“I can’t afford—”
“I’ll handle the fees for everything,” I said. “Depending on the damage, I’ll have your house repaired within the contractual period.”
“That’s not possible. From what Kara was saying, it’s completely ruined. Their clothes. Their… everything.” She broke off, and tears swam in her eyes again. “Thank God, Dad remembered Piddlywump because Kara wouldn’t have. She would have left him to die. She would have—”
“Everything will be taken care of,” I said and hugged her again, stroking circles on her back. “I promise.”
“I can’t let that happen.” She pulled away again. “We can’t live in the same house as you.”
“You can and you will,” I replied, stiffening, the businessman taking over. “We have an agreement, Hazel, and you won’t be able to fulfill it if you’re living out of a fucking dumpster, stressing about your father’s health and your sister’s… behavior.”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Besides. Mortimer wants us to attend some bullshit charity event in a couple days. I’ll need you in top shape. Focused. Happy.”
“You’re serious about this.”
As I am about you. “I don’t joke about business,” I replied. “Let’s pack. I’ll make a couple calls. We’ll be back in Chicago by tonight.”
24
Hazel
“They’re already moved in,” Damien said, slipping the phone into his pocket, the picture of calm in the back of his chauffeured Porsche. There was no divider between us and the driver, but it didn’t put him off. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Nurse Jackie says that your father has an appointment today and that he’s doing well, considering what happened.”
“I’ll be taking him to that appointment,” I said, right away. I’d missed out on too much already, and all because I’d spent the weekend fucking a guy who’d already broken my heart once before. Ridiculous. “Listen, thank you for your hospitality, but you know the weekend is over now, so…” I trailed off, glancing at the back of the driver’s head.
Was there a tactful way to tell Damien we couldn’t play stuff the taco anymore? It probably wasn’t just to say, “We can’t play stuff the taco anymore,” but damn I was tempted.
“So,” Damien said, arching an eyebrow. His bemused smiled told me he knew exactly what I wanted to say but was going to make me say it out loud. “I’m looking forward to you staying at the house, gorgeous. It’s past time you move in.”
“Huh? Oh! Right, yeah. Totally.” The act we were supposed to put on. Me being his fiancée. But surely he didn’t expect me to do that in front of my father. And Kara. God, she would mock me for that, not that she had a syphilitic leg to stand on, currently.
That was mean.
Well, so was doing porn while having my exact likeness. What a nightmare. It was like an episode of Friends gone wrong.
“Well, I’ve been thinking that we should sleep in separate rooms until the wedding,” I said, grasping at the only straw in sight. “That’s what real couples do. I mean, ha, not that we’re fake or anything but… you know what I mean.”
“You want to stop fucking until the wedding?”
I choked on saliva. The asshole was toying with me. Now. After my father’s house had caught fire and we were living with him under duress. OK, technically under contractual agreement.
“Because that’s going to be a problem for me, Haze. You know how crazy I am about that pu—”
I broke into a coughing fit, and he matched it by laughing so hard he slapped a thigh.
The SUV pulled up outside a house with silver front gates. They swung open, and the tires crunched on fancy gravel. The drive was short. The house had three stories, a porch, and a garden that was so well-kempt it was almost impersonal.
“You live here? I thought you lived in New York.”
“Honey, you know that this is a company home.”
“Right, yeah. Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today,” I managed.
“You just need to get that pussy filled.”
“Damien!”
He exited the car and walked around to my side, waving the driver away. He opened the door and held out a hand for me. I got out but let go of his hand, right away.
“You don’t think your father will be suspicious if you pull away?” Damien asked and swept me into a hug. “He knows we spent the weekend together.”
“That doesn’t mean we need to be all over each other. I don’t want him to know about the engagement.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to lie to him,” I said.
“But you’ll lie to everybody else. For money.”
I pushed away from him, my heart turning cold. So much had transpired this weekend. He’d been so sweet, then fiery hot, and then…
Seth had been surprised that his brother would ever settle down. Mortimer had called me a gold digger.
I had to remind myself that this was fake. The weekend had been no strings attached.
“I’ll do what I have to do to protect my family.” I removed his grandmother’s ring from my finger and placed it in its box then slipped that into my purse.
Damien watched me, eyes narrowed. “Just remember the event tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Hazel!” Kara strutted out onto the porch, wearing nothing but a robe and a bikini of all god damn things. That wasn’t her. Kara was flashy, but to make herself at home like this? “Have you seen this place, bish? It’s unbe-fucking-lievable.” She swaggered over to us and put out a hand. “Well, hello there, Damien. Long time, no drool.”
“Kara.” Damien nodded and didn’t take her hand. “Your room OK?”
“Yeah, it’s great.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked. “Is he inside? Where’s the nurse?”
“The nurse left. Said she would be back later for dinner or something.” She waved my question away.
