Table of Contents
DISGUISE
Copyright
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PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
To Be Continued
DISGUISE
~~*****~~
A Billionaire Rock Star Romance Series
(Contemporary, New Adult Romance)
by
Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
DISGUISE
First edition. SEPTEMBER, 2015.
Copyright © 2015 Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins.
Written by Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins.
All Rights Reserved.
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Bella Wild and Bella Love-Wins
Websites: http://bellawild.com/
and http://bellalovewins.com/
PROLOGUE
December
ALEXANDRA sat in the living room sofa, looking at the Christmas tree she and her father had put up earlier. She was on a rare break—at home in Tucson for the holidays.
Out of nowhere, her dad asked, “Alexandra, are you sure this guy is right for you?”
He was talking about Wilkes, Alexandra’s boyfriend of six months who had flown out with her for the holidays. She understood why Dad was asking. Wilkes had spent the majority of the weekend on the phone or his laptop. Her father thought it was rude, but she could live with it. Wilkes was…busy…a lot. They both were. As top artists in the music industry and celebrities, it came with the territory.
She laughed at the question, because, well, she was pretty certain Wilkes was not ‘The One’. For the time being, though, Wilkes Barracks, country music’s rising star, was a perfect match for her. At least he was in some respects—on the surface, anyway. To start with, she liked his height, and he was dark and handsome in that James Franco kind of way. And God, she could lose herself in his smoldering gray eyes.
“He’s the responsible Wendy-like adult to my never-ending child-like Peter Pan, Dad,” she told him. “Wilkes is the closest thing to ‘right’ as I can get. Plus, he’s got great American values. He’s a country music singer, for goodness sake. That should be a mark in his favor, as you love country music so much.”
“Right,” Dad said dryly with a smirk. “I seem to remember you thinking along the same lines with that last character you dated…and, the one before that.” He sat beside her and looked over at her, a serious expression on his face. “Alexandra you’re a lot more mature than you give yourself credit for. Sometimes I wonder if you’re playing a helpless damsel role so you can be saved by a knight in shining armor. Remember that attracts dragons, too. And shiny armor means he’s probably had someone else fighting his battles.”
“But that’s what I have you for, Daddy. You get to slay my dragons.”
“It’s the twenty-first century, Alexandra. I didn’t raise you that way. The person I see when you’re with these guys is not who you really are. And none of them deserve you.”
She smiled softly. There was no point arguing. Convincing her father anyone was deserving of dating his lavender-haired rock star princess was out of the question. To begin with, she was an only child. Not to mention, her mom passed away when she was fourteen. She was all her father had for the past decade. Alexandra felt maybe he couldn’t stand the thought of her having boyfriends or getting married at some point. The way she saw it, she was no different from every woman who wanted to have a soul-shaking love. At this point she was open to a slight bump instead of a full soul shake; whatever it took, she needed to get out of her shitty romantic rut.
She hoped this relationship would be the big break from past romantic screw-ups. It included her failed relationship with actor Tanner Young, which came after a dismal break-up with model, Jacob Ingram, preceded by a train-wreck of a fling with a guy named Pietro she had met on her last tour. Basically, when it came to love, she could sing about it, but at twenty-four, she had experienced every variation of Mr. Wrong available, and Wilkes came off as Mr. All Right to her.
It’s not that she was desperate to settle. She didn’t see herself as a bombshell, with her less than curvy—okay, fine—boyish figure, but she liked to think she was a decent catch. Alexandra’s best friend Viv would say she had the blue, slightly slanted, diamond-shaped eyes, lush lips and her two platinum albums going for her. The truth was, she was ready for a nice, predictable relationship to get bored with, like the rest of the lucky people out there.
“Speaking of love, how’s your love life going, Daddy?” Alexandra asked sneakily.
He rolled his eyes and launched to his feet. The conversation was over. Her father thought she didn’t know about the mystery woman. Alexandra was positive Dad was seeing someone. For the first time since she knew him, he had gone to a lingerie shop to buy a Christmas gift. She came across the Victoria Secret gift box he had tried to stash out of sight in the hall closet. Looking at his towering six-foot-three height, broad shoulders, handsome face, and silvering black hair, she could see why any middle-aged to older woman would be into him. For some reason, he didn’t seem ready to let her in on who the mystery woman was.
“Don’t stay up too late,” he called out. “Santa Claus won’t come if you do.”
She laughed as he left the living room. As usual, it was Christmas Eve and she was still wrapping gifts; ever the procrastinator. It felt so good to be home, but she had a million and one things sitting on her to-do list back in LA. Because of that, she was already gearing up to leave, and had only flown into Tucson the day before. Her record label wanted to start planning out a new album. There were songs to write, people to see, interviews to muddle through—the usual hurrah.
