Wild Temptation

Chapter Five: Pressing Secrets

Riley Woods’ Pov

Riley dropped Jade back off at The Hideaway so she could go get her car. Jade insisted on listening to Wild Division the whole drive to Cameron’s and the whole drive back. They weren’t bad to be honest, and Jade’s performance as she sang along was kind of hilarious. Riley laughed as she pulled into the restaurant’s driveway and turned down the music. 

“I can’t thank you enough for all of your help today. I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off if it wasn’t for you.” She gave her a small smile. 

“Of course! I just still can’t believe that I not only got to meet Camron Reed today, but also Gavin Penn!” Jade gave a light squeal. “This was so fun and I’m super excited to work with you. We make a great team!” A swarm of guilt ripped through Riley. She got herself in a deep situation and a part of her was wondering if it was worth it. She liked Jade, and it had been a long time since she had a close friend. “What’s wrong?” Jade broke through her thoughts. “You look sad?”

For a moment, Riley thought about confessing everything to her. The whole truth. But she didn’t want to give up on her dream. Her chance. She needed this story. She needed to become a journalist. “Not sad. Just shocked. I can’t believe we pulled that off!” Riley forced a smile, and hoped it was convincing enough.

“We rock!” Jade beamed. “Oh! Before I forget. Let me get your number.” She handed Riley her phone and motioned for Riley to hand over hers in exchange. She panicked. There was all sorts of stuff on there for Celebrity Scope. 

“You know what, my phone died. But let me make sure you have mine so you can text me later!” Riley added her information into Jade’s phone and handed it back. 

“Alright, no worries girl. I’ll definitely text you later. Have a good night!” Jade got out of the car and Riley sighed in relief. Jade was so nice and really saved her ass by helping her fix up a meal for Camron. She really didn’t want to continue to use her like she was. Perhaps there was another way for her to get her story. 

As Riley pulled out of The Hideaway and started to drive home, her phone rang. It was her boss. With everything going on, Riley completely forgot to call her to give her an update on the interview. With a shaky breath, she answered it. There was no way of telling how Rachel would take her plan. 

“Hey boss!” Riley tried to sound confident, but deep down she was terrified. 

“How’d the interview go? Did you get enough information to write a detailed scoop?” Damn. No formalities, just straight to business. 

“Actually… There was a change of plans…” Riley started, setting her phone to speaker so she could focus on driving. 

“What do you mean? A change of plans?” Rachel huffed, and Riley winced. This was a bad idea. 

“Well… Camron Reed actually hired me as his private chef. I figured I could go undercover and dig up as much as I can. The guy isn’t what you’d call an open book. It’s going to be difficult to get him to open up and share some information. I figured this would be a good way to do it?” Riley explained her plan and there was a long silence. She looked down at her phone wondering if the call dropped. 

“That is rather resourceful of you Riley! I can only imagine the amount of information you’ll be able to dig up. Not only on Camron Reed, but the whole band. I can see the headlines now: “Journalist Dishes Wild Division’s Deepest Secrets. Brilliant. Just brilliant. I’m expecting great things from your RIley. Don’t let us down.” The call ended and Riley sucked in a breath. It was a go. Her boss loved the idea and now she had to follow through. 

Pulling into her complex, she could see her creepy neighbor hanging outside again. She sighed and quickly grabbed her things, making sure her keys were ready to unlock her door. Please don’t talk to me… Please don’t talk to me… 

“Hey there beautiful! Aren’t you usually home by now?” He asked, walking over to her. Riley walked a little bit faster up the stairs and to her door. 

“Oh? I didn’t notice. I’ve been busy. See you around!” Riley quickly unlocked her door and then promptly locked herself in her apartment. She really needed to put in a complaint to the office. The fact that he knew her schedule was uncomfortable and startling. She shuddered and made a mental note to call the office tomorrow. 

Riley kicked off her shoes and grabbed her notepad out of her bag. She had been trying to make notes of things that she could use for her article. Only one thing really stood out to her. Camron’s brother Jake. When Camron went upstairs to answer a call, Riley had followed him. She was hoping it was something important, and in a way it was. Readers love family drama. Especially when it’s a celebrity. It seemed like Camron was running away from something, and the journalist in her couldn’t wait to figure out what. It was like solving a mystery almost. However, her conscience brought her back down to reality.  

She was messing with someone’s life, and for what? So she could become a journalist? Was it worth it? The ambitious side of her thought it was. She suffered through countless arguments with her family about her career choice, struggled to be the best in school, and fought hard to get the best internship she could to get where she is now. This was her dream. She had to do this. 

After convincing herself of her choice, Riley made herself dinner before getting ready for bed. As she was crawling under the covers, her thoughts drifted to Camron and their banter from her interview. He really didn’t seem like that bad of a guy. Full of himself, for sure. But not as bad as other celebrities go. Her thoughts drifted to when he leaned over her to brush the flour out of her hair. She felt warm, and tingly. She shook her head. She couldn’t get attached. She needed to remain neutral in order to get her story. Riley drifted off into a restless sleep, her guilt and her conscience eating her alive. 

