‘OK, bye,’ I said numbly, ending the call. Then I looked up and saw Laura and Derek’s eager faces.
‘Look, I need to know one way or the other,’ Derek said brightly. ‘I think you’ll find the monetary reward quite –’
‘I’m not going to be paid to date him,’ I said firmly. ‘I’m not – that’s just icky.’ Despite what Anna had said, I was not pimping myself out here.
‘Fine.’ Derek shrugged. ‘We’ll invest it in Butterflies.’
Try as I might, I couldn’t avoid my sister’s face.
Or my own memories. The horror of being surrounded by paparazzi had pushed my encounter with Patrick to the back of my mind. But it was all flooding back now. Being that close to him had been …
I mean, everyone had a celebrity crush, right? You just never expected to actually meet them. Let alone date them.
‘Fine, I’ll do it.’ Oh, I was so fucked.
FIVE
You thought I had a plan but can you not see that I’m lost, the frost of your eyes so unnerving, I’m learning that I’m alone here …
–from ‘Frost’, by These Exiles
‘JUST REMEMBER TO SMILE,’ Derek muttered under his breath as he led me into the hotel lobby. ‘Try not to scare them off.’
‘I’m not going to –’
‘And have you sent the new song ideas to the label? You know they’re waiting on you – marketing too – and the US team have asked –’
‘I’ll send them the lyrics when they’re ready,’ I snapped, trying not to think of the writer’s block I definitely wasn’t suffering from.
I was screwed. I needed good lyrics. Matter of fact, any lyrics would do right now.
‘You’re supposed to be smiling, remember, not whatever constipated look this is.’
My temper, never that far away, flared. ‘Stop fucking telling me –’
‘Look, Jessy is all for it, and you don’t have much choice here,’ Derek said sharply.
I swore under my breath. Of course she was all for it. Who would pass up the chance to get their five minutes of fame? Who didn’t want to attend film premieres, or get invited to industry parties – and afterparties?
‘– and we’re not even having to pay her an extortionate fee,’ Derek continued as we entered the lift and he jabbed nine.
Wait. Fee?
‘Derek.’ I glared at him as he smoothed back his hair. ‘Please don’t tell me that you’re paying this woman to date me.’
‘I don’t have to; she’s not taking a fee,’ he said firmly as the lift dinged and we stepped out into an identical corridor.
I followed Derek to the last door and watched as he swiped the key card to enter.
My stomach jolted. ‘OK, but you offered her –’
‘Here we are!’ Derek stepped into a room and beamed at its inhabitants. ‘Apologies for being late – there was the little matter of a crowd of paps outside the hotel. And how are you today, Ms Donovan?’
There was nothing I could do. I followed him inside.
I’d been expecting one of the bedrooms, but this was a sort of meeting room. A large table was placed in the centre, and two people were already sitting at it. But I was only interested in one.
Jessy Donovan: the woman I’d left on read, then run into at her recommended café, and who I was now splashed everywhere online with.
