The Screwup: A Billionaire Fake Fiancée Romance (The Holbrook Cousins Saga Book 2)

by Alina Jacobs

  "I hate to ask, but…" her boss began.

  "Of course I’ll do the dinner shift," Allie said.

  "Thanks," her boss said sheepishly. "I don’t know what I’d do without you."

  Later that evening, Allie returned to her apartment, smelly and very tired. She looked around the shabby room and the cruddy bathroom with mold in the corners. She wistfully thought about the Holbrook estate.

  She checked her bank account to cheer herself up.

  "I have enough for college, at least," she said. "I’m going to finally earn my degree and find a good-paying job. I'll quit bartending, rent my own place. It will be perfect."

  Margot made little grunting noises as she rearranged her bedding next to Allie.

  Stacy knocked and barged into her room before Allie could answer.

  "I'm sleeping," Allie said.

  "No. you aren’t. Tell me about Carter."

  "He’s fine," she said, not looking up from her computer.

  Better than fine, she thought. She hadn’t allowed herself to really analyze what had happened. Carter was… Not for someone like you.

  "Was he amazing?" Stacy asked.

  "It was a very enlightening experience," Allie said.

  Stacy flounced out.

  "You’re no fun. Next time, you need to send him my way!"

  16

  Carter

  "Where’s Allie?" Carter asked when he returned from the emergency room.

  "Gone," his father said, taking the engagement ring out of his pocket and handing it to Carter.

  "What?"

  "Carter, be realistic. You can’t honestly think that she’s a suitable match."

  "What do you mean? What's wrong with her?"

  "Her terrible manners aside, she tried to kill you."

  The painkillers were kicking in. Carter felt woozy, but he didn't back down from a fight. "It was an accident," he said, swaying slightly.

  Grant steadied him and started ushering him upstairs.

  Carter wanted to defend Allie, but he didn’t want to admit that he had paid her simply to embarrass his parents. It sounded petty and childish when he ran through it in his head.

  "You know what I went through with Danielle," his uncle said, following behind them.

  "Allie is not Danielle. And you kicked my dog out."

  "That’s not your dog. We’ll buy you a nice dog," Walter said. "Can you please just find someone else?"

  "I thought you were warming up to her."

  "Anyone who puts you in danger is automatically out," Walter said as he and Grant helped Carter lie down.

  "You didn’t really like her," Grant said. "I know she seems fun because she’s a bartender and weird and cool, but you need someone who will be a good partner."

  "Maybe she's the best I’ll do," Carter contested.

  "You can do better," his uncle said.

  "We’re only doing this because we care about you," Jack said.

  "No, you don’t!" Carter exploded. "You don’t care about me at all."

  "You know that’s not true," Walter said, pushing him back down on the bed.

  "Enough," Nancy told them, coming into the room with several ice packs. "Carter needs to rest. Lie down, and I'll put some ice on your back."

  "I don’t want ice."

  "Stop it," she said, placing the ice on his back. "You didn’t actually want to marry her, did you? She just doesn’t seem like… well, like your type, is all. We just want you to be happy."

  "I'll never be happy," he mumbled.

  His mother rubbed his back and left him with the ice packs. Carter turned his head and saw a long black strand of hair—Allie’s.

  He opened up his messaging app to text her. He wanted to say that he missed her but then erased the message and went with something more noncommittal and funny.

  She had been so excited about the bathroom. He chuckled to himself. He knew from experience after coming from the disgusting military bathrooms, especially the Port-A-Johns, that seeing an actual really nice bathroom felt like a dream.

  Surely her bathroom at home couldn’t be that bad. He realized he didn't know where she lived. He was going to visit her when he returned to North Carolina, he decided.

  You're weirdly obsessed with her, he told himself. Just fuck her and get it out of your system. He wondered what it would be like. He lay on his bed and fantasized about it.

