Disguise

by Bella Love-Wins

  She hung up the phone and stared blindly at the wall, thinking about her own romantic life, or lack of it.

  “Wilkes, you jackass,” she growled. “Why did you have to turn out to be such a waste of time?”

  She sighed, rising from the chair to leave the office. She checked out the window at Sebastian’s house next door, wondering why he had stayed away this long. She missed his smile. He was so easy to talk to. It was time to pay him a visit. He said he wanted to be friends—with Alex, but whatever.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ALEXANDRA ran up to her bedroom to get her hair into some semblance of style. She giggled at the thought of wanting to look attractive, even in the boyish get-up. She studied her reflection, wondering what she must look like through Sebastian’s eyes. She was still in the plaid skater shorts, black t-shirt and tan shirt from earlier in the day. Her hair was a wild, spiky tumble of black layers. Without eyeliner and mascara or any other makeup, she thought she could still pass for a guy.

  A damn good-looking one, too, Alex.

  She smirked and ran back down the stairs after grabbing the baby monitor off her dresser. She had Rosa buy a set before she left, so she could listen for dad from upstairs through the night while she slept. Even with twenty-four hour nursing care, she wanted to listen out for him. Between the sounds of his medical equipment and his occasional weak calls for her, it came in handy.

  “I’ll be right next door, Dad,” she called out, nodding to Joanne as she made it to the wide living room door. “Give me a call on my phone if you need anything, Joanne.”

  “Will do, Mr. Roberts.”

  Alexandra smiled, reaching for her keys and locking up. Before she stepped off the porch, she looked over at Bash’s house. His Jeep was no longer parked outside.

  “Darn.”

  She gnawed on the corner of her lip and let her anticipation fizzle out. It sucked. Just when she got up the nerve to go over there, he was not home. Sighing, she marched back inside and went into the kitchen. She got a pen and ripped off a sheet of paper from the grocery list sticky notes. She would jot down a quick handwritten message to let Bash know she had stopped by. Other than signatures and financial documents, she could not remember the last time she had done up a handwritten note for anyone. It felt weird, but she was on autopilot as she wrote my message.

  What the note really meant was she wanted to see him.

  God, this is so high school.

  She told herself it was not a love letter, but a friendly note to let him know she missed—she struck through the word “missed” and then scribbled through it like she was trying to redact a government secret. All the scribbling in the world was not going to make that look manly. She ended up crumpling up that note, and yanked another sheet from the sticky pad to start over.

  “I haven’t seen you around lately,” she spoke aloud as she wrote, “and thought I’d stop by to say hey…” she pressed the pen to her lips and tilted her head to one side, rereading it. She added, “Stop by whenever you get a chance.”

  Satisfied the note was now manly enough, Alexandra went back next door and stuck the folded piece of paper in the crack between the doorjamb and the stained-glass door. Her phone rang as she was speed-walking back to Dad’s house. She ran through the front door and threw her back against it as she slammed it closed. With a sigh of relief, she was proud for taking the note over while she still had the nerve.

  She pulled her phone out of her pocket on the beginning of the fourth ring.

  “Hello?”

  “There you are!” It was Rick. “I thought I’d have to leave a message. How’s my favorite rock star princess?”

  She ran up to the second floor to take the call in her father’s office. “Hi Rick. I’m great. How’s this for good news? Daddy’s home!”

  “That’s fantastic news, princess!” he said, relieved. “How is he feeling?”

  “He’s sleeping most of the time, but he looks better every day.”

  “That’s the Max I know, the old fighter. So, you won’t be long now, right Lexxi?”

  “I…I’m not sure, Rick. He still needs me.”

  “Lexxi, honey, I’ve got hounds on me trying to sniff out when you’ll be back in town. That story about the French Riviera has taken on a life of its own. It was probably a bad call on my part. Now two of the concert venues are thinking you blew them off to party! It’s bad for business, honey.”

  “Wait, now you think your cover story and stand-in were a bad idea?”

