If I Loved You (Hollywood Hearts 1) (23 page)

His laugh was mirthless. “They’re tough. But you’re innocent and smarter than they are. Don’t let them rattle you.”

“I wish I could disappear. I’m not good at this…this…limelight thing.” Her brow furrowed.

“Don’t worry, little chick, you’re not alone. I’ll be right there with you.” He took her hand and squeezed it. 

“Thank God.” 

“You haven’t done anything wrong. After this, I’m going to call that idiot, Harvey Dillon.”

Meg placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t call him.”

“I need to straighten this out. I can’t have him thinking you’re a thief when you’re not.”

She sat back in silence.
He’s right. Harvey has to know I didn’t steal that money. But I don’t want to work there. He can take his job and shove it.
“You’re right. Need to clear my name. But I don’t want my job back.”

“I suppose any boss who’d believe that without talking to you first…scumbag is the word that comes to mind.”

He said it with such a straight face, Megan burst out laughing. “That’s perfect, Chaz.”

They walked into the hotel, and Megan’s pulse kicked up. The manager motioned them to an empty elevator, and they rode the two flights up to the club lounge. Allie greeted him at the elevator. Chaz introduced her to Megan. “They’re all ready. Hope you are. Just don’t throw your career under the bus for love, okay, Chaz?”

He smiled at her and let go of Megan’s hand. When she followed him into the room, a dozen reporters and cameramen swarmed toward them. Megan’s heart rate increased. Sweat formed on her palms and her upper lip.

“Hey Chaz…” Barney Collier from
Associated Press
waved.

Chaz waved back.

“You called this. What’s up?”

Chaz raised his hand. “This is Megan Davis, my financial advisor. Recently, she has been accused of stealing money from my account at Dillon & Weed. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“Oh?”

“The money, twenty-five thousand dollars, was a gift. I gave that money to Megan.”

“Really? What for?” The reporter from
Celebs R Us
spoke up.

“Megan did me a big favor…helped me prepare for an audition...and…”

“You want us to believe that you gave this chick twenty-five large for helping you with an audition? What a crock of crap. Come on, Chaz, you can do better than that.”

“It’s the truth…”

“Oh, I’m sure it was a
gift...
but for a different kind of favor…sexual favor, perhaps?”

“Who are you?” Chaz demanded in an angry tone.

“Tom Beale,
Celebs R Us
.”

“Yeah, look at her. She’s hot.” Another reporter piped up.

A photographer took a few shots of a horrified Megan standing next to Chaz.

“That’s a complete lie! I never paid her for sexual favors…” Chaz fairly shouted.

“Do you deny you’re sleeping with her?” Tom continued his questioning.

“My private life is none of your business…”

“So you
are
sleeping with her. Did you pay her?”

Chaz blew his cool and took a swing at the reporter. A horrified Allie stepped in and grabbed his arm as he swung it back to take another shot. Tom Beale whipped out a handkerchief and held it to his bleeding nose.

“You’ll hear from my lawyer.”

The rapid clicking of cameras and popping of flashes was enough to blind Megan. Her mouth hung open, and she looked around for a place to run.

One reporter piped up, “We haven’t heard from the girl…”

“The Harvard Harlot,” Tom Beale spat out, voice muffled by the hanky.

The offensive nickname snapped Megan out of her trance, “Wait…what Chaz said is true. I played piano…”

“I’ll bet you did, honey. Knew just which keys to touch, didn’t you?” The reporter snickered.

“You filthy bastard,” Chaz growled, taking a threatening step toward the reporter.

Struggling to subdue Chaz, Allie hissed to Megan, “Get out of here!”

“Why
are
you in Phoenix, Ms. Davis? Just happen to be visiting or are you shacked up with Chaz Duncan? Did he pay you to come out here?”

“Of course not.” Megan stiffened.

“Don’t respond, Meg,” Chaz said, through clenched teeth.

