Four Weeks Till Forever Read online

  She fumbled at the door, got in, and took several deep breaths. Her heart galloped, her scalp felt vise-tight. She needed to calm herself down before she popped a vein. The only way Ceinlys could have found out about her past drug use was through Bebe. They’d done some wild things together when they were young, before Hilary’s mom died.

  As for the video and fake fiancée… Hilary tried to think it through. Why would anybody do that to her? Or was it about Walt? No…that didn’t feel right. He didn’t have any messed up past baggage out to sabotage him.

  But she did. Her shoulders tight, she gripped the steering wheel until it started shaking. The muscles in her jaw creaked as her teeth clenched. Things had started to go bad around the time Bebe showed up. And that couldn’t have been a coincidence.

  Was this her cousin’s twisted way of “improving” the situation? If she wanted to create a repeat of Freddie, she could’ve just seduced Walt. But after a moment’s consideration, Hilary tossed the thought aside. Walt wasn’t really rich, he wasn’t hot and he certainly wasn’t a bad boy. He wouldn’t have appealed to Bebe in any way.

  Furious, Hilary started driving to her aunt’s place. Bebe was probably still there. Given how she had no interest in getting a job, she would stick around until she managed to find a guy she could ride for a while or get enough money to split again. That was Bebe’s MO.

  Hilary marched right into the house. Lila was seated on the sagging living room couch, the TV blaring some trashy show. A tearfully furious woman was screaming at a man and pushing him. Loud bleeps masked strings of four-letter words, and security men in dark uniforms joined the fray to separate the two before there was bloodshed. Lila’s eyes were wide and bright as she absorbed the drama.

  Hilary walked right past, momentarily blocking the TV, and Lila finally raised her head.

  “Hilary? Are you all right?” she asked, searching Hilary’s face.

  “Is Bebe upstairs?”

  “Uh-huh. You want me to get her?”

  Hilary shook her head. “It’s all right. You just watch your TV.”

  She went upstairs and debated. Would Bebe have taken over her room? That seemed likely given how much she wanted to take everything that belonged to Hilary.

  Hilary opened the door to her room. Sure enough, her cousin was napping on her bed. dressed only in a threadbare tee-shirt and thong. The left side of her face was pressed against the pillows, and she snored softly, her mouth open and moist with drool.

  Fury boiled up inside Hilary. This was what she would’ve become if she’d been like the rest of her family. Was this really how Bebe wanted to live the rest of her life? No job, no friends, nothing else to show for her time on the planet? She was only in her mother’s home because she didn’t have the money to take off to some more fun place.

  Then again, maybe this was fun enough. Her idea of a good time was stirring up trouble and fucking with Hilary.

  “Get up,” Hilary said, smacking her cousin sharply on her bare leg. “Get up!”

  Bebe started and opened her eyes blearily. “What—hey. What are you doing here?”

  “This is my room,” Hilary said.

  “Thought you moved out to be with your fancy friend downtown. Not that I blame you. Jo’s lookin’ pretty good now.” Bebe yawned and sat up. “What do you want?”

  What did Hilary want? The question made her head throb. She’d had the most perfect speech prepared, but she couldn’t remember a single word. So she latched onto the first thing Ceinlys had spoken of. “Did you hire an actress to play Walt’s fiancée?”

  Bebe shrugged with a bland look on her face. It was admission enough.

  “Why did you do it?” Hilary forced the question out between clenched teeth. “Why?”

  “For a girl who acts like she’s all that, you sure are fucking stupid.” Bebe hopped off the bed and brushed past Hilary to stand tall and straight, her eyes bright with defiance. “You dated him because you knew I’d never want to fuck a guy that dull.”

  “Are you insane? You’ve been gone for fifteen years! Not everything I do is about you.”

  “Yeah, it is. You and I are just like our mothers, okay? We have the same tastes, the same looks, and we wanna fuck the same kind of guys too. And I just know you weren’t dating Walt for good sex. Ten to one he has a small dick.”

  Hilary’s hands clenched, nails digging into her palms. “Did you film the whole thing and upload it?”

