Chapter 9: That First Night

I still remember, quite vividly, the first time I visited Luca's house. I stood here on this very driveway, looking up at the marvel of contemporary architecture rising above me, and I'm pretty sure I forgot how to breathe. The effect isn't quite as intense this time, but the memory still comes rushing back to me.

I nearly tripped over my own feet walking up the front steps. I still couldn't believe that I, of all girls, would be acting opposite Luca Fontaine. That I, of all girls, was about to walk into his Beverly Hills mansion. He'd invited me here himself, saying he had "special business" to discuss with me.

Even though it had only been a month since I was cast in Cataclysm: Earth, I'd still been in Hollywood long enough to know what that meant. No doubt about it - he'd invited me here to sleep with him.

It was stupid, I knew, to even consider the idea. I was here to be an actress, not to hook up with a celebrity. I knew plenty of young, naive women who thought that sleeping with some A-lister or producer or studio executive would get them the part of their dreams, but I'd promised myself long ago that I'd never resort to such things. Besides, I already had the part of my dreams.

But ever since the day I met Luca in the casting offices, part of me knew that a relationship between us was inevitable. Something bloomed inside of me when I was near him - something more than "on-screen" chemistry. Even if I knew it was a mistake, I didn't have the strength to stop it.

He answered on the first knock, almost as if he'd been waiting by the door for me. My heart fluttered madly as he flashed that stunning smile. His gaze slid down the length of me, taking in my tiny black dress and studded heels. From the way his eyes darkened, I knew he liked what he saw.

"Come in," he said, his voice like velvet. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

Some stiff liquor would have been nice, but I told myself that I needed to keep a clear head. "I'll take some water if that's okay."

"Of course. This way."

He guided me through his house, stopping in the kitchen to pour each of us a glass of mineral water.

"Are you sure you don't want some wine as well?" he asked as he pushed a glass toward me.

He was intentionally tempting me. I could see it in his eyes - he wanted to see if I would play along with him.

And God, did I want to. He was standing several feet away from me, but I felt dizzy being even that close. His magnetism was intoxicating. Those intense brown eyes made me feel like I was the only person in the world. Me - Emilia Torres. The girl who three months ago couldn't even get a callback for a corporate training video was now standing in Luca Fontaine's kitchen. And possibly about to start a very unwise, very torrid affair with him.

But I needed to keep the upper hand. At least a little.

"No thank you on the wine," I said, though it pained me to do so. "Why don't you tell me a little more about this 'special business' of yours?"

He stepped closer to me, and my breath caught in my throat. He was so much taller and broader in person than he looked in movies, and I found myself enthralled by all the little details of him - the pair of freckles right above his jaw, the darker flecks in his pale brown eyes, the scattering of golden chest hairs peeking out from his open collar. He reached out to me, and my heart galloped against my ribs as his fingers brushed against my cheek.

For one single, tortuous moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. And then suddenly he straightened. His hand fell away.

"Let's go into the dining room," he said.

The dining room seemed like an odd place for such a discussion, but I decided to follow his lead - maybe he had a special dinner planned or something.

He led me into the adjoining room, but I didn't see any dinner settings laid out on the table. Instead, I saw a stack of papers.

"What's this?" I asked him.

"Please, sit."

My stomach flip-flopped. Something wasn't right about this. I sat in one of the chairs next to the stack of papers and tried not to look too curious. He took the seat next to mine.

"I've mentioned once or twice that much of your work for this film would be off the set," he said. "Our public appearances are just as important as the work we do in front of the camera - some would say even more important, at least if we want this film to be a commercial success."

"I understand," I said, though that didn't explain why he'd invited me here tonight.

"I'm sure you've seen how much the media can affect the success of a movie," he said. "If there are a lot of scandals or drama surrounding a film, it often sees a nice jump in buzz. You want to get people talking. You want to make them curious."

I tried not to squirm in my seat. "I get that. But why are we talking about this now?"

His mouth tilted up, his eyes flashing. "Because we're going to create that drama for Cataclysm: Earth."

"We?"

"You and I." His grin was almost impish. "What do you say, Emilia? Want to make this film the biggest blockbuster the studio has ever seen?"

This was getting more confusing by the second. "I'm happy to help. But I'm not exactly a scandalous sort of person. If you're asking me to get drunk at clubs or - "

"No, no. Nothing like that. I had something a little more fun in mind." He slid the stack of papers over in front of me.

My eyes scanned the words at the top of the page: "Relationship Contract between (Mr.) Luca Fontaine and (Ms.) Emilia Torres."

