Would You Rather: A College Romance (Campus Games Book 3)

We need her

“This was your idea!”

She lifts an eyebrow at my tone, and I drop my shoulders, wiping a hand down my face. “It’s just not working anymore,” she says. “We need a change.”

Fuck. My. Life.

“It’s worked until now,” I tell her. I didn’t want to do it, but a few years ago, my agent suggested that playing up the idea of being seen with a new girl every night would help spread my name out into the press, and in turn, it would help get more jobs. And while I hate to admit this, it did work. My name was on the news more often. I got hired by bigger companies, and she got a chunky paycheck from it. And as for me… well, my family are fed and have a roof over their heads.

“I know it’s hard to hear, Lucas, but It’s getting old,” she says with a shrug. “We need to change your image.”

I blow out a breath, aggravated with her. We need to change your image. Why can’t I just be… me? Why do I have to have an image and pretend to be someone I’m not? I’m tired of it. Having to play a part, having bullshit news spread about me knowing I can’t do a single thing about it. “So what do you suggest we do now?”

Someone knocks on the door, and my agent, Ana, smiles, glancing behind me. “I might have an idea,” she says, gesturing at whoever just knocked on the door.

The door opens and I hear heels hit the floor. “Excuse me, is this Ana’s office?”

“Perfect timing,” Ana says, nodding. “Come in.”

My brows furrow as I turn around to see who the hell is here. But when I see her standing at the door, my face falls. She notices me at the same time as I do, and the previous smile she had on drops, too, a scowl replacing it.

I turn back to my agent and furrow my brows. “What the hell is she doing here?”

“You two remember each other, right?” Ana asks.

I scoff, leaning back in my chair. “Hardly.”

“I was supposed to have a meeting with Ana?” the girl asks. Fuck, what’s her name? I know it started with an M.

“Why don’t you have a seat,” Ana tells her, gesturing to the empty chair beside me.

What the hell is going on? I furrow my brows at her, but she just looks back at the girl, waiting for her to sit down on the chair beside me. The metal legs scrape against the floor as she tries to put more distance between us. I let out a scoff. The feeling’s mutual, princesa.

I glance toward her, my eyes drifting to her outfit. Last time she was in a short little dress, but this time she’s in a dark grey suit with a black blouse, and some heels, of course.

Fuck, she looks good.

I quickly snap my head away, my jaw clenching in annoyance for even thinking it. She might be smoking hot, but if she’s here, then that can only mean one thing. She’s here for fame.

I knew it was too good to be true. I really thought the girl didn’t know me back in the elevator, that she didn’t want anything from me.

I guess I was wrong.

“Can you just get on with it?” I ask Ana, wanting to get the fuck out of here. “The quicker you tell me why she’s here, the quicker I can say no.”

The girl narrows her eyes at me. “I was told I had a meeting about an opportunity,” she says, turning to face Ana. “What does that have to do with him?”

I let out a laugh. “Listen, Mandy—”

“Madeline,” she corrects.

Madeline. Of course. I remember thinking it was a pretty name, that it suited her. “Right. Well, the thing is, I’m sure the opportunity that Ana was talking about has everything to do with me. And I bet you already know that.”

Her brows furrow deeper. “What are you talking about?”

I shake my head. Ana always does this. Sets me up with girls so the paparazzi can take a few quick pictures and post their usual bullshit. I never get photographed with the same girl twice, though, so I’m really fucking confused about why this girl is here. We already made front page news with that picture of us from last week.

“Why don’t I clear some things up,” Ana says, intertwining her hands in front of her. “I’m Lucas’ agent. I help him with booking him gigs, and—”

“I’m sure she knows what an agent is,” I say dryly. “Can you just get on with it?”

Ana pins her interlocked hands in front of her. “I’m sure both of you are aware of the press going around with your names.”

More than fucking aware. My mom saw those pictures. She’s always chastising me for going along with this stupid plan, thinking I’m only doing this to get more fame. Couldn’t give a fuck about that. I just care about making money so that my mom doesn’t have to kill herself working two jobs anymore. It’s the whole reason why I started modeling in the first place.

“And I’m sure you guys are wondering why we asked you both to come here today,” she continues.

I sure as fuck am.

“The picture of you guys last week blew up. And the comments…” She shakes her head. “They’re immense. People loved seeing you two together, specifically the story that the paparazzi decided to spin.”

How she’s my secret girlfriend. Yeah, fucking right.

