Star Crossed (Stargazer #1)(39)
Author: Jennifer Echols

“Ha!” Wendy said. “I don’t think so. Her husband might have something to say about that.”

He blinked. “I didn’t mean—”

“I’m kidding. Come to think about it, he probably wouldn’t say a thing. I hate that guy.” A rivulet of water formed at her hairline and snaked down one side of her face. “Besides, I have a deal with Stargazer. They’re firing me for losing Darkness Fallz unless I save Lorelei.”

“Oh.” That didn’t sound like a good deal to him. Her chances of repairing Lorelei’s career looked slimmer every time Lorelei pulled her skirt down. He couldn’t imagine how much pressure Wendy must be under. He’d thought he was in a pressure cooker, and he wasn’t threatened with losing his job if he failed a client. The worst that waited for him back in New York was shame.

“When I was surfing online, I didn’t see a sign of anyone posting the photo of Lorelei,” she ventured. “Maybe that won’t happen.”

“Maybe not,” he agreed, doubtful.

“But the possibility is so horrible that I’m ready to work with you to make it seem like she and Colton are back together, if you still want to.”

Looking into her blue eyes, he nodded solemnly rather than pumping his fist in the air.

“I do think if that picture comes out and we’re claiming they’re back together,” she said, “we can brush it off and say Lorelei mooned Colton as a result of flirtation and youthful exuberance.”

He cracked a smile. “When in actuality it was a result of spite and gin.”

She laughed, then winced and reached for the back of her head. “But even if they don’t really get together, we’re putting them in proximity. I don’t feel comfortable doing that unless we sit down with them.” She reached for his hand—his adrenaline spiked—and turned his wrist over so she could read his watch. “If we hurry, we’ll have time before their afternoon rehearsal. We need to explain what we’re doing. But we also need to talk to them about what went wrong between them, and try to defuse the situation before they blow up at each other again.”

“Agreed. I’ll get them both down here pronto.” He stood. “In the meantime, I’ll give you some privacy. Let me know if you need me.” As he slipped out of the bathroom, his heart felt heavy with worry for her, and with unrequited desire. He couldn’t let that cloud his judgment. They were working together now to save the reputations of both their clients. The best way to keep the air clear between Wendy and himself, he was learning, was to make a joke. He called back into the bathroom, “Especially if you’re still naked.”

10

An hour later, breakfast had been cleared away, Wendy was dry, Daniel was dressed, and he’d asked her to hang her clothes in the wardrobe alongside his instead of leaving trails of exploding women all over the suite, which she thought was pretty funny but also pretty insulting. She was glad he would never see the inside of her apartment in New York.

Lorelei and Colton would arrive any second. Wendy stood in the center of the spotless seating area, drumming her fingers together, mentally preparing for this meeting. Daniel lounged in a corner with his arms crossed, watching her, impassive as ever.

“When we grill them about their behavior,” she said, “you be the bad cop. I’ll be the good cop.”

“You’re going to be the good cop?” he asked in disbelief.

“Are you going to be the good cop?” she challenged him.

“No,” he said.

She held open her hands, meaning, Duh. “We can’t do bad cop/bad cop. It’s not a technique.”

A knock sounded at the door. As Wendy crossed the room to answer it, Daniel called softly, “What about you and me? We need to be on the same page. Do we tell them you stayed here last night? Are we supposed to be dating again?”

He might genuinely be asking so they got their stories straight before they confronted Lorelei and Colton. Or he might be teasing her right before this important, job-saving meeting. That ticked her off. She turned and mouthed to him, “We are f**king like rabbits.” She opened the door.

“Hi, sweetie!” She gave Lorelei a big hug and greeted Colton less enthusiastically. She expected Daniel to come forward and seat them, but he was doing his sullen bad cop thing, alternately scowling at everyone and staring out the window at the Strip. Okay.

Colton nodded toward the bar. “How about a drink? I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”

Wendy had the same feeling. She grinned stiffly. “Not before your five-hour-long rehearsal, sorry.” She ushered the stars onto the sofa, then took a chair beside them and leaned in earnestly. “We asked you here because we’ve got a big problem. Colton knows this, but I’m not sure you do, Lorelei. When you mooned him last night, he took a picture, and someone snatched the phone from me.”

“I don’t see why we get called in and, like, reprimanded for that,” Colton complained. “You’re the one who took my phone, and it got stolen from you.” Wendy noted he might be defiant, but he was again dressed in duds a few steps up from his usual redneck-casual ratty shorts and hat. Daniel must have threatened him. And Colton had listened. That meant he did care about salvaging his career. Wendy had an in.

“We wouldn’t be here talking about this if you hadn’t taken the picture,” Wendy told him gently. She turned to Lorelei. “And there wouldn’t be a picture if you hadn’t pulled your skirt down. We need to be prepared for that photo to appear on the front page of every tabloid magazine with a black rectangle over your butt cheeks, and all over the web without the black rectangle.” She paused for Lorelei’s horrified realization. Lorelei only furrowed her brow as if trying to remember which pair of killer heels she’d been wearing in the picture.

Sure, that could be useful information—what Lorelei had looked like in the photo. “Let’s just pause here for a moment,” Wendy said. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, pretty girl, but if you don’t mind, let’s run to the restroom. I want you to show me what you did so I’ll have a better idea of what we’re working with.”

“You mean, if my ass is nasty, we’re in worse trouble,” Lorelei said flatly.

“Of course!” Wendy exclaimed. “Don’t you read the tabloids?”

“No.”