Player in Paradise (11 page)

Forget breakfast, I can hardly keep my hand steady enough to brush my hair. This could be my last day as a professional PR person, or worse, my last day in LA. I’m certain that Priscilla is going to fire me, tarnish my name, and send me back to Florida after all the shit that went down last week.

I gather my thoughts in the elevator as I make my way up to the 23
rd
floor. As the doors open, my first instinct is to push the button back down to ground level, but I know I need to face my mistakes head on.

“Welcome back,” Mandy says, rushing to greet me as I set my bag down on my desk. “You don’t look so good.”

“I don’t feel so hot either.”

She leans in close to whisper. “I don’t know how much Priscilla knows
about what actually happened. Cassidy’s manager called at the end of the day while you were flying back, but I couldn’t hear the conversation.”

I nod. “Thanks for the heads up
.”

“Of course.”
She grabs my shoulders. “My advice – don’t say a word, just let her do the talking.”

“Good idea.”

She leaves my cube as Priscilla walks through the door. I follow her quickly to bring in her coffee, and set the cup on the desk.

“Take a seat,” Priscilla instructs.

I pull out the chair quickly and nearly sit on my hands to keep them from trembling. I know my verbal beat down is about to begin.

She grabs her drink and takes a sip. “How was the trip?”

Is this a trick question???

“Great,” I say wi
th a smile, hoping it looks natural.

“Good,” she says, starting up her computer. “The coverage has been crazy so far. Can you pull a report together by 10AM?”

That’s it? Am I dreaming? How did I escape without punishment?

“Of course, I’ll get right on it,” I say, pushing my chair away from the desk to get up.

“Oh, and Olivia,” she says, tearing her eyes away from her screen. “Set up a meeting with Austin and his people. We were able to recover from his engagement stunt pretty quickly, but it can’t happen again. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll do that now. Thanks.”

I run out of her office before there’s a chance for anything else to come up, but it doesn’t sound like Cassidy told on me about hooking up with Austin. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel like running a victory lap through the halls of the PWR Group.

Instead, I quickly scurry back to my
cubicle and turn on my computer.

“You OK?” Mandy mouths over the cube wall.

I nod and smile. “Lunch later.”

She shakes her head up and down in agreement.

I pull together a media coverage report of all the press clips from the past week. It seems that other than the photo of Cassidy’s ring, the second most re-blogged, re-Tweeted, and most talked about photo was the one of Austin in his half-zipped wetsuit. I’d like to set it as my background image on my computer, but that might come off as a little unprofessional.

The photos of Austin and Cassidy at the airport show up on a bunch of sites too. They loo
k so infatuated with each other that even I still can’t believe it’s fake. She looks like such an innocent teenager. I can’t wait to show the world the type of person she really is.

I send Priscilla the report and call Austin’s manager to set up a meeting for tomorrow a
fternoon. He agrees to be at the office after lunch. I doubt I’ll be invited to the meeting, but I’ll still need to remind Austin to keep his flirty comments to himself while he’s here. Priscilla may be in the dark about what happened between us, but she’s not dumb. If she sees him hitting on me, she might take me off his account or not let me go to any of his events just as a precaution.

Mandy and I walk down the street for l
unch, settling in at our usual cafe.

“Ok, so
by the lack of screaming or crying, I’m assuming you’re still employed,” she says.

“Yes, thank God!”
I respond, before taking a big bite of chicken salad.

She
picks up her fork. “You know, you had me freaking out all week!”

“I was freaking out too! But i
t seems like Priscilla is completely oblivious about my relationship with Austin.”

“Relationship?
What relationship? I thought you two were just hooking up.”

Shit
, I think I said too much. I rest the side of my head in my hand and take a deep breath. “I don’t even know what it is, but I know it’s more than just hooking up.”

“
But he’s a Hollywood player, Olivia, you can’t trust him.”

“I know it seems that way, but I do trust him. He’s sincere. He doesn’t wa
nt to marry Cassidy. He…he wants to be with me.”

I swear Mandy almost chok
es on her diet Coke. “You guys can’t date. Priscilla will kill you.”

I raise my shoulders
to my ears. “I dunno, we’ll figure it out.”

