Faking It To Survive
Chapter 8

Ryan

I stare at Travis across my living room. I should be listening to what he’s saying about finally devising a solution to my media problem, but all I can think about is what happened last night with Rose.

I have never had a night as exciting as the one I had with her. So we didn’t get to spend much time at the club, but so what? The little time we did spend was a night I won’t forget as long as I live.

Her body felt incredible against mine when we danced. The way she raised her head so slowly when she saw how badly I wanted to taste her lips … If that a*****e didn’t interrupt us, last night might have ended differently, but I don’t care. Even running away from murderous gang members was better than any adventure I’ve ever had.

She’s gotten under my skin and made herself at home. I absolutely love it.

“Ryan? Ryan!” Travis snaps. “Are you even listening to me?”

I pull myself back from my daydream, but I can’t help feeling annoyed that he shattered my fantasy about Rose.

“I’m listening,” I tell him.

“Oh, really?” he counters. “What did I just say?”

I smack my lips in exasperation. “Quit acting like my damn teacher and just repeat what you said.”

“I found the perfect way to get rid of the rumors and clear your reputation. Two words,” he says, raising two fingers. “Fake relationship.”

I stare at him for a second. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that the only thing that’s going to get you out of this mess is for you to announce to the press that you’re in a fully committed, stable relationship. It’s going to have started after your scandal with Tammy’s best friend so no one thinks you were cheating on your new girlfriend. So—”

I hold up my hand. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Let me see if I understand what you’re saying. You want me to get into a fake relationship with some random chick just so people will stop falsely accusing me of being a rapist?”

“Yes,” Travis replies. “Exactly.”

I stare at my best friend, trying to decide what to say. Has he gone completely insane? Then I realize he must be joking.

I laugh, but his steady gaze never falters.

“Are you crazy? That’s insane, Travis. You’ve come up with way better solutions than this before.”

“Well, neither of us has had to deal with something like this before, have we? Look, people have been talking, okay? Even people at the agency are starting to question whether you did it. You saw the way Rose reacted when she first heard the news.”

“Rose believes me now.”

“After you spent a considerable amount of time convincing her. Are you going to sit down with everyone else who thinks you did it and explain it to them, too? This is the only way to stop people from talking. You’re losing deals, Ryan. Sponsors are pulling out, and word is going around among the executives that you may not be allowed in the ring for your next fight.”

“What!” I jump to my feet. “That’s bullshit! They can’t do that!”

I’ve been working hard for my next upcoming fight, especially after I lost the last one so brutally. This is why Travis got me a new trainer in the first place—so I would be prepared in time. Now everything is crumbling down around me.

“Well, it turns out they can,” he replies. “If we don’t work together and fix this now, your career is going to take a pounding. It’s going to be hard to come back from that, and everything we’ve built is going to come to nothing.”

“Why can’t we get the police involved? Isn’t there some way to prove she’s lying?”

“It’s a matter of your word against hers. I don’t see any way to prove or disprove this. Besides, she’s done so much damage already. We really need to take control and play the PR game.”

“Shit!” I run a hand through my hair and pace around the room. “I’m going to have to trust your judgment, as always. Fake relationship it is.”

Travis hands me a file folder from the couch next to him. “You’ll find profiles in here for some of the women I’ve selected for you. Pick the one who suits you the best and who you can stand for about six months or more. Then we can proceed.”

I almost snort. Trust Travis to come prepared. He would only bring me this idea if he thought long and hard and couldn’t come up with anything better.

I slump back down on the couch and flip the file open to see headshots of different women. I pause at the image of a brown-haired, doe-eyed woman. “Elena Romanoff? You know she lives in Russia, right?”

“She moved back to the States,” Travis replies. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. You two dated in the past.”

This time, I really do snort. “I wouldn’t call what Elena and I did ‘dating.’ It was more like enjoying each other’s company.”

“You know what I mean. Anyway, you two ended things on good terms, and out of all your exes, she’s the one you’ve maintained a friendship with the longest. I thought you two would be able to get along the best.”

I turn to the next headshot … and the next. I go through pictures of models, singers, actresses, and even famous artists, but none of them pique my interest. They might have once interested me. Now I only see an emptiness in their smiling faces.

Instead, it’s her face I keep seeing. Dark eyes, oval face, small, curved lips, and midnight black hair flowing endlessly to her shoulders last night. Even her heavenly smell permeates my senses.

Rose Bloom is the woman I want, but I can’t have her.

Can I?

Not when she doesn’t even trust me. We might be friends, but she won’t even tell me where she lives. She doesn’t trust me by a mile. She would run and never come back if I tried anything else.

Travis gets my attention by standing up. “I’ll give you some time to decide, but it has to be fast, Ryan. We don’t have the luxury of time.” His phone rings, and he turns away to answer it. “Excuse me.”

I go back to studying the pictures in front of me while he takes the call. I can’t stop thinking about Rose when Travis suddenly yells out, “What!”

I look up to find him scowling at his phone and scrolling furiously.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“What did I tell you about staying away from your trainer?” he snarls without looking up.

“What are you talking about? Did something happen with Rose? Did she say she’s quitting again? I can talk to her …”

Travis raises his phone and turns it around so I can see the screen. I freeze when I see a dark, grainy picture of two figures hugging by my car. It may be dark, but the faces are unmistakable.

“Read the comments,” Travis tells me as he scrolls to the comments section beneath the picture.

My eyes zip back and forth, running down the page and …

Oh no!