Her ‘job’ as a performing artist, making Billboard hits for her record label, cut into her family time. That was a given. As rewarding as it was to share her talent and songs with fans around the world, she craved simplicity. At least her father understood. He was an investment banker and ran his own firm. They both had crazy-hectic schedules, which made getting together that much more rewarding when it did happen.
Wilkes ambled into the room, breaking her train of thought when he slid aside her long, thick, purple ponytail to kiss the nape of her neck. The kiss sent a jolt of need through her. That was one good thing about Mr. All Right. His touch always got a reaction out of her. It was too bad he himself was cool to her.
He sat and crossed his legs next to her on the floor. “Need some help?” he asked, in that Tennessee drawl that made heat pool between he
r legs from just hearing him.
She needed some help all right, but not with wrapping gifts. Her hair swished out of her lap as she tossed back the impossibly long bundle. She smiled seductively and put aside the roll of wrapping paper. She crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned back on her arms.
“Mmmm,” she moaned as she looked over at him. “I’m ready to take a break from decking the halls, baby. How about we go up to my bedroom? I want you.”
“You’re asking for trouble,” he whispered. “I don’t want to get on your dad’s bad side. I don’t think he likes me. And imagine if he hears us.”
She felt the heat rising up her neck and cheeks. “I can be quiet,” she crooned, admiring the black button-down shirt that hugged his biceps and broad chest.
She walked her fingers up his muscular inner thigh to the crotch of his jeans. The man was all sex appeal, and she wanted him. She leaned over and pressed soft, dewy kisses along his sharp jawline, letting his bristly dark brown beard tickle her face. Her hand slid to his abs, caressing the toned muscle through his shirt.
Wilkes held up a finger. “Let’s not let temptation get the best of us, Lexxi,” he said seriously.
Alexandra groaned. Lucky me. The problem with Wilkes was he was too responsible, too straight-laced. It made their relationship boring and predictable.
***
SEBASTIAN held the phone to his ear.
“I’m just about to take off my clothes,” Aileen’s voice cooed over the line. “Do you know what I have on underneath, Bash? Absolutely nothing. I’ve been a bad, bad girl this year, baby. I’m positive I made the naughty list.”
He leaned back in his bed, sliding a hand down his stomach. He was already in a heated state of arousal. It was Christmas Eve, and he was spending it alone, having phone sex with his girlfriend.
“You should be here to see what being bad gets you,” he murmured invitingly.
Her breathless laugh had him hard already. He toyed with the fly of his jeans and closed his eyes, thinking about the last time this woman made love to him. He pictured her ample breasts spilling into his face as he palmed her sexy curves, and already it was torture. With her honey blonde hair and pinup body, Aileen reminded him of a lingerie model—she was his very own personal Scarlet Johansson.
Sebastian had met her at a charity function about eight months before, and she was just about the only woman who was willing to deal with his demanding job as a firefighter at the Tucson Fire Department.
“If I was there, what would you do to me?” she asked.
His manhood swelled even more, just from her seductive tone. He liked to think they had more than a sexual thing going on. The only problem was, Aileen had already told him she wasn’t looking for a serious relationship.
“You already know, Aileen. I’d light some fires…”
He paused, thinking, phone sex? It was like being in high school all over again. Back then, he was a pimply, gangly teen trying to figure out if the G-spot really existed. He laughed softly to himself. He we sure that by now, at twenty-six years old, he’d have someone to make love to every night, instead of getting blue balls.
“Enough talk, honey,” he said. “How about you clock out early?”
“You know I can’t leave work,” she answered.
He strained to hear what was going on in the background at her job. It was disappointing that she had to work for the holidays. She was usually off nights. He began to wonder if she was just blowing him off. Lately, he was feeling more attached to her. He missed her when she didn’t call, or when he tried phoning and it would go to voicemail. He disliked that she was rarely free to go out.
He sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. It was time to tell her how he felt. He was about to stop her, when he heard a man’s voice in the background. It wasn’t clear what the man was saying, but it sounded intimate.
“Your boss stepped in?” he asked curiously.
“Hang on, um, Barbara,” she said, and in a voice that was nothing like the sexy purr she had been using before.
“Barbara?” he repeated, confused.
The sound became muffled. He could tell Aileen had put her hand over the phone receiver. He never saw himself as naturally cynical. He was lighthearted for the most part. But, when a woman suddenly called out the wrong name in the middle of a conversation—particularly a female name—alarms went off. He gritted his teeth and stood up, trying not to read too much into it.
“Who’s Barbara?” he asked.
“Look, let me call you back.”
Aileen sounded irritated, but Sebastian was not ready to hang up the phone until he got some answers.
“Aileen, is there something I need to know?”
