Anyone But You, page 7
No kissing yet. Just some cute selfies of you two cosying up together will do for now.
Don’t leave it too long. Gotta keep the momentum going.
I dropped my cell on my lap and groaned. There was no way I was gonna convince Halle to take photos ‘cosying up’ with me.
And the ‘no kissing yet’ comment Wilma made was freaking hilarious. Forget licking a pig’s butt. Halle would rather make out with a poisonous snake than lock lips with me.
Once upon a time, I could’ve had my pick of women. Some of them would go to crazy lengths to just be in the same room as me. I’d lost count of the number who’d tried to sneak into my hotel room, break into my home or make up stories to get backstage.
But Halle acted like even breathing the same air as me was a chore.
I knew I shouldn’t give a shit. My presence here was strictly professional. Whether she liked me or not shouldn’t matter. Yet for some weird reason it did.
I guessed it was like whenever I used to do shows. When I looked out in the crowd from the stage if I saw 59,999 people loving my performance, but one person looked bored, I’d worry about why they weren’t vibing with my music instead of appreciating the majority who were.
It was dumb, but I couldn’t help it.
If I knew what Halle’s problem with me was, maybe I could fix it. But until then, I’d just have to do what I always did: put on a brave face, crack some jokes and act like it didn’t bother me.
‘If I could have your attention, please, folks!’ Sammie called out. ‘It was a tough decision, but I’m delighted to announce that the winner of today’s competition is Stuart and Mandy with their performance of Titanic! Give them a round of applause!’
I clapped politely. Their performance was okay, but Halle’s was way better.
‘We were robbed,’ I whispered in Halle’s ear, trying to ignore her sweet scent. I’d noticed it last night and again when I’d first sat next to her earlier. It smelt like strawberries and coconut. And as much as I hated to admit it, I fucking loved it.
‘Yeah,’ Halle replied.
‘Thanks so much!’ Mandy said as she opened the envelope. ‘We’ve won a couple’s massage!’
Everyone cheered. Except me and Halle.
‘Maybe it was a good thing that we didn’t win.’ I turned to face her, trying to ignore her long, toned legs, which were spread out in front of her. Halle’s skin looked so smooth and for a second, I wondered how it would feel to run my hands over it.
What the hell?
It was a good thing I was wearing my shades so she couldn’t see where my damn eyes had roamed.
‘Yeah.’ She swallowed hard. ‘Definitely for the best.’
12
HALLE
‘Sorry I haven’t called sooner,’ Vanessa said as I got comfortable on my bed. It was now the start of my second full day at the hotel and I wanted to speak to her before I went to breakfast. ‘It’s been crazy busy with this case at work and then with the time difference…’
‘No worries!’ I said, propping a pillow behind my back.
‘I still can’t believe they matched you with Jake Myers!’
‘Tell me about it!’
‘I mean, the man’s fit as fuck, but he’s shag material, not boyfriend or husband material.’
‘Exactly!’
‘If it helps you feel better, he’s smitten with you.’
‘Yeah, right!’ I scoffed. ‘The only person Jake Myers is smitten with is Jake Myers.’
‘Nah-uh,’ Vanessa protested. ‘Apparently you’re the woman of his dreams.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘That’s what he said on his Insta, and everyone knows that if it’s on social media then it has to be true!’ She laughed.
‘Wait, what? He put me on his Instagram?’
‘Not pictures, he just mentioned you in a reel. When I listened to your voice note and you said how obsessed he was with taking photos for the ’gram, naturally I had to check it out. And sure enough, although he literally had zero posts before he arrived, he’s done loads since he got to the hotel. There’s photos of the restaurant, food, the beach and the pool. Then yesterday he posted a video saying that he was so happy that he’d met the woman of his dreams and to stay tuned for more deets.’
That made zero sense. I’d done nothing but give him dirty looks and monosyllabic answers since we’d been introduced.
I’d made it crystal clear that I wasn’t interested in him, so why the hell would he say that? Did he get off on knowing I didn’t like him or think I was just playing hard to get?
Weird.
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Sure, babe!’
‘Do you think I’m overreacting? I’ve been on a bit of a downer since I got introduced to Jake and he’s started winding me up by calling me things like Smiley as a joke because he said I always glare and never crack a smile. But you understand why I’m not thrilled with this match, right?’
‘Course I do! You’ve shelled out a shitload of cash to find a serious match who’s looking for something long-term and they’ve set you up with a fuckboy who probably has a longer relationship with a disposable cup of coffee than he’s ever had with a woman, so it’s understandable that you’re disappointed.’
‘Yeah,’ I said, my shoulders relaxing. ‘That’s exactly what I thought.’
As hard as it was to believe based on my actions over the past couple of days, I generally was a happy person. I wasn’t smiles and sunshine all the time. But who was? There was just something about Jake that pushed my buttons.
Well, it was more than just something. It was many things.
‘And when you add in the experience you had with your dickhead ex into the mix, being set up with another popstar is the shittiest scenario. Other than being set up with your ex, of course. Now that would be a disaster.’
