Star Crossed (Stargazer #1)(42)
Author: Jennifer Echols

“I wish,” she said under her breath.

He glanced back at her and gave her his rare, brilliant smile.

She was behind him so she couldn’t see his expression, but she was sure he’d wiped away his smile before they rounded the sofa to face Lorelei and Colton again. In the end, it didn’t matter. His face contorted with the same fury Wendy felt when they saw Lorelei and Colton tangled together, making out.

Wendy couldn’t shout at Lorelei. Her job was at stake. She cleared her throat and said, “This is not what I had in mind.”

Colton released his lip-lock with Lorelei to turn around and glare at Wendy. “Could you give us some privacy?”

“Get off her,” Daniel said.

Colton and Lorelei reluctantly rolled away from each other.

Wendy told them, “These new feelings you’ve experienced toward each other while we’ve sat in this conference have been emotions rather than physical sensations. Let’s just stay on this for, oh, at least a couple of hours.”

Lorelei nodded and turned to Colton. “She’s right. I’m glad we talked, and I want to forgive you, but you accused me of sleeping around. You broke up with me. You called me dirty names to the whole world. You may be sorry, but it’s not like you didn’t do it.”

“That sounds like you don’t want to get back together,” Colton complained.

Lorelei started to say that she hadn’t decided—at least, that’s what Wendy hoped she was going to say—but Daniel broke in. “Colton, as I’ve told you, I’m not a high-priced relationship counselor. Neither is Wendy. You and Lorelei brought us here—”

“I didn’t bring you here,” Colton said testily.

Daniel was correcting himself even before Colton was through interrupting. “Your very smart agent brought me here to save the career that you have been so diligently attempting to flush down the toilet. That’s what you’re paying us for, and that’s what we’re going to do until the awards show on Friday. Repairing a real relationship takes time and work. You have neither to spare for the next forty-eight hours. But we’ve helped you to the point that you can treat each other like decent human beings. After Friday night, when you’re back in Hollywood, you could work on this further and see if Lorelei chooses to respond favorably. I would suggest groveling.”

Wendy bit her tongue. She was glad Daniel was putting the quietus on a hookup, but she wished he wasn’t so accepting of Lorelei and Colton’s future together. She was thinking of her relationship with Lorelei after the awards show, and whether Lorelei would hate her. True, the immediate problem was to get Lorelei through the show and drum up sales for her floundering concert tour. But Lorelei would still need PR after that. Wendy would be the likely candidate to give that to her—provided Lorelei hadn’t grown to despise her for facilitating her reconciliation with Colton. On the other hand, if Lorelei had a horrible breakup with Colton, perhaps she would run to Wendy for comfort, and Wendy would have a better chance of keeping her job long-term.

The thought of this made Wendy’s stomach hurt. She wanted to keep her job. She didn’t want to do it through the ruination of someone else’s life. Even worse than a bad breakup between Lorelei and Colton, in her opinion, would be if they stayed together. Lorelei and Colton had both heard her harangue, but maybe they hadn’t really been listening. Colton would pursue his career and ask Lorelei not to pursue hers. Lorelei would acquiesce. She would be pregnant with their third child when the tabloid photos appeared of him naked in a hot tub with two prostitutes and a discount store tycoon. He would lose his upcoming movie roles and sink into oblivion. He would make a small comeback as a wisecracking pimp in an Oscar winner’s pet indie project before sinking into his meth addiction. Lorelei would retreat to a bungalow in Burbank, raise her children, and marry a tax accountant. Occasionally she would appear at a red carpet premiere and the tabloids would post photos of how old and fat she had grown, a final indignity. She would never play guitar again.

“Wendy,” Daniel said.

“What?” she asked. All three of them were watching her expectantly. She’d missed part of the conversation. Both her hands were cupped over the back of her throbbing head.

“I am so sorry,” she murmured. “I am really out of it this morning.”

“Sit down,” Daniel said gently.

Suddenly fatigued, she thought sitting down sounded like a great idea. She sank into the chair. Daniel came up behind her and applied pressure to the crick in her neck. It hadn’t been hurting much—especially not in comparison with her head—but his firm fingers felt so good massaging her muscles that she let out an involuntary, “Oh.”

A consummate multitasker, Daniel kept right on rubbing her as he issued orders to Lorelei and Colton. “Go to rehearsal this afternoon. Don’t make it obvious yet that you’re getting back together. Flirt with each other. Post some polite, vague comments about each other. Tonight, you’ll go out separately with friends, but you’ll post comments that indicate you want to join each other. We’ll be specific about the meeting place so the paparazzi will be sure to follow us there, taking photos.”

“And then we’ll pretend to be together?” Colton asked.

“You’ll pretend to be moving in that direction,” Daniel said.

Colton looked pointedly at Wendy. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to convey to her. But as his glance moved to Daniel, she wondered whether Colton was telling her he knew her relationship with Daniel was a scam.

She closed her eyes, listening to Daniel’s voice, enjoying the hard rub he was giving her, and hoping the expression on her face told Colton everything he needed to know. Her hookup with Daniel might be fake, but her feelings for him were real.

He ushered Colton and Lorelei out the door while Wendy stared at the coffee table in front of her, head throbbing, so happy not to be moving. Or talking. Then Daniel was standing in front of her, holding out his hand. She took it and let him pull her up and guide her across the floor to the bed. Gratefully she sank down on it and rolled onto her side.

She was surprised, though, when she felt the weight of him lying down behind her. Surprised and—she had to face it—thrilled. He spooned her, draping his arm across her waist. She snuggled backward into him before she realized she was rubbing her rump against his pelvis. She doubted he was looking for that kind of trouble. She teased him, singing, “You’re going to get wrin-kled,” but her voice came out weak and pitiful.