  “I should have anticipated they’d find out Max was hospitalized.”

  She was annoyed about Rick’s eagerness to get her back to work. He had no right to put her return above Dad’s wellbeing.

  “I’ve only been gone a little over two weeks, Rick. You can keep them off my back for a little while longer, can’t you? I really need this time.”

  “Sweetheart, I understand you’re…you know, I know what you’re going through, and I’m happy to hear he’s improving. You’ll have to come back eventually, and the sooner the better. I don’t see why you can’t just fly in, do a few appearances and then go back.”

  She dropped her voice to a hushed whisper, feeling her blood begin to boil. “I’m not leaving Tucson until I know Dad’s completely recovered. I can’t believe you would even suggest it.”

  She was so upset, she held back a growl. Rick sighed in frustration on the other end of the line. He would do anything in this business, and had forgotten her in the process. That was the one thing about the celebrity circuit that ticked her off the most.

  “Come on, Lexxi. You know better than that. Business is business.”

  “Yes. I know. The show must go on,” she muttered, unable to hide the bitter edge to her voice. “Look, I’ll get in touch with you when I’m able to make the trip. Until then, I need you to keep stalling for me. When I get back, we need to talk about some changes with the way you and I work together. For starters, I’m planning on taking more control of my image and brand.”

  “Whatever you want to do, Lexxi, you know I’m game. Get your ass back out here…soon. Now don’t make me beg, young lady.”

  “Bye, Rick.”

  She hit the end call button, pacing the office for a few more minutes. Her frustration grew as she thought about how much she had sacrificed to get this far. She had so little control over her time, and almost no control over something as important as taking a few unplanned weeks off. Rick had forgotten about all the long hours, constant travelling, lost friendships, muddled almost-relationships, and missed family time. She had been away for birthdays, holidays and special time with Dad, to travel the world time and time again for international concert tours, to record new music, film videos, tackle interviews and make public appearances. That was the price of being in demand. She had very little time to be with the people she knew and loved most. It was unfair, and Rick’s phone call came at a bad time. Something had to change when she got back to LA.

  She could never get back the years she had spent focusing on the business. She had been absent from her father’s side for too long. Another three or more years making the same mistakes did not make sense anymore. There was also Viv, who would wrap up her filming soon. She thought about Rosa, who was starting to feel more and more like family.

  Her mind wandered to Bash…then she shook that thought from her head. He was her neighbor. Her father’s neighbor, who had pretty much made it clear that he was gay. She was seventy-five percent sure of it, but realized she needed to stop obsessing over the man’s sexual orientation. Whether he was straight or not, he was not in her inner circle.

  She tried to focus on the issue. It was about taking back control, and letting Rick and her label know where she stood. Whether they liked it or not, something had to change. She had been overbooked, overworked and overexposed. This break to be with Dad only accentuated how crazy that world of being a performing artist had become. The fame-hounding paparazzo, the constant highs and lows of media assessment, critici
sm and rumormongering were not the only down side. She started to see taking a break as a win-win. She could avoid putting herself out there so much, which would make her personal life less accessible to the public.

  She made her decision—she was going to finish her album, line up a short tour, and after that she would take a lengthy hiatus. It felt like a weight slipped off her shoulders once her mind was made up.

  She checked the time. Joanne was probably administering her father’s evening meds and giving him a liquid meal. Alexandra couldn’t wait for these long days to finally wind down. Her thoughts were scrambled and her irritation was still peaked after talking to Rick. She returned downstairs to the living room. Tucking her feet beneath her, she curled up on the couch to wait for the nurse to finish up. If all went well, maybe Bash would pay her a visit soon.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  SEBASTIAN got home from another full day of fire safety chats with multiple classes at yet another elementary school. He unlocked the door, and noticed a folded piece of paper glide to the floor when he pushed the door open. He picked it up and smiled as he read the feminine script. It was from Alexandra. She was asking him to come by. He smiled broadly.

