The man let out an excited breath and moved quickly forward, hand outstretched. “I’m Andrew Quentin, and I’m your biggest fan.”
Nally’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t know I had fans,” he said, taking the man’s hand with a smile and shaking it.
“Oh, you do. You definitely do,” Quentin said, pumping his hand vigorously…and not letting go. “I’ve listened to all yourmusic that I’ve been able to find and then some. You’re utterly brilliant, you know. And you’re adorable. I could just eat you up.” Quentin increased his grip on Nally’s hand and tugged him suddenly closer. Too close.
Nally swallowed hard, feeling suddenly sick.
“Gosh, no, that sounded all wrong,” Quentin said, laughing tightly and finally letting Nally’s hand go. “I just mean that I think you’re wonderful and I love…I would love to hear more of your music.”
“There’s more to hear tonight,” Nally said, starting to feel a little creeped out by the intensity in Quentin’s eyes and the way he seemed to be sweating far too much for the cool evening. “I composed the soundtrack.”
“I know, I know. That’s why I’m here,” Quentin said. “I’ve already listened to it a dozen times, though.”
“Great,” Nally said, glancing around as subtly as he could for a way to escape the awkward encounter.
Fortunately for him, Jude rounded the corner a few yards away at just that moment. Nally’s insides pulled every which way at the sight of his friend. Jude looked amazing, of course. He had the look of a movie star, what with his strong features, blond hair, and blue eyes. He was a touch on the short side, just like Nally. They actually had very similar builds and often swapped clothes.
But that wasn’t why Nally was so bloody happy to see his friend. Something about Quentin had the hair standing up on the back of his neck. Seeing Jude made it feel like a hero was coming to his rescue.
TWO
“I’ll be there.”
Jude said goodbye and ended his call with Nally, a zip of excitement swirling through his gut. He put his phone down, leaned back in his desk chair, and hurried through the last of the editing he’d been working on for his latest social media post. His brand was to comment on celebrity gossip, and his persona was that of a slightly barmy nouveau-aristo who didn’t quite grasp the modern world. It wasn’t exactly who he was, but since he and Nally both had been bullied so badly throughout school by people who assumed thatwaswho they were, it felt only right to spoof that and make a lot of money as he did.
It wasn’t money or branding that excited him about rushing to Nally’s rescue on the red carpet that night. Any opportunity to spend time with his best friend was excellent, as far as he was concerned. The fact that he would get to do it on a red carpet with cameras flashing was even better.
He put the almost finished post aside and stood, whirling around to assess his bedroom. Well, it was more of a bed-suite, if he was honest. Aside from his desk, filing cabinets, and computer equipment in what had once been the viscountess’sdressing room, his suite included the boudoir, which housed his large, neatly arranged bed, the standard wardrobe, an ornate bureau, and a bathroom. The boudoir was staged to reflect the person he pretended to be online.
And if ever there was a good time to be that person, it was now.
Jude hurried into the other room and attached his phone to the tall stand with a ring light that was a permanent fixture in the corner of his room. He then headed to the wardrobe to figure out what he wanted to wear to the premiere. Once he’d decided and had everything arranged so that his movements would look as seamless and spur-of-the moment as possible, he moved to his phone stand, navigated to his primary social media channel, and started a live video.
“Hello, chaps,” he said in his affected accent. “So!” he went on, clapping his hands together, “I’ve just received a smashing, last-minute invitation to attend the premiere ofTo Serve Himthis evening. Can you believe it? And so, we now embark upon the most important and sacred task I’ve been handed for the last fortnight. Come with me on a journey of sartorial elegance as I dress to impress.”
He launched into action, pretending to pore through his wardrobe as he chose the outfit he’d already planned. He played up to the camera, no qualms at all with undressing as much as he knew he could get away with while not having his account deleted for indecency. He knew exactly what his fans wanted, and he gave it to them in spades as he talked about the various items of clothing he was contemplating, all while hiding and revealing just the right amount of skin.
With lightning speed, the number of people watching his live broadcast climbed up and up, past the hundreds and just over a thousand. With the floating hearts and likes that mounted up came more than a few comments.
“Choose the blue one.”
“What time does the premiere start?”
“Who is your date for the premiere?”
“When are you going to create an OnlyFans account?”
Jude got that last comment all the time, and there had been a few sad, drunken evenings, after break-ups or when the latest man of his dreams had turned him down, when he’d seriously considered it. He was intrigued by the idea of crossing the line between attention-seeking and exhibitionism. Nally always talked him out of it, though, and it was probably for the best.
“Sorry I don’t have time to answer all your questions, lads,” he said once he was dressed, stepping straight up to his phone so he could fill the entire screen with his face. “Time’s a’wasting. But don’t worry, I’ll document the entire evening for you. Cheers!”
He ended the video, quickly checked through the comments to see if there was anything he needed to address, and when there wasn’t, he tucked his phone into the interior pocket of his suit jacket and dashed into his en suite bathroom to style his hair and add just a touch of powder, blush, and eyeliner to his look. One never knew when one might end up on Page Six, after all. He tucked a few extra items of make-up into his jacket pocket, knowing Nally wouldn’t think about the cameras when he prepped for the night. He then grabbed his wallet and headed downstairs, checking Nally’s location on his phone. It looked like he was just entering the city.
“And just where are you going at this odd hour?”
Jude winced as he sped past the doorway to the kitchen on his way to the back of the house, where his family had a small courtyard where they parked their cars. He didn’t need one of the cars just to drive to Leicester Square, of course, but he was rather fond of his SYM Joymax maxi scooter, even thoughNally said it looked like the love child of a Vespa and a proper motorcycle.
He stopped and took a few steps backwards to glance into the kitchen at his mum and dad, who looked like they were just finishing supper preparations. “I’m, er, going out for the night,” he told them. Not that he needed to run everything past his parents before he went anywhere. They would pester him with their worry if he didn’t, though.
