L.A. Cinderella (11 page)

“B
ack to our catch of the day,” the television blared. “It would appear Alexis Brandt has been replaced by a younger woman. Photographers got these pictures of the young woman leaving Chase’s house earlier today. The woman hasn’t been identified yet. Friday, allegations of an office romance had been released by Pandora Productions’ ex-CFO, Martin Morrison.”

The TV showed Natalie’s Honda Fit racing out of Chase’s driveway. What it didn’t show was that she’d managed to get away before anyone was able to hop into their cars. She’d driven around a little before returning home, just in case.

Why had she gone out the front door? Because she couldn’t stand to walk around Chase and through his house to escape. Because if she’d walked through his house, he might have changed her mind, and she would have stayed.

“We don’t have to watch.” Rachel plopped down on the couch next to her and handed her a bucket of Cherry Garcia ice cream and a spoon. Rachel swiped at the used tissues that littered the couch and the floor.

“I know.” Her insides were hollow. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Chase had told her he loved her, and she’d thrown it back in his face. Because she thought it was for the best.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rachel straightened the blanket over Natalie’s legs.

“No.” The tears overflowed her eyes again. It hadn’t been for the best, because the paparazzi were going to figure out who she was. She couldn’t avoid work. She’d promised Chase she would carry the workload until they could hire a CFO.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

“No.” Her favorite movie that saw her through the bad times would never be the same again. She couldn’t watch Chase on the screen and not remember those same eyes staring into hers, that body pressed against hers, those words…. Those simple words that meant everything to her, but weren’t enough.

Natalie and Rachel decided if she wore her glasses maybe the swarms of paparazzi wouldn’t be able to recognize her. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail. It had been down when she’d left Saturday morning and had obscured part of her face.

Natalie could barely breathe let alone walk and talk. A sense of numbness surrounded her. She borrowed Rachel’s car to get to work.

When she pulled up to Pandora Productions, it was worse than she’d imagined. A crew from
E!
stood outside
recording an intro piece. The parking lot was filled with photographers leaning against their cars waiting.

She hoped they wouldn’t realize she was the woman they were waiting for. She parked the car and steadied herself. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she walked toward the door.

“Chase Booker and Robert Addler brought allegations of fraud against their CFO on Friday morning.”

She breezed past the camera crew and made it through the door. The receptionist glanced up at her and went back to the computer screen.

Shrugging her purse back over her shoulder, Natalie shuffled down the hallway to her desk. She flipped on the computer and glanced around. No one felt the urge to strut this morning, which suited Natalie just fine. She didn’t need to be reminded she wasn’t tall, thin and gorgeous on top of everything else.

Her water bottle was empty, but there was no way she was going to pass by Chase’s office to get more water. What if he was in there? She had to pretend he didn’t matter.

She opened her e-mail, and the computer downloaded two messages. Both were from Jared Anderson. Sighing, she clicked on the first one. It was his contact information, along with a note of how they’d talked on the phone.

She closed it and opened the second one, which had been sent this morning.
If you need to talk, you know where to find me. S
he deleted the e-mail. It was inevitable that people would put two and two together and figure out she was the one Chase had been seeing.

But she wasn’t going to help them along. She pulled a stack of invoices over and started to enter them into the computer. She needed to keep herself busy.

Walking into Pandora had been a nightmare of saying “No comment” and “I have nothing to say.” His sunglasses helped to hide the rings under his eyes from his sleepless night.

He’d already told his publicity director to give no comments. Alexis had agreed to keep Natalie’s name a secret as long as she could say that she dumped him and the office worker was a rebound. He hadn’t cared. Business as usual.

The receptionist glanced up and gave him a wan smile before returning to her work. He walked up to her and waited for her to hang up the phone.

“Hold all my calls. If anyone asks, Robert and I will have a press release this afternoon about Martin’s departure.” He’d been so wrapped up in Natalie that he hadn’t even thought about firing Martin, which had served to increase the number of reporters outside.