‘Ugh,’ I shuddered. ‘Just the thought of that makes me want to throw up. I heard that’d happened with one of the couples at the Spanish Love Hotel. It worked out well for them, but there’s no way it would for me. I guess it shows that things could always be worse.’
‘Yep. So what are you gonna do? Stick it out or ask for a refund?’
Vanessa’s question made my mind drift back to what happened after the film scene performances had ended.
We’d had a group lunch on the beach then I’d spent most of the rest of the day chilling by the pool with a book, which was bliss. Especially because it meant I had zero obligations to spend any more time with Jake.
When I was going to my room, I spoke to Sammie again and asked if they did refunds. She repeated what she’d said before and encouraged me to stick it out for a few more days because she really believed it’d be worth it.
I couldn’t face having dinner with Jake, so I opted for room service instead.
I’d eaten dinner on my balcony whilst admiring the amazing sea views. Then I’d reluctantly submitted my playlist.
As well as the three songs I’d thought about earlier, I also added: ‘All Eyez on Me’ by 2Pac, ‘Attention’ by Charlie Puth and ‘What’s My Name?’ by Rihanna and Drake, which fitted Jake’s personality perfectly. After that I’d crashed out.
‘The hotel only does refunds under very extreme circumstances, like if the match is abusive or threatening,’ I said, bringing my thoughts back to Vanessa’s question.
‘Shit. Looks like you have to stick it out then. What’s the plan for today?’
‘Breakfast, then our first excursion.’
‘Oooh! Where you off to?’
‘No idea. Apparently they keep the locations a surprise.’
‘How fun!’
‘The excursion will be. The company not so much…’
‘I feel for you. At least you’ll be with other people so there won’t be any awkward silences.’
‘True,’ I said. My stomach rumbled loudly. ‘And that’s my cue to go and get breakfast!’ I laughed.
‘Enjoy! And good luck.’
‘Thanks, hon. Don’t work too hard!’
‘I will!’ she joked, before hanging up.
Vanessa was the ultimate career woman and she was killing it, but sometimes I worried that she spent too long at the office. In her defence, she played as hard as she worked. She wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship. When she wanted some fun with a guy, she went and found one.
I admired how she lived life on her terms. If Vanessa wanted something, whether it was a successful career or some fun between the sheets, she was a go-getter.
Which was more than could be said for me. I didn’t have a career or any noteworthy conquests to speak of. But on the bright side, at least I was in California, a state I’d always wanted to visit. So although the circumstances weren’t perfect, especially considering it was where my ex was based and I’d been matched with someone who reminded me of him, I was gonna try my best to make the most of it. Starting with a great breakfast.
Once I’d showered and got dressed, I picked up my bag and rifled through it. I probably wouldn’t get time to come back to my room before we headed off on the excursion, so I needed to make sure I had everything with me now.
They’d told us to wear trousers and closed-toe shoes, so maybe we were going for a hike? I hoped it wasn’t anywhere too high. But they’d also asked us to pack sunscreen and sunglasses too.
The essentials like my purse, phone and make-up bag were already in there, but I added a jumper and an umbrella just in case. Although this was the sunshine state, I was an English girl at heart and I knew it was always best to be prepared for all weather possibilities. Speaking of which, I should also pack a rain mac. And some snacks.
I threw in my battery power pack and some insect repellent spray. The last thing I wanted was to get bitten by mosquitoes. Better add some bite cream.
That should be everything.
I picked up the bag and winced. Wow. It was heavy.
After sliding it onto my shoulder, I contemplated removing some stuff, but without knowing where we were going, it was hard to know what I’d to take out. Everything was essential. I’d just have to take it all.
When I got to the restaurant, the maître d’ showed me to the table where Jake was already seated.
‘Hey, Smiley!’ he grinned and my stomach flipped.
The action shocked me. Stomach flipping for men like Jake wasn’t acceptable. I’d make sure that nonsense didn’t happen again.
In my stomach’s defence, Jake was looking annoyingly handsome. Again.
He was wearing black jeans and a plain white T-shirt which on anyone else would look ordinary, but on him, for some reason it looked… good.
Maybe it was the way it clung to his muscular chest. Or the way the short sleeves hugged his biceps. I had no idea why, but knew that hating him would be much easier if he had the face and body of an ogre.
‘Hi,’ I said flatly, before pulling out my chair and plonking myself down.
‘So I’ve just been looking at some very cool photos of you.’
‘What?’ My brows pinched together. ‘From where?’
‘Yesterday’s activity.’
Shit. I forgot about that. Sammie had mentioned that every morning the hotel would print photos that they’d taken of us and that we’d submitted so that we could choose our favourites for the silly memory book.
I’d declined Jake’s requests to take selfies (I really didn’t want to be featured on his Insta), but now I remembered that Sammie had taken some during our performance, but I couldn’t exactly stop mid-fake orgasm to protest.
‘Aren’t we supposed to go through those together?’ I raised my eyebrow.
‘Technically, yes. And I would’ve waited, but I got the impression that you weren’t interested in photos, so I thought I’d save you the hassle.’
