Fake Crowne, an all-new fake-relationship, billionaire romance standalone from New York Times bestselling author CD Reiss is available now!
How can I let him destroy everything heās worked for just to make me happy?
Iām a singer with stage fright whoās famous forā¦wellā¦nothing yet. And I promised my family if I didnāt make it big by the end of this year, Iād go back to med school.
My agent thinks Colton and I would be a great team both in the studio, and outside of itāespecially if label executives think weāre dating.
The rules? We can kiss in public, but not in private.
We can act like weāre doing the deed, as long as weāre not.
And as far as having actual feelings for each other goesā¦thatās obviously out of the question.
But after so many late nights in the studio and a bunch of stolen kisses, I start to see beyond his party boy facade to something real underneath. And he believes in meāwith his coaching and encouragement, Iām finally overcoming my anxiety and giving the best performances of my life.
ā
If only time wasnāt running out so fast.
Then Colton has an idea to keep us together. Itās terrible, but itās the only way.
How can I let him destroy everything heās worked for just to make me happy?
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I watch him move into the shadows. The lights that line the edge of the walk go on as he passes. My phone buzzes, so I check it before driving off. Itās Liam.
ālook what showed up on DMZā
A photo slides in. Itās screenshot from DMZ and a link. A picture of Colton pushing me against my car and me grabbing his jacket. Everything else is cut out. Liam. Gene. Itās shot from a little above, through a windshield.
The headline under it reads: HAS COLTON CROWNED THE NEXT TAMIKA?
What? I tap the link. The article is short and breathless. Colton Crowne, who ādiscoveredā Tamika in Memphis and who was āviciouslyā cut from credit or royalties by Gavin McCormick, may be nursing the next baby star into the sky.
They donāt even know Iām a musician.
I could be a lawyer or an accountant.
But that wouldnāt get clicks. No one cares about that story.
Liam follows with a text.
āYou guysā
Colton is on the chat. I look at the driveway. The path lights have gone dark, but I can see him standing there, looking down with the screen glowing on his face.
āFuck!ā he barks, moving enough to turn on the lights.
Thatās when I know heās seen Liamās messages. He looks at me and, seeing I havenāt moved, jogs over while his brotherās texts ding.
āThis is gold-platedā
āA gift from the godsā
āWeāre on second base before we even get to the plateā
Colton stops. Types into his phone.
āWhat are you talking about?ā
āYou guys together in public coronates Skyeā
This feels more real than when Liam mentioned it before.
I donāt have long to do somethingā¦anythingā¦or I have to fulfill my promise to my mother and take up last yearās deferment to University of Michigan Medical School. Being coronated, as Liam calls it, makes that possible. Without an electric shock to the process, I donāt have a chance. Iām dead in the water. Pursuing a music career and med school at the same time isnāt possible without a clone.
But I want clarity, so I text the chat.
āYou mean you really want us to pretend weāre fucking?ā
I hit Send before I rethink the word fucking to describe what Iām not doing with Colton, who answers from halfway back to the car.
āThatās what he meansā
He could have told me that himself. Instead he stands there as Liamās message comes in.
āThatās what I meanā
Iām about to text that Iām in. Iāll do it. Iām thrilled actually. But itās not just about me, so I wait for Colton to come to me. I open the passenger window. He doesnāt come. Instead, he sends a message.
āYou know Gene took this right? From the angle?ā
I look back at the photo. Yeah. It was taken from the SUV before Gene got out. Maybe he took it to get evidence in case heād hit anyone or maybe he was thinking that fast. Thatās secondary to the fact that it found its way to a gossip website.
A notification drops over the picture. A text from Colton.
āSo, no. Fuck him. Noā
Once that comes in, I look at him as he puts the phone in his pocket and starts back my way.
I want to be coronated. I want it to be easy. I need the boost to start before the walls close in.
Theyāve been closing in for months. Ever since last year when I applied. Before that, when I took the MCAT without studying. I thought I was so clever, setting myself up for failure. I wasnāt clever enough to get the answers wrong though.
Thatās fine. Itās fine. Iām okay with it. Screw the coronation. I canāt make Colton do something he doesnāt want to do. He has every right to refuse. But Iām still reeling from the transition between hope and regret. For a minute, I was in a world where I had a head start and Iām just as suddenly back in the status quo.
Heās coming this way. I donāt want to talk to him. I donāt want to hear the reasons he thinks itās a bad idea. Not right now, because heās probably right and I just want to sit in my disappointment alone.
Before he reaches the car, I drive away.
Learn more about CD Reiss and her releases by visiting her website: https://cdreiss.com
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