“Oh…
kay…” She shakes her head disapprovingly.

“C’mon
, Mandy. I’m trusting you with this information. The least you could do is be supportive.”

“I am, I am, but…I just d
on’t want you to get hurt or fired. I just don’t see how any of this can have a happy ending.”

“I have to at least give it a shot
. I really like him.”

She
gives up the argument and sits back in her chair. “So what about Cassidy?”

“Ugh, that’s a whole other ordeal
that I’m trying to take care of.”

“Take care of? You’re not
gonna hire a hit man, are you?”

“I wish it were that easy
,” I say with a laugh. “No, I’m figuring something out.”

“That’s it
? Come on, tell me. Maybe I can help.” She crosses her arms, waiting for a response.

“Fine,
I’m trying to dig up dirt on her so I can frame her for doing something bad. Something so awful that Austin would have to break up with her and people wouldn’t think he was being an asshole for doing so.”

“Hmm…” She scratches her fi
nger to her chin. “I like where this is going. What can I do?”

“
Wanna come with me to the Coffee Bean later? I think her ex works there.”

“Yes! I’m totes down for that,” she says
, excitedly.

“Awesome.
Let’s leave after Priscilla heads out the door tonight.”

“Do I need a disguise? I think I have a scarf and big sunglasses in my
car,” Mandy says.

She really is too much. “
I think you’d get too carried away with your disguise and forget our mission. Besides, this guy won’t even know who we are!”

“Ok,
fine Miss Super Sleuth. I’ll be ready to go when you say so.”

Mandy and I are out the door at five-thirty. We pull up to the Coffee Bean and enter the store.

“Let me see his pic again,” Mandy whispers.

I pull up his Facebook page and pass her the phone. I browse the store, checking out each employee as inconspicuously as I possibly can.

“I don’t see him,” I whisper.
Damn, I knew this sounded too good to be true.

“Should we just ask if he works here?” Mandy says.

“No, we don’t want him to know we’re looking for him.”

I grab the phone back and search the web for his name again. “Bingo.”

“What is it?” she asks.

“He just
Tweeted. Look, it says he’s at Sweet Cakes, isn’t that nearby?”

“Yeah,
they have the best cupcakes…mmm I want a cupcake so bad right now.”

“
Screw the cupcakes, we need to find Tyler before he leaves!”

We scramble out of the Coffee Bean and drive a mile down the street to the bakery. There’s not as many people at the bakery as there were in the coffee shop. We hang back and try to peek in the glass door.

“Holy shit.” I jump back from the storefront and turn my head.

“What’s wrong?” Mandy asks.

“I think Cassidy’s in there!” I quickly stand behind Mandy. “She can’t see me!”

“Oh my God, what is she doing here?”

“You should go in. I’ll wait in the car,” I say.

“Ok
ay, okay.”

Mandy opens the door and a bell rings. I sprint
to the car and try to watch the scene as I crouch behind the dashboard inside.

Mandy calls attention to her
self wherever she goes with her platinum blonde hair and her penchant for always wearing at least a five-inch heel on top of her already five-foot-seven frame, making her tower over most other females. I hope for today she at least tries to blend in.

A few minutes pass and she sends me a text.

“Ordered cupcake. Couldn’t resist. Think Cassidy is sitting w Tyler. Bodyguard looking dude in corner. No one else seems to recognize her.”

I text back.
“
What are they talking about?”

“
Not sure, but they look happy. Smiling, laughing, feeding each other dessert. Weird.”

“
Take a pic!”

“I can’t, too obvious.”

“Try, this might be our only shot.”

Not a minute goes by before Mandy runs out the door to our car. She hops in the passenger seat and hands me a bag.

“Did you get it?” I ask.

“I got you a cupcake.”

“That’s not what I meant. Did you get the photo?”

She takes out her phone and sighs. “It’s really blurry. I was afraid to point the phone at them so I pretended to talk and sort of turned my ear toward them while pushing t
he button.”

“
Thanks, at least you tried,” I say. “I should probably call Austin.”

“Go for it.”

I put him on Bluetooth in the car. “Hey, Austin, it’s me, Olivia.”

“I recognize your voice by now
Liv,” he says.