  “Yeah. She said she’d give me a discount. I guess she really needed some exposure.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  Bebe gave her a cockeyed grin. “Yep. Still the same, even after all these years.”

  “And did you tell Ceinlys about how we did ecstasy that time?”

  “She asked if we did anything fun and wild. So yeah, why not? It’s not like ecstasy is a big deal.”

  “It is a big deal. I could lose my job over it.” Hilary’s entire future could vanish because of a stupid mistake she’d made decades ago.

  Bebe sneered. “Who gives a shit about the job? You have Mark, right? He’s rich…and I’ll bet he’s good in bed.”

  Hilary’s temples pounded. A thousand hammers beat in her head, all off-rhythm and horrendous. “What did you do?”

  “What didn’t I do?” Bebe smiled. “I told him everything. It’s not like he’s not going to find out soon enough. Told him how we were a combo deal. If he gets you, he gets me too. He knows we aren’t just cousins, but practically sisters. Well. We are half-sisters. It’s a fuckin’ hot fantasy, Hilary. Every guy wants to fuck twins, and half-sisters who look like us is pretty close. Mark isn’t any different.”

  One thing Bebe understood better than Hilary was the sordid nature of men. Hilary felt sick to her stomach. Everything she’d thought to be true was a lie. “How could you? How could you ruin my life? I thought he was different. I thought I had it made and that I could at least take care of myself instead of medicating myself to death like Mom!” Her mom hadn’t cared about anything or anyone once Tim had been gone. She’d started with prescription meds, but when they hadn’t been enough anymore, she’d started to experiment with crack. The end had come quickly after that.

  “Don’t be such a self-righteous cunt, okay? Why you gotta act so special? The way you go on, it’s like you never had a dick shoved up your ass. You ain’t that innocent. I know Freddie fucked you every way a guy can. He told me so. But you know what else he told me? He said you’re a lousy lay because you just don’t know how to let go. And you give a terrible blowjob.”

  Hilary jerked like she’d been struck. How could Bebe talk like this?

  “What, you didn’t know that?” Bebe continued in her high-pitched voice. “You honestly thought you were such hot shit? I’ll bet when Mark fucked you, what he really fantasized about was me on my knees and taking him into—”

  Heat seared through Hilary. “Shut up!” If she’d had a gun, she might have shot Bebe at that moment.

  “—my mouth, all the way to my throat. He knows what I can do for him.”

  A curtain of red descended on Hilary’s vision. She launched herself at Bebe, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking hard until Bebe fell. Bebe screeched and elbowed Hilary’s shin. Hilary hopped, lost her balance and landed on top of her cousin. One of the spaghetti straps on her dress broke; Bebe grabbed it and pulled, ripping the dress halfway down the bodice .

  “Oh… My…!”

  Both stopped at the breathless voice of Lila. Her eyes were as big as full moons, and they sparkled like they’d used to when Tim had been around.

  My god. Lila’s enjoying this.

  Somebody stepped to the side from behind Lila. “Hilary?”

  Her mouth dried at the sight of Mark. His jaw was slack, his eyes darting back and forth between her and Bebe.

  We must be quite a spectacle. Rolling around on the floor with her cousin. Her hair was a mess now, her dress beyond repair.

  Bebe started laughing. “Oh my god. Look at you.
You’re just a Rosenberg girl, not some special snowflake!”

  Hilary had to get out before she did something she would regret. She kneed Bebe in the belly. When her cousin released her hair, she jumped to her feet and rushed out before Mark could regain his composure.

  “Hilary, wait!”

  She ran as fast as she could. Mark might be taller, but she had the advantage of a head-start. She hit Unlock on her car fob, hopped in and quickly locked the doors.

  Mark came to a skidding halt and banged on the window. “Hilary!”

  She gave him a daggered look. “I hate you,” she said, over-enunciating each word so he would be able to make out what she was saying. “Don’t bother me again.”

  Her gaze straight ahead, she started her car and sped off. She couldn’t believe how easily she’d sunk to her cousin’s level. How avidly her aunt had watched their sordid wrestling. If it hadn’t been for Mark’s presence, her aunt might have even started egging them on.

