Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,26
And when she moans into my mouth, I fucking lose it and push her against the car.
“Stop.” Angel breaks the kiss, her chest rising and falling with labored breaths as she pulls away. Her fingers press against her swollen lips as if they will somehow erase the feel of mine.
They won’t.
Because like it or not, this town sucks my dick. When I want something, I get it. I wanted out of this shithole of a mess, so I made her an offer that would make history.
But now...
We’re going to rewrite it.
But Angel has to be handled carefully, so I play the apologetic asshole role with gusto. Stepping back, I rake a hand through my hair. “That was out of line.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You think?”
Sighing, I press my thumb against my temple. “Look, I didn’t mean to imply you use men to get what you want. What I meant to say was that you have a way about you, Angel. A very alluring way that naturally makes men want to do whatever you want.”
“Really? Because I want to be left alone, but you can’t seem to naturally grasp that.”
“What do you have to lose?” I ask, throwing out a final Hail Mary. “A shitty apartment and a shitty job?”
For some reason, that seems to get to her, and she relaxes the grip her arms have on her chest. “What’s in it for you? And be straight with me this time. No more of this half-answer crap. I want the truth.”
“A story.”
Angel raises her eyebrows and glares at me.
I roll my eyes. “And money. Look, I don’t care how much a man has, five-hundred-k is five-hundred-k.” It’s the truth, something I didn’t mean to throw out there, but my master plan is going down in flames pretty fast.
“That’s another half-answer,” she accuses, and then twists around to walk away, but I catch her arm and spin her back around.
“Fine, you want the truth? You don’t get to where I am in life and not step on a lot of toes along the way, sweetheart. Some were by accident, and others were very much on purpose. Somebody didn’t like what he saw in the mirror I shoved in front of his face and decided to take it out on my ass.” I almost tell her about the lawsuit but pull back at the last minute. “BTN is operating in the red, and if I don’t get some cash flow soon, I’m going to lose everything.”
An awkward second of silence quickly turns into five. Then ten. Just as I’m about to do something drastic like speak the name of a man who should never be used as a bargaining tool, she sighs.
“Fine.”
Wait, what?
“Fine?”
“I know I’ll live to regret this, but I can’t argue that half a million would change my life. Not to mention Violet’s. With that kind of money—” Stopping mid-sentence, she shakes her head. “It’s not important, facts are facts. I’d be saving her, too.”
“So, that’s a yes?” I ask, slowly. “You’ll do it?”
“Yes. Provided you guarantee the DNA test will prove I’m Alexandra Romanov, you’ve got a deal.” Nodding, she spins around and taps on the car window. “Now, let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To the G-Spot so I can say goodbye to Violet. I don’t have much to pack, so that shouldn’t take long. On our way to LA, you can start teaching me everything I need to know about Alexandra Romanov. One thing you’ll learn is I do nothing half-assed, Mr. McCallum.”
Chapter Twelve
Angel
I blink back tears as the seconds of my life tick away. “You’ll come see me, right?”
“Babe, you know I can’t.” A tear escapes down my cheek, and Violet grabs my hand. “It’s better this way. You know I’m a shitty liar.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I ask, swiping the back of my hand across my face.
“You’ll have a million reporters following you around twenty-four seven,” she says gently, giving my hand a squeeze before dropping it. “I don’t want to risk blowing your cover.”
I nod. It’s all I can do because words seem so hollow. She’s right. I have a story to stick to. I have lies to tell, and a whole world of people to fool. If opportunity is the friend who knocks, greed is the jilted ex-lover who kicks the door in.
I twist my fingers, glancing around the bar one last time. “What am I going to do without you, Vi? You’re my glue.”