Star Crossed (Stargazer #1)(30)
Author: Jennifer Echols

“Hey, Colton!” She tried to sound as innocent as he sounded guilty. “I almost didn’t recognize you without a plastic monkey in your hair.”

He grimaced at her, then snatched her hand. “Ha ha. Lorelei and I are over, obvs. What are you doing later?”

“Handling the shutdown of a major public relations event.” Wendy tried to pull her hand from his, but he was really gripping her. He was trying to be funny, she assured herself. He knew she wouldn’t want to be seen with him, and he was making fun of her by forcing her. He didn’t understand the panic he was sending her into. He wasn’t the spitting image of Rick. It was only the blond, looming, muscular threat of him that had her backing up and pulling her hand until it hurt. “Let go.”

He stepped closer. “What’s the problem? Daniel said the two of you broke up.”

Damn Daniel! Heart beating like she was a frightened rabbit, she couldn’t even work out the logic of the situation now that her fake boyfriend had thrown her to the wolves. “Lovers’ quarrel,” she said quickly. “And I know you’re just doing this to make Lorelei mad. I’m not playing. Don’t make a scene.”

“Problem?” Daniel was beside them, taller than both of them and looking down at them. She was getting used to her heart speeding up every time she encountered Daniel. But her heart couldn’t have beat any faster. Now it slowed down. She was so relieved to see him.

Colton glared at Daniel. “You said the two of you were over. Why should you care if I move in?”

“I’m not a condo,” Wendy muttered.

Daniel told Colton, “I’m over her exactly like you’re over Lorelei. Back off.”

Colton looked surprised. He released Wendy’s hand so suddenly that she was still pulling, and she fell backward.

Daniel caught her by the elbow without even looking in her direction. He remained focused on Colton. “One of the movie producers interested in you is standing by the statue of Richard Nixon. Why don’t you quit hitting on my ex-girlfriend and go save your chance at an audition?”

Colton rolled his eyes, but he walked away in the direction of the president.

Daniel stepped into the space Colton had relinquished, boxing Wendy in against the wall. One hand slipped onto the hip of her sequined minidress as he bent to whisper in her ear, “Sorry. I didn’t know he was going to come after you again.”

She hoped he couldn’t feel that she was trembling at the touch of his hand and his deep, soft voice in her ear. Colton or no Colton, she should duck away from Daniel rather than letting him body-block her. He’d threatened to ruin her twelve hours before.

But as she stared into the open collar of his crisp white shirt, inhaling his musky cologne, loving the feeling of his breath in her ear, she was seriously thinking he hadn’t meant what he’d said to her that morning.

Right! It would be easy to ruin you was a term of endearment around the Blackstone Firm, just as I hope you die and rot in hell was an invitation to a birthday party. No, Daniel was only using her. There were no genuine friendships in this business. She felt sick, but this was her life. This was the life she’d wanted.

Ignoring the chill bumps breaking out over her bare arms, she teased him in a tone of mock innocence, “Why did you break up with me?”

He looked down into her eyes. “I thought you broke up with me.”

“Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “It’s all been a terrible misunderstanding.”

“Miss Mann,” he said in a perfect British accent straight out of Masterpiece Theatre, “we should endeavor never to be drawn apart again.”

Her jaw dropped. “Daniel. Do not talk to anybody else like that, unless you want these girls sexting you.”

He beamed at her. “I’m sure. Back to work.” He stole a kiss from the corner of her mouth, then turned and followed Colton across the room.

Wendy pulled the phone out of her purse and checked Lorelei’s accounts. She’d posted only polite compliments so far. Colton had posted nothing. A few entertainment and tabloid sites already showed photos of Lorelei and other stars on the red carpet outside the museum, with begrudgingly positive stories about the party. Wendy concentrated on this very, very important activity so her eyes wouldn’t trace Daniel as he talked with beautiful celebrities. Any of them would be glad to have this devastatingly handsome man. Several of them appeared to be working on it.

Half an hour later, an argument near the hors d’oeuvres drew her attention. Lorelei and Colton were shouting at each other. Oh no. The party would be closing down soon, and they’d almost made it to the other side unscathed.

She put her phone away and pushed through the milling crowd, hurrying for Franklin, who was lounging in a corner. He was easy to spot because he was head and shoulders above everyone else there except other bodyguards, professional athletes, and Daniel. “Can you go corral her?” she pleaded.

As she said this, Lorelei stepped up onto a stool beside the museum ticket counter, then onto the counter itself, straddling a plate of finger sandwiches with her back to the room. As Wendy watched in horror, Lorelei shoved down her skirt and undies and bent over. Half the crowd, oblivious, kept dancing. The other half turned to watch and cheer her on.

No.

Wendy started forward, but it was too late. Brilliant light flashed and disappeared. Wendy blinked blindly. As her vision cleared, she saw Colton moving away and a fully clothed Lorelei stepping down from the ticket counter. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought that Lorelei had just mooned Colton from above, and Colton had snapped a picture.

Anger boiled up in Wendy. She wondered whether Daniel had put Colton up to this in retaliation because Wendy had refused to go along with Daniel’s plan.

Of course, nobody had made Lorelei pull her skirt and undies down. Wendy asked Franklin, “Did you see booty?”

“Yep.”

“Did Colton take a picture? This party has a strict no-picture rule.”

“Colton’s bodyguard is bigger than me. Besides, Lorelei likes to show her stuff.”

“On the Internet?”

“Sure!”

“Look—how could you let her get that drunk?”

“Oh, she doesn’t need to be drunk to moon somebody, believe me.”

The crowd dispersed along with the altercation. Lorelei put her arm around a girlfriend and disappeared into the darkness behind the counter she’d been standing on. Or mooning on. Colton, still gripping his phone, turned to greet a fellow actor from his canceled teen TV show. They embraced drunkenly, then did some kind of immature hand-slapping greeting that would have made Wendy roll her eyes if she hadn’t been a super-nice person. Speaking of which, she saw her chance.