His Hundred Dollar Kiss Chapter 2

As I walked away, a few people actually looked tempted to try their luck. But one withering glare from Landon sent them scurrying back.

The girl who had been hesitating before, however, took a step forward. Her eyes were red-rimmed. “Landon,” she said, her voice steady but laced with hurt, “even if you wanted to humiliate me, did you really have to hire someone to put on a show?”

She spoke with a fragile dignity, as if she’d suffered a terrible injustice.

The crowd’s mood shifted. So that’s what this was. A twisted little game Landon had orchestrated to make Audrey Reed feel a pang of jealousy, to finally get her to accept him.

Landon wasn't about to take the blame for this. He rubbed his temples, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. “I don’t know her.”

His words shut everyone up.

Just then, a voice from the crowd piped up. “What’s with the innocent act? When Landon asked her out before, she acted like she’d rather die. Why the wounded routine now?”

That opened the floodgates.

“Seriously, she’s such a hypocrite. Everything she’s wearing, everything she owns, didn’t Landon pay for it? How does she have the nerve to say something like that?”

“I think she’s just stringing him along. She doesn’t want him, but she doesn’t want anyone else to have him either.”

“Didn’t it feel like her little speech was meant to lead us on? If Landon hadn’t clarified, I would’ve actually thought he staged all this just to get her attention.”

Seeing her carefully constructed narrative crumble, a flash of panic crossed Audrey’s face, quickly masked by a fresh wave of tears. She bit her lip hard, looking at Landon with a defiant stare. “Is that what you think, too?”

Landon was silent.

Normally, the slightest hint of redness in Audrey’s eyes would have sent him into a tailspin of concern. But today, his heart felt like it was crawling with ants. Another second of her tear-streaked face and he felt his patience snap.

When it was clear Landon wasn’t going to comfort her, Audrey took a staggering step back, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her nails dug into her palms.

“Landon, I’ll never forgive you for this.”

With that, she turned and ran off, sobbing.

This time, Landon didn’t follow. He shot a cold glare at the gawking crowd. “Get lost,” he snarled.

No one wanted to be on the receiving end of Landon Prescott’s anger. In an instant, the school entrance was empty.

Landon’s best friend, Leo, slung an arm over his shoulder.

“Still thinking about her, Mr. ‘Great Kisser’?” Leo teased. “Don’t tell me you’re actually falling for that new girl. You didn’t even seem to care about Audrey.”

The movement was too rough. The cash I’d stuffed into Landon’s collar tumbled out, scattering across the pavement.

Landon’s face darkened further.

The Prescotts were one of the city’s founding families, with deep roots and even deeper pockets. Landon was the sole heir, spoiled beyond belief. He was used to being the one dishing out humiliation, not the one on the receiving end.

Seeing his friend continue to poke the bear, Landon’s jaw tightened. He let out a cold, sharp laugh.

“Like her? I’d have to be blind.”

He kicked at a stray bill on the ground. “She won’t last a day in this school if I have anything to say about it.”