"So what's your full name, then?" Marilyn, who played one of the local village girls, asked. "With all your titles and everything?"

Cameron turned to her, licking his lips, his expression serious. "If you know I have a full name, with titles and that, then you know how to google me and find out, don't you?" he responded. "My whole life is pretty much out there, so read as much as you like, yeah? In fact," Cameron turned to face the rest of the cast, who were milling around onstage before gathering for rehearsal, and raised his voice to address everyone, "if any of you want to talk to me about the play, run lines talk about our characters, any of that, feel free to hit me up, okay? But if you have questions about what I did before, about my upbringing and all, just go online and read about it, please? It's all true, it's all out there, and it'll be a lot faster." He looked back at Marilyn, eyebrows raised. "Okay?" He gave her smile to take the sting out of his words.

Marilyn nodded, chastened, and turned to her friends.

"Wow, that was kind of harsh," Penny observed as she and Cam took their places.

"You think so?" Cam was surprised. " I thought I was quite polite."

"Please, Cameron, that girl was practically drooling over you! She's dying to get to know you, and you cut her off at the knees." Cam was surprised to hear genuine sympathy in Penny's voice.

"But why should I encourage that? I have no interest in her, and even if I did, I'm involved with you--?"

"But no one here knows that." Penny pointed out.

"I was wondering about that," Cam leaned closer to where Penny was sitting on the bench and put his arm around her. "Why does no one know we're a couple? I mean, we might not be the most demonstrative people in the world, but we never said we were going to hide our relationship or anything, right?"

Penny rolled her eyes a little bit. "Aren't you supposed to be the worldly one here? You really don't know?" She smiled and shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Cam looked around. "Are you saying I should be more affectionate in public? You want more PDAs from me?" He leaned in and kissed Penny's temple, smiling at her after.

"No, silly, you know I don't care about that stuff," Penny scoffed. "But that's not the point."

"So what is the point, then?" Cam sounded thoroughly confused.

"Like just now, when you kissed me?" Penny gestured. "Look around. Even the people who saw it don't think it was a PDA, they just think it was us being in character."

"What?"

"Yeah. Look."

Cam looked around. People were milling around, looking at their scripts, setting props, making sure the sets were on their marks, checking the lights; in other words, it was business as usual. No one smiled or gave each other knowing looks or any of the other gestures that usually accompanied acknowledgment of a new relationship.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Cam turned to Penny. "Why would we be in character now? We're not even rehearsing. And we're not at that point in the script or anything. We're still at the 'getting to know you' part of it, aren't we?"

Penny turned to Cam, putting a hand on his arm. "Don't you see? People would rather believe that we're in character than believe that we're actually a couple. In fact, I don't think anyone here actually can believe that we're a real couple. I mean, look at us."

Cam made a face. "Come on, Penguin, not this bollocks again."

Penny's mouth trembled, but she turned it into a smile. "What's the big deal? In a way, it's kind of cool, don't you think? We're living a real life version of the play, you see?"

"No, I don't see anything 'cool' about it," Cameron replied in disgust. "We arrive together every day, we leave together, we're constantly showing affection to each other, and everyone assumes we're in character, simply because of a perceived difference in our appearance?

"Calm down, Cam," Penny said with a smile. "It's kind of funny, if you think about it."

"And this is why all these women have been hitting on me?" Cameron continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Asking me out for drinks after rehearsal nearly every day, or to go dancing or whatever?"

"Yes, isn't it hilarious?"

"No!"

Penny had no idea what else Cameron was going to say, because they were called to places right after that, and there was no more opportunity for talking. However, when the invitations came for him to go out after rehearsal that night, instead of politely turning them down as he usually did, he accepted.

"Where are we going?" he asked with a jovial smile. "Kathy, is it?"

"Um, Lolo's?" Kathy couldn't believe her luck. "They have really great mojitos and margaritas."

"Smashing. We'll be there."

"We?"

