“I didn’t sleep with her. If I remember correctly I rejected her.” I cleared my throat and looked down at my feet as I continued to row. “I may have kissed her.”
“WHAT?” Nat roared.
I ducked. Self-preservation and all that. Besides who really wants to sport two black eyes, both from your girlfriend?
“When?”
“Before you and I were dating,” I answered honestly. Finally. I could at least tell the truth about that. “I, uh, well, we had to do some promo together. We both had a lot to drink and I kissed her. Actually, she kissed me and then I pushed her away, but still.”
“Gross.” Nat shivered. “No offense, but you’re an idiot.”
I gulped and tried to laugh with her but it sounded too hollow. Oh, I was an idiot all right. I was a damn fool. But instead of pushing me to confession, all it did was make me want to control the situation more. I pushed the truth so far back into my head that I wasn’t even sure what reality was anymore.
But one thing was certain.
I couldn’t keep hurting her every damn day and not want to die a thousand deaths because of it.
I was going to choose me.
Which meant, in the end, I was choosing us. But that also meant I was screwing my brother. Just like before. Only this time I knew forgiveness wouldn’t be so freely offered. And if it was it would be right before he pushed me off a very tall cliff.
Chapter Fifteen
Alec
Five days later and we were still in what Demetri referred to as Hell Week, a.k.a. Teambuilding Week.
How was it teambuilding if we did nothing but fight?
Wonder of all wonders, my black eye made the five o’clock news, as well as my little toss with Nat in the sand, which had me looking like a player. Great. That’s just what I needed before Angelica went to the press.
I knew what I needed to do. I just didn’t know how to go about it without hurting people.
If I lied, I hurt Nat. If I told the truth I hurt Demetri and Nat. If I denied everything then I was lying to myself — but the sick part was I still didn’t know everything that went down last year.
I shook my head and sighed, at least now it was Friday night, and we were having a barbeque. I was in charge of cooking, because last time Demetri let Bob, our security guard, cook something, he nearly burnt the house down.
Demetri and Alyssa were inside making salad while I tossed burgers. I was still irritated that I had to wear the stupid apron Nat had made for me.
It said, “Kiss me, I’m Alec Daniels.”
I looked down and sighed. That’s just what I needed. A kiss? Sex? Maybe a massage? Speaking of all of the above, where the hell had Nat gone?
The smell of roses floated through the air. Breathing became strained as I clenched the cool metal flipper in my hand. I knew that smell.
“What is that?” I asked stepping unsteadily into the hotel room.
“My own scent,” she announced proudly, lifting her wrist to my nose. “I’m signing a deal with a cosmetics company and we’re picking out perfumes.”
“It smells like roses.”
“But not old person roses right?” She winked. “I want people to buy it, not spray it on their grandmas.”
I snorted in disgust. “Please, you look nothing like a grandma.”
“You’re only fifteen years younger than me, Alec Daniels. How dare you even accuse me of such a thing?”
“Once a cougar, always a cougar.” I laughed and then tripped, falling onto her bed. Just how much had I had to drink?
“Champagne?” she asked.
“Sure.” I held out my hand as my vision suddenly blurred. “What the hell is wrong with me?”
“What?”
“Oh.” I shook my head. “I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.”
“Hmm.” She handed me a glass and clinked hers against it. “So tell me, pop star, what has you so blue?”
“Life.” I drank the sparkly dry liquid and swore.
“Me too, champ, me too. Divorce.” She sighed. “We’re sure a pair aren’t we?”
“Pair?” I repeated suddenly feeling really hot. I took off my shirt without thinking and then apologized. “Sorry. I’m just really hot all of a sudden.”
“Me too.” She fanned herself. “Want me to open a window or something?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “That would be nice.”
Soon a cool breeze floated into the room. Rose perfume permeated every pore of my body, soon it felt like I was the one floating. I opened my eyes to see her straddling me.
“I don’t feel like myself,” she admitted.
