The Game Read Free Page A

dark, and charismatic, and the only cast member other than me who went on to have a successful movie career. I hadn't spoken to him since the show got cancelled, but we'd always been friendly. It could work.
    "Can't. He's not suitable," Arnie said in dismissal.
    "Why not?" I asked.
    "Because he's got more problems than you do. He's on parole right now for punching that photographer outside of The Vine. Plus he's doing his third stint in anger management," he said.
    I slumped back against the couch and groaned. Who knew picking a fake fiancé was so hard? I sat with my eyes closed, scrolling through the mental rolodex in my head of men who were not only eligible, but willing to go along with the scheme. Unsurprisingly, there were none that came to mind.
    "Why limit ourselves to just actors? Why not open it up?" I heard Charlotte say. "What we need is a man who's wealthy, handsome, charming, and has an impeccable reputation."
    I opened my eye and stared at her quizzically. "Good luck with that," I said. "If I ever met a man like that, I might just have to marry him for real."
    "What about that man you were seeing last year? That billionaire--Ryan something. He'd be perfect," she said.
    Her eyes lit up and I could see the wheels turning in her head already. I hated to be the one to disappoint her, but there was no point in letting her get herself all worked up. Ryan Marsden was definitely taken, and happily so. He and Mel Abelgard were madly in love, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they were already engaged.
    "He's taken," I said. It was too bad, really, because he would have been perfect.
    "Figures," she said dejectedly. "He wouldn't happen to have any friends just like him, would he?" she added, almost jokingly.
    I shot upright in my seat and eyed her excitedly. Of course! Why hadn't I thought of him sooner? He would be perfect, even better than Ryan. A slow smile spread across my face, the first one since I'd arrived at the office.
    "As a matter of fact, he does."

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 2: Rob
     
    I cracked open a bleary eye, blinking against the ghastly early morning sunlight streaming through the window. The effort proved to be too much and I closed it again. My head throbbed and my mouth felt like sandpaper, dry and disgusting. I pinched the bridge of my nose, hoping to somehow ease the freight train that was rumbling in my brain, as I vowed never to drink another drop of alcohol again. I moaned slightly as I turned to my side, and suddenly I felt something warm brush up against my shoulder.
    "Mmm," I heard a soft voice mumble behind me. A second later, I felt a smooth arm drape over me. I looked down at a petite, well manicured hand lying across my hip. I peeked under the covers and was unsurprised to find that we were both completely naked.
    I tried to piece together the events of last night, but the effort proved to be too taxing. Instead, I turned over to get a better look at the lady currently sharing my bed. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was quite attractive. No beer goggles last night. She fluttered her eyes open and smiled at me lazily.
    "You were magnificent last night," she said.
    I nearly returned the compliment, even though I really couldn't remember much of last night. But before I could get the words out, the doors to my room were flung open. I shot up in bed, grimacing as my brain rattled against the inside of my head.
    All I could see was a blur of pastel pinks and greens, and smell that familiar scent of vanilla and lavender. I groaned out loud and sunk back down to my pillow, closing my eyes.
    "There you are," the crisp voice of my mother spoke to me from the foot of my bed. Even without looking at her, I could already picture the pinched expression on her face. "I didn't know you'd be here, Alicia," she added.
    At her words, I remembered that I wasn't alone. I looked over to see the lady in question, Alicia, mumble a faint greeting to my mother. She remained crouched low with