‘Let me see.’ I thrust my hand in front of him.
I hated looking at photos of myself and the idea that he’d already seen and studied them made my stomach churn.
To me, photos highlighted your flaws. They were like a permanent reminder of all of the things about yourself that you hated. In my case it was my thick thighs and my height. I was six feet tall, so I often towered over other people and I’d developed a bad habit of slouching and trying to make myself small, so I didn’t look like a giant.
My ex was a few inches shorter than me and had a real complex about it. I didn’t mind the fact I had to bend down to kiss him, but he never liked standing beside me if we were out, he’d insist we sat down. And he hated me wearing heels.
Jake put the photos in my palm and I took a deep breath, bracing myself.
As I flicked through the photos a deep frown formed on my face. They weren’t as horrendous as I’d feared.
The first one was of me standing next to Jake, looking at him as he said something. And there were two things that immediately struck me. Firstly, I was looking up at him. Obviously I’d realised that Jake was tall, but somehow I’d been so busy snarling at him that I hadn’t realised that he was a good few inches taller than me, which felt like a first.
And instead of glaring, which had become my default setting for him, I was actually smiling. Cue dramatic gasp.
That couldn’t be right.
Sammie must’ve changed my expression in photoshop. I couldn’t think of a single thing that would have caused me to grin at him.
I flicked to the next photo and there it was again. A bloody smile.
The one after that made me blush. I had my head tipped back and my mouth was open. That was clearly the point where I was faking my orgasm as part of the performance. The interesting thing was that Jake was staring at me like he was in awe.
Nah. It couldn’t be awe. He was probably just shocked at how convincing I was and questioning whether other women he’d been with had pulled the wool over his eyes too.
‘Pretty cool, right?’ he said. ‘My favourite one is where you’re grinning and giving me heart eyes. I told you that you always smiled when you looked at me,’ he teased.
‘I do not! I was probably just laughing at something ridiculous you’d said.’
‘If you say so, Smiley.’
‘Stop calling me that!’ I huffed. ‘And what about this one?’ I held up the photo where he was staring at me with the sort-of-but-clearly-it-couldn’t-be awestruck expression.
‘That one’s cool too. I think that was when you told me that you were already falling in love with me and I was feeling flattered.’ His mouth tilted into a devilish smile.
‘I was not…’ I was about to protest again, but when I saw him smiling like an idiot, I realised that he enjoyed winding me up and I was playing right into his hands by letting it get to me.
But not any more.
I hoped Jake got a good look at me smiling at him in those photos because it wasn’t gonna happen again.
13
JAKE
‘Nice wheels!’ Stuart, the guy who’d won the performance with his match, said as he stepped onto the bus in front of me.
He was right. This was kinda fancy. Like a smaller, more modern version of the tour bus we used to ride in when I was in the band. It had a glossy black exterior, shiny wooden flooring, plus a panoramic glass roof and large tinted windows, which I guessed was designed to make it perfect for sightseeing.
I scanned the large black leather seats to see if Halle was already here, but there was no sign of her. After breakfast she’d raced off to her room to get something she’d forgotten to pack in her purse.
I was relieved when she left because I needed to collect my thoughts. When I went to pick up those photos, I was expecting to see shots of her glaring at me. But what I said was true. There were multiple photos of her actually smiling.
At first I was happy because it felt like a victory. I’d told her that I’d make her like me and I had, which was a win. But then when I found myself looking at those same photos multiple times, I realised that I actually liked her smile and the way it made her whole face light up.
I’d put the photos back in their envelope and thought that was the end of it. But when she sashayed into that dining hall for breakfast looking more delicious than a stack of pancakes drizzled in maple syrup, I’d started to worry.
She was wearing a yellow sundress with pink flowers printed all over it and cherry-red lipstick which captured my attention more than it should’ve. Her toned shoulders were exposed and the way the dress clung to her curves had me thinking all kinds of things that had no business being in my head.
I was here for work. Although Wilma’s objective was to get me a reality TV show, the way I saw it was that I just had to get along with Halle enough to take photos that’d raise my profile and make the right people take my calls once I left here.
But I couldn’t see how that was gonna happen, considering Halle’s photo aversion. Sure, I had the pictures Sammie had taken, but there was no way I’d post them without Halle’s permission. And while Sammie might be fooled by the smiles Halle was flashing in those photos, I knew the truth. Halle wasn’t remotely interested in me.
At least the fact that she didn’t like me meant I didn’t have to worry about leading her on or breaking her heart.
A woman a few rows in front kept turning around and looking at me. The first two times I thought nothing of it. But now it was getting weird. She got up and came over, holding her cell phone.
‘Hi!’ she beamed, twirling her dark hair around her fingers. ‘I wanted to come over during the activity yesterday, but anyway, I’m Sally.’
‘Hey, Sally.’ I gave her a weak smile. I wanted to think she was just being friendly, but the way she was clutching her cell, I suspected she wanted to ask for a photo.
Most of the guests that had recognised me had just nodded and smiled in acknowledgement and left me alone, but something told me Sally was different.