“Why the champagne?” I asked, suddenly realizing how beautiful she really was. Blonde hair just like Nat and deep brown eyes. My body hummed in response.
“Ex-husband. He sent it over a few minutes ago.” She lifted her glass into the air. “Cheers, and here are the divorce papers. It’s why we’re in separate rooms.”
“Clearly.” My hands moved without thinking. I rubbed up and down her arms and then leaned in and kissed her neck.
She moaned low in her throat as the champagne fell from her hand onto the ground.
I kissed her neck, trailing my tongue down her pulse. The rose perfume invaded my senses.
“Hello, Alec.”
Reality sucked. I turned slowly and came face to face with her. The one person I had no desire to see ever again.
“April.”
“You look good.” She tilted her head to the side and took me in, her eyes scanning from my feet all the way up to my face. “It’s been a while.”
“Wouldn’t have been if you would actually pick up your damn phone,” I said through clenched teeth. I’d been trying to get a hold of her ever since she hung up on me last week.
“I’ve been busy this week with the kids.”
I began to sweat as she neared me. Her perfume made me absolutely sick. It reminded me of that night, of the lies, of the betrayal, of everything really.
Everything but what really happened.
Yes. I’d made the choice to walk into a room.
I even kissed a still-married woman. Or at least in my mind she was, since she still had the final papers to sign.
But none of it even compared to the fact that I had no idea what the hell happened over the course of twelve hours.
Or that she was… shit, I couldn’t even say it.
“Guys!” Jaymeson rounded the corner into the back yard and threw me a beer.
“Mum! Looking good.” Jaymeson pulled April into his embrace and kissed her on the forehead. “Do you know Alec?”
She seemed to struggle with her response before shaking her head. “I think I met him at one of your father’s premieres last year, but it’s so hard to keep those things straight.”
“Right.” Jaymeson took a swig of beer and smiled.
He smiled as if I hadn’t just descended into the Seventh Circle of Hell.
He smiled like he didn’t know that the last person to spend the night with his mom naked…
Had been me.
Chapter Sixteen
Demetri
“Salad’s made!” I announced as I chomped down on a carrot and moaned. I was so hungry I could eat an entire flock of sheep, wool and all.
Alyssa came back into the kitchen and nodded approvingly. “Well done. Maybe next time I’ll let you actually do more than cut the vegetables.”
“Score,” I said dryly. “Where’d Nat go?”
Alyssa shrugged. “She went outside to see what was taking Alec so long with the burgers.”
The camera crew was taping us, but I didn’t care. I pulled Alyssa in for a much needed kiss. Pressing her against the counter, I lifted her up and moaned as she wrapped her legs tightly around me, pulling me firmly against her.
“This apron’s kinda hot,” she murmured against my lips.
“I’m hotter out of it.” My hands dove into her thick dark hair. Groaning, I slipped my tongue into her mout
h and tasted her.
“Excuse me — oh, sorry, um…” a voice said from behind us.
We jerked apart.
“Don’t let me interrupt you. I was just looking for the bathroom.” The woman must have been in her mid-thirties and was really striking. She had long blonde hair and an easy smile.
“Just down the hall and to the left,” Alyssa answered while I was still inspecting the woman. I don’t know why, but there was something about her that seemed… off. Call me crazy, but I wasn’t sure I wanted any more new crew members on the show, and she looked like a gold digger.
“Thanks.” The woman smiled and held out her hand. “I’m April, Jaymeson’s step-mom.”
“Ahhh,” Lyss and I said in unison.
April laughed. “He said I should stop by for a little vacation.”
“Right.” I snapped my mouth shut, so I didn’t look like an idiot. “I remember him saying something about that. I think you’re staying at our beach house, right?”
“That’s right.” She stuffed her hands into her jean pockets and swayed on her feet a bit. “Jaymeson said it would be okay if I stopped by to grab the keys and say hi.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just go find Alec and snag the keys from him.”