“Barb, seriously, let me call you back. My, uh…”
Suddenly the guy in the background grabbed the phone and replied jovially, “Hey, Barb. Yep, her husband’s home, honey. She’ll have to call you back.”
Okay. That said it all. Sebastian hung up the phone.
Aileen is married?
Fuck. I was played.
CHAPTER ONE
Six Months Later
ALEXANDRA groaned inwardly.
“So, tell us, Lexxi Rock,” Kyle O’Myron, the late-night talk show host began.
Whatever Kyle was about to ask would sting. It was clear to her. Alexandra stayed up often to watch his show. His light blue eyes would take on that same glint, and his lips would curve upward just before he pulled the proverbial rug out from under his celebrity guests.
Kyle took far too much pleasure in seeing celebrities squirm, which was the main reason the show’s ratings were always so high, and why she was a guest tonight. She tried to anticipate what he would ask. It was a live show, so all she could do was prepare to flash an unaffected fake smile.
“Earlier today, we learned that your boyfriend and country music star, Wilkes Barracks, made the news when he was seen, um—well, we’ll just call it ‘cozying up’ with debut actress Lydia Daniels.”
“What?” Already, she was shocked. I know I didn’t just hear what I think I heard, she thought.
“That had to come out of left field, didn’t it, Lexxi? You and Wilkes have been dating for a while now. Fans were hoping, crossing their fingers for the two of you to walk down the aisle. By the way, have you seen the footage of Wilkes and Lydia together down in Miami? Run the clip, Rod.”
He didn’t bother to wait for her to respond. He bulldozed ahead.
Alexandra held a breath and felt her pulse quicken. The wall of screens around the set displayed her shirtless boyfriend. It closed in on Wilkes, passionately kissing the buxom, raven-haired young actress, before a backdrop of rolling aquamarine waves and a blazing blue sky. The image was so out of character that for five seconds, only disbelief would register on her face. Her dark brown eyebrows winged up above widened eyes as her mouth dropped open.
Wilkes isn’t a passionate guy!
That can’t be my Wilkes.
As if reading her mind, the clip showed the same scene from a different angle. It was Wilkes all right.
“Son of a bitch,” she said under her breath, confused.
All this time Wilkes had kept her at arm’s length. Their relationship was cool at best, yet there he was setting off fireworks as he kissed that tramp?
Of course, the camera panned over to Alexandra, clocking her reaction in a side-by-side display with the cheating asshole and his actress skank of a sex partner. It took extra effort for her lips to twist in a semblance of a smile for the audience’s sake. On the inside, she was seething with rage. Her boyfriend of over a year had to have grown a pair of brass balls to embarrass her this way. He didn’t even have the decency to phone and dump her, or to give her the heads-up this footage was coming. And he was the one who drove her to the airport to fly in for this show!
Prick.
Alexandra had to assume he wanted her to see it as the feature video clip of this late night show, like everyone else in the audien
ce. The timing of this revelation sucked. She was in the middle of recording an album, for goodness sake. She didn’t need a scandal. Wilkes could have at least waited until the album dropped—at which point any publicity would be good publicity.
“Damn you, Wilkes,” she said under her breath before addressing the footage. “Hmmm, uh, well…” she struggled to respond. “I think it’ll make a great song. In fact, I can’t wait to immortalize another failed relationship on my upcoming album, Kyle. And, good for Wilkes! You know? He’s obviously a classy guy, to have done something like this.”
Kyle tossed his head and laughed. His perfectly coiffed hair didn’t budge. Alexandra forced her contrived smile to remain in place. She was sure Kyle had been hoping for tears—springing that crap on her out of the blue.
Ugh, I hate my life sometimes!
Dressed in the purple and white polka-dot dress that complemented her knee-length purple hair, at least she looked like she had it all together. Looks were deceiving at the moment, but she was the one fans dubbed as an A-list rock superstar with the voice of an angel. Not Wilkes. With that in mind, she pressed on and waded through Kyle’s tough questions.
“There’s the Lexxi Rock America knows and loves, ladies and gentlemen!” he concluded. “Stay tuned. Up next, Lexxi will be performing for us live.”
The second they gave the call for a commercial break, she fled past the greenroom and stamped down a side corridor to her dressing room, grumbling under her breath the whole way.
“Make-up, Miss Lexxi?” a stylist called after her.
She needed to be back on stage in minutes, but ignored the woman. At this point she couldn’t care less if she came off like a diva.
Screw them all.
Alexandra slammed the door behind her and pressed her shoulders against the doorframe, finally letting out the scream she had been holding in on stage. The carpeted room was well-insulated, but the echo resounded in her bruised heart. By the time she was done pouring out the hurt, she struck up the courage to yank out her smartphone and call Wilkes. It went directly to voicemail.
Disguise Page 1
