[A few days later – Malibu Park, 8:30 a.m.]
Charlie was jogging in the park. It had been a while since he ran this much, thanks to his busy schedule. But now, he had wrapped everything up and earned himself an entire week free.
With headphones in, water bottle in his hand, sweat on his brow, and a cocky half-smile that said, "I'm too famous to sweat this much," he pushed himself. He stopped near a bench to catch his breath and stretch, bending over with his hands on his knees, when two familiar voices hit him like a cold shower.
"Charlie Harper?"
"Mister Billboard Top 5 in the flesh?"
Charlie groaned quietly before turning around. It was Molly and Milly. Both women had a history with Charlie. The kind of history that involved silk sheets, sex, and awkward text messages that ended with "new number, who dis?"
Both were dressed in athletic gear that looked more like fashion statements than workout clothes. With tight tops, short shorts, and bodies glistening with sweat in all the right places, they presented a visual ambush that could weaken lesser men.
Milly smirked. "Wow, you're still looking good, Charlie. I didn't think jogging was your thing."
"Yeah," Charlie said dryly. "Turns out fame doesn't do much for cholesterol."
Molly laughed and leaned forward just enough to test gravity. "We were just talking about you last week. You remember that weekend in Palm Springs? You said I had the best singing voice you'd ever heard."
Charlie squinted. "Pretty sure I meant moaning voice."
She winked. "Either way, I'm still in great shape if you ever want an encore."
Charlie stood up straight, forcing a polite grin. "That's flattering, ladies, but I've… retired from duets."
They giggled, not taking the hint. Milly shifted closer, brushing imaginary lint off his arm. "C'mon, Charlie. You're single. We're single. We're practically doing the environment a favor."
He opened his mouth to respond but stopped. Milly was… squeezing. Her top left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and the sweat had made it a visual minefield. He could see their pokies through their tops.
Charlie took a careful step back, raising his hands like a hostage negotiator. "Okay, let's not cause a wardrobe malfunction in public. There are children and ducks here."
Molly pouted. "So, no after-jog smoothie at your place?"
"I'm in a serious relationship," Charlie said firmly, standing taller, channeling his new responsible self.
Both women blinked in unison. "Wait… you? Serious relationship?"
"Yep. Big time. Committed, mature, emotionally stable Charlie Harper."
They stared at him, then burst out laughing.
"Oh, that's cute," Milly said. "Is this like that time you said you were vegan but ordered bacon-wrapped shrimp?"
Before Charlie could defend himself, he noticed Rose jogging. Dressed in a pastel tracksuit and looking like she'd been waiting for this exact moment her entire life. Charlie's eyes widened for half a second, then a lightbulb went off.
"Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed, walking straight toward her with a hand wave.
Rose blinked, clearly confused by his sudden excitement. "Hi… I was just—" This time she wasn't stalking Charlie for once. It was pure coincidence. Last night, she measured her weight and noticed a slight increase, so she decided to jog and exercise a bit.
He grabbed her hand and cut her off. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere."
Rose froze for a moment, confused, then followed his gaze toward Molly and Milly — both of whom were watching with thinly veiled irritation. It clicked instantly.
"Oh!" she said sweetly, putting on her best innocent smile. "I was just around the corner, taking a breather. You know, from all that… running we were doing together."
Charlie turned back to the two women. "Ladies, this is Rose. My girlfriend." He then looked at Rose. "And Rose, this is Molly and Milly."
Molly blinked. "Girlfriend? Since when?"
"Since forever," Charlie said quickly. "We're in a very serious relationship. The kind with feelings and boundaries and… therapy."
Rose tilted her head and smiled, clearly enjoying every second of this. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. We are in a very intimate and serious relationship," she purred, wrapping her arms around Charlie's neck.
Before he could react, she pulled him down into a kiss. Not a peck or a "play along" kiss. A hungry Rose kiss — passionate, dramatic, tongue involved, and way longer than any man could hold his breath for.
When they finally broke apart, Molly and Milly looked like someone had told them kale was illegal.
Milly's jaw dropped. Molly made a strangled noise that was somewhere between shock and regret.
When Rose finally pulled back, she smiled sweetly. "Right, honey?"
Charlie blinked, dazed. "Right. Extremely… serious."