“Alec,” April repeated, her eyes slowly taking me in. “He’s your brother?”
“Yup. I like to think he’s the lucky bastard to have me as his other half.”
“He is.” She winked and smiled sadly at the ground. I immediately felt Alyssa tense next to me.
As if April just remembered that Alyssa and I had been acting all kinds of inappropriate just a few minutes ago, she blushed and chuckled. “You two carry on. I’ll just…” Her words trailed off as she walked down the hall.
“I don’t know if I like her,” Alyssa whispered once April was out of ear-shot.
I helped her off the counter and sighed. “You have no reason not to like her.”
Alyssa’s eyes narrowed. “She was eyeing you like… I don’t know. Like she wanted to strip you naked and lick you.”
“That could be arranged if you feel so inclined.” I grinned.
Alyssa swatted me in the stomach. “Shut up. I’m serious!”
“Babe.” I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. “It’s fine, okay? Besides, she used to be married to one of the biggest producers in Hollywood. I’m sure she’s just used to the attention, okay? Besides, she’s Jaymeson’s step-mom. If anything, she was just putting two and two together, okay?”
“Fine.” Alyssa sucked in her lower lip and grabbed my hand. “But if she makes a move for you, it won’t be just Nat throwing punches.”
“Deal.” I chuckled as we approached Jaymeson and Alec. Whoa. The brooding was officially back. Crap. Now Alec looked like he was ready to murder someone.
“How’s it going?” I directed the question at Jaymeson while anger washed over Alec’s face until I was pretty sure that he was going to start chucking burgers into the air.
“Great.” Jaymeson elbowed Alec. “Anyway, where was I? Oh right, so my father is a maniac. He’s refusing to pay child and spousal support, and I mean, he’s the guy who cheated in the first place! And then had the nerve to ask for a divorce.” He shook his head. “At any rate, I think the stress is really getting to my mom, so thanks for letting her stay at your place.”
“Anytime.” Alec handed me the metal hamburger flipper and stalked off mumbling something about finding Nat.
“He alright?” Jaymeson squinted at Alec’s disappearing form. “I hope the story of my parents didn’t upset him.”
“Nah, he’s just…” I shrugged. “Hormonal.”
Alyssa took the hamburger flipper from my hands and ordered me to move. Apparently I hadn’t graduated to cooking live food yet either.
“Where’s your girl?” I begrudgingly shoved my hands in my pockets and watched my girlfriend cook up a storm.
“How should I know?” Jaymeson snorted. “I can’t even lie. I’m trying, man, really trying to be nice to her, but she’s—”
“Insane,” Alyssa grumbled. Clearly she was still upset over the whole I-slept-with-the-devil thing.
“There’s that.” Jaymeson nodded. “But she’s always on her damn phone. On top of that, it’s like she’s plotting something. I don’t know. Maybe I’m paranoid. But I don’t trust her.”
“World domination.” Alyssa piped up. “She’s going to take over the world.”
“One text at a time,” I agreed.
“Jaymeson!”
“Speak of the devil.” I grinned and slapped Jaymeson on the back. “I think Angelica needs you.”
Angelica rounded the corner in platform heels, a mini skirt, and a midriff shirt that really shouldn’t be called a shirt.
It was smaller than a scarf and strategically wrapped around her body in such a way that I wasn’t sure if I should gape or avert my eyes. Alyssa made the decision for me when she pulled my head to hers and kissed me firmly across the mouth.
Hmm. I could get used to such distractions.
“Lose your clothes again, Angelica?” Jaymeson asked from behind me.
“Ha ha, you’re hilarious. And no. I was just hot, so I decided to put something on that would cool me off.”
The camera crew filtered into the backyard, as they always did when Angelica decided to put on a strip tease. She fanned her face with her hand and stretched. Seriously, they were going to have to censor every scene with that girl.
“Angelica.” Ruben cleared his throat. “You said we needed to have a chat?”
“Off camera,” she demanded.
I rolled my eyes.