“Yes, sir.” She dropped her eyes back to the computer screen and answered the line.

He straightened his shoulders. Natalie would be here already. He had to keep her secret for as long as possible. The hallway was mostly empty as he walked toward his office.

He glanced nonchalantly toward Natalie’s desk. Her head was bent over some papers and her glasses dangled on the tip of her nose. He almost stumbled, but ripped his gaze from her and continued forward.

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked his office. Ten minutes after he settled behind his desk to read a script, Robert came in.

“We need to talk.”

Chase set down the script. He hadn’t been able to read it anyway. The image of Natalie half-naked on his desk kept interrupting his train of thought. “What’s on your mind?”

“Are the rumors true?” Robert slumped into the chair.

“Which ones?” Chase looked up at the ceiling. He should have stayed home, but every room smelled of her. Her smile followed him. Her words haunted his steps.

“Well, let’s see. How about the ones that include a certain accountant?” Robert had been his friend for years. Part of the reason they became friends was his no-nonsense attitude.

But Chase didn’t want to talk about Natalie. He tightened his lips and leaned back.

Robert shifted. “Okay, how about damage control? You know, the other employees are talking about how she slept with you to get the CFO position.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Robert held out his hands. “I’m only saying what they’re saying. You need to figure out how to handle this and quick. There are leaks in this company that would make a sieve jealous. The press is going to find out about Natalie, and it’s going to blow up in both of your faces unless you do something about it now.”

Chase dropped his head into his hands. “I know, but what am I supposed to do?”

“Don’t tell me you love her? I thought you were just getting over Alexis.” Robert held up his hands again.

Chase stopped glaring at Robert, but he still wasn’t happy. It would be a while before he was happy again. “We’ll deal with it when we deal with Martin.”

“We should also consider changing who she reports to.”

Chase slammed his hand down on the desk.

Robert stood up. “She’ll start reporting to me. We’ll start interviewing for the CFO position tomorrow. I already told Anne to call recruiters.”

“We’re not together anymore. She can still report to
me.” Chase rubbed his hands over his face, feeling his hard-earned control slipping.

“It doesn’t matter if you are still together or not. We have to maintain appearances. And maybe if she isn’t reporting to you, she might actually stay with the company. If you hadn’t noticed, she has a good mind and a knack for numbers.”

“I noticed.”

“Good, then we’ll move forward with my plan.” Robert moved to the door and looked back. “Man, you must have it bad.” He slipped out. Chase’s pen hit the closed door.

The whole morning he stayed in his office trying to get through the script. Every few minutes someone else would knock on his door. By noon he was a mess of tension.

He’d finally managed to put aside the disaster his life had become and get into the script when a tentative knock on the door brought him out of it.

“What?” Chase bellowed at the door.

The door opened a crack. “Um, if now isn’t a good time, I could come back later.” Natalie stood in the doorway, looking like she’d prefer to run down the hall than come in and talk with him.

“Why are you here?” he snapped. Chase’s heart beat un-steadily in his chest. The smell of strawberries wafted between them, making him want to grind his teeth together.

A tinge of pink covered her cheeks and neck. She slid her glasses back up her nose. “Robert asked me to meet him here.” She glanced toward Robert’s office. Her uncertainty and discomfort made him feel a little better, but it also annoyed him.

He’d covered her blushes with his kisses. Brought smiles and sighs to those lips. Slipped his hands around her waist and held her body against him.

“Maybe I should wait in the hallway….” Her voice brought his attention back to her face.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Have a seat. I’m sure Robert will be here in a minute.”

Natalie considered turning tail and running for the door. Chase’s intense gaze turned her knees to water, while it caused her battered heart to leap up in her throat. She glanced once more toward Robert’s office and then at her watch. He’d said noon. It was five past.

She couldn’t make any more excuses. Her legs were stiff as she walked into Chase’s office and perched on the edge of the chair. Her cheeks were on fire, even more so when his gaze dipped down to her breasts. Having not gotten the memo, her body responded instantly.

