42. Plan B
PLAN B
Lorelei
Dammit, you’re such an idiot, Lorelei. I buried my head under the pillow and curled into the fetal position under the comforter.
I’d barely slept all night, tossing and turning and not crying.
The clock on the nightstand taunted me, the bright red numbers reminding me it was well past noon, and I was still curled up in bed drowning in misery. Over my fake boyfriend.
My phone buzzed again, but I ignored it for at least the tenth time this morning. Axel had called and texted dozens of times since last night, but I just couldn’t talk to him right now. I didn’t have it in me to plaster on that fake smile and pretend to be happy for him and Cordelia.
If that car horn hadn’t interrupted us, we would have had sex, no doubt about it. Axel wanted it as badly as I did in that moment, but now, I was relieved we hadn’t gone through with it. Because it only would have made everything more difficult.
It was bad enough that we'd done other things…
How could I have forgotten the most important rule?
I hadn’t just forgotten, I’d stomped all over it and ground it into dust. Not only had I caught feelings for Axel, I was in love with him. Something that hadn’t happened… Ever.
And now, Cordelia wanted him back, and they’d be together and live happily ever after. My plan had worked flawlessly. For him. I, however, was shit out of luck and stuck with the repulsive Brock Haversham.
My skin crawled at the thought of that creep’s hands on me.
Nope, I’d rather be poor, no doubt about it.
In fact… I shoved the fluffy comforter back and forced myself to sit up.
One night of wallowing in self-pity was more than enough.
Lorelei Battenberg would not take this lying down.
If my fake relationship with Axel was over, I needed to get to work on Plan B, ASAP.
If my father planned to cut me off, I’d just have to find a way to support myself. And I knew exactly where to begin. It only involved asking my fake boyfriend for one last favor… But he kind of owed me now that I’d gotten him Cordi back.
My phone vibrated again, and Axel’s face flashed across the screen. Sucking in a deep breath, I forced my finger to swipe right.
“Hey,” I muttered, my voice raspy from all the crying.
“Damn it, Lorelei, why didn’t you answer any of my fucking calls or texts? I’ve been going crazy thinking something happened to you. I was a second away from marching over there and breaking down your damned door.”
I huffed out an exasperated breath. “Chill, Ax, I’m fine. I was up late so I turned off my phone so I could sleep in.”
“Up late doing what?”
Drowning the pain in a bottle of wine, trying not to imagine the incredible make-up sex he and Cordelia were surely having. Nope, I couldn’t very well tell him the truth. Lie, it is then. “Just hanging out at the house. Some ATO’s stopped by, and we were drinking—”
“Seriously? Not you, too?”
“What do you care? The fake dating scam worked, right? I figured I was a free woman now.” Part of the stipulation of the agreement was a public breakup. I hated the idea of everyone thinking he went back to Cordelia while we were still together.
I dreaded the thought of what was to come…
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” he gritted out. “Can I come over?”
“Um, yeah, I guess.” I drew in a steadying breath, reminding myself I needed to ask him this favor before I lost my nerve. “There’s something I need to ask you, too. I just need like half an hour. I’m still in my pjs.”
“It’s twelve-thirty in the afternoon and Lorelei Battenberg isn’t dressed yet?” A hint of the teasing Axel I knew and loved snuck through.
“Everyone deserves a minute of downtime, right?”
“Right, yeah, of course. I’ll even give you an hour if you want.”
“Perfect, see you then.”
The idea of seeing Axel again had a horde of angry butterflies lashing at my insides, but it was better than the alternative. Dropping my phone back on the nightstand, I slid to the edge of the bed and dragged my fingers through my hair.
You can do this, Lorelei. Just one more day of pretending. We just had to plan a nice, public breakup, but I had to make sure to keep it amicable. Because if Plan B was to work, it meant Axel and I would have to be friends.
Again, my stomach twisted at the thought.
Would I be able to withstand seeing Axel and Cordelia together day in and day out without losing it?
Throwing my shoulders back, I pushed myself off the bed and marched to the bathroom. I had to. I was Lorelei fucking Battenberg, and I would do what I must to survive.
The knock at the door came much too quickly. Or maybe it was because I’d spent the last hour panicking. I hazarded one last peek at the mirror before marching to the door. Hair perfectly curled – check. Makeup applied flawlessly but not overdone – check. Lips a light pink gloss – check.
I tugged on the hem of my cute floral sundress, which had an annoying tendency to ride up, one final time before forcing my feet to the door.
It's just Axel. Your friend. Who you’ve seen literally every day the entire summer.
You’ve got this, Lore.
With one hand on the knob, I drew in a steadying breath and forced the practiced smile into place.
And open it. I willed my wrist to twist, but my entire body was frozen with fear.
Was I scared to lose the one decent guy I’d ever had in my life?
Yes. Terrified to be forced into the arms of a psycho?
Also, yes. My heart kicked at my ribs, desperate to escape the skeletal prison.