"Yeah. Penelope and me. Anyone in the cast is invited, right? Especially our significant others?"

Kathy swallowed. "Of course. Significant other?"

"Right. Penelope is my girlfriend, I don't like to go out in social situations without her, you understand, especially when drinking is involved. So many horrible ladies out there who just keep coming at you, even when you're crystal clear about being unavailable, you know?" Cameron flashed his incredible smile at her, making her knees weak, making her thighs loosen, making her heart flutter even as her brain was processing his incredible words.

Did he just say Penelope was his girlfriend?

Penelope Patrick?

Prince Cameron Aldobrandeschi was dating Penelope plain Jane Patrick?

Kathy hurried over to tell her friends and fellow cast mates the latest gossip about their very handsome and desirable leading man, who apparently wasn't as available as they thought he was.

⛱🍹⛱🍹⛱🍹⛱🍹⛱🍹⛱

"We're what?"

"Going out for tacos and drinks with the rest of the cast." Cameron smirked, knowing what Penny's response would be.

"Remind me later to make fun of how you just said 'tacos,'" Penny said, putting her hands on her hips. "For now, I'll say again, 'we're what?'"

"You heard me. And before you get in a strop, this place has the best mojitos in the city, supposedly, and we both know how much you love those, right?" He put his arms around Penny's waist and pulled her close. "And, I told the silly young thing who invited me that we were a couple, so that should make it extra fun, don't you think?" He nuzzled Penny's neck extravagantly. "Hm? Penguin?"

Penny couldn't help but laugh at the sensation. "Cam! That tickles! And you told her we're what? You really did? To what purpose?"

Cameron finally took pity and released her, looking around to see the effect of his actions. Kathy must have a big mouth, or gossip just traveled fast, because this time everyone around them had stopped whatever they were doing to look at Penny and Cam, all while trying not to look as though they were looking, of course. Cam could tell, however, by the tilt of heads and the angle of eyebrows that nearly everyone onstage was paying attention to his girlfriend and him. He leaned in and kissed Penny on the mouth, just for good measure.

There. That should do it.

"You're actually enjoying this," Penny gasped, laughing in his arms.

"Fucking right I am," Cam acknowledged, smiling at her. "I couldn't figure out why all these women, and even some men insisted on hitting on me, pretty much non-stop some days. Maybe now they'll leave me alone."

"So I'm your beard, then?" Penny asked, continuing to laugh.

"Hey, that's not funny at all," Cameron said, releasing her at last. "A beard is a disguise worn to hide something that's embarrassing or shameful. You're my real and true love, and I'm proud to call you mine." He looked closely at Penelope's face. "I assume the same is true for you?"

Penny rolled exasperated eyes at Cam and gestured at him from head to toe. "Cameron Aldobrandeschi, please, of course the same is true for me, I mean, look at you."

"Brilliant. Smashing." Cam held out his arm. "Let's get to this mojito place, then, and rub our relationship in everyone's face, then, shall we?"

They joined the rest of the cast as they headed out into the sultry New York night, and even though they did get a few oblique glances, they were accepted into the group as a couple by the time they hit the first light.

"We're surprised you agreed to come with us tonight," one of the braver cast members said to Penny. "You guys usually pass on the group activities."

"Well, our relationship is brand-new, you know?" Cam answered for both of them. "We've been enjoying spending time alone together, just the two of us. It's been really nice. But we figured it wasn't nice to be so antisocial, and we should try to bond a little with everyone before we get too much deeper into rehearsals."

"Exactly," Penny agreed with a nod.

They were faced with their first shock of the night when they got to Lolo's and saw a familiar figure waiting in the bar. He raised a hand in greeting, lifting his drink with the other. Penny felt an atavistic tightening in her chest when she recognized his paunch, the color of his thinning hair.

Frederick.

