Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) (24 page)

“Exactly.”

“He’s Alex’s oldest friend, and they’ve been tight since kindergarten. And if we’re talking about money, he’s got that in spades. Everyone always goes to the parties he throws.”

Yes, that was one point in Quentin’s favor. He met all of the superficial requirements: looks, brains, money, and social status. Justin was out since he wouldn’t go against his sister, and Grant had disqualified himself. She couldn’t ask Travis to do more than he was already doing. No, it had to be Quentin.

“We need him, Adrian.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Do you trust anyone?”

She favored him with a tight smile. “Touché. Will he do it?”

“I think so. He can’t resist the chance to have some fun, even if it’s at Alex’s expense. He’s not happy about what Alex did to Justin.” Grant lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “And I have it on good authority he thinks you’re hot. Win-win.”

Her lip curled. “Thanks.”

“I won’t talk to him until I have your permission.”

Once she said yes, it would put things into motion, but she hesitated. Was it really what she wanted? Did she have a choice? Alex was with Bri, which was bad enough, but he’d done so because he’d wanted Adrian to see.

“He’s going to have to do one hell of an acting job,” she said.

Grant shrugged again. “Not really a problem. Quentin loves the spotlight.”

That part was true. Of course Alex would understand that dating Quentin was her retaliatory move, but since he knew she knew that he was dating Bri out of sheer spite, that didn’t really matter. No, it would only warn Alex that she wasn’t taking it lying down. And she had Vaughn who would fuel the gossip machine in her favor.

“He’ll hold up his end of the deal?” she said.

“Yes,” Grant said. “I’ll personally guarantee it. Do I have your green light?”

She tapped her fingers against her thigh. If she said yes, she wouldn’t be able to take it back. She would have to put up with Quentin. She would have to kiss him and pretend to enjoy it. And she’d have to do it with everyone watching her every move and speculating breathlessly. Was it really worth it?

Yes.

It boiled down to the crucial fact that Alex had hurt her, and for that, he would pay.

Adrian met Grant’s eyes. “Do it,” she said.

“I’ll talk to him tonight.”

They didn’t shake hands, but it was as good as done. A part of her wanted to turn the clock back. If only Alex had indicated that he’d liked her, they could have—well, there was no use thinking about it. Alex had flung down the gauntlet by going off with Bri, and there was only one thing to do: pick up the damned gauntlet.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When she stepped out of her car Tuesday morning, Adrian knew she looked good. She’d picked one of her nicest outfits and worked on her hair and makeup. Revenge was a dish best served cold, but there was a certain revenge in looking your best.

She was halfway across the parking lot when Quentin’s car roared to a screeching halt. How he managed not to kill anyone, she would never know, but in twenty seconds, he’d shut down the engine, locked his car, and slipped his arm around her waist.

“So I hear you need my gigolo services. Let’s negotiate, shall we?”

It took all of her patience not to grit her teeth. “It’s called diplomacy. It’s an art. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Baby, the only art I like is of naked girls.”

“Charming, Maxwell. I begin to see why you’re single.”

He grinned. “Wrong. I’m your new kept man. The only thing I want to know is how much you’re going to, ah, commit yourself to this—”

“Not sleeping with you. Sorry.”

He didn’t even bother pretending that he hadn’t propositioned her. She couldn’t decide if that made him honest or sleazy. If there was a person who fit the definition of “honest sleaze” it was Quentin, but maybe that was giving him too much credit. Maybe she should have tried to persuade Grant harder to be her new boyfriend.

“Why not?” Quentin said.

She brushed off his hand. “Because a girl could pick up one or two STDs by just breathing the same diseased air you breathe.”

“Just like a guy could get frostbite by standing in the same vicinity as you. That’s something you’ll have to work on, sweetums. If you keep looking at me as if you want to bite off my dick, Alex won’t take you seriously.”

As loath as she was to admit it, Quentin did have a point. Alex would know that she was taking up with Quentin to show him that she couldn’t be played with, but if she had actual chemistry with Quentin, that would make him think again.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you going against Alex? Aren’t you supposed to be one of his flunkies?” she said.