“The Harvard Harlot…have plane fare, will travel eh?” Tom Beale scratched something in his notebook while the photographer with him snapped pictures as fast as he could.

“The financial advisor who delivers…all the way to Phoenix,” another reporter joked.

Tears caught in her throat, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. Chaz’s face was almost purple with rage. He snatched his arm away from Allie, grabbed Megan’s hand, and yanked her out of the room behind him. Reporters and cameramen followed them as they sprinted to the elevator. Once they were safely ensconced in the small space, Allie stood guard, waiting for the doors to close. Before it
did she whispered, “I hope you’re happy. Your career’s in the toilet for a piece of ass.”

When the doors
finally shut, Meg dissolved in tears. Hiding her face against the elevator wall, she cried quietly.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea it was going to degenerate into a…a…trash Megan session. I…I…don’t know what to say.”

Meg straightened up and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. She turned to face him. He smoothed her hair and pushed some strands back from her face, hooking them behind her ear.

“The Harvard Harlot?” She repeated in a shaky voice.

“Come here, little chick,” Chaz motioned, and she stepped into his arms.

When she closed her eyes, she envisioned the next day’s headlines and a fresh batch of tears flooded her face, soaking his shirt. Megan melted into Chaz’s chest and cried. When the elevator doors opened, he ushered her down the hall to his room. Once inside, she calmed down. He sank into a chair, pulling her onto his lap, enveloping her in his embrace. She shuddered as a small sigh passed through her lips.

“Wait here.” Chaz eased her off his lap and into the chair as he whipped out his cell phone. He dialed a number and Meg only half-listened as he asked for Harvey Dillon.

“Mr. Dillon, this is Chaz Duncan.”

Chaz paused.

“I know all about that, Mr. Dillon, and you have the situation totally wrong. Yes. Yes, that’s what I said. No…look, will you please listen! Right. Sit down and let me give you the facts. Ms. Davis did a personal favor for me, one that helped me nail an audition and get a starring role on Broadway. That’s right. So, I contacted Brielle and asked her to transfer the money. I wanted to surprise Ms. Davis, say
thank you
with a monetary gift. What? No…no absolutely not. She received exact instructions. That’s right. What? Oh, I see.”

Chaz’s voice droned on for another minute or two before he hung up. Meg looked up when he sat down on the sofa. She joined him. “He was upset when he realized they fired you by mistake. He’s hoping if he humbles himself you’ll come back. In the meantime, he’s going to have a
talk
with Brielle. I wouldn’t be surprised if he fires her.”

“I’ll never go back there. They broke my trust… fired me without even asking me about it. How can I work there? Besides, I hated the job. Except for managing your account and Mark’s…oh God! Mark! Quick, give me the phone. I’ve got to reach him before he sees the headlines or he’s gonna go bananas!”

It took Megan about five calls to locate Mark. He was in the locker room, just finished with practice.

“What’s up? An emergency?”

“Sort of.” Megan explained the situation to her twin brother, who flipped out on the other end of the line.

“If they print that headline, I’m gonna punch somebody out! And if I ever see Chaz Duncan again…
Pow
!” He made the sound of a fist slapping flesh.

“Wait, Mark. It isn’t his fault.”

“No? Then whose fault is it? Sure as hell not yours. That asswipe, putting the moves on my sister, getting her fired…wrecking her life. No one else is gonna hire you after this. That bastard. Wait until I get my hands on him.”

The voice of Mark’s coach called out, “Davis, get over here!”

“Gotta go, squirt. Talk later. Love you.” Mark hung up.

“He’s pissed, isn’t he?”

She nodded.

“Pissed at
me
right?”

“He’s mistaken about you…this isn’t your fault.”

“Really? I think it is.”

“You tried to tell them the truth but they won’t listen. They didn’t want to know it was innocent. They’re looking for dirt…so they created some where none existed.”

“After that story breaks, ole Harvey may not be so anxious to take you back.”

