“Oh fuck, no, you didn't.” Max stands up, but I tug on her arm. The girl's words don't bother me. I know what I look like, and I know the kind of food I can eat. I work too hard to be eating only salads. I’m pretty sure the girl had made up her mind before she came over to us. Some women just see attractive females as competition. My mom did, and like my mom, she’s lashing out as a defense mechanism for her insecurity. I know not all women are like that, Hope being my most recent proof, but I don’t have a lot of patience for the ones who are.
“Yeah, I’m good. Pasta would begreat. I had one hell of a workout before I came here. My boyfriend fucked me for hours, and I’m starving.”
Looking like she’s swallowed a lemon, our waitress turns around, heading back to the kitchen with no further words. Max, on the other hand, dissolves into giggles. “Fuck, Harlow, you always know what to say.”
I screw up my face, grumbling, “Yeah, well, my pasta will probably be spat in for my troubles, but I can’t stand girls like that. We’re supposed to lift each other up, not tear one another down.”
“Ignore the bitch! Let’s get back to all your boy dramas. Don't think that Alex hasn't told me all about Nana’s plans to build you a harem, and I say ‘yay, Nana!’ Will she find me one too?”
I roll my eyes so hard that I swear I see the back of my brain. Trust Max to blow off all my worries and get straight to the heart of the problem.
The waitress returns with our margaritas, not at all carefully placing them on the table. In fact, she's so rough with mine it sloshes over the sides. We watch as she turns and stomps back to the bar. She and the bartender stand there and watch us. I'm sure the conversation they’re having is bitchy, but I just don't have the energy to engage today. So, putting a huge smile on my face, I pull the straw out of the glass and down that sucker in one go. Placing the glass back on the table, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and signal to the two watching us for another round.
Max is outright chuckling now, not bothering to hide her amusement. “Look, Harlow, I know you. You haven't ever had a proper relationship. Why don't you take this time and get to know them all individually? If you get to ride their cocks a time or two, bonus. I know you’re looking for someone to love and be loved by, but you’re so damn scared because of the way your mother treated you, you’ve never taken that chance before. Leap now, and you may find yourself with not one but six men to love. All the previous shit is just that, shit. What happens from here on in is what matters. Make them work for it because you aresofucking worth it.”
Tears prickle my eyes, and I’m reminded once more why I keep Max around. Although she can be careless with my emotions sometimes, when it comes down to the crunch, she’s got my back. I reach out, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly.
The waitress returns with our next round, not giving this one much care either.Holy fuck, what has crawled up this girl’s ass?
Once she leaves, I pull my hand away and grab my drink. I seem to be using alcohol as a bit of a crutch at the moment, and that realization sends a twinge of worry that I may be just like my mom, but I quickly shake the thought off. I amnothinglike that woman. I know when to stop, and it’s okay for me to treat myself or occasionally overindulge with my bestie.
“Thank you. I needed to hear all that. I guess I just wanted someone to give me permission to like them all, ya know? I’m kind of diving right into the super deep end of dating by even thinking about trying this out.” She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah, but from my three-way chat with Hope and Alex, they’ve been telling you that the whole time,” she says, calling me out on my shit, but I shrug my shoulders.
“Yeah, but they’re new friends. With you, I know I’ll get the truth whether I like it or not.”
“You bet your ass you will.”
Just then, our food arrives, and we’re both quiet. People watching makes good entertainment while I devour the creamy dish, the tang of the sun dried tomatoes the perfect offset to the rich sauce.
While we’re eating, Max’s eyes bug out of her head at something over my shoulder, and when I turn around to see what’s going on, I find Declan standing at the front of the bar with three men, two who look extremely familiar. His eyes light up, and he points to our booth.
“Can we join you?” he mouths, and I turn to ask Max who has paled slightly.
“Is it alright if they join us?”
“Do you know who that is with Declan?” she whispers quietly, her facial expression moving back and forth between awe and panic.
“I'm assuming Sean Walsh, but I’m not sure about the other two even though they look familiar. Do you know who they are?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Harlow. Your damn abandoned videos are limiting your fucking movie veiwing. The hot blond one is Cayden Storm, and the panty melting dark-haired one is Jarred Reed. They're the hottest things in Hollywood as far as male movie stars go.”So that must leave the guy with black hair as the director. He’s younger than I’d expected. Maybe early thirties?
“Huh. Does Neighpalm represent them?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“No, I don't think so, but they’ve both had a falling out with their previous representation, or that's the rumor going around movie sets at the moment. Or it was at the one I’d just left. I overheard Selena Cross gossiping with one of the other actresses about it one day.”
I turn back to Declan, and he’s still waiting for my response, so I quickly nod my head. With a point at us, the sunny hostess shows them to our booth. Luckily, it’s big enough for the six of us, so Max and I squeeze right over.
Declan pushes in next to me, with Sean Walsh on his other side. Jarred and Cayden take a seat on Max’s side, and I see her cower in on herself in a way that’s totally unlike her.Hmm, what's with that?She’s usually bubbly and outgoing, not nervous and shy.
We basically have enough time for brief introductions before we’re approached by the waitress, and fuck me, this is a completely different woman than we dealt with before. Her eyelashes are fluttering, and she's got a sultry smile on her face.
“What can I get you boys?” she practically purrs, nothing like the surly greeting that Max and I had gotten.
The guys don’t order any food, but they do ask for a round of drinks and two more margaritas for me and Max. She leaves, swaying her hips like she’s fucking Shakira or something... and the margaritas must have destroyed my filter because I apparently said that out loud if the laughter is anything to go by.
“Whoa, Harlow! I didn't pick you to be catty about other women,” Declan teases, and I’m about to put him in his place when Max jumps to my defense.