She pressed her knees together and straightened her skirt. Her hands turned white from clutching them together, and her stomach started to churn, just like the last time she’d been in here.

“Relax, Natalie. I’m not going to pounce on you.”

Her gaze jerked to his eyes. She remembered him saying that to her before. She couldn’t place when, but it raised the ghost of Saturday morning. The things she’d said. Her gaze dropped to her lap.

The urge to run out the door raced through her, but she stayed. Chase didn’t say anything else, but she could feel his eyes on her. The silence relentlessly continued. Maybe she could come back later? Or he could call her when Robert came in. She raised her head to suggest it, but stopped before saying anything.

Pain. For a moment, his eyes seemed like an open wound. A wound she’d caused. But then it was gone like she’d imagined it. Maybe she had. He couldn’t possibly
love her. It just didn’t make sense. As soon as the next actress crossed his path, he’d be fine. He probably wouldn’t even remember her name. A pain stabbed through her heart at the thought.

“Sorry, I got caught up on a phone call.” Robert swept into the office and closed the door. “Wow, you could cut the tension with a knife in here.”

Chase broke their eye contact to glare at Robert. “What is this about, Robert?”

Robert smiled. “Well, I figured if we were going to ruin this woman’s life she should be prepared.”

“What?” Natalie’s hand began to shake.

Robert gave her a sympathetic smile and reached over as if to take one of her hands. A growl from the other side of the desk stopped him.

“We have to make this go away, and the only way to make something go away in Hollywood is to be up-front and honest so there is nothing to find. Then wait for some huge, new scandal for them to sink their teeth into.”

Natalie’s heart tightened, and her gaze flitted to Chase’s stern face. His lips were pressed into a thin line.

“Natalie,” Robert began, “we have to put all the facts out there. Chase has already said your relationship is over, which will make the press only wonder why it ever happened and probably make them back off. Especially if they think it was just another boss-banging-the-worker story.”

Natalie winced at the harsh words. Chase had told Robert they were over? She’d known when she left Saturday there’d be no turning back, but it didn’t stop the shooting pain through her heart or the upheaval in her stomach.

“You’ll be reporting to me from now on and the new CFO when hired. I suggest that both of you—” Robert’s
fatherly stare went between them “—stay away from each other. The less you are seen together the more seriously our statement today will be taken.”

“That won’t be a problem. I’m going to help Reggie in Ontario later this week. He’s been having issues with some of the scenes.” Chase brushed his hand through his hair.

Her fingers itched to smooth it back down. Something she’d never do again. He was leaving? For how long?

“That’s a good idea. With you gone, the focus should go with you. What about the luncheon next week? Our nominations?”

Chase stood and walked to look out the window. “I’ll be back for it.”

Natalie could feel the tears rising, and her stomach rolled, as well. She cleared her throat. “If that’s…if that’s all, I’ll go to lunch.”

Robert gave her a sympathetic look and nodded. “Sure, Natalie. Why don’t you go home for the rest of the day? I think after the news conference this afternoon things are going to get crazy here.”

“Thank you.” She rose and walked to the door. She glanced back at Chase’s profile. “Have a good trip.”

“Are you sure?” Rachel eyed her as if she’d gone out of her mind.

Maybe she had. Maybe she’d lost it the moment she’d run into Chase that first day. If not her mind, she’d definitely lost her heart.

Natalie set her pizza down on her plate. More comfort food that just wasn’t comforting. She shoved the plate across the coffee table and pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders.

“I’ve got to know what they are saying. I need to be
prepared for tomorrow.” Natalie’s eyes were dry, too dry. The kind of dryness that only happened after all the tears were gone.

Still watching her, Rachel clicked the remote for the TV and turned her laptop on. The bright light from the TV hurt Natalie’s eyes, but she didn’t care. Chase had caught a flight out in the afternoon, that much she knew.

“In a surprising turn of events, Pandora Productions in the news again shortly after their nomination for Best Picture for their production
Night Blooming
. The company has brought charges of fraud against their former CFO, Martin Morrison.”