  Stepping into his house, he closed the door behind him and turned the lock. He took the note with him as he went walked to the kitchen to grab a beer and start dinner. After a full day on his feet, the knee was pounding. He needed to unwind, but at the same time, the idea of spending more time with Alexandra took priority.

  Staying away for a while felt like such a good idea, after seeing Max being wheeled in by the medics that night. He reread the note after his first swig of beer. She missed him. That was a good sign. Feeling satisfied, he went upstairs to take a shower and change out of his work clothes. As the days were getting warmer, he put on a pair of cargo shorts, a ribbed tank and a button-down short-sleeved shirt after his shower.

  After he sprayed on some cologne, he checked himself out in the mirror. The shadow of stubble gave him the look he wanted, so he left shaving for another day. Alexandra Storme had a hard time hiding her attraction to him, and he would make it damn near impossible for her to ignore their chemistry.

  Thinking what she needed was a home cooked meal, he returned to the kitchen to prepare some food. After forty-five minutes, he finished cooking. He put some dishes and cutlery together to throw into the large lunch pack container he had in a drawer, and picked up a six-pack of beer to take along.

  By the time the sun was setting, he was climbing Max’s front steps to ring the doorbell. Lost in thought, he was caught off guard when the door swung wide open. There stood Alexandra, looking close to tears…or spitting mad…maybe both.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, immediately concerned. He stepped inside and set down the container and beer. Without thinking, he clutched her shoulders and peered down into her face.

  “Yeah. I’m fine,” she said, voice roughened. “You got my message, I see.”

  He released her shoulders and stepped back, ignoring the strong urge to pull her in, possess her with a long kiss, and tell her he was there for her. She had been crying. He looked past her into the dining room, listening to the beeps of the monitor hooked up to Max.

  “Is your uncle okay?” he asked.

  It was part of the reason he had not visited in a while. He thought their decision to bring Max home meant his health had taken a turn for the worse.

  “You can come see him if you want,” she answered.

  She straightened up and pointed to the doorway, looking back at him. He moved to her side. Mr. Storme looked to be resting. Alexandra stepped into the room and told him he had a visitor. Sebastian stepped closer to say a polite hello and offered him wishes for a speedy recovery.

  Nothing more.

  Alexandra was still under the impression he and Max had only known each other for the three years he had owned his parents’ house. She had no idea Max knew him his entire life, and she had known him for at least sixteen years. He was still a little shocked she did not recognize him. He had been her neighbor since before he could remember. Except for the two-year age difference, they had gone all the way through kindergarten, elementary school and high school. It was not good for his ego—not at all.

  When he turned back to the dining room entrance, Alexandra was gone from the open archway. It must have been difficult for her, seeing her father slip away little by little every day.

  Swallowing thickly, he leaned down and whispered to the old man, “Hi Max. I’m doing my best to take care of Alexandra. She’s making it a little difficult, but I’m here for her if she needs anything at all…”

  Suddenly, Max shifted around. He lifted a hand to reach out to him. Startled, Sebastian gave him his hand, and Max opened his eyes and turned his head to look at him.

  “Max,” he said in surprise.

  “Little…Sullivan…boy,” he gurgled with some difficulty.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Alexandra…is she okay?”

  “Yes.”

  Max nodded and relaxed his head at the center of the pillow. His eyes closed, and he began to drift back to sleep.

  Sebastian left Max to rest. He found Alexandra sitting on the living room couch. “Hey, you.”

  She looked up lazily. She must have been tired. He sat next to her, studying her face.

  “So, Mr. Storme’s doing a lot better, I see. You look like you had a rough day, Alex.”

  “You could call it that. I woke up ready to take on the world, bro. Somewhere between then and now, I think the world dished out a few sucker punches.”

  She smiled and pulled back when he ruffled her unruly hair, hoping to get her out of the mood she was in.

  “He just spoke to me,” he told her.

