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“You’re doing great, Autumn,” Gabe Peterson murmured as he helped her into a seat in the theater. “See, it wasn’t that bad.”

Autumn smiled. “Yeah, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. At least I didn’t trip and fall on anyone.”

“They’re all going to start talking about you soon,” he told her. “And when they talk about you, they’ll talk about the movie. Your star is rising, Autumn. Enjoy it.”

She would, Autumn thought, as the house lights dimmed for the beginning of the film. She’d made it through the red carpet ordeal, answered questions about who she was, and the reporters had begun to show interest in her. The fact that she’d shown up on an Oscar-nominated director’s arm hadn’t hurt her either. Of course, she didn’t plan on continuing to use Gabe as an entryway into Hollywood. She’d made it to this point using her guts, determination, and talent, and she fully planned on continuing to use her assets to propel her up the ladder.

When the movie ended, she applauded politely and listened to the actors speak about it and answer the audience and fellow Hollywood A-listers’ questions. Though she tried to pay attention, Autumn discovered that she didn’t even really know what had happened during the film nor did she really hear what anyone was saying. The butterflies had fluttered to life again when the house lights had lit up and reminded her of the soirees she had to attend for the next few hours. It was there that she was to seriously start to mingle with other celebrities.

She was dreading it more than she’d dreaded having her wisdom teeth pulled.

***

“Alright! Now this is what I’m talking about!” Bean thrust a glass into Nick’s hand and grinned widely. “I love this lifestyle!”

“I’ll bet you do,” Nick muttered to himself. His black mood was still hanging over him, and it had worsened when Bean had picked him up again. He didn’t really remember the movie, but he remembered feeling resentment towards all the other celebrities in the room. The ones who weren’t ridiculed in the media, anyway.

Bean slapped his back. “So, see any hot ladies around that would love to give good old Rob a try?” His sharp gaze scanned the room, not noting Nick’s ears begin to steam. “Check out that one,” he murmured with a low whistle. “I’ll bet she’s just dying to meet me.”

Nick followed his friend’s gaze and noted that it was stuck on another blonde bimbo with more money than brains. Yup, he decided, she was perfect for Bean. “Why don’t you go get her, man? I’ll understand if I don’t see you later. I’ll catch a cab home.”

“Yeah?” Bean’s eyes were glued to the woman. “Well, then, Nicky boy. I’ll see you later.”

“Sure,” Nick murmured, frowning into his glass. “I bet you will.”

“Is the alcohol talking back to you?” A voice next to him spoke, amusement dripping from the words.

Nick looked up and into dark green eyes. Their owner wore a small smile on her face and was watching him curiously. “Uh, no. It’s not talking at all.” He shrugged. “Sometimes, I wish it would. It would probably be more interesting to listen to than some of the people here.”

“You mean the ones who can only talk about themselves? Sure,” she said with a shrug, “I bet vodka would be infinitely more interesting to listen to.” She held out a hand. “I’m Autumn Evans, and you are…?”

Nick set the glass down on a nearby table and took her hand. “Nick Carter. Autumn Evans, huh?”

“Yeah, why?” One dark eyebrow arched. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Nick grinned and shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard your name before.”

“Well, I can say the same to you,” she replied, drawing her hand out of his.

He was sure his ego had just deflated. “You’ve never, uh, heard of Nick Carter?” She shook her head. “How about the Backstreet Boys?”

Autumn shook her head again and laughed. “Sorry, I must be an anomaly in this business. I don’t really keep track of who’s who in entertainment.” She looked around the large, busy room. “I guess I probably should, huh?”

“If you want to make it in the business, yeah. You might want to,” he advised her. “So, what exactly do you do? Are you an agent, producer?”

Her smile made his fingers itch to trace the pretty, bow-shaped mouth. “No, I’m an actress. And you don’t believe me,” she added, seeing his skeptical look. “Actually, my first project wrapped up a couple months ago and is coming out in another month. I worked with Gabe Peterson,” she explained.

The name rung a bell. “Oh, really? Well, congratulations. I’m sure the movie’s going to be great! You’ll be an instant star.”