“Fine.” He directed her toward the corner of the yard.
“Hey, Ruben.” Jaymeson sneered. “If I promise to take off all my clothes can I have a few minutes without cameras too?”
Ruben ignored him and followed Angelica to the fence, leaning against it as she talked in hushed tones.
“Plotting.” My eyes narrowed. “I would sell Jaymeson to learn what that girl was saying right about now.”
“Thanks man.”
“Anytime.” I slapped him on the back and kissed Alyssa’s cheek. “Can we eat now?”
She flipped all the burgers over and checked them. “They look fine, why don’t you go find Alec and Nat so we can eat?”
“I’ll do it!” Jaymeson offered, running off toward the garage.
I shrugged and looked back to Ruben and Angelica, she was showing him something on her phone and he looked like he was about two minutes away from shitting his pants.
“He looks way too happy to be talking to her right now.” Alyssa pointed out.
“Right? I was thinking the same thing.”
Ruben clapped his hands together and then hugged Angelica like a long lost daughter.
Alyssa dropped the hamburger flipper in the grass and cursed. “You’ve got to be kidding me! He hates her just as much as we do!”
“Cameras.” I coughed as the cameraman zoomed in on Alyssa. Her little nostrils flared just slightly before she grabbed my body and pulled me against her.
“It’s hard for them to hear when we whisper.” She nipped my ear and then licked my neck. “Can we get closer to the action, you think?”
“Action?” I repeated, my body strumming with heat as her hand dipped underneath my shirt.
Alyssa lightly slapped me across the face with her free hand. “Focus, Demetri! We’re going to find out what’s going on.”
“Right. Focusing.” I exhaled through tightly clenched teeth as her smooth hands caressed my abs and wrapped around my back as she walked me backward toward the corner of the yard where Ruben and Angelica were standing. “Damn, that feels good.”
“Demetri.” Alyssa moaned and then pinched me in the side. “This isn’t for you. This is so we can find out what the devil’s planning.
Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I caught like one word from that last sentence. It was like I blacked out as her nails scratche
d my back and her lips found my ear. Right. I’m going to be absolutely no help for this little spying mission if she keeps playing around like that.
“Just a little farther,” Alyssa whispered in my ear.
I was officially embarrassed as I started counting backward from one hundred to keep myself from taking off my clothes and ravishing her against the picket fence. A little farther? Did the woman have no concern for my mental health? I was going to die. Well, at least I’d die with a smile on my face.
“…are you sure about all of this?” Ruben clicked through the pictures on the phone. “I mean, this is pretty big, Angelica.”
“I’m positive.”
“You do know what this will do?”
“Of course,” came Angelicas shrill voice. “I just think people need to know the truth. Nat needs to know the truth. I mean, she’s such a sweetheart, and look at what he’s doing behind her back!”
“They weren’t together during these pictures,” Ruben pointed out. “I was at that premiere.”
Angelica laughed. “Does it really matter? Once a whore, always a whore. Once a cheater… well, you get what I mean. Besides, once you add it with that other little piece of information, you have media gold.”
I tensed against Alyssa. She shook her head and kissed my lips, probably to keep me from making a complete fool out of myself.
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Great.” Angelica sighed. “I think it will really help our ratings.”
“She means her ratings. the tramp,” Alyssa whispered into my ear. Her nails dug into my shoulders.
“Ouch,” I grumbled.
“Sorry.” She released my burning skin and sighed. “I just really don’t like that girl.”
My fault. Again. Seriously, I wish someone would have walked around with a bat when I was a teenager and smacked me in the ass every time I made a bad choice.
Then again, I would have been dead by twelve.
So there was that.
“It will be fine.” I cupped Alyssa’s face. “Besides, I trust Alec. Whatever this is about, whatever he did, he loves Nat.”
Alyssa chewed her lower lip, then rubbed both of them together. “‘Kay. Let’s go make friendly with the enemy so we can finish this damn barbeque.”
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