  That got her attention. Alexandra leaned toward him with enthusiasm. Her smile rose up, and her eyes got as wide as lakes. He noticed her eye color then. They were a dark and mysterious indigo blue.

  Sexy as hell.

  He was surprised when in her excitement, she placed her tiny hand on his thigh. He put in a serious effort to keep his hands to himself. He did not dare move, not even to give her some space on the couch.

  “What did he say?” she asked.

  “He asked if you were okay. I told him you were.”

  “Awww. That’s sweet.”

  “You didn’t look too great when I first walked through the door, though. What’s going on, bud?”

  “Just one of those days. You know?”

  “Girlfriend trouble?” he asked, trying to keep a straight face. He couldn’t help himself. He was born to be provocative, and Alexandra walked right in on that one, with this act she was hell bent on keeping up. “If you need to vent about it, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like.”

  “Nah. I’m done venting,” she answered. “I’ve had my share of seriously screwed up relationships. I think I’ve been going about that all wrong. For now, I’m staying away altogether. I’m taking a break. How about you, Bash? Is that why you’ve been so busy lately? You’ve got a girlfriend or something, don’t you?”

  “Nope. No girlfriend.”

  She looked relieved, and also like she expected that answer. He grinned.

  “While we’re on the topic of being busy, I was planning on coming by today, even before I got your message. Some friends of mine want to take me to this speed dating thing on Friday night. I told them you’d probably want to get out of the house, too.”

  Alexandra leaned away from him and doubled over laughing. It started off as a very feminine giggle, but as she caught herself mid-laughter, she deepened the tone to keep up the act. He couldn’t believe she thought she could fool him after that laugh, but she pressed on.

  “Speed dating?” she asked. “Why don’t you just go online like normal people?”

  It was only then that Alexandra noticed her hand was still pressed down on his thigh. She quickly leaned back and shifted away, moving over to the end of the sofa. He raised a playful brow and look
ed over at her.

  “I’m not serious about it. I’m doing it to get those guys at work off my back about meeting someone. The way I see it, you should come. You’ll get a break from taking care of your uncle, and I can show you some of the city. If you’re going to be in town for a while, you might as well meet some new people. So, how about it?”

  She hesitated before replying, “I can’t. No really, it sounds like a blast, but I don’t want to leave my uncle alone.”

  “Don’t you have nurses taking care of him around the clock?”

  Sebastian noticed everything, including the different vehicles in Max’s driveway, and the women in scrubs coming and going at different hours since Max had returned home.

  “I do. Joanne is here. She’s in the kitchen preparing his dinner.”

  “So then you’re covered.”

  “Yeah…true.” She paused again, and for a minute she seemed to give it some serious thought. “You know what? It’s not for me. Thanks for the invite, but I’ll have to bow out.”

  “Okay. Well that’s the second time you’ve turned me down,” he teased, and gave it one more concerted try. “Come on. Max is doing so much better. He would want you to get out. You can’t stay cooped up in here this long and not feel it. I’m sure the nurses are used to taking care of their patients all by themselves. They probably won’t even notice if you’re out for a while.”

  She dropped her head, and looked over at him from beneath hooded eyes. Fuck. That alluring expression had him rock hard almost immediately. He shifted so she would not notice.

  “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  It was not a ‘no’, so Sebastian was stoked. “That’s the spirit.”

  The borderline flirtation between them was odd and confusing. Looking at Alexandra, who was trying to pull off ‘Alex’ with style, Sebastian’s gaze automatically stopped on her lips whenever she spoke. When they made eye contact, it sparked his need for her. He began to feel he had to have her. He smelled the faint scent of her fruity shampoo, and looked at her hair. It was longer than when she first arrived, and tumbled across her forehead. He resisted the urge to run his hand through it, cradle her neck and kiss her fiercely. She was a forbidden temptation at the moment, and that made Sebastian want her that much more. He was not allowed to have her. Not now—not while she was playing ‘Alex’. She couldn’t continue her hoax forever, but while she was still at it, he treaded lightly.