“I’ll talk to him.” Brody would just have to accept it. Had no choice, because I was bringing Katie on the fucking tour. “Maybe we should define creep, though. What if I get handsy and you don’t like it?”
“Then I’ll throw a drink in your face like a civilized bitch.”
A felt the grin twitch at the corners of my mouth. “Sounds fair. But I do have a couple of conditions. We don’t need it in ink. A verbal agreement is fine with me. I’ll take you at your word.”
“Okay…?”
“You’d be coming on the tour to act as my girlfriend, so if that illusion falls apart because you’re involved with someone else—”
“I’m not involved with someone else.”
“Good. But if you were to get involved, and the media got wind of it—”
“I’m not getting involved with anyone. If I do this I’m pretending to be your girlfriend for six weeks. That’s the deal. I won’t do anything to make you look bad.”
“Which brings me to my other condition. You can’t tell anyone the relationship is fake.”
“Pretty much assumed that. With the exception of Devi, who already knows.”
I didn’t love that, but so be it. “Alright,” I agreed. “But no one else.”
“Understood.” She was slowing down on her omelet and set her fork down. “I have some terms of my own, you know.” She leaned her elbows on the bar and looked incredibly businesslike for a woman in pajamas and no bra.
“I’d expect no less.”
“Devi wanted to write up a contract of our own, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I think we need a little trust between us if we’re going to do this. So.” She fixed her blue-greens on me. “One.Youcan’t tell anyone the relationship is fake.”
“Agreed,” I said. “With the exception of Jude, who knows every fucking thing I do, for security reasons.”
“Fine.”
“And Brody, who already knows.” Brody was also pissed that I’d gone to Katie with my “indecent proposal,” his words, before consulting him. Maggie wasn’t gonna love it either. “Which means Maggie, too.”
Katie frowned.
“My public image is their domain. I can’t keep Maggie in the dark.”
“Fine. Number two. You can’t see anyone else.”
“Okay.”
“I have to be the only one,” she insisted, as if I’d put up an argument. “If I’m gonna do this, let everyone believe we’re a couple and play the adoring girlfriend for all the world to see, I’m trusting you not to humiliate me—”
“Understood.”
I got it. Really. She was left at the altar. Two years ago. And hadn’t kissed a single dude since. Except me, a guy who was paying her for a fake relationship.
This girl was on recovery road from something that had scarred her deep, and going on this tour, trusting me, was a major leap of faith.
“Oh…” she said, like she’d been ready for a debate. “Um. Okay. So, then… if we do this, we both commit to keeping up the illusion. Which means…”
“Which means?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what it means. It means no fucking around. No getting your roadies or whoever to sneak groupies to you behind my back. No hooking up with old flames in every port. No messing around with Elle.”
“Is that all?”
“You get the idea. No going all slutty rock star behind my back.”
