go. I’ll have my assistant drive you over.”
We hopped into a golf cart with a guy named Darryl. He made small talk as he drove us away from set and the trailers, but I was too deep in my own head to join in.
What could they need a lawyer for?
He stopped in front of an unlabeled building and opened the door for us. We went in and found a handful of people at a midsize table, stacks of papers in front of them. Kate, the intimacy coordinator, was there, along with Antoinette and others I didn’t recognize.
“Antoinette?” I went to my agent and sat down across from her. I noticed then that the only seats left were across from the others. Sebastian sat beside me, and we shared a curious look.
“They called me last night. Didn’t you get my text?” she asked.
“I... No.” I’d left my phone at home—while we dropped Glenn off in the desert to be eaten by predators.
“You look like shit,” a man said to Sebastian. “Where did you sleep last night? J-Tree?”
J-Tree.
Joshua Tree National Park.
I forced myself not to react, despite my racing heart.
Sebastian snickered. “Bold of you to assume I slept. You got a Red Bull?”
The man rolled his eyes and stood, going to a mini fridge, pulling out two blue cans. He offered one to both of us. I took mine hesitantly, glancing over at Sebastian—and it was like we shared the same thought.
Thank Anthony C. Hopkins the cans were still sealed.
“So, why are we here?” Sebastian popped the tab and took a long drink.
“Yes, well, hello, Mr. Shaw, Ms. Reyes.” An Asian woman with a short pixie cut and a teal blazer stood and offered her hand to shake. “I am Stacey from Pepper-Walsh PR. We handle all the studio’s press releases and marketing. My team and I have been working for a while on Simon Says Six—”
“Six Six,” Sebastian interrupted.
She paused for a moment, her forehead lines creased, then with a quick eye roll, she continued.
“Six Six. We think with the right marketing, this movie could be the next big thing. A pivotal moment in your careers. This could skyrocket you both to fame.” She was really selling it—wide eyes, large smile, extended arms.
“What more do you want us to do?” Sebastian leaned back in his seat, pulling his arms up behind his head, and yawned. “I’m already showing off my circumcision scar.”
She blushed then cleared her throat. “Yes, exactly.” She pointed at Sebastian then went to the front of the room, where a TV was mounted on the wall.
Another member of her team turned it on with a remote, and Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga appeared on screen.
Stacey nodded, and a new slide appeared.
Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron. Then Elizabeth Taylor and a man I didn’t recognize.
“These are famous showmances.”
“Showmances?” I raised an eyebrow.
The next slide was Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
Oh.
“We are going to leak rumors of your full-frontal reveal to the media. That is going to get people talking—and selling tickets. But to really sell that this is going to be the hottest movie of the year, hotter than Step-Devil.” She paused, staring at Sebastian.
“We need to ramp this up. We need a showmance.”
Sebastian looked at me, then back at her. “What are you proposing exactly?”
“A fake relationship—for the cameras. Evie, we want you to use your channel, The Body Count Bimbo, to post behind-the-scenes content.”
My channel showed on the TV.
“We will film the content for you, edit it, and post it all. You don’t have to do any of the backend work.”
“So, acting off screen?” My shoulders fell. I was exhausted. I needed to sleep. “I’m not entirely sure I follow. That’s not my usual content.”
“We know. We did consider your brand and that your established fanbase likes videos of you relaying information above all else. But if we announce a temporary takeover while you film and put the videos and clips into organized playlists, our team of experts think your channel will grow, rather than lose followers.”
I scrunched up my nose. I was hesitant to hand over my business. While I didn’t need the money, as my mom had left me quite a sizable fortune, The Body Count Bimbo was my baby. I’d worked hard to grow my career.
On the other hand, posting new content would keep my channel relevant. The hiatus was slowly killing my account with each day I didn’t post.
Stacey continued. “You’ll be compensated for all of it. The channel revenue, your working hours, everything. That’s why the lawyers and your agents are here.”
I glanced at Antoinette. “You like this idea?”
She gave me a tight smile. “Well...it’s a smart idea. The algorithm loves active channels.”
I looked around the table, and my eyes zeroed in on Kate, the intimacy coordinator. “Wait. Why are you here?”
Her eyes went wide. “Well—I—well...”
“We want to really ham this up. Handholding, embracing, kissing,” Stacey interjected. “We want the off-screen chemistry to look so real, so hot— people will feel the need to see you two screwing on camera.”
“That’s not professional,” Kate said softly.
“Sorry.” Stacey snickered. “I just wanted to rip off the Band-Aid.” She reached for a folder and pulled out two thick packets, offering them to Sebastian and me. “The studio is prepared to pay handsomely for all of it.”
“Why?” I asked, skimming the contract. It was all here, kissing, with and without tongue, hand holding, hugging, butt touching. What I’d post on my channel. Who I’d speak to. How much I’d get paid.
Anthony C. Hopkins.
The zeros at the end were...a lot. I looked up, shaking my head. This didn’t make sense.
“I’m a nobody.”
“You’re Lita Reyes’s daughter. Your name is gold.” Stacey grinned. “It’s why you were cast. No offense.”
“Not just your name. You performed well in the chemistry test.” One of the other PR people stood—a Black man who was dressed as if ready to go golfing.
“It’s why we wanted the test in the first place.
This isn’t some sudden idea we had in the middle of the night.
We’ve been waiting for the right pair to take this on. We think you’re it.”
The room fell silent as they waited for us to speak.
“I’d...like time to look this over.” I stood, grabbed the packet, and fled the room.
Antoinette followed, and together, we took a golf cart back to my trailer. Once inside, I tossed the papers aside and paced.
“This is not a good idea. There’s too much...”
“Chemistry?” Antoinette crossed her arms.
History.
“Evie, we don’t have to do this. But as your agent—who also practices law—the contract is a good one. We can negotiate whatever you’d like. More money, less touching, any of it.”
I stopped and stared. She actually thought this was a good idea. I couldn’t believe it. In the room with all the PR people pressuring us, sure. But here, one on one, she still wanted to do this?
Even if we took my channel’s life out of the equation, there was still Sebastian. If we pretended to be in love, I might just…
There was a loud rap on the trailer door, and we turned.
“Come in!” I shouted.
Sebastian opened the door and hurried up the stairs.
“Can we talk? I have a proposal.” He looked from me to Antoinette, who then looked from me to him.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Antoinette...”
She raised her hands in surrender and left the trailer.
“What’s the proposal? Marriage?” I shot at him the moment the door was closed.
He reached for the contract I’d tossed aside and stepped toward me, waving it inches from my face.
“You have five men left on your list, right? If you sign this contract, I’ll get you close enough to kill them.”