"Oh, hey, Freddy and some of the cast from Secret Brotherhood usually joins us when we do this," an actor named Norm mentioned. Secret Brotherhood was Frederick's new play, and it was rehearsing at a nearby theatre. "Completely forgot about that. Is it going to be a problem with you guys being exes and everything?" He looked uneasily at Penny.

"No, I'm sure everything will be fine," Penny said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. Next to her she felt Cameron tense up.

But Frederick's glance slid right over them without hesitating as he called out greetings to some of the cast. "Come on, get some drinks in those hands, you need to catch up with us," he encouraged.

Everyone was jubilant and in a mood to celebrate. Rehearsals were going well, and they were out socializing with the Frederick Berenson, not to mention Penelope Patrick, who were the current reigning royalty of the Broadway scene. Throw in Cameron Aldobrandeschi, whose name was starting to percolate here and there as an up and comer to watch, and anyone who was there knew that they were definitely partying with the A-list of the theatre crowd tonight.

"Here you go, love." Cam appeared at Penny's elbow with a mojito and presented it with a flourish.

She accepted it and took a sip, smiling after. "Delicious! The best I've ever had, including yours, which is saying something." She leaned in and kissed Cam on the mouth. "Now just get me some food and we'll be in business."

"Your wish is my command," Cam responded with a little bow. The people around them heard and looked over in surprise. Apparently prince references were only off limits when they were between Cameron and other people; when it was Penelope Patrick, they were fine.

Penny laughed and sat down at a booth that was empty but not cleared, and Cam gestured to a busser that he would like it cleared. Somehow, without seeming supercilious or demanding in anyway, he managed to convey his request with a simple gesture of his hand and the busser in question jumped to do his bidding, sweeping napkins, plates and glasses away and wiping down the tabletop.

"Thank you," Penny told him with a smile.

The other cast members who watched the whole exchange were very impressed, and resolved to learn Cam's technique.

Cameron gave their order for tacos to a passing server and took his place next to Penny, putting a casual arm around her shoulder, and Penny found it was pleasurable and fun in a mildly exhibitionist way to be on display in this way, to be in public as Cameron Aldobrandeschi's girl. She enjoyed having people know she was his girlfriend, and that he was her boyfriend.

She told Cam this fact, and how it sort of surprised her. "Does this make me shallow and superficial?" she asked him as she sipped her second mojito.

"What, you mean the way you used to think I was?" Cam teased, hugging her to him.

"God, are you never going to let me live that down?" Penny asked.

"No, never," Cam replied, shaking his head.

Penny shrugged. "I just thought I was better than this, you know? But look, see those ladies? All of them are staring at you, and I'm sorry, they might as well be taking your clothes off, and their own, they want you so bad."

"Where?" Cam laughed. "And really? Should I take my clothes off?"

"Idiot. I'm just saying I love knowing I can do this--" and she leaned in and gave Cam a very affectionate and slow kiss on his neck, making him close his eyes at the warm sensation, which he felt in an electric tingle to his groin and his toes "--and knowing they're eating their hearts out over it."

"Well, I must say I quite like it, too," Cam responded, turning toward Penny, tipping her chin up and kissing her, a scorching kiss in which his tongue was clearly visible entering her mouth before he turned his head to press her into the back of the booth as he slid his other hand down the curve of her waist to her hip.

They were interrupted by the arrival of their food, which they tore into as they ordered more drinks. Some of their cast mates, made brave by drink and by Cam and Penny's genuine friendliness, joined them in the booth, and soon it was one of the most boisterous corners of the small restaurant, loud and gregarious with story telling, singing and laughter.

And while Penny and Cam enjoyed showing off their new and very affectionate relationship to the world, they didn't notice Frederick, sitting on his barstool, holding court to a group of actors who hung on his every word as he talked about theatre to them. He shot quick looks over at the noisy corner of the eatery, piggy eyes narrowing to slits as he spoke to his adoring audience, watching the woman he once claimed as his exclusive property look happier than she'd ever looked before in the arms of a man who was younger, better looking, more popular, more everything, possibly, than he could ever be.