  Tears spilled down Hilary’s hot cheeks. Everything was over and Bebe was right. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t escape her past.

  * * *

  Mark watched Hilary’s blue Prius disappear around the curve. His hands shook as he raked his hair. What the hell just happened? How in the world could things go this bad this fast?

  “What are you doing, standing out here like an idiot?” Bebe said gleefully. “Did you see her run out? Like that would change anything. She’s never gonna outrun her nature.”

  He turned around and saw her. Her shirt had a rip, and she hadn’t even bothered to put on pants. Christ. “Go inside and get dressed,” he said tersely. He didn’t even want to extend her that much courtesy, but she was still Hilary’s cousin.

  “Don’t be like that.” She gave him a sultry look. “You know you liked the show. Us, rolling on the floor like that? A little more time, I would’ve had her naked.”

  He stared at her with horror and disbelief. He felt sick inside. Were these the kind of people Hilary had grown up with? People who would do anything to bring her down?

  Bebe rolled her hips as she came closer, then reached under the loose shirt she was wearing and cupped her breasts toward him. “Don’t you want a little taste? They’re real, and I always take good care of my girls.”

  “Get away from me before I call the cops.”

  “You’ll be calling for help when I have your dick in my mouth.” She licked her lips and gave him a wink. “Or maybe begging for mercy. I can suck it better than anybody. Better than that prude Hilary, that’s for sure.”

  “You’re a disgusting piece of work,” he spat. “Stay away from me and Hilary.”

  Her eyes flashed, and she dropped her tits and put her hands on her hips. “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll make your life a living hell.”

  “You aren’t the only one with money.”

  He looked at this trashy woman who felt no shame whatsoever standing in public virtually naked. “You have no money, and you have nothing to offer anybody. Who’d come to your rescue?” Then something clicked into the puzzle. “My ex, Taylor?” Bebe’s face was blank. “My mom?” Ah, a slight tick under her left eye. He laughed. “Let me tell you a secret. Mom doesn’t give a shit what happens to you. Mom only cares about us—her children—and she’d never side with you over one of her own.” Ugly red blotches appeared on Bebe’s face. Could she sense the truth of his words? God, he hoped so. “Leave L.A.,” he said roughly. “I don’t want to see your face ever again.”

  “You can’t make me!” Her voice was shrill now. “You don’t own this town.”

  He took a couple of steps toward her, towering over her and letting the intensity of his determination show through. “There are lots of ways I can force the issue—all legal, all draining and all humiliating for you. It wouldn’t bother me at all to ruin you utterly. You won’t be able to buy a cheeseburger without somebody hassling you. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “I got no money,” she whined.

  “Guess you’ll have to peddle your ass for gas money, then, huh? But I’m sure it won’t be the first time.”

  He turned and left her there, striding away to his car. There had to be a way to fix this with Hilary. But first he needed to figure out exactly what had happened while he hadn’t been watching.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mark pulled out of Hilary’s driveway, speed-dialing his mother’s number. She was the only one who could’ve turned what had started out as a great day into a total disaster. She wanted Hilary out of the way the most, didn’t she? She’d even talked to Bebe, who was a pure viper.

  “Hello dear,” came his mother’s soft voice. “Where are you? I’ve been looking for you.”

  “I’m in front of Hilary’s home.”

  Ceinlys grew quiet. Then she said, “Did she want to leave so soon?”

  Mark couldn’t believe how innocent she sounded, like she didn’t have the foggiest idea. “You made her go.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “She left with Dane. I came after her.”

  “If she wants to go with Dane, let her. Come back to the party, Mark. Everyone misses you.”

  “I don’t care about ‘everyone.’ I care about Hilary. You talked to Bebe, didn’t you? What did you do to Hilary?”

  Finally his mother said, “Bebe wanted to talk. She offered information in exchange for money, and she told me everything. It was quite a history that Hilary has. I was scandalized.”

  “How can you believe her? She’s a liar.”

