Backstage: A Fake Marriage Romance, page 1
Table of Contents
Backstage | A Fake Marriage Romance
About This Book:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Double or Nothing | A Royal Sports Menage Romance
About This Book:
Double or Nothing | A Royal Sports Menage Romance
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
About Abbey Foxx
FREE STORY!
The Dirty Princess | A Royal MMMMMF Menage Romance
Backstage
A Fake Marriage Romance
Pretending doesn't mean it's not real
Abbey Foxx
© 2017 Abbey Foxx
Cover designed by Lunatic Design
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author's imagination.
Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
To get a FREE story and find out about new releases, ARC opportunities, cover reveals and other goodies, please sign up to my newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/b2MppP
About This Book:
Pretending doesn't mean it's not real
Sophia
Pressed into the shadows, Ryan’s lips tight against mine, I have to convince myself that none of this is real.
When he holds me tightly, I have to hide my trembling hands.
When he kisses me along the tenderness of my neck, it takes all my strength not to moan.
And when he undresses in front of me, I have to pretend I’m looking away so he doesn’t see my cheeks flush red.
I have to ignore the way my heart skips a thousand beats, the way my stomach turns around and around in somersaults, that tingly sensation all over my body when he dances his fingers over my sensitive skin.
No matter how much it makes me wonder if he really is pretending, I can’t afford to lose myself in that look of pure desire that flashes across his eyes like entire universes compacting.
Even if he does the things to me I’ve never felt anyone do before, what if I’m wrong?
I can’t let myself believe this fake relationship is real, because if it isn’t, I don’t think my heart could take it.
Ryan and I have an agreement, and I’ll do anything not to lose him.
Even if it means I have to pretend I’m not falling in love.
Ryan
This is the kind of stuff that sells newspapers.
On screen couple marry in sham wedding romance, only everyone thinks this is real, and we’re so good at it, I’m beginning to wonder myself.
All those looks she gives me, the way her kisses make my entire body throb with desire, the way I can’t get her out of my head for a single minute.
A million dollars of inheritance money from a dead great aunt I didn’t even know I had and now Sophia and I are married for real, and I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like if we’d done it for love and not just for money.
The best thing about this whole agreement?
We need to do everything we can to convince people this relationship is for real otherwise we don’t get a single dollar of the money, which means treating each other like husband and wife whenever anyone might be looking.
The problem is, I’m beginning to want to do that more and more behind closed doors, and as much as I want to believe it’s true, I have no idea how Sophia feels.
And then she drops a bombshell I had no idea was coming, and our cleverly constructed lie slowly begins to come unravelling apart.
Neither of us can go back to make believe now, even if we wanted to.
This full length, fake relationship, friends to lovers romance features steamy scenes a happy ever after and absolutely no cheating.
For a limited time only and as a special thank you to my fans, I have included an entire novel as a bonus book. Double or Nothing is a full length steamy menage romance, and comes absolutely free with this book.
Chapter One
Ryan
I know this is just a practice run for the real thing in a few weeks time but it’s still enough to get my heartbeat racing so fast I feel like I’ve just chain drunk a gallon of coffee. I’m not usually the kind of person that gets nervous, especially not during rehearsals, and definitely not amongst friends, but with Sophia it’s a different thing entirely. Beyond the fact that she’s the most beautiful girl I think I’ve ever seen, she also seems to be absolutely perfect for me in almost every way, which is truly terrifying because no-one else in the history of the universe has ever made me feel this way before.
Based on the feedback we’re getting so far, I’m not the only one who thinks we’ve got some kind of special chemistry going on either, and anyone who thought before this all began that I wasn’t good enough to make this work - and there are plenty of people who did, believe me - couldn’t possibly look at us both now (my heart beating wildly, my pupils dilating, my palms about as sweaty as they’ve ever been) and say that I’m not the perfect man for this role.
The celebrant continues: “Ryan Carter Speed do you take Sophia Grace Moreaux to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish her for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do”, I say without hesitation, while Sophia continues to look at me with her doe-eyes, the sexual tension between us about as thick as a concrete wall.
She’s so natural at this whole thing, I can’t tell if she’s consciously biting her lower lip because she knows the effect it will have on me and everyone else watching, or if it’s just something she’s doing subconsciously like the handful of other things I’ve noticed over the course of our short but intense relationship that have made me fall head over heels in love with her. Whichever is true, it’s totally working, because it’s making me want to skip straight through this entire ceremony and get right on to the consummation.