Molly crossed her arms. "Wow. Didn't think Charlie Harper could be domesticated."
Milly snorted. "Guess miracles happen."
Rose tilted her head, smiling like a cat that had just stolen the canary. "Oh, he's been a very good boy lately. Haven't you, Charlie?"
Charlie tried not to laugh. "Well, I do my best. Jogging, smoothies, staying faithful, avoiding spontaneous nudity in public parks."
Molly rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We're gonna finish our run."
Milly winked at them, "And in case you wanna spice things up in your bedroom. You know where to find us. We swing both ways."
Charlie watched them go, then turned to Rose with a sigh. "You really didn't have to do that."
Rose smirked. "Oh, come on, Charlie. I've been waiting years to kiss you in public and have it actually mean something."
He raised an eyebrow. "Wait! Hold up. You enjoyed that, didn't you?"
"Of course I did. And so did you. You're welcome."
He rubbed his forehead and smiled a bit. He couldn't deny the fact that he didn't enjoy the kiss. "Rose, you can't just—ugh, never mind. Thanks for the save."
She smiled proudly. "Anything for my boyfriend."
"Okay, let's slow down on the 'boyfriend' part," he said, pointing a finger. "That was just an emergency maneuver. A tactical relationship simulation."
Rose grinned. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that, boyfriend."
Charlie sighed. "You're gonna milk this, aren't you?"
Rose slipped her arm through his as they started walking. "Like a happy little dairy farmer unless you want me to milk something else." She winked.
A few minutes later, they took a seat on the park bench.
"So, what's new? How's your movie producing going?" He asked.
Rose smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face like she was about to casually announce she'd adopted a puppy. "It's going great, actually. My last movie made a killing at the box office. So, I decided to make a little investment."
Charlie took a sip from his water bottle. "Yeah? What kind of investment?"
She looked straight ahead, squinting at a duck waddling across the grass. "Disney."
He nodded slowly. "Ah, nice. Like, you bought a few shares?"
Rose smiled. "Seventy-four percent."
Charlie froze mid-sip. Water shot out of his mouth like a sprinkler. "I'm sorry, you what?"
Rose shrugged. "Seventy-four percent, technically. The rest is in negotiation."
He blinked a few times. "Disney. As in Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, the princess franchise, and the mouse-shaped waffles at Disneyland?"
"Exactly," Rose said with a proud grin. "I got a good deal. They were undervalued. I just couldn't resist."
Charlie leaned back, laughing in disbelief. "You bought Disney. You can't just walk into a boardroom, twirl your hair, and buy Mickey Mouse like he's a rescue cat!"
Rose tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "Well, I didn't walk. I had my assistant wire the funds."
Charlie stared at her, still stunned. "I write one hit album and feel good about myself, and you're out here collecting childhoods like baseball cards."
She giggled. "Oh, don't be silly. I didn't do it for the power. I just really wanted to fix a few things."
"Fix?" Charlie asked. "What, did Mickey get a DUI?"
Rose giggled playfully. "No, silly. I'm just making a few creative adjustments. I told the animation department I want a new movie about a mouse who falls in love with a jingle writer in Malibu."
Charlie blinked. "That sounds oddly familiar."
She smiled innocently. "Total coincidence."
They sat there for a while, both catching their breath. The joggers, the ducks, the faint sound of kids laughing somewhere nearby—it almost felt normal. Almost.
Charlie glanced sideways. "So, be honest. Were you stalking me again back there?"
Rose widened her eyes in mock offense. "What? No! I was just jogging."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Jogging? In Malibu Park? At the exact same time, I decided to jog?"
Rose shrugged. "Coincidences happen."
"Right," Charlie said. "And Britney Spears writes my lyrics."
Rose crossed her arms. "Charlie, I live five minutes from here. I run this trail every morning. You just never wake up early enough to notice."
He smirked. "Yeah, that's because lately my mornings usually start around lunch."
They sat in silence again. A breeze drifted by. Somewhere, a dog barked. Charlie took a sip of water, pretending not to look at her. Rose pretended not to notice him pretending.
Finally, she stood up and stretched, arms over her head, back arching slightly. "Well," she said, "since we're both here… want to run together?"
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
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