The Screwup: A Billionaire Fake Fiancée Romance (The Holbrook Cousins Saga Book 2)

by Alina Jacobs

  Carter looked down at his waistline. Was he gaining weight? He had missed working out at the gym the last few days.

  "Maybe I should cut back," he admitted.

  But he went to another club with Vance that night. The entourage had grown to include about ten guys from Holbrook Enterprises. Carter paid, as he usually did, but he didn't really gain much from the money he spent at the high-end clubs. His thoughts always drifted to Allie.

  He was tired of the fawning models, the free-flowing alcohol, and the fake people that surrounded him, always careful to tell him what they thought he wanted to hear.

  He remembered how irreverent Allie was. She didn't care about his money or his name. It was as if she looked through all the layers of lies he wrapped around himself and laid bare his insecurities. His history and his money burned away in her gaze, and she saw him as he really was. And he thought, he hoped, that maybe she might even like what she saw.

  Of course, it could only be his imagination playing tricks on him, but didn't he owe it to himself to find out? Despite his alcohol-saturated mind, it seemed crystal clear to him what he had to do.

  He brushed off the pretty wannabe-model who was stroking his biceps.

  "Where are you going?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "Don't you want me to do naughty things to you, soldier?"

  "Marine," he said automatically.

  "What?"

  "I’m not a soldier. Soldier is army."

  "Same difference," she said in annoyance.

  "You don't want to bag her?" Vance asked, blocking his path.

  "Not really," Carter said, pushing past him.

  "Man, Carter, picky, picky."

  "I'm out of here," Carter said and strode off into the cold winter night.

  27

  Allie

  Allie was slowly acclimating to her internship. The work was similar to what she had studied in school, and she quickly took charge of several accounts.

  Work was the only thing that was going well, however. She still had her horrible living situation to contend with. Then there was the problem of Carter. He didn't know anything and couldn't do any work, and though he promised to study the literature she had sent him, he would still arrive in the office hungover or tired from his nights on the town.

  Allie and Liz had started on the safety project, but the three of them were supposed to be working on it together.

  "Let's meet this weekend and work," Allie said near the end of one day. "We need to start making some serious progress."

  "I have a bachelorette party," Liz said, looking up from her computer screen.

  "That's fine. I know you'll work on your part. Carter is the one I'm concerned about."

  "Hey! I can do stuff," Carter said

  "All you do is party," Liz countered.

  "I haven't been out since last Saturday," Carter said.

  "Sure."

  That weekend, it was cold and damp outside. Allie looked out the window. It was sleeting. She and Carter were two of the few people in the tower, and their floor was completely empty.

  Carter was slouched at his computer, flipping through some documents. Allie sent a pdf to the printer and went to the print room to retrieve it.

  Carter came in the room behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the tattoos on her neck.

  "I want to redeem myself," he said.

  Allie didn't want to admit to herself that this was all she had wanted since she had seen Carter in the auditorium. But here he was, and she let herself be carried away in the sensation of him.

  As she kissed Carter ravenously, he pushed Allie against the wall, pulling down her jeans. She kicked off her flats and let her jeans pool on the floor. Carter tugged at her shirt, and she pulled it off before he could rip it. Unhooking her bra, she felt his teeth nipping and tugging at her breast while his hands did delicious things between her legs.

  "Am I going to get an A for effort this time?" he asked her as he pulled out his cock and rubbed it between her legs, stroking her pleasure.

  "I think you just might," she said, putting a condom on him.

  He sprawled her over the table and took her in one swift motion. She stifled a cry as he thrust into her.

  "Harder," she said, rubbing against him as he took her.

  She could hear her breath come out in high-pitched screams as Carter took her. She reached behind her to splay a hand over his firm backside, wanting to feel all of him thrust in her. Carter half angled her over the table so he could sink his teeth into her nipple as he fucked her.

  Her orgasm startled her, but it didn't seem to knock Carter out of his rhythm. He continued until she came again, then she felt him shudder inside of her.

  When he was done, Allie lay back on the table, Carter’s head against her chest, watching his chest rise and fall.

  "Much better," she purred. She felt a thrill thinking about how much pleasure he had taken from her.

  "Have I redeemed myself?" he asked, smiling at her.

  She pulled him in for a kiss.

  "I forgot how addicting sex is," he said.

  "Jacking off in the barracks wasn't cutting it for you?" she said with a laugh as she combed her fingers through his shorn hair. She luxuriated in the feel of his rippling body and his masculine scent.

  "I thought you didn’t like sex," he said, kissing the mounds of her breasts.

  "It just becomes too complicated too quickly," she said. "But I like it with you."

  That comment earned her a radiant smile, and Carter tilted his head up and kissed her softly on the mouth.

  That afternoon, the air between them was more comfortable. As they worked next to each other at their desks, Carter looked over at her and grinned or moved his chair closer and let their legs touch.

  Before they left, he pulled her into the print room again.

  "I need you," he said, burying his face in her hair.

  She laughed.

  "What about all those models you've been hanging out with in the club?"