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Warm sunlight beamed through the blinds, and some birds sang sweet, springtime songs outside the window. Riley groaned not wanting to get out of bed. She could barely sleep at all with her thoughts racing a mile a minute. Her heart ached with the heavy lies and deception. However, these were sacrifices many journalists make to start their careers. She tried to remind herself. A light buzz came from her phone that rested on the bedside table. 

“Hey, it's Camron. Can you cater a band practice this afternoon?”

Riley wanted nothing more than to curl back up under the covers and forget about this crazy mess she got herself into. However, this would be a great opportunity to meet the other band members and get more information for her story. 

Riley: “Sure. Let me pick up Jade and some groceries. Text me the address?” 

Camron sent her the address and she noticed it was in town, just a couple miles from where Celebrity Scope’s office building was. With a groan, Riley dragged herself out of bed and got dressed. She picked out a comfy pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and Converse to wear. If she was going to be cooking for a bunch of boys today, she wanted to be comfy. As she was putting her long, brown hair in a high ponytail, she received another text message. She figured it was Camron again, but was wrong. 

“Hey girl! It’s Jade. Here’s my number! Make sure you save it. :)” 

Riley gave a small smile. She could feel Jade’s happy disposition through the phone. 

Riley: “I did. Wanna help me cook up some lunch for Camron’s band practice?”

Jade: “Omg! Yes!! I can’t believe we’re going to meet the whole band!”

Riley: “Yeah… I have to go to the store to get some things. Wanna come with me? 

Riley wasn’t sure why she asked Jade to tag along with her. Usually she was content doing things by herself. Perhaps she was lonelier than she was willing to admit to herself?

Jade: “Sure thing! I can meet you at the Whole Foods Store, how's that?” 

Riley: “Sounds good. See you then.” 

Riley spent some time searching for a good recipe to make for the band. After some careful consideration, she landed on pulled pork sandwiches, and her famous homemade lemonade. She figured they would come back to her place to prepare everything before taking it over. However, glancing around her apartment, Riley felt unsure about having someone over. It was always just her and her plants. In a nervous, last minute panic, Riley tidied up some things before heading out to the store. 

To her relief, her creepy neighbor was nowhere to be seen. She took a deep breath and attempted to remind herself again to file that report with the office later. Right now, she had to mentally prepare for another day of digging up information and not getting her cover blown. 

It only took Riley a few minutes to get to the store Jade mentioned. As she walked up, she could see Jade waiting out front, sporting white shorts, a light blue blouse and laced up sandals. Her fiery, curly hair was toppled over in a loose bun on top of her head. 

“Hey!” Jade waved at her with a smile. 

“Ready?” Riley asked, grabbing a cart. 

“Always! What are we making this time?” The duo walked into the store as they talked. 

“I was thinking pulled pork sandwiches with homemade lemonade?” 

“Yum!” Jade clasped her hands together as if she was picturing the masterpiece in her head. 

“I hope so.” Riley smiled, as she gathered all the ingredients they would need. Jade’s bubbly personality was rather contagious. 

“So Riley! We never really got much of a chance to talk with the stress and excitement of yesterday…” Jade trailed off. Riley was hoping she could avoid any personal questions as she really didn’t want to lie anymore than she already was. “Were you working at a restaurant or something before you got this job Cameron?” Jade continued. 

“Oh. Well, not really. My parents are both chefs and own a restaurant in my hometown.” Riley admitted while she picked out some lemons for her lemonade. 

“Wow! That’s a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to have my own restaurant and to be able to cook my own recipes.” 

“That sounds like an amazing goal.” Riley frowned a bit, thinking of her parents. She knew they disapproved of her dream to be a journalist because of the nature of the lifestyle. She couldn’t really blame them now.

“What’s wrong Riley?” 

“Hmmm? Oh. I just don’t really have a good relationship with my family right now. Talking about it is hard sometimes…” Riley wasn’t sure why she opened up to Jade. It shocked her. 

“Oh. Okay! Well then let’s talk about something else, yeah? Like… About how Camron totally has the hots for you!” Jade giggled. 

“No he doesn’t!” Riley exclaimed. She could feel her face getting warm. 

“He totally does! He was eyeing you like a dessert!” 

“Jade!” Riley thought about their exchanges yesterday. She was so caught up in trying to dig up any information she could about him to really stop and notice. Was he really eyeing her?

“What?! He totally was.” She giggled. Riley couldn’t help but laugh with her.   

“Well… I think that’s everything I need. Wanna check out and head to my place to cook everything up?” 

“Sure!” 

Riley smiled and felt a sense of comfort and happiness she hadn’t felt in a long time. She hoped it would last past her assignment, but there was a part of her that refused to get her hopes up. In her line of work, she was more likely to make enemies than friends. For now, she would enjoy Jade’s friendship and company. When the time comes to publish her story, she would be sure to explain everything to her. Hopefully she’ll understand. It was Riley’s dream after all. Wasn’t it?