“Is that what you really think? That I’m one of his flunkies? We go back to kindergarten, that’s how close we are.” He sounded stung, and she knew that was good. “If you actually had friends other than that pothead, you’d know—”

She wagged a finger. “No, no. Remember, you’re not allowed to insult Travis. I don’t care if he throws a beer at you.”

“I can do anything I want. You don’t tell me what to do.”

“That’s something you’ll have to work on, sweetums. If you keep talking to me in that tone, Alex won’t take you seriously.”

He blinked once, then twice. Even as she watched, he exhaled slowly, a mixture of annoyance and admiration in those dark eyes.

“Damn, Adrian. You always go for the jugular, don’t you?”

Her smile was slow, feline. “Mm-hmm. And don’t you forget it.”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “I don’t think I will.” He inclined his head as if in a show of respect and held his hand out for her backpack. “That chip on your shoulder looks awfully heavy. Better let me carry your books.”

She snorted, but handed her bag over. They started walking across the parking lot. The fact that they had been talking hadn’t gone unnoticed because the other students were glancing at them curiously.

That’s right, boys and girls. Stay tuned for more drama!

“Did you get a chance to talk to Justin?” she asked.

She’d looked for him all day yesterday, but much to her surprise, he’d vanished. If he had been anyone else, she would have said he had played hooky, but that was almost impossible to believe. He was Justin Latimer, the all-American guy that you brought home to your parents. Even the teachers trusted him.

Quentin grimaced. “He’s not answering his phone or his texts. Grant hasn’t gotten through to him either.” He nodded at the cars arrayed behind them. “And I don’t see his car anywhere. Yeah, I don’t think we’ll talk to him anytime soon.”

So Justin was nursing his wounds. She couldn’t blame him because she knew only too well how it felt to be kicked over and again. How you didn’t want to step outside your home because you would see people’s insincere smiles and their murmured lies. In the days following her mother’s death, she’d wanted to stay home, but she had gone to school every single day. Even then, she understood that you didn’t run from your problems. You faced them head-on.

And you fucking beat them.

Quentin wasn’t finished speaking. “Alex and I fought over Play-Doh in kindergarten. That’s how we first met, you know. Justin split his clay into halves and gave the first half to me and the other to Alex. He didn’t keep any for himself.”

He looked straight ahead. “That’s Justin for you. And that’s why I’m your gigolo. Satisfied?”

Adrian nodded. Had he cited any other reason, she wouldn’t have believed him, but this one had the ring of truth. Quentin was far too close to Alex, and he loved playing games just for the hell of it. What was to say that he wasn’t stringing her along for Alex’s benefit? But if Grant vouched for him and if Justin was his reason …

“All right,” she said.

Quentin punched the air with a fist. “Yes! Let’s go make Alex jealous, baby. I willingly offer the use of my body for this glorious cause.”

Well, at least he didn’t have a hard time mustering some enthusiasm. Hell, he had probably installed a twenty-four-seven live feed in his bedroom, just so the entire school could be his rapt audience for every intimate play-by-play. Quentin thrived on attention like nobody’s business.

“If we’re going to do this,” she said, “we need some ground rules.”

“Rules are meant to be broken.”

She didn’t think she’d ever met anyone who made her roll her eyes every other minute. God, it was like dealing with an overgrown toddler.

“Maybe I misunderstood you,” she said. “I thought you wanted to get back at Alex for what he’s doing to Justin. This requires something called ‘discipline’ but I’m not sure you’ve ever heard of it. If you’re going to act, you’ll need it.”

“Every great actor improvises. There’s a difference between having a tight ass and being a tight-ass.”

“Thank you for that enlightenment.”

He laughed. “Seriously, Adrian. What do you think you’re doing here?”

“What?”

Glancing around, Quentin lowered his voice. “You can dress this up as much as you want, but we both know you want to get back at Alex. Fair enough. But if you want to turn me in a … what, model boyfriend, that’s not going to cut it. I’m not your robot, for one thing. Plus, Alex knows me. I could be the best fucking actor in the world, but once I play Mr. Sensitive Boyfriend, you’re going to see him laughing his ass off. Is that what you really want?”