  “I expect so, a family like that. But Benjamin was able to corroborate everything.”

  Mark’s gut grew icy. Benjamin Clark was a damn good PI. But why did Hilary’s past matter? It wasn’t like he was a pristine package himself. “She sold her cousin out.”

  “Yes. For fifty dollars.”

  “What?”

  “I know, shocking.”

  It wasn’t merely shocking. It was a what-the-fuck.

  “Mark, dear, I don’t understand what you expected. They’re that sort of people. No loyalty or sense of duty to their family. Completely self-centered.” Her sigh came low and clear over the line. “It’s better this way…that she leaves before anybody gets hurt.”

  Hilary already seems pretty hurt. “Did you threaten her?”

  “Of course not. I merely promised to release the information I was able to gather.”

  “Mother!”

  “It’s not the same thing, so don’t you mother me. And if she hadn’t done anything wrong, she wouldn’t have run off. Did she cling to you? Beg you to shut me up and bail her out?” Ceinlys sounded reasonable and calm, like she’d expect Hilary to behave like that.

  “I wish she had,” Mark said. “Then I would know what to do. She won’t even look at me anymore.”

  “It’ll hurt a bit, but you’ll get over it soon enough. If Katarina isn’t to your taste, fine. Get yourself some young model or actress. It’ll be therapeutic for you.”

  “How can you talk like that? Like they aren’t even people?”

  “The only thing that matters to me is my children and their happiness—your happiness.” Ceinlys’s voice turned hard. “The rest is irrelevant.”

  Mark hit the end button. He couldn’t talk to her anymore without feeling sick. How could she think like that? How could she speak like stomping on others for his happiness was acceptable?

  It might be his fault that she thought this. He’d certainly gone through his share of women, discarding them within three months, like it was nothing. He’d sampled one after another like desserts at a buffet. Why would his mother give them any more respect than he did?

  He pulled over and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel, swallowing bitter bile. It was his fault that his mother thought the women he dated deserved about as much consideration as fruit flies because it wasn’t just her. He’d been such a shallow ass that everyone sounded like they were reading from a shared script when they described
his habits. Eliza had been spot-on when she’d threatened to call him Ken. He was about as real and heartfelt as that Barbie accessory.

  The last thing Hilary needed was a man so screwed up he wouldn’t know what genuine emotions were like even if they punched him in the gut. What could he possibly give her? Some fun time and laughs and then lots of heartache when he failed to meet her expectations for something true and lasting.

  His father had been right all along. Maybe it would be better if Mark let go of Hilary the way Salazar had with his small-town mistress.

  Mark gnawed on his knuckles, staring at the roadside. He had no idea where to go or what to do. He didn’t want to go back to his penthouse, where Hilary’s scent lingered.

  Z, he thought. It was what he always did when he came out of a relationship. I’ll hit Z.

  The place was open. The only time it closed was Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Fourth of July should’ve been a slow day for the hip club, but it was crowded with people who didn’t have anybody to spend the holiday with.

  Sort of like him.

  It felt nasty to be forced out of a relationship. Was this how his exes had felt when he’d ended things? He’d always given them expensive breakup presents, but they probably couldn’t make up for the sour caustic feeling in their gut, like the one in his.

  He ordered a whiskey and hit it hard. The bartender knew him and started a tab. Mark didn’t even feel a buzz. The curse of his father’s side of the family—everyone could drink like fish. It wasn’t until he had five drinks that he started to get a mild buzz. It dulled the sharpness of the shards digging into his heart, but not by much. Suddenly there was a soft hand on his forearm.

  “Mark, is that you?”

  He looked up and grinned goofily. “Hey Zhara. What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Bahamas for a shoot.”

  “We finished early. So I am back.”

  Zhara no-last-name was a model from India. Tall, leggy and with skin the color of deep bronze, she was currently the flavor of the month in the world of fashion. There was something wholesome about her, but her large black eyes held just a hint of mischief that drew people to her. She looked around for an empty seat, and when there wasn’t one, she sat in his lap and laughed. “Just imagine if my father saw a picture of this.”