Mandy turns to me and punches my arm. “
Ohmygod!” she whispers.

I giggle.

“What’s going on?” he says.

“You are not going to believe this. We went to find Tyler, and guess who was with him?”

“Who’s we?”

“Oh sorry, I have Mandy with me, she works at PWR Group, but don’t wor
ry, she’s cool.”

“Hi Austin!”
Mandy says.

“Hey…”

He sounds pissed, but he’ll get over it once he finds out how she helped us out.

“So…Tyler was with Cassidy!” I exclaim.

“Interesting.”

That’s all he has to say? Interesting? I thought he would be much more excited than this. What did I do wrong?

“Yes, it is interesting. Especially because Mandy was able to go in the store and spy on them.”

“Yeah, it looked like they were on a date,” Mandy says. “I tried to take a picture, but it kind of sucks.”

“Still, I think we need to investigate further. Maybe she’s cheating on you,” I say.

“Maybe,” he responds, dryly
.

Jeez, you’d think I was telling him about my last college exam, not incriminatin
g details that might be the key to setting him free!

“Ok
ay, well I’ll see you later then,” I say.

“Yeah, I’ll be in your office tomorrow. See you then.”

He hangs up quick.

“What a jerk,” Mandy quips. “We just did him a huge favor an
d he can’t even say thank you?”

“I know,
I’m sorry, he’s usually not like that.” Although, I don’t know actually know what he’s usually like. I’ve only known him a few weeks.

“
Are you sure this is worth it? Like, losing your job worth it?” she asks.

I nod, but I’m not so sure that it is anymore.

I struggle to wake up as my phone buzzes next to my head. My eyes slowly adjust and I read the text from Austin.

“
Can you come over?”

I glance at the clock.
It’s two in the morning. Is he out of his mind?

“
What do you think I am? A booty call? I’m going back to bed.”

I toss the phone
next to me and place my head back on the pillow. After the way he spoke to Mandy and me this evening, I’m really not interested in any of his antics.

Another buzz.

“
I miss you.”

Fuck…I just want to sleep!

“Are you drunk?”
I ask.

“
Kinndaa”

“
I thought you stopped.”

“
Never said that”

“
Austin…”

“
I like it when you say my name… come over”

“
Stop sexting me you freak. I’m going to bed.”

“
It’s not sexting unless I send u a dick pic.”

“
Please don’t. Let me sleep!!”

“
Im sending a car to pick u up. Where do u live?”

“
No. Drink some water and I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

“
Only vodka here. want u in my bed.”

I shut my phone off and try to remember the way he looked at me when he said he wanted to be with me.
I don’t remember him looking deceitful, but could it all be a lie? Am I just a big, gullible fool? Maybe Mandy’s right; should I really be putting myself on the line to save his ass?

The next day at work is brutal. My stomach’s in knots as I anxiously wait for
Austin to attend his meeting. Priscilla has me pulling more reports and setting up a media tour for Cassidy and Austin to discuss their engagement with the press. I barely have time to grab lunch, not that I could eat with my nerves anyway.

He better
behave himself in front of Priscilla and agree to whatever her terms and conditions are. And I hope he apologizes to Mandy for his attitude yesterday, and to me for his obnoxious drunk texts. Otherwise, I’m not sure what to think about him anymore. All I do know is that I can’t be blinded by his good looks and amazing sex.

At half past three, Austin’s manager strolls thro
ugh the double doors. He speaks to the receptionist then sits on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Priscilla speed-walks by my desk to greet him, but Austin hasn’t arrived yet.

Priscilla taps her foot rapidly on the carpeted floor as they wait. She hates waiting.

By quarter of four, Austin finally enters the office. His unkempt hair is covered in a grey beanie and he has a bit of stubble on his face. He’s wearing snug black jeans and a grey t-shirt. It almost looks like he just rolled out of bed…and knowing the state he was in last night, he probably did.

Priscilla leads them to the meeting room, passing by my desk again. Austin doesn’t stop
to say hello. Not that I’d expect him to, but I guess a quick glance might have been nice.

“That bastard,” Mandy whispers over to me.

“You don’t even know…” I respond.

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“He tried to booty call me last night.”