Once again, he was right. She’d briefly visualized turning him into a sanitized boyfriend, but if that was what she had really wanted, she could have easily picked any other guy.

What did she want?

The answer came swiftly. She wanted Alex Montgomery sorry that he’d ever fucked with her. And to do that, she would have to upset him. Keep him off-balance and hurt him.

Quentin was watching her. “You’ve thought of something?”

“Oh yes.” She stepped closer to him. Casually, she reached out, pleased by the flicker of surprise in his eyes. She ran a lazy finger up his arm. “You’re right, darling. If you put on an act, Alex will never believe you, but as for me …”

He was quick, she’d give him that. “So you are going to pretend you’re into me? Isn’t that just as obvious as me pretending I’m into you?”

“Not if I play it right. And, really, if we’re keeping score, he’s being obvious by being with Bri. So it’s just a matter of seeing who’s better.”

Quentin’s dark eyes opened wide. She had the notion that he was actually disturbed by her cold-blooded logic, but he only shrugged.

“You’re the boss,” he said.

Amused, she laced her fingers with his. Maybe this would pan out. And in a perverse fashion, this arrangement actually made sense. If she did most of the work, that gave him less chance to fuck up.

“Where’s the best location if we want to be highly visible?” she said.

He nodded toward the school entrance in the front. They were standing on the side because they’d come from the parking lot, so they would have to walk around. The spot he’d picked out was one that was easily seen from the street. And that meant many, many student drivers. Plenty of witnesses.

“Good choice,” she said. “Come on.”

It was strange holding hands with him, as they strolled across the school grounds. Jason had been the only guy whose hand she’d clung to, but they had only done it a few times because she’d never enjoyed public displays of affection. She had scorned these people who made out in the hallways and groped each other because they’d always smelled of desperation. Well, now karma was coming back to bite her in the ass.

With every yard, they gained more attention. People were turning to watch them, and even from here, Adrian could hear their incredulous whispers.

“Wait, are they really together?”

“Why are they holding—oh my God.”

Quentin’s grin broke out. As Adrian had known, he couldn’t resist soaking up the attention. “You’re really sure you want to do this?” he said, barely moving his lips. “There’s still time to back out if you change your mind.”

Her stomach was churning, but it would be a cold day in hell before she admitted to nerves. “Nervous, Maxwell?” she drawled.

“Never. I make love to pressure.”

“You make love to your reflection.”

“Damn straight. I’m that gorgeous.”

It was getting harder and harder to maintain that cool smile. The butterflies in her stomach weighed a ton each. What the hell was she thinking? She wasn’t one of those girls who knew how to flirt with a guy. No, she was only good at pushing them away.

Suddenly she couldn’t stand it anymore. She stopped and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Mm-hmm. You talk too much.” And because she was afraid that she’d back out any second now, she pressed her lips against his.

He abruptly stiffened. Maybe he’d only meant it as a joke. Maybe he meant to humiliate her in front of everyone because he was Alex’s best friend—oh, he was pulling her closer in the circle of his arms.

Her eyes fluttered shut. Quentin was kissing her, warm and pleasant, and although he was different from Alex, that was good. Why had she worried at all? She could do this, and even as she sighed and snuggled in his arms, she heard the whispers from the watching crowd. They would run to tell their friends and enemies. One way or another, Alex would hear about this. Oh yes, he would.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The shocked swell of sound trailing in her wake assured Adrian that she had captured their attention. For a school so jaded by various misdeeds, they were surprisingly puritanical in some ways. They had paired her with Alex, but now that she’d made out with Quentin, they were scandalized.

She had expected all of that, but what she didn’t expect was Vaughn and Travis converging on her as soon as she neared the AP English classroom. They snagged her arm and pulled her aside into what had become their standard hideout: the girls’ restroom.

“Have you lost your mind?” Vaughn said.

Adrian’s lips quirked. There was nothing funny about it, but she couldn’t help enjoying seeing the blonde off-balance. If
Vaughn
was surprised, the entire school would feel the same. What better way to ensure Alex’s attention?