  He hadn't slept with a woman in years, it felt like. He didn't trust the women who hung around the barracks, the Stacys of the town. He wondered what it would feel like to be with Allie.

  17

  Allie

  As the year sped toward Christmas, Allie finished up her classes and tried to ignore how alone she felt. Allie never did anything special for Christmas except rest up because she knew the day after Christmas was a madhouse at Tom Toms Oyster Bar. The Wildcat was also open for the marines who were not allowed to go home for the holidays.

  Christmas Eve at the Wildcat always depressed Allie. Bert always wanted to decorate, so she and Stacy hung up little paper elves, and she had to wear a Santa hat.

  There weren’t as many people there as she thought there might be, although she probably had a warped perspective since this place was always completely packed.

  The door swung open, letting in the warm, humid air.

  "It's too hot for winter," Stacy said.

  "It's all of that temperate air off the coast and the swamps. It's better than the cold, though," Allie replied.

  A group of marines walked in. They weren’t as boisterous as she normally saw them. These men were a little more subdued. It must be Christmas depression.

  "Merry Christmas," she called out. "What can I make you to drink?"

  "My, my! Is that Carter Holbrook?" Stacy said, her eyes lighting up.

  Carter ignored her and headed straight for Allie.

  "Welcome to the Wildcat," she said. "Would you like a beer or a shot?"

  "I did not receive my money’s worth for what I paid you," Carter said with a wink.

  "Yes, you did," she replied. "Your family hates me… and you now, too, I might add."

  He waved her away. "They already did that. I expected you to be more… I don’t know, trashy."

  "Too bad," she said. "No take backsies on the money. Honestly, I had hoped to never see a Holbrook again. Maybe you can try going to a different bar."

  Carter smiled at her and shook his head. "We still have shared custody of that dog. Also," he said, throwing his credit card on the bar top, "I want an apricot sour."

  "We don’t have the ingredients to make that here," she said. "You can come to Tom Toms Oyster Bar tomorrow, and I’ll make you one."

  He scowled.

  "Beer? Shots?" she offered.

  "Both."

  He took the round to his friends, and she watched them all play a round of pool and darts. Allie could tell none of them were really into it, however.

  There was a lull in the traffic, and Allie busied herself with cleaning and tidying up her work area.

  As she cleaned, she watched as Stacy went to go talk to the marines, a tray of shots on her hand.

  "Hey, boys. How about a drink on me?" her roommate asked, sidling up to Carter.

  The men eagerly took the shots.

  "You doing anything tonight, Carter?" she heard Stacy ask.

  "Just playing pool," Carter replied.

  "If you want to," Stacy said, twirling a lock of hair on her finger, "we can go to the back and I’ll make this your best Christmas ever."

  Carter looked as if she had offered to serve him centipedes. Allie stifled a snicker as he said, "No, thanks."

  Allie saw Stacy’s face grow dark.

  One of Carter’s friends said, "I'll take you up on that offer."

  "Well, how about that," Stacy said and led him to the back.

  Carter walked over to Allie. "Is she supposed to be sleeping with the customers?"

  "It’s not a bar rule. It’s just my personal rule,"
Allie replied. "If I were you, I would stay clear of Stacy. She’s had several STDs that I know of."

  Carter shuddered. "I feel like she’s after me."

  Allie poured him another beer. "She’s harmless, just caught up in the allure of the Holbrook family saga and all that."

  "And you aren’t?"

  "I'm a simple creature," she told Carter. "I eat, I sleep—sometimes—and I work."

  "No time for fun, huh," Carter said.

  "Nope." She met his gaze.

  He looked her up and down slowly as he licked his lips. "We had fun didn’t we?"

  She grinned in spite of herself. "I guess we did."

  "This is the part where you offer to take me to the back and let me have my way with you."

  "I think the storage room is otherwise occupied," she told him.

  On Christmas Day, Allie slept in for once then worked the dinner shift at the oyster bar. Then she had to turn right around and work there the whole day after Christmas.

