The Author and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 16

"Now I know you are both busy, so I will jump right into it." When I stared back at him, waiting for the somewhat villainous-looking Mr. West to continue, he motioned for me to look at the contents of the folder. 

I opened it to the top page and stared back up at him, shocked. "What is this?" I whispered. 

"Photos," he answered as if it were a stupid question. 

"I can see that, but why do you have these?" 

Mr. West wove his fingers together and placed his elbows on the table. "We confiscated them from several tabloids that wanted to run a story on you." 

I stared down at a picture of me with Tate at the grocery store. I was adjusting a can in his arms, but the angle made it look like I was leaning in for a kiss. I would have laughed if the idea of someone creeping in on me at a grocery store wasn't so infuriating.

The next picture sent a chill down my spine. It was a picture of Aiden and me. We stood on the pier, hours before, his hands pulling his suit jacket around my shoulders. His back was to the camera, but my face was in clear view. And I was smiling up at him, beaming like an idiot. Gosh, you'd have to be blind to miss how attracted to him I am in this picture.

"So, me going to a grocery store and someone lending me their jacket is supposed to be enough to inspire a trashy story?" I asked, more insulted than anything. Who cares how I spend my time? These people must not have a lot of celebrities to follow right now.

I didn't dare look over at Aiden who stood on the other side of the room by the door. I didn't want Mr. West to know who the man was. He was beginning to give me creeper vibes. "This industry can be quite... cutthroat Ms. Summers. And although you are an author, you have been placed in a unique position."

His dramatic nature was irritating. It was taking him too long to get to the point of the conversation. For someone who began it with 'I know you are both busy,' he certainly enjoyed taking his time. "You write stories of love, adventure, and revenge." 

Oh good, you've read my books, I nearly blurted. But I had enough common sense to keep my mouth shut. It was not the time to be sassy. 

"Most authors can go their entire lives without being recognized, but your fans are quite taken with you." I stared down at the table, remembering my fans chasing me out of the bookstore in a frenzy. 

"Your age and your lack of romantic attachments are inspiring your followers to read into everything you do and that can be a risky investment to those who want to work with you." He motioned to the pictures. "Which is why we came up with the relationship clause."

The world stopped. "I'm sorry?" 

Sanders answered, surprising me. "Mr. West is just trying to explain why a clause has been added to your contract." 

"I understand that," I said, my calm leaving. "What I don't understand is what a relationship clause is."

Mr. West smiled like one would at a small child who knew very little about life. It was a condescending smile that made me want to prove him right by launching across the table like an ill-behaved child and slap him across the face. "This particular relationship clause states that while the first movie is being made, you will enter into a contractual relationship with someone." 

He waved his hand casually like he was discussing the color of the walls in the room and not like someone who was talking about romantic prospects being forced upon me. "You will remain in said romantic relationship until after the movie is out." 

"I don't want that," I said turning to Sanders, panic setting in.

Sanders refused to look at me. Her eyes stayed on Mr. West who spoke again. "But you've already signed the contract Ms. Summers." I found it hard to breathe. "If you had a problem with it, you should have read the fine print and brought it to our attention." 

I glared at Sanders. "You knew I would never want this." 

She finally turned to look at me, a tight smile on her face. "Which is why I didn't tell you." 

And there it was. The air left the room as realization hit. I had lost my ability to go places alone. To sleep without fear and now I had lost my ability to choose who I would date. Who I wanted to spend time with. It would all be an act. A fake relationship was the last thing I wanted. It was the last thing I needed. 

"Sanders, why?" I said, my voice breaking on the last word. I had never felt so betrayed. And by the person who was supposed to be on my side.

"Because this is the best thing for you. You need to trust me on this." Her brown eyes were apologetic, but the set of her jaw told me there was no point in arguing. "It's not for forever Laliana. You'll do great." 

"These relationships are quite normal," Mr. West insisted. "In fact, if you will look further into the folder you will see our top recommended candidates. They are all other celebrities doing well in their fields. Musicians, artists, actors, etc." 

I stood up, too stunned to speak. Sanders stood up too, most likely to make us look like a united front. "We will let you know our pick by Friday," Sanders said before reaching across the table to shake Mr. West's hand. "Thank you for your time." 

"Of course. Always a pleasure to work with you Sanders," Mr. West replied, his smile looking strange on his sharp features, like a shark, trying to look friendly. It was all wrong. 

Then he turned to look at me. "Welcome to the InternationalSisters family. We are looking forward to watching you and your story blossom." 

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Thank you for reading chapter sixteen! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to know when the next chapter drops!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!

Well, Sanders has thrown Laliana a curveball. What do you think of Sanders at this point?

What do you think of Mr. West?

How do you think Laliana would do in a fake relationship?

CHAPTER QUESTION - Okay, the real question, how do you think YOU would do in a fake relationship?