“I have a proposition for you two.” Ana eyes me, and I know where she’s going with this before she even opens her mouth.

“No.”

Madeline looks at me with a frown, and Ana sighs, shaking her head. “Lucas—”

“No,” I repeat. “I am not having a fake relationship with her. No fucking way.”

“What?” Madeline asks, her eyes wide in shock as her head snaps to look at Ana.

Ana has mentioned this before. She told me people enter fake relationships for publicity all the time. But when she saw the reactions people had with random girls I got photographed with, she figured the single player who sleeps with a new girl every night would be way more beneficial, so that’s what we went with. But now she tells me she wants to ‘change my image’ and brings in the girl who the press is claiming is my secret girlfriend. I should have known where this was going when she first walked in.

Ana glances at me. “Have you checked the comments?”

“You know I haven’t.” Rule number one. Never check the comments. Whether they’re good or not, I just don’t do it.

“Then I suggest you do,” she says, turning her monitor to us. On the screen is the picture from that day. I’ve seen this picture hundreds of times without wanting to, but I never really looked at it. My gaze drifts to Madeline, who’s holding onto me for dear life, her red, long nails clawing at my neck. Her mouth is parted in an O as she looks up at me in shock. She has her head pressed against my chest, and I’m looking down at her with my brows furrowed. Fuck. We actually look like a real couple.

I glance down at the comments. They’re all about how cute we look and how happy they are for us.

I almost laugh. People believe anything.

“They aren’t commenting the usual stuff. They think you’ve changed,” Ana tells me, making my eyes lift to hers. “They think you’ve settled down. That you’re dating.”

“Dating?” Madeline asks, sounding like she’s been offended. “That was the first time we met.”

“You’re right,” she says. “But they don’t know that. They’ve never seen Lucas act so intimately with anyone before, so it’s natural for them to just take what the press publishes as facts when the picture backs it up.”

She’s spewing a load of bullshit. Other people might believe it, but I know it’s not true. I shake my head. “No,” I tell her. “I’m not fucking doing it.”

“I’ve already had interest from the press. Photoshoots, interviews. People want to see more of you two,” Ana tells me. “And I really think I can get more gigs for you if we keep this up.”

Madeline’s brows furrow. “People are that interested in his love life?”

My agent breathes out a laugh. “You’d be surprised what people care about when it comes to celebrities.”

Madeline’s head snaps to face me. “Celebrity?” she asks.

“I’m not a celebrity,” I assure her. “And it doesn’t matter anyway,” I say with a shrug before turning to look at Ana. “Because I’m not doing it.”

Ana shakes her head. “I’m at a loss here, Lucas. I’ve had a hard time finding you work. And we’ve been talking a lot about switching your image up,” she reminds me. “I really think this is the way to go if you just—”

I don’t even wait for her to finish that sentence. I shake my head, interrupting her. “You’ll have to find something else because I’m not doing it.” I turn to face Madeline, seeing her brows knitted together. “You’d be up for this?” I ask her, anticipating her response.

She crosses her arms. “Of course not. I’m not dating you, real or otherwise.”

Well fuck. I smile, glancing at my agent. “Well, you heard her. It’s a no-go.”

Ana faces Madeline with a serious look on her face. “This could be beneficial for you, too,” she tells her. I grind my teeth. She’s good at persuading people to do what she wants. I would know. It’s how she got me to agree to this whole thing in the first place. She got me right where she wanted me, using all of my weaknesses against me, and I folded like a lawn chair, pure putty in her hands. And now it’s biting me in the ass.

“What do you mean?” Madeline asks with intrigue in her tone.

Oh great. She’s already falling for it.

“You want to be an actress, right?” Ana asks her. “Well, this would be great publicity. You can get your name out there and make people notice you. You might not know who Lucas is, but a lot of people do.”

Madeline’s eyes widen and I squeeze my eyes shut, cursing under my breath. Of course, she’s just another actress wanting fame. She’s a damn good one, too, almost had me convinced she was different.

She’ll say yes, and I’ll have to spend a few weeks with this girl acting like I’m in love with her when it’s the furthest thing from the truth. I’ll lie to everyone I know, and when this is all said and done, she’ll have the fame, she’ll move on and get to do what she wants, and I’ll be stuck doing the same old thing until I’m old and fucking gray.

“You’re saying that pretending to be in a relationship with him would help me land an audition?” she asks.

Ana smiles at her. “Honey, it could make you a star. Do you know how many girls wish they were in your position right now? Lucas is one of New York’s biggest models. They love him. And if they see you with him, then they’ll love you too. This could be the stepping stone to finally landing a role in the movie business. Isn’t that what you want?”