  Stacy was already at her shift at a local diner when Allie clocked out from her evening shift at the oyster bar. She turned on the rideshare app. Maybe she could pick up a ride on her way home. Immediately, there was a ride request from a nearby bar. She checked the phone as she accepted the ride. It was Carter. She made a sharp turn out of the oyster bar's parking lot and picked him up.

  "You could just call me, you know," she said, rolling down the window.

  "I didn’t think I would be matched with you. I wanted to surprise you."

  "Well, I carry, so that probably wouldn’t have been a wise decision."

  He sat down in the passenger's seat and leaned over.

  "Why is my address the destination?"

  Carter cut her question off as he kissed her hard on the mouth, his hands running up and down her body. One hand, he let drift down to slip inside of her pants.

  "You know why," he said and kissed her neck.

  The rational part of her said to push him off and throw him out of the car, but she wanted Carter. She wanted to feel him surround her, breathe in the faint scent of expensive cologne, let him take her. His hand and mouth promised it would be good.

  "You know there was something between us," Carter whispered to her.

  "I think you just want your money's worth," she said, her voice husky.

  He released her and smiled. "Something like that."

  As she made the short trip to her apartment, she felt herself grow wet between her legs in anticipation.

  This is a bad idea, she thought as she unlocked the door, Carter following close behind her.

  But he's about to leave the military, and I'll never see him again. Maybe I can relax the rules just this once. Margot barked, but Carter ignored the dog as he pushed her back against the wall. He started unbuttoning her clothes.

  "This is what I wanted to do to you in the car," he said.

  She felt his hardness through his pants as he pressed against her. She pushed him away.

  "Not here," she said, not wanting to do it on the couch in front of Margot.

  "Let's go to your bedroom," he said, still kissing her.

  Carter pushed her down on the bed.

  "I’m not sleeping with a customer," she said, but she knew she was going to. He was giving her that winning smile.

  "Sorry, too bad. This is happening," he said, undoing his pants. Then he winked at her and pulled out a condom.

  "Do you consent to this sexual encounter?"

  Allie smirked then kissed him.

  "Did your family's lawyers draw up a contract?" she asked.

  Carter barked a laugh. "My father wishes they did, I bet!"

  As she let her hands roam over his broad shoulders, the hardnosed rule follower in her screamed that this was a bad idea. But it had been so long since she'd allowed herself an indulgence, and Carter was right there and he felt amazing. Maybe she could do this. What's the worst that could happen?

  As she pulled off her clothes, Carter kissed her slowly and ran his hands up and down her body. While he kissed her breasts, she pulled down his boxer briefs. His cock was erect, and she took it in her hand. He kissed her long and deeply.

  "I really want you," Carter said.

  She smiled up at him and spread her legs. She felt his fingers coax her gently.

  "I’ll be gentle," he whispered in her ear as he put on the condom.

  "Do it," she told him. "I want you." She wrapped her legs around his waist, and she felt him sink inside of her.

  "No, I need—"

  He silenced her with a kiss. She needed to feel him, needed him to go harder and faster.

  "Oh man," Carter said as he came with a groan. "That was just what I wanted." He rolled off of her, then he turned his head and smiled at her. "You know, you were pretty good for a virgin."

  Allie was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

  "I tried to be gentle since this was your first time."

  "Um, no, it wasn’t."

  "Wait. What?" Carter said. "But you said you don’t sleep with customers."

  "Yes, I implemented that rule after I slept with customers and it went south. I had to stick a gun in one guy's face to make him leave me alone," she told him, pushing her hair out of her face.

  "Oh," Carter said. He was silent for a minute. "I would have done so many things differently if I had known."

  "Ah, I was wondering what was wrong. I’m glad to see that wasn’t your A game."

  Carter sat straight up "Are you kidding me? That was great!"

