You Don't Know Me: A Stand-Alone New Adult Romance by Faleena Hopkins Read Free Book Online

look away from her; I’ll give her that.
    She poses dramatically. “Can I keep you in my pocket and carry you around with me all day?”
    “You could try,” Jack smirks.
    “Oh, you devil!”
    Sean mumbles, “Is it that obvious?” mostly to me, trying to make a joke. I can’t look away from the talking plastic creature long enough to respond.
    “Who’s this? Only one tonight?” Laney laughs like she’s just said the most hilarious thing, but the way her eyes are peering into me like she simply has to know what’s going on, is really, really unnerving. For the first time, I’m relieved I’m their sister. Thank God I’m not here on a date with one of these guys. The list of women who’ve hung on their arms before being chucked to the side is as huge and gross as looking at a landfill.
    “I’m their half-sister, Rue Calliwell. Nice to meet you.” I smile and hold out my hand. Her eyebrows try to fly up, but fail, frozen by Botox. Instead, her whole forehead goes up and there’s a thin wrinkle at the hairline when the rest of it is flat. It takes a lot not to stare at that skinny, long wrinkle of flesh. I want to stand up so I can poke it with my finger like a science project.
    “Reaaaallly?” She shakes my hand nice and slow.
    I nod, smiling wider. “We just found out about each other. You’re sure to find out soon enough and I wouldn’t want you to feel left out of the juicy gossip. You are Laney Turner, after all. You should know first.”
    She’s trying to figure me out, and definitely likes the props I just gave her. “I should! You’re so right.” The hostess who was trying to lead Ms. Turner to her table is staring at me. She obviously heard what I said and is very excited to be witnessing this. I glance to Sean and Jack. I surprised them. Good.
    “I’ll be calling you,” Laney tells us all as she exits with a flourish, invigorated with the newest gossip in town, but she and the hostess both throw one glance backward like they can’t help it, and I smile and wave my fingers a little too pretentiously. Oops.

Chapter Thirteen

Jack
    I ’ve only just begun .
    Next thing on the list: Call Alec. Oh man, she is going to be putty in his arms.
    He already knows the deal: Break her heart. Bring her down. Make her pay.
    “Let’s go out tonight,” I announce, motioning to the server as I pull out my phone and text our best friend, the heart-crusher. “Can we have three coffees?”
    “Of course, Mr. Stone.” He turns to go, but Rue stops him.
    “I’m sorry. Make that two. I don’t drink coffee at night.”
    “You do now. Make it three. No arguments.” He nods to me and she bites her lip, her eyes flashing. That’s right, fireball. Keep it coming. Get pissed. To Alec, I text: We’re going out. Secret Sister is coming. Be there.
    Sean pulls out his phone and looks at his row of latest texts. Unimpressed, he puts it on the table and leans back into the chair, throwing an ankle over his knee. “Rue, what would you like to do?”
    She glances from him to me, and back to him on a shrug. “I have the night off, so…”
    “You’re not going back to that shit job,” I chuckle.
    Feathers flying, she sits up straighter and ignores the busboy clearing up our plates. “I am, too.”
    Sean smiles. I look to see what he’s thinking and he glances my way. I know him like I know myself, and I’m satisfied to find out he thinks her showing up to work graveyard at Ralphs is hilarious, too. “You want to tell her?”
    He’s fighting back a grin at her defiant look and inhales deeply, laying his hand on the table in front of her. “Tomorrow your story will be all over the news. All over it. And not just the networks. Millions of Perez Hilton fans will know you’re the illegitimate daughter of Maxwell Stone. In fact, that’s probably already happened. I’m glad you got your hair done today because you look the part now and that’ll soften the blow...” He realizes he’s scaring her, and