My Big Fat Fake Honeymoon - Lauren Landish Page 0,22

her wedding to my brother.

“May I help you?” the clerk behind the desk asks with a smile.

I offer her a thankful smile in return because she’s saving me too. “Yes, checking in. I have a reservation for Andrews.”

She clicks on her computer. “Of course, Miss Andrews. I have you in room six-seventeen. Will two keys be sufficient?”

Lorenzo steps forward. “That’s Mrs. Andrews. And yes, two keys will be fine.” The clerk is utterly charmed by Lorenzo, her smile wavering and then going megawatt as she hands the key cards over. “Shall we, mia rosa?”

What is he doing?

I mean, obviously, we can’t say we’re staying in separate rooms because that would be ridiculously suspicious for newlyweds on their honeymoon. But he’s acting like he’s coming back to my suite with me and Janey.

Where is she, anyway? Still exploring the bar? Or has she snuck out to wiggle her toes in the sand?

“Andrews?” Emily questions, still looking for weaknesses in this story. I wish she’d stop poking around because there are more holes in this lie than in a spaghetti strainer.

This one’s easy, though. I give her a hard glare. “Yes, Andrews." I emphasize the name, giving it all the weight of my father’s money and reputation. “I certainly couldn’t change my name to anything else. Lorenzo understood.”

He steps in closer to me, turning my face to his with a gentle touch of his palm to my jaw. “I do not need you to wear my name or even my ring. I simply want you to wear my love tattooed on your heart, my kisses on your skin, and my . . .” He leans in, whispering into my ear, “My cock in your pussy.”

I blush, instantly hot and pink. And horny for Lorenzo. For what he’s promising, even if they’re lies he’s telling to save my ass.

My jaw drops, panting breaths passing my lips. He’s so close, he must be able to feel them because he gives me a smile of victory and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. “Soon, mia rosa. Tell your friends goodbye so I can have you.”

That was loud enough that Emily and Doug both heard.

“Uh, yeah . . . bye, guys. Nice to meet you, Doug. Good to see you, Emily,” I say automatically, even though it wasn’t nice or good. Mom would be proud of my manners.

“Maybe I’ll see you around the resort?” Emily says quickly before I can whisk Lorenzo away.

I fucking hope not.

“Maybe.”

But Emily isn’t letting go of this conversation just yet. “You know what, we should all hang out! Doug and I have reservations this evening. How about you join us for dinner? We can chat, catch up, all that. I just gotta hear the story of how you landed this man.” She looks at Lorenzo and continues, “Abs and I used to compete all the time. It’s the kind of girls we used to be, but we were still friends. I think we made each other better, you know? We have so much to talk about.”

We did not make each other better. Emily made my life hell, and if I’m honest with myself, I probably did the same to her to a much lesser degree.

Lorenzo looks at me, giving me a barely perceptible lift of his brow in question. When I don’t argue, he asks Emily, “What time?”

“Eight. We’ll stop by your room to meet you and we can walk down together. I heard that clerk say your room number. Jeez, there’s like zero consideration for privacy, you know?” Emily says nastily, as if she’s not the one using the overheard information.

Dammit. Cornered and trapped. “Well, maybe.”

“Okay!” Emily says, all fake cheeriness before smirking. “Till then . . . babe.”

Babe? Are you fucking serious?

I walk off, giving Emily a saccharine smile. Lorenzo follows me off to the side of the reception area before he pulls me to a stop. “You want to tell me what that was? I mean, I played along, but what was that?”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Lorenzo,” I blurt, trying not to turn red and wondering again just where the hell Janey is. “I just . . . okay, really fast. Emily’s pretty much my high school nemesis. Major stuck-up bitch who thinks she’s better than everyone. It just came out because I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of winning when she was looking at me like some pitiful lost dog nobody wants.”

I think it took me exactly two point three seconds to say all that,