My heart went into complete overdrive. "You want us to start a relationship?" This wasn't exactly the way I expected our little affair to begin, but I still couldn't believe this was actually happening. Luca Fontaine wanted to have a relationship with me.

He leaned closer, and I felt his breath against my cheek. My skin prickled in response, and a little shiver of sensation moved down my spine.

"It's the ultimate publicity stunt," he murmured. "There are two things that are sure to sell a movie - death and sex. And since I don't think either of us is willing to die for this franchise, this seemed like a nice alternative. Think about it - the two co-stars of the summer's hottest movie finding love both on- and off-screen. Audiences eat this stuff up."

It wasn't the most romantic proposition I'd ever received, but I was willing to overlook that, considering the things he was doing to my body. He'd hardly even touched me yet and I could feel the heat building between my legs.

"Okay," I said. "Let's do it." My body wouldn't let me refuse. I wanted this - I wanted a relationship with Luca Fontaine. The thought of parading our affair in front of the paparazzi wasn't particularly appealing, but I knew he was right - a relationship could mean huge things for our movies together. We'd be crazy not to take full advantage of all the benefits. In the meantime, I was both stunned and flattered that Luca thought highly enough of me to want to take our relationship public so soon. I wouldn't be some affair he hid in the dark, no - we hadn't even had sex yet and he was already wanting to declare our feelings to the world.

He pulled back slightly, the smile still stretched across his face.

"I'm glad to hear you're so enthusiastic, love, but don't you want to read the contract?"

The contract. Right. My eyes scanned the document in front of me, curious. Was this some kind of relationship prenup?

The more I read, the more confused I got. And then, slowly, the confusion turned into a sick feeling as I realized I'd gotten everything very, very wrong.

The contract laid out absolutely everything - how often we had to kiss each other at various events, when we'd break up, when we'd get back together, who we were allowed to tell about the "true nature" of this supposed "relationship," and much more. The final requirement was almost the strangest of all - it explicitly stated that physical acts of affection were "expressly forbidden outside of professional or public obligations."

What the fuck was going on here?

"What does this mean, exactly?" I said, pointing to the final requirement.

Luca leaned closer, following my finger. I tried not to notice how good he smelled.

"Oh, that?" he said. "Trust me on that one - these things get complicated very quickly if you let sex get involved."

"These things..." I straightened in my chair. "You mean relationships. For...publicity."

"Exactly. At the end of the day, it's better for both of us if we remember that this is just a publicity stunt. Believe me - I've been there, done that, and learned my lesson. It's better to be clear from the start that this is simply a business arrangement. We'll be business partners."

My brain was still trying to process everything, but one thing was clear. Luca didn't want to have a relationship with me - he wanted to have a fake relationship with me. He wanted to use me for publicity purposes.

"Won't they...know it's fake?" I managed finally. I felt like someone had torn the bottom out of my stomach.

His mouth quirked. "Not if we do it right. And even if they figure it out, they probably won't care. This industry is built on illusion, but no one seems to mind. It's entertainment. We're selling a story, a fantasy. They watch celebrities just like they watch the films we make."

Even though I was relatively new to the industry, I understood that much. But I was still having trouble wrapping my head around all of this. And I couldn't believe I was so stupid, so naïve, that I came here thinking he actually wanted me for real. I felt completely numb.

"You don't have to sign it tonight," he said, leaning back casually in his chair and propping his arms behind his head. "But Emilia, this could be huge for Cataclysm: Earth - and for you. Starring in a big movie is one thing, but there's more to becoming an A-list celebrity than that. You want to be a star? We can make that happen - together."

As much as I hated it, I knew his words were true. But what was the cost?

My fingers trembled slightly as they skimmed over the document in front of me. He was offering me everything I'd ever wanted. This was more than just a run-of-the-mill "big break" - this would catapult me from obscurity to the A-list practically overnight.

That didn't keep me from feeling like an idiot, though. I should have seen this coming, but no - Luca Fontaine threw a couple of suggestive looks my way and I was foolish enough to believe that that might mean something real. I let myself buy into the fantasy - forgetting, for one brief, naïve moment, that everything in Hollywood was a lie.

I told myself I should be grateful - sleeping with him would have been a huge mistake, no matter how much my body wanted it. At least this contract protected me from that a situation like that.

At least this contract offered me my dream in exchange.

"I'll sign," I said. The back of my throat burned as I said it, but my voice sounded casual and sure. "Where's the pen?"