“Good. I don’t want to go back anyway.”

“What will you do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe open my own office so I don’t have to deal with scumbags like Harvey Dillon ever again.” She took a deep breath.

“I’d like to help.” Chaz slipped his arm around her.

“You can be my first client.”

“Of course, but if you need money for rent or anything…”

“Haven’t we gotten into enough trouble with you giving me money?”

Meg put her hand on his chest and pushed away. Chaz’s head snapped back as if he’d been slapped across the face. He backed away from her, dropping his arm to his side.

“Oh God, Chaz, I’m sorry, so sorry. I didn’t mean that. Your generosity is…is…fabulous. I love you for it. I do. It’s not your fault people chose to misunderstand.”

Tears clouded her eyes again and Chaz ran his thumb over her bottom lip. He kissed her hair. “Don’t worry, little chick. We’ll weather this storm. I’ve lived through worse.”

They ordered dinner from room service and ate on the terrace again, staring out at the twinkling lights of Phoenix at night. “Do you want a white picket fence to go with your perfect husband and two children?” Chaz grinned as he sipped his coffee.

“I think I’d like to stay in the city, but a country house for weekends and summer might be nice.”

“I fell in love with Pine Grove when Quinn and I played there. But that was ages ago. It might have changed by now.”

“What about you? Two kids for you…and a wife?”

“The whole dream. I want it all. I want the perfect Thanksgiving with the biggest turkey money can buy, and the perfect Christmas with a giant tree. I love holidays, and I’m tired of pressing my nose against the glass of other people’s lives. I want my own holidays with my own family. I want to be missed, to be welcomed home. I’m tired of returning to an empty house…no one to share my woes or a good laugh with.”

“Ready for marriage?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Maybe.” Chaz shot a shy smile her way.

He moved the dining cart into the hall so they wouldn’t be disturbed. They decided not to make love as it was late and Chaz had an early call. Meg was due to leave on an eight o’clock flight anyway, so they simply cuddled together. She had a fitful night, tossing and turning, unable to leave the worries of the day behind her. At one point, she awoke from a nightmare, sitting straight up with a gasp. Chaz rolled over and placed his palm on her back.

“You okay?”

She took a deep breath. “I think so.”

“Come here,” he ordered, tugging her gently into his arms.

Once he enveloped her, she relaxed against him, closing her eyes. She listened to the even rhythm of his heartbeat while the slight warmth of his breath tickled her cheek. Like a lullaby or a rocking chair, his presence soothed her and she was asleep within minutes.

The squawking of the clock radio woke them at four the next morning. A subtle knock at the door signaled the arrival of their morning coffee. Chaz rubbed his stubbly face, slung a robe around his long body, and went to the door. The
Phoenix Observer News
was folded up and on the cart alongside coffee and sweet rolls. He poured out two cups and sat back in a chair at the table.

Covered
by a fluffy robe, Megan joined him a few minutes later. He unfolded the newspaper and turned to the arts section, bending the newsprint back so he could see only the arts page. He glanced at it for a moment, trying to smile as his gaze met Meg’s across the table.

“What? What does it say?” She knit her brows and stared at him.

“Have your coffee, take a moment, relax.”

Meg stood up and snatched the newspaper from his hands. Her eyes quickly scanned the page until she found it…there on the first page was a picture of the two of them. The headline read “Financial Advice With Benefits.”

Then the subhead, in bold type, “Harvard Honey Shacks Up With Chaz for Love or Money?” She read the headline out loud as she sank slowly back down into her seat.

Chapter Fifteen

Meg sat stiffly upright in the limo next to Chaz. He slid his hand over hers and she smiled at him shyly, but didn’t break the silence. He looked out the window at the darkness and early, faint streaks of dawn. The quiet was broken by the sound of “If I Loved You”
sung by the original cast of
Carousel
from his phone. Startled, Meg looked up at him.