“And you said no?”

“Of course!”

“Good, I’m proud of you,” she says.

I try to focus my attention on my never-ending task list, but I can’t stop thinking about his selfishness. My thoughts fuel me into a rage, and I’m ready to call off the scheme altogether. Let him live a life of misery with Cassidy, he had a choice in the beginning and he chose fame.

Austin emerges from the meeting room alone and heads toward my desk. Before I have a moment to react, he grabs my arm and pulls me out of my chair. “Come with me.”

I follow his lead and we head to the hallway.

“God damn, your boss is a bitch,” he says as the door closes behind us.

She must have ripped him a new one for leaving Hawaii before the engagement happened. Good, he deserves a little verbal beat down after the way he’s been acting.

“What the fuck is going on with you?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

I grab his hand and direct him around the corner to the fire exit
stairwell so no one can hear our conversation. The door closes behind us and I stand with my back against the cement wall. “Um, did you forget about your asshole behavior toward Mandy and me yesterday, or your drunk texts last night?”

He faces me and crosses his arms. “
I guess I was caught off guard by your willingness to have some random outsider in on our secret plan. I don’t even know this chick and you want me to trust her with something as important as this?”

I roll my eyes;
what a lousy excuse. “Well, she’s my best friend here, and I trust her, so you should too.”

“Fine…and about the texts…
” He smirks and shrugs his shoulders. “It was late and I was thinking of you…”

His admission excites me, but I don’t want him to know. He should still treat me with more respect.

“I’m not just a booty call, Austin,” I say, placing my hands on my hips.

He
quickly reaches out to grab hold of my arm. “I know that. If I wanted a booty call I could have texted a bunch of other girls in my phone….but I only texted you.”

I wriggle myself
free of his grip. “If that was supposed to make me feel better, it didn’t.”

His hands reach back for my shoulders as he
stares down at me, trying to lock his pupils with mine. “I’m sorry, Liv. It won’t happen again.”

Fuck, he’s convincing, but I can’t let him off the hook this easily.
Time to confront him about something other than his penchant for ass. “And why are you still drinking, alone?”

He steps back and tilts his head.
“Why not?”

“Because, you’re not you when you drink. I don’t like it. And it’s not healthy.”

“Liv
ing in Los Angeles isn’t healthy.”

I keep quiet about his
previous confession regarding his mother’s obvious alcoholism, and comb my hand through my hair, tugging at the ends. He’s driving me crazy. “I’m not going to help you with this whole Cassidy situation unless you get your act together.”

“Fine, then I’ll
handle it myself,” he says.

I shake my head in exasperation. “Austin, come on.”

“I thought you liked me for me, bad habits and all,” he responds. “I’m not going to change my whole lifestyle in a day!”

I sigh, resting my head back against the wall.
“I know, but can you at least try to ease up on the alcohol? And think of my well-being before you contact me at ungodly hours of the night next time?”

He grabs me by the waist
and leans in closer. “Yes, I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” I meet his advance with a hug, tightly wrapping my arms around his body. My hands fit perfectly in the curve of his lower back, right where his t-shirt meets the waistband of his jeans.
“So what were you pulling me out of the office for exactly?”

“Well, I was going to rant about how your boss likes to treat me like I’m five-years-old.”

“I’d say you’re more like four-
and-a-half.”

Austin grins wide and a crinkle appears on the bridge of his nose.

“I also wanted to let you know that Priscilla’s dragging me on a press tour with Cassidy in New York for a few days. Apparently we’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”

I loosen my grip around his waist and lightly plac
e my hands on his hips. “I know; I’ve actually been planning the media schedule all day.”

“So, are you c
oming too?”

“Not unless Priscilla asks me
, and she hasn’t yet.”

“Come on…I’d love to
show you around NYC,” he says, moving his pelvis forward so that our lower-bodies touch.

H
is hands rise above my head and land on the wall behind me. A lock of hair falls out from under his beanie, grazing his eyebrow. God, I wish I wasn’t at work right now.

“I think you should get back to your meeting,” I whisper. “Before they get suspicious…”

He smiles and pushes himself off the wall. “You’re coming to New York,” he says before turning the door handle.