“Good to know,” she answered, accepting a margarita from one of the wait-staff.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Nick took the time to study her. She wasn’t very tall, he thought, noting that she rose to his shoulders because of the three-inch heels she wore. Her hair, a deep mahogany that seemed to shine with hints of red, was done up into one of those fancy, curly buns that Nick thought were a perfectly good waste of pretty hair. The green eyes that had caught him off-guard topped a pixie-perfect nose. It reminded him of fairies, and he smiled to himself at the thought. She wore a deep blue dress that left her shoulders bare, dipped low in the back, and fell to her knees.

“Are you done examining me, yet?”

Nick’s eyes returned to her face, and he grinned. “You’re quick.”

“I know when a guy’s checking me out,” she said simply. “Besides, I was wondering who you were and who the Backstreet Boys are.”

He tapped her nose, absently. “You must have lived under a rock seven years ago to not know who the Backstreet Boys are. Seriously, you would have been the right age to be the perfect teenybopper fan.” He grinned at her frown. “We’re a singing group, and I’m the youngest member out of the five—no, four of us,” he corrected himself.

“Oh.” She nodded. “Maybe I’ll go home and find you on the Internet.”

“You should try LiveDaily,” he advised her. “We’re all over that site.”

She nodded, downing the rest of her drink. “I’ll do that.” Autumn could see her publicist waving. “Well, Nick. It was nice to meet you, and good luck on whatever you’re doing.”

“Yeah, you, too. I’ll watch for your movie.” He shook her hand again and watched her disappear into the crowd.

Deciding that the party was pretty much a waste of his time, he wove his way through fellow celebrities and made his way to the door. On his way out, he realized that his bad mood had disappeared while he’d been talking to Autumn. It made him frown slightly, but the alcohol swimming in his bloodstream prevented him from really thinking on it too much.

***

“You were talking to Nick Carter!”

Autumn lifted a brow. “And, your point is…?”

Her publicist, Sherrie, sighed dramatically. “Autumn, we really do need to give you a crash course on who’s who in this town. Nick Carter is currently on a huge reality show on the E! channel.”

“Really? He told me he sings in a band.” Autumn frowned. “Was he lying about the Backstreet Boys thing?”

Sherrie shook her head and stifled the urge to sigh again. “Honey, I love you like a sister, but you’re too much sometimes. The Backstreet Boys exist, and Nick is a part of the group. It’s not doing too well anymore because the era of boy bands is over, but they’re still big names in their own right.”

“Oh. So why are you freaking out over me talking to Nick?”

“I’m not freaking out,” Sherrie replied primly. “I’m happy that you were seen with Nick. People are going to wonder who you are, and it’ll generate more hype for you and your movie.”

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Just because I was talking to him does not mean that people are going to automatically wonder about me.”

“Would you bet on that?” Sherrie grinned. “Because, whether or not the Backstreet Boys are big names or not, they’ve still got some hardcore fans. The second they see a picture of the two of you together, they’ll find out who you are and won’t stop talking about you. It’s a surefire way to get publicity.”

“I don’t believe you.” She’d just talked to him. It wasn’t as though she was sleeping with the guy. Why would a bunch of fans really give a damn about her?

Sherrie smiled. “You’ll see.”

***

“I can’t believe this.” Autumn stared at the computer screen as Sherrie flipped through picture after picture of her and Nick talking. The party had been the night before and, in under twenty four hours, pictures and rumors had started circulating on the Internet.

“I told you,” Sherrie said smugly. “They’re better at this sort of stuff than the freaking CIA. People are going to know your name and what you do just because of this.”

Autumn read the name at the top of the webpage. “LiveDaily, huh? Nick told me to look at this site if I wanted to know about them.”

“Well, now you know that he’s got loyal fans, and they’ve just boosted your name in their message boards. Before you know it, you’ll be going grocery shopping incognito.” Sherrie pretended to dust her hands. “My job is going to be a piece of cake.”

“Then I guess I won’t be paying you as much,” Autumn replied. When Sherrie continued to chuckle, Autumn tuned her out and focused on the screen. Maybe she wasn’t the girlfriend these posts were making her out to be, but Sherrie was right. It was free publicity.

And that, Autumn thought, was the bottom line.