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“I won’t play along with your charade. I’m not Luke.”
He didn’t look too pissed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on doing that—I didn’t feel like telling her the truth and disappointing them.”
He throttled the engine, and I winced as the car lurched forward. We were already speeding past Oakland, merging into the lanes that would take us across the Bay Bridge.
“Well, we’ll be photographed so that’ll corroborate your lie. Your ex might not be pleased though.”
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t care.”
“You care about using me to make yourself look better in your parent’s eyes.”
He wasn’t impressed with what I did.
“I don’t judge you for all the things you do—don’t judge me. I’m just trying to make them happy.”
“Make them happy?” he said in an incredulous voice. “Natalie, Natalie, Natalie.”
My frown deepened with every repetition of my name.
“You’ll never be able to live up to their standards. You’ll never be able to make them happy. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can move on with your life. I’m the only one out of my brothers who doesn’t suck up to my dad.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
His fingers whitened on the steering wheel.
That’s what I thought.
The rest of the car ride was silent. I kept waiting for him to slip some sexual innuendo into the conversation, but instead he seemed keen on pissing me off.
“Oh, you’ll have to take all the trains and buses that the laypeople use by yourself. You have to do a write-up of how to get to all these places.”
I didn’t expect that. “I’ll have to go by myself?”
He smirked. “Pardinis don’t take public transport.”
Whatever. Rolling my eyes at the smugness, I turned my head so I wouldn’t have to look at his irritating face.
“I got you a seat in coach. It’s a ten-hour flight, so that’ll suck.” He sniggered.
Another flare shot up my face. “It’s not a problem when you’re short. Coach suits me fine.”
Will’s jaw went slack.
I expected a crowd of paparazzi to follow us around, but Will parked us in the long-term parking lot and we took the train to the international terminal. I had never flown out of the country before and couldn’t keep my excitement from ramping up.
After we shot throughsecurity, we were ushered through a series of corridors while I wondered what the hell was going on.
Why weren’t we going to one of the airport terminals? Delta, US Airways, whatever?
It was only when we were walking across the tarmac and I saw the white jet, stamped in bold, gold letters with his name I realized Will had been joking about flying me in coach.
He smiled at my wide-eyed expression. “Ladies first.” He swept his arm toward the staircase leading to the airplane.
My hair whipped around my head as I bounded up the steps. I felt like a little kid with a shiny, new toy. There were rows of plush, white leather seats and flat screen TVs.
“YOW!”
A tabby cat sat on the table in his blue cage, his yellow eyes extremely round.