“And you, Sophia Grace Moreaux, do you take Ryan Carter Speed to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish him for as long as you both shall live?”
“Hell yes, I do”, Sophia says with a look in her gorgeous chocolate brown eyes that spells danger in huge block capitals I would run blindly into any day of the week.
We skip the section with the rings, partly because they haven’t been finished yet and partly because we haven’t decided how we want to handle it anyway, and head straight towards the finale. No matter how many times I hear this, and how much I know it isn’t for real, this part always gives me the shivers.
“And now, with the power vested in me by the state of New York”, the celebrant says, “I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
I embrace Sophia, turn around quickly so she falls into my arms and lean over, my lips inches from hers. I can feel the warmth of her breath on my skin, the heat of her body pressed up against mine, and I wonder if the color in her cheeks is because of the blood rushing to her head from the way she’s leaning over or simply because the passion I’m feeling from her truly is real.
She’s so good at this I could easily be mistaken, which is why this whole thing feels so dangerous.
Sophia smiles and breaks character, and before I even have a chance to peck her innocently on the cheek, the director, Marshall, the producer, Sally, and the rest of the actors start clapping.
I bring Sophia back up to a standing position and then step politely away from her to give us both some space.
“Good”, Marshall says. “Better that time, Ryan, you’re improving.”
I have every confidence that my feelings for Sophia are coming across as loudly and as clearly as emergency sirens, principally because I’m doing exactly the opposite of what they think I am. The acting part starts now, when Sophia and I are not in our roles, and I have to convince her I’m definitely not in love with her.
“Excellent, Sophia”, Marshall says. “I really felt a connection from you then. Right, five minutes break and we’ll go again from the top.”
I take a seat and try to get myself quickly into role before Sophia comes
“That was good”, she says. “I think we’re definitely getting there.”
“I still think I’m way out of my depth”, I say. “And I need to run over the vows again, I messed that part up, I think.”
“That’s what the rehearsals are for”, Sophia says. “The rest was really convincing, though, especially for the small amount of preparation time we’ve had.”
“I guess I’m just a natural”, I say in a made up accent, trying my best to look like I’m joking, and I think it works because Sophia gives me one of her cute little laughs.
“It feels weird getting married over and over again, especially when they use our real names”, Sophia says.
That and the reason Marshall doesn’t want us to kiss until the opening show are elements of his directorial style. He thinks that using our real names in rehearsal makes it easier for us to get into character, and to be fair, it’s not that unusual at this early stage of the production, while the idea of holding back a kiss until the very first night is an attempt to build up tension between us, which I can’t say isn’t working. I have a severe case of blue lips right now, and the moment when we finally get to kiss on opening night is the point that I’m looking forward to the most about this whole performance. The play is fun, but I know that getting to kiss Sophia for real, even though she’s going to be kissing me back in character, is going to make everything else we’ve done in the lead up pale in comparison.
“At least he doesn’t want us to do it for real”, I say. “I wouldn’t actually put that past him.”
“Marshall Grange, New York’s most method theatre director”, Sophia says. “Getting his actors to marry for real might even be one step too far for him.”
“Don’t say it too loudly”, I say, “you don’t want to give him ideas.”
“Why? Don’t you think I’d make a good wife?” Sophia says, over-acting a hurt reaction.
“Terrible”, I say with a smile, “I’ve tasted the cookies you’ve baked.”
“Hey!” Sophia says, “that was the recipe’s fault, and don’t be so old fashioned anyway. I’d make an amazing wife, if I ever found the right guy to marry.”
“Still no luck on the New york dating scene then?” I ask.
Sophia shakes her head. “My characters all seem to have better luck than me.”
“What about Johnny?” I ask, purposely mis-naming him in an attempt to disguise my interest.
“Jack?” Sophia asks.
“Him”, I say, faking a reaction to the anticipated correction.
“That asshole borrowed five hundred bucks two weeks ago to fix his car and I haven’t heard from him since. Even if he doesn’t know it yet, we’re totally over.”
“Damn”, I say, secretly happy she’s not still seeing him. “I always thought that guy was a little bit creepy.”
“You’re not the only one”, Sophia says. “I should have listened to what everyone was saying and ended it way before then anyway. I’m not quite as strong a character in real life as I am in here.”