  "They're nothing compared to you," he said, holding her tightly and kissing her. She pulled off her shirt, and Carter traced the tattoos on her shoulders and arms. He pushed her against the wall, kissing her as he pulled down his pants. As he hoisted her up, Carter's fingers dug into her thighs as she felt his hard cock push inside of her.

  He grunted as she dug her nails into the skin on his bare back as she bucked against him. As the final wave of pleasure cascaded over her, she pulled Carter closer to her as he shuddered and came.

  Her legs felt like jelly as Carter let her down, and she sagged against him.

  She almost bounded out of the office that evening. He had slept with her again! She felt elated. Maybe she actually meant something to him.

  They continued their clandestine meetings, before work, late nights, and on the weekends when Liz wasn't there. Allie could barely believe this was happening. Carter wanted her! She felt happier than she had ever been. It almost didn't matter that she had to live in that rat's nest with creepy Arnold. Almost.

  In her meager free time on the train to and from work, she pored over luxury listings in New York City. All the beautiful properties out there, and she was stuck in that awful apartment. It was cheap, though, so she bore it. At least she could have Carter. He was really growing on her. The Holbrook heir was funny, smart, and a little bit cocky but not unbearably so.

  Not as bad as Bryce, she thought and shuddered. At night, she would dream about Carter. She would fantasize about the life they would build together.

  She was a little scared, though. She wondered if he cared about her as much as she did him. No way would she ever dare to say anything to him. He couldn't really like her. But he spent his free time with her. Maybe it meant something.

  You're reading too much into it, she told herself, shaking the fantasy out of her mind. Men like Carter don't want girls like you. That's all there is to it.

  28

  Carter

  "You want to go
out tonight?" Vance asked him that morning in the lobby.

  "No, thanks. I have to work on this project," Carter said to him.

  "All work and no play isn't good," Vance said. His voice had an intensity Carter didn't like.

  "Sorry, maybe some other time," Carter replied, trying to move around Vance.

  "I thought we were tight," Vance told him, blocking his path.

  Carter was annoyed that Vance wouldn't take no for an answer.

  "Business comes first," Carter snapped and pushed past him to step into an open elevator.

  He did need to concentrate on business before pleasure, but Allie was taking up so much of his thoughts that it was difficult.

  Being with her, even if he was just sitting next to her in the late nights at their desks, made him feel calm and centered. For the first time since his cousins had died, Carter felt as if he wasn't spiraling out of control. He credited Allie with that.

  Carter even started coming to work very early so he could sleep with her after he worked out at the gym.

  One early morning as Carter was leaving the penthouse, Grant said, "I'm glad to see you taking this seriously. Good for you."

  Carter gave him a mock salute. If only Grant knew what was really motivating Carter to arrive at the office so early.

  Life was pretty good. He had a job, a nice place to live. He was having a good time. Carter enjoyed spending time with Allie. She was an easy, reliable lay, and he didn't have to worry about taking her out for dates, or meeting her family, or any of the annoying relationship stuff.

  He could feel himself grow hard as he watched her type on her computer, her back straight, her fingers dancing across the keys. It was another weekend, and they were in the office alone. Carter grinned at her, and she smiled back.

  "I like how simple things are with you," he said, pulling his chair up beside her.

  She smiled up at him. He ran his fingertips down her toned arms. Their weekday-morning hookups were quick and powerful, but he enjoyed the weekend ones more when they were alone and he could take his time and satiate his desire.

  He had fucked her twice that day already. It was as though he couldn't help himself; just thinking about being inside of her made his pants uncomfortably tight.

  "Do you want to go for three?" he asked, standing up and pulling her along with him.

  He loved the slight noises she made, the faint smell of alcohol on her skin, the way her hard exterior broke down as he ran his mouth and hands all over her body.

  She gasped as he lifted her up. His regular gym sessions made it even more enjoyable to be with her, Carter thought as he held her legs around him, the soft skin of her inner thighs sending shivers through him. Her head tipped back against the wall as he took her.

  "You're still raw from our earlier sessions, aren't you?" he whispered to her as he slid in and out of her.

  She strangled a moan.

  "Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm going to go nice and slow."

  She strained against him, her chest heaving as she came. The sensation almost sent Carter over the edge, but he controlled himself. He wanted to see the guarded bartender completely lose control. He continued his rhythm, his pulse jumping as her eyelashes fluttered and her body writhed against his.

  "I think I've completely undone you," he said with a small laugh as she came again. This time, he lost control as well, and he gave in to the wave of pleasure.

  "Next time," he panted, "I want to fuck you in a bed." Carter kissed the corner of her mouth, wrapped his arms around her, and felt the chill of the print room, which kept the equipment from overheating.

  "Can I come back to your place sometime?" he asked, kissing along her collarbone.

  "Oh, no, absolutely not," she said abruptly.

  He felt the sting of her rejection.

  "My roommate won't like it," she explained.

  "Maybe your roommate will be gone sometime?"

  "It's not going to happen," she told him sharply.