“Lore? You okay?” Axel’s voice grounded me, jerking me back from the brink of a total meltdown.
“Yeah, just a sec,” I forced out.
Heaving in another deep breath, I yanked the door open before I lost my nerve. Axel stumbled in, as if he’d been pressed to the other side of the dark timber. His hands curled around my shoulders as he steadied himself, a faint rosy hue blossoming across his cheeks.
“Sorry about that,” he muttered as he took a step back, releasing me.
Then his bright blue eyes razed over me, scorching a trail from the tip of my nose, down to my strappy sandals.
He studied the slight dip in the scoop neck of my sundress, and a wicked grin tipped up the corners of his lips.
For some reason, it made my stupid heart double in size.
Once he finished the slow scrutiny, his eyes lifted to mine once more.
“Well, blondie, you sure don’t look hungover.”
I shrugged. “I clean up well.”
“You sure do.” He stood just inside my room, not quite in the doorway but close enough where I couldn’t quite shut the door. Running his hand across the back of his neck, he remained, eyes intent on mine. His jaw worked, a tendon feathering as if he was about to speak but nothing ever came out.
“So…” I took a step back and motioned to my bed. “Want to sit?”
A rueful grin flashed across his unfairly handsome face, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m not sure if the two of us in bed together again is a good idea…”
Heat flushed my cheeks then traveled all the way down to my needy pussy. I was not going to lie, I was definitely hard up after that tease in the Jeep yesterday. But I’d never admit that to my fake almost ex-boyfriend.
So I put on my big girl panties and flashed him a perfectly composed smile. “I can handle myself if you can.”
“Yeah, sure, of course I can.” He marched toward my bed like a prisoner on death row.
Damn, just one night back with Cordelia and the idea of sitting on my bed was that repulsive? I hovered by the footboard as he folded his big frame onto the mattress before settling in on the opposite side, putting as much space between us as the queen would allow.
Silence stretched between us, broken only by the creak of my bed as Axel shifted uncomfortably. Well, that and the mad fluttering of my heart, but I hoped to hell he couldn’t hear that.
Finally, when the quiet grew too uncomfortable, I blurted, “You said there was something you wanted to talk about?”
He shifted across the bed, pivoting his large frame to face me. An uncharacteristic wary expression tightened his jaw. “Um, yeah, I did, but you said you had something you wanted to ask? Ladies first, after all.”
“Right.” Smoothing down my dress, I forced my shoulders back and donned the familiar pose.
Straight back. Neck high. Nose up in the air.
You are Lorelei fucking Battenberg, and you don’t need anyone.
“Since this arrangement has clearly come to an end, and I’m no closer to getting Brock out of my life, I’ve come up with a Plan B. ”
“A Plan B?” Axel’s brow furrowed.
“Well, now that you and Cordi are back together, I assume we’ll have to stage our breakup.
Once Brock gets whiff of that, he’ll be here to claim his property, as he so savagely put it.
I refuse to let that happen, which means my father will cut me off, and I’ll need to find a way to support myself.
” I paused and snagged my bottom lip between my teeth.
God, I hated asking him for this. “I thought that maybe, since I’d met your dad and all, and he seemed to like me, he’d be willing to let me interview for a job at Vanderhart Securities.
I know I don’t have my degree yet, but I can take online classes in the evenings and my GPA is exemplary.
I’m sure I could finish up my senior year in no time and fully dedicate myself—”
“Lore… Lorelei, stop.” Axel stood and circled the bed, folding down beside me.
He pressed a finger to my lips, and my breath hitched at the faint touch.
My nostrils flared at the sweet scent lingering, the gourmet chocolate I’d been keeping his mini fridge stocked with since we started fake dating.
The familiar scent was so Axel. Hot tears pricked at the back of my eyes, but I blinked quickly to keep them from spilling over.
“If you want the job, it’s yours. No interview, no questions asked. ”
“Seriously?” I choked out, emotion tightening my throat.
“My dad loves you, hell, my whole family does.” He reached for a lock of hair and twisted it around his finger as he gnawed on his bottom lip. “And just so we’re clear, Cordelia and I are not back together.”
“You’re not?” My voice hitched, and embarrassment rolled through me.
“No… that’s what I was trying to tell you last night, but you ran off before I could.”
“But I heard what she said to you. She wants you back… it’s exactly what you wanted.”
A wry smile crept across his face. “Yeah, wanted. Past tense.” He blew out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair, eyes not quite meeting mine. “I don’t know what I want anymore, blondie. This fake dating thing got a little too real over the past couple weeks.”
“I know, right?” I blurted.
“Maybe hooking up wasn’t the smartest idea…
” He glanced up, eyes finally meeting mine, and the storm of emotion beneath the mesmerizing blue nearly took my breath away.
“I know it was just supposed to be fun, a little release after months of sexual tension”—he barked out a laugh—“but I think somewhere along the way, I may have caught some accidental feelings for my fake girlfriend.”