Banishing All the Rules (Billionaire Romance) (The A List Series Book 3) by Savannah Rylan Page B

Two
    Cora
     
     
     
    Thunder raged all around me. As I stood naked in the middle of Candlestick Park, it boomed in rapid succession. Why am I naked in the middle of a ballpark? Boom. Boom. Boom. Oh, because I’m throwing out the first pitch. To a bear. Of course. I should probably start warming up then, but God that thunder is just getting louder and louder.
     
    “Cora, open the door!”
     
    I bolted up, my eyes blinking in the morning sunlight as I scanned my bedroom and reality set in. “Just a dream. A really freaky dream.”
     
    The banging continued. Someone was trying to beat down my front door. I reached for my phone, considering calling the cops.
     
    “Cora!” someone shouted, exasperation clear in the tone though his voice was muffled.
     
    Okay, probably not an axe murderer. At least not a good one. I slipped out of bed and donned the first thing I could find, my baby blue fuzzy robe with sheep on it, before heading to the front door. God I hope this isn’t more paparazzi. I really can’t deal with that right now.
     
    Pressing my eye to the peephole. Simon’s face stared back at me. I unbolted the lock and slid the chain off. “Simon what are you doing here?” I pulled him inside quickly and bolted the lock. “You should have called first.”
     
    He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I did. Three times. Jeez. I forgot how deeply you sleep. I’m almost afraid to know what would happen to you in an earthquake.” He paused, looking around my apartment for the first time. Suddenly I became very self-conscious. Simon had never been inside before. Hell, he’d never even been outside. How’d he get my apartment number? Mom… I sighed. 
     
    I’d always gone to his place or met him out. I didn’t want him to see what a dump I lived in because I knew he’d do nothing but worry and try to make me take his money and move. I couldn’t let him do that.
     
    “What are you doing here?” I asked again.
     
    Simon made a circle motion with his finger. “We’ll talk about this later. But first, holy shit, Cora! What the hell happened yesterday? Every news outlet in L.A. has been covering the Breccan/Miranda meltdown and you, baby sister, seem to be at the center of it. For fuck’s sake, they made you a GIF!”
     
    My eyes slid shut. Crap. I had some ‘splainin’ to do. “You should probably take a seat, Simon. There’s a lot I need to tell you.”
     
    Simon eyed the futon, “You sure it’s safe?”
     
    I picked up a throw pillow and threw it at him. “Jeez. It’s not like I live in a roach motel or something for crying out loud. Just because I don’t live in a luxury penthouse like you, doesn’t mean this place is crawling with bedbugs.” I looked around at my tiny apartment. “It may not be much, but it’s clean and it’s mine. I’m doing just fine without your help.” I narrowed my eyes at him when I saw him open his mouth with a retort. “Or your judgments.”
     
    He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, no judgment. I’m sorry. That came out all wrong. I just worry about you. Is this neighborhood even safe? One measly lock on the door?”
     
    “Simon!”
     
    “Fine, fine. I’ll drop it. Now tell me why Breccan was punching Miranda’s assistant and why she slapped you? What the fuck happened?”
     
    I joined him on the couch and pulled a fuzzy yellow throw pillow on my lap, plucking at the strings on the ends. “It’s a really long story.”
     
    “I have time.”
     
    I drew a deep breath. “I guess it all started in Hong Kong.”
     
    “Hong Kong? That was over a month ago!”
     
    I swiped at him with the pillow. “Will you shut up and let me talk?”
     
    Simon motioned like he was zipping his lips and I continued. “One of our last nights in Hong Kong, I went out late by myself to run an errand for Breccan and was attacked.”
     
    Simon sucked in a breath next to me, but he didn’t say anything, letting me get this very painful memory out. Several times he