  He was taken aback. He thought they were developing… maybe not a real relationship, but a rapport, at least. Apparently, he was mistaken.

  His eyes narrowed as he watched her dress in a hurry.

  As he rode alone in the town car that evening, he stewed about Allie. He had thought maybe he and Allie were becoming a real thing, but it was just his imagination. He wished he had someone to talk to about it, but none of his family approved of her.

  Kate was still pushing him to ask out Liz, and now his parents were in on it too.

  "You need to stop partying and buckle down," his father snapped at him when he, Harris, and Nancy met Carter for dinner that night.

  "I have stopped," Carter complained.

  His father pulled up a tabloid article on his phone and showed it to Carter.

  "That was from two weeks ago," Carter said, batting the phone away.

  "We just want you to be happy," Nancy said.

  I'd be happy with Allie, he thought. But would he? Or rather, would Allie be happy with him? They didn't do normal date stuff. He'd never been seen in public with her romantically except over Thanksgiving, and that really didn't count.

  "Liz is a nice girl," Jack said.

  Carter ignored him.

  "You need to land someone before all the nice girls are snapped up." Harris sampled the wine the waiter presented for his approval. "Very nice." He swirled the dark liquid around in his glass. "Wine and dine her, be your best self with her, buy her expensive presents, take her to beautiful places, show her off at parties. Women like to be appreciated," his grandfather said. "Don't treat her like a piece of meat—treat her like something fragile and precious."

  Carter felt slightly nauseous. He hadn't done any of those things with Allie.

  "I’m not taking dating advice from you," he said nastily. "You just find random girls in their twenties and lure them in with promises of a wealthy, easy life."

  "They're just for fun. Your grandmother was a real blue blood. Impeccable family—she could trace her lineage back to England in the thirteen hundreds. My wife was the perfect hostess, beautiful, charismatic..." He trailed off, looking sadly into his wine glass.

  Carter knew his grandmother had died when his father was in high school. It had hit their family hard. Harris had never recovered, though he had remarried again and again.

  "I work with Liz," Carter stated. "It wouldn't be right."

  "It's fine since you aren't her boss," Jack countered. "You're growing older—"

  "I'm not that old," Carter said, trying to relax his grip on the stemware.

  "We're not asking you to propose marriage. Just try to look for women who have the same values as you and want to work toward the same goals. Find a woman that isn't like the waifs that you've been spending time with."

  Harris tapped his phone and showed the screen to the table.

  It was the Instagram account of one of the club girls that Carter had drunk with during one of his nights out on the town. He looked drunk, and the girl had a shot glass in the cleavage in her low-cut dress.

  "At least you sowed your wild oats for a bit." His grandfather chuckled while Carter sank down in his seat. "She's pretty hot!"

  Nancy was appalled. "There will be no wild-oat sowing," she said. "You saw how much trouble your uncle Walter got himself into with that."

  "Oh, no, I haven't slept with them!" Carter said, waving his hands.

  "Don't lie," Jack said with a glare.

  Carter sagged. His family would never take him seriously, and he was afraid Allie never would, either.

  29

  Allie

  I’m officially having an affair, she thought to herself after one late night in the printer room with Carter. She couldn't believe this was still going on. She had a sinking feeling that he didn't really care for her at all.

  What if he's just using you like Bryce did? She tried to put the thoughts of Bryce out of her head. For a few wild months, he had been her boyfriend. She hesitated to use that wor
d. Maybe friends with benefits was more accurate. No, because they weren't really friends. He was her steady hookup.

  Her time with Bryce had been thrilling. He was energetic and confident, and people loved being around him. She realized, after he started stalking her and threatening violence, that he was an insecure narcissist.

  In that relationship, too, she thought that their lovemaking would turn into, well, actual love. Bryce wasn't like the other marines. He had entrepreneurial aspirations. He didn't spend all of his money on booze and trucks.

  But he had become possessive, especially after returning from his last deployment. Convinced she was cheating on him, he had stalked her and shown up at her apartment and place of work at odd hours.

  She finally shoved a pistol in his face and told him to leave her alone. It had only been a few months since she had stopped looking over her shoulder. She hadn't heard from him, and she hoped he was far, far away. That was the one good thing about New York City—there was no way for Bryce to find her.

  As she sat on the train, she wished she could have more with Carter. Allie was waiting for him to ask her out for a real date, but maybe she needed to be more forward.

  No, she scolded herself. A nice girl, a girl like Kate—that is what men like Carter really want. And that is who you will never be.

  What was she to him? She had no one to talk to about it, and the secret ate away at her. She needed an expiration date on this affair with Carter, but she didn't have the heart to set a firm deadline yet. She still had hope it could turn into a real relationship.

  That will never happen, the logical side of her mind hissed.

  He had introduced her to his parents, yes, but it clearly wasn't real. Maybe what she had with Carter could never be real. Part of her wished she had never taken the Holbrook internship. Another part of her was glad that she actually could spend time with Carter, even though she felt a bit like Cinderella minus the nice dress, where everything was going to implode in a few short hours.