  "Eh," Allie said. "I’ve had better. I’d give it a C plus. I got off from it, at least, so it was slightly above average."

  Carter looked at her, wide-eyed. He seemed shocked and a little hurt. She patted him on the shoulder.

  "You’ll do better next round, chief. It wasn't that bad." She was giving Carter a hard time. It was a defense mechanism. He's probably just using you, she told herself.

  "I guess I'd better leave before your crazy roommate returns," he said, pulling on his pants.

  "So you’re just going to fuck me and leave?"

  He gave her a strange look, and she laughed.

  "I’m just playing. I don’t care."

  He smiled as she watched him dress in the low lamplight. It was nice to have a good-looking guy in her bedroom, she thought. It wasn’t serious, though, and could never be. Carter came from a different world. Besides, she would never see him after he left the military in a couple weeks.

  "He'd better still send me money for you," she told Margot after she heard the front door slam. "I’m not running a doggie charity here."

  18

  Carter

  In early January, Carter finally had his final signatures on his EAS paperwork. He was officially done with the Marines.

  He passed Allie’s apartment on the way to the airport, where his uncle’s private jet waited. The intimate moment they had shared in her bedroom had been too brief. Carter had wanted to repeat it, but he wasn't sure that she wanted to after the way she had acted. They had texted back and forth, but she hadn't made any indication that she had any desire to repeat their encounter. And now it was too late. He was flying back to Connecticut. Never again would he grace Les DesChamps with his presence.

  "Good riddance!" he yelled out of the car window.

  When he arrived at the airport, Wendy, the flight attendant, welcomed him aboard the private jet, and the captain shook his hand.

  "Off to your big welcome-home party?" he asked.

  "Yes, sir," he said.

  "You know, I told your cousin, Grant, that it was a bright, sunshiny new day outside of the military. But you don’t seem all that upset about leaving, so I’ll just tell you to settle down and don't stir up too much trouble."

  "Yes, sir," Carter replied with a salute.

  When Grant had EAS-ed out of the Marines, Uncle Walter had thrown him a huge garden party. Carter didn’t think he was going to warrant that, but surely his family would do something, right? When the car dropped him
off in front of the house, he walked in, but he didn’t see any decorations or anything. He sagged.

  "I guess they forgot," he said and slumped down against the wall. He pulled out his phone and texted Allie.

  They forgot my birthday

  She wrote back a few seconds later.

  It’s not your birthday

  He sighed. Did she not get the Molly Ringwald reference?

  They didn’t throw me a party

  He waited for her reply.

  A party for what?

  Making it out of the Marines without maiming yourself?

  What do you want? A cookie?

  He sent her a sad-face emoji as Stefan walked into the foyer.

  "Young Mr. Holbrook!" he exclaimed.

  "Hi, Stefan."

  "I’m so glad you're here. I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. Would you mind helping me with something upstairs?" Carter stood up and followed him.

  "I’m trying to get these Christmas decorations up, you see," Stefan said as they stepped onto the third-floor landing where the ballroom was located.

  They walked into the grand ballroom, and Stefan flicked on the lights.

  Carter jumped as his family and friends jumped out and yelled, "Surprise!"

  Carter had to blink back tears as Grant and Mark came over and hugged him.

  "Kate put it together," Grant said as Walter handed him a drink.

  "So, Carter," Eric Davenport said, "what are your plans now that you're a free man?"

  "I’m not sure," Carter admitted.

  "Grant, you aren't giving him a job at the corporation?"

  Grant gave him a faint smile. "Carter, we were all actually just discussing that this morning. We were thinking you could do an internship at Holbrook."

  Carter looked at Grant, incredulous.

  "I'm in my late twenties," he said slowly. "I can’t just have a job?"

  "No," Jack said.

  "Are you kidding me?" Carter screeched. "You let Grant just have a job! He's practically running the company now."

  "Yes, and it was a lot for him to handle," Walter said.