“Well, whether that’s true or not, you can do so much better than people like Jack”, I say. “I’m surprised men aren’t queueing up to ask you out.”
Sophia smiles. “Real life doesn’t work that way, Ryan”, she says. “Cinderella doesn’t always find her prince charming, unfortunately. That’s the thing that Marshall doesn’t seem to get about this love story, as real as he’s trying to make it.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t believe in true love”, I ask.
Sophia wrinkles up her nose in the way that makes my stomach tighten. “You mean like love at first sight, one perfect person in the world for everyone, me and you in this play kind of true love?” she asks.
“Exactly that”, I say. “With less of those real-life, everyday arguments Marshall has written in for us.”
“No, I believe that”, she says. “I just don’t think it believes in me.”
I can’t imagine anyone in the world not falling in love with Sophia to be honest, because after five minutes in her company I was totally sold. I’m sure I’m not the first person to feel that way either and I bet I’m not the only one now. How could you fail to fall in love with this girl? She’s talented, incredibly good looking, funny and extremely smart. The fact that she doesn’t have a serious love interest in her life yet is both surprising and very relieving for me.
Being her husband in this play and being secretly in love with her at the same time makes our own relationship with each other horribly confusing. If it were any other girl I’d have asked her out straight away, but only because any other girl doesn’t matter as much as this one.
When I say Sophia is the perfect girl for me, I’m not underestimating that in any way, and it has nothing to do with our on stage relationship either. Leading men and women fall in love with their on screen partners all the time only for those relationships to fall apart when the show is over, and they realize they’ve just fallen in love with the characters and not the actors, but I’m convinced that’s not what’s happening here.
Even if I could somehow pluck up the courage to do so, asking her out now would be far too weird anyway, because I’ve already left it way too long. If she turned me down, which is highly likely considering I have absolutely no frame of reference for how she feels about me, it would totally mess up this play for both of us, not to mention any kind of friendship we might have outside of it. Besides which, there’s every chance she’ll think I’m joking anyway, which makes telling her how I feel for real, absolutely impossible. It also makes the scenes in this play in which I do exactly that, one hundred percent surreal.
As much as it kills me to do so, sitting on my feelings until the production is over and both of us have a better idea of where we stand with each other in the true light of day, is probably the most sensible option. Or at least it would be if Sophia’s student visa didn’t happen to be running out as well.
That’s right. The love of my life has to be from an entirely different country, and one that needs a permanent visa to remain in the States. I guess fairy stories really are all bullshit after all.
“Time”, Marshall calls out. “Let’s go back to the top, act one, scene one, Sophia and Ryan meet for the very first time.”
Sophia springs into step and I fall right in behind her, the way her hips move as she walks making looking at anything else but her ass an absolute impossibility.
I would give anything in the world to be with her, but I guess if nothing ever happens between us for real, at least I get to pretend.
Chapter Two
Ryan
Not everyone in my family is supportive of my acting career, especially when I’ve given up a perfectly normal, highly respectable and well paid job in the city to chase my dream, and I’m still about a million miles from making it big. If I had the time outside of this to get another job I would, principally because the last of my savings have already run out and the rent isn’t going to pay for itself, but I’m in rehearsals five days a week, and learning lines or working on smaller gigs as often as possible outside of that and there is no way in hell I’m going to give up on this career completely when I’m just about finding some success with it - and I don’t just mean I’ve finally landed a role I can fulfil my fantasy in. Besides which, working in the city may pay well, it just sucks in every other respect, and acting is way more fun, especially when I get to spend every day with Sophia.
Anyone who doesn’t work in a creative field has no idea what it’s really like to do it, hence my parents continued belief that I spend all day sleeping and all night partying, despite my constant insistence to the contrary, and that until they actually see me in something big (broadway/literary review/blockbuster film alongside A list Hollywood stars), they’ll think I’m wasting my time.
Having people around who understand that it’s actually really hard work is incredibly important, and like my parents, my landlord isn’t one of them. Thankfully my best friend, Alex is.
“That all sounds very meta”, Alex says. “Are you sure it’s not just an extension of this method acting bullshit he’s got you doing? You know, kind of like you’ve been brainwashed into thinking this is going on inside your head for real.”
Understanding, but not exactly the best at giving advice.
“I know how I feel”, I say. “I just don’t know how she feels.”