I glance at Madeline, and for an actress, she’s not hiding her emotions very well. They’re all over her face. She’s fucking thinking about it. I can tell in the way she chews on her bottom lip, staring into space, her brows knitted together. Shit. I’ve got to end this now. No way are we going to be able to be around each other for a day, never mind however long they want this to go on for.

I sit up in my chair. “What about the hate comments?”

Madeline turns to face me, her eyes widening. “Hate comments?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “You’ll get attention, that’s for sure, but not all of it will be good. You’ll get hate comments just for being with me. Do you know how many girls want to date me? They won’t like seeing you with me. They love that I’m single, that I have a new girl in my bed every night.” Everything I’m telling her is true. People are like that, but little do they know it’s all a fucking lie. “They think it could be them one day. But if I have a girlfriend?” I shake my head. “They know that can’t happen anymore. They’re going to hate you, Madeline.”

Hey eyes widen in shock, and I almost smile. I might not like the girl, but I don’t want to see her get hurt by those comments. They’re fucking brutal, and if it helps me scare her off from going along with this ruse, then all the better.

But of course, Ana interrupts again. “Don’t let him scare you,” she tells her. “Yes, there might be some negative comments here and there, but people are already interested in the two of you together. This will be big,” she says before looking at me. “For both of you.”

“No,” I repeat. “I’m not doing it. I’m not letting another girl you bribe take advantage of me again. No fucking way.”

“Excuse me?” Madeline replies, her eyes flashing with frustration, her tone sharp as knives. “I’m not taking advantage of you. I don’t even know who you are, except that you’re an asshole. And besides, I don’t want to do this either.” She turns to face Ana. “I want to make it on my own. I don’t need your help or his,” she says, glancing back to me.

“Good,” I say, my jaw clenching. “I don’t need your help anyway.”

“Great.”

“Fantastic.”

She lets out a frustrated groan and lifts herself off the chair, heading to the door. I look back at her to see she’s got her arms crossed, facing my agent. “If you have a real opportunity, then you can call me. If not, then don’t bother me again.” Her eyes slide to mine, and I feel the chill from her gaze a mile away. “I’m going to make it even without your help.”

She turns around and walks out, the door slamming behind her. The silence in the room is deafening while Ana stares back at me with disappointment.

“Great,” Ana says, shaking her head. “The one plan we had. Gone.”

“You’ll come up with something else.” I shuffle in my chair, my body growing hot with irritation.

She pins me with a glare. “You pay me for a reason, Lucas.”

“Yeah, I pay you to make sure things run smoothly. I pay you to find me gigs, to make me reach more people, not to pimp me out.”

She shakes her head, sighing disapprovingly. “We need her, Lucas.”

My skin starts to itch. I don’t want to need anyone. I can do it myself. It’s how I’ve done it ever since I’ve started this. “We don’t. I don’t want to do this.”

“Well, what do you suggest we do? If you don’t change things, you won’t get any jobs. This business is so much more than looking good. You need to keep people interested. They’re getting tired of the same old stuff. This is gold. This will work. Believe it or not, I’m only trying to help you, Lucas. I don’t want you to be washed up.”

My jaw aches from grinding my teeth. Fuck. I reach up, brushing my hair back, tugging at the strands as I do. I can’t stop getting Jobs. Adrianna needs braces. James’ hospital bill is going to cost more than I have saved up. And my mom… she’ll go back to working.

How did I let things get so fucked up? I run a hand down my face. I hate what I’m about to say, but… “Fine,” I relent, gritting out the words, hating how I’m going to have to resort to more schemes. Will this be my life forever? “I’ll do it.”

Ana laughs. “You’re kidding, right? After you just scared her off.”

Shit. I guess I did. I made her walk out of that door, and now I’m eating my words. “We don’t need her. We can find someone else,” I suggest. “Like you said, there are hundreds of girls that would love this position.”

Ana shakes her head. “That won’t work,” she says. “We can’t have you holding some girl one day and claiming another as your girlfriend the next. They’ll see right through it.”

Of fucking course. “So what do we do?”

She gestures to the door. “You need to get her to agree.”

“You’re joking.”

“No, Lucas. I’m not. We had the perfect plan, and you messed it up. You need to talk her into it,” she says. “We need her.” Her eyes narrow at those last two words and I slump back in my chair.

Yeah.

We do.