“Exactly. Didn’t he know the dog would probably be euthanized? I saw Snorty’s picture on a shelter page and ran right over to claim him.’
I pause to stroke Snorty’s head.
“When the vet told me about the surgery, I decided I would just raise the money somehow. As a last resort, I thought I could borrow it from Steven. But I hated to do that.”
“Then Steve told you about this fake girlfriend gig,” Antoine said
“Yes. Problem solved. Of course, the 'cherry on top' of this whole 'fake girlfriend weekend' is that I'm hoping it will give me access to the sponsor.”
I pause. “I heard he's donating a percentage of proceeds from the concert to autism research. I'm hoping to tell him about some of the programs I've developed at the autistic school where I teach."
I lift my puppy for a quick hug. He snorts in protest as he hates having meals interrupted.
"If it wasn't for Snorty's operation, and the funding for my school, I would never have come. Las Vegas is too over the top for me. And Rio isn't my cup of tea."
"A famous, sexy rockstar isn't your cup of tea? Now I'm curious, Miss Maddie," Antoine says. "What did Rio do to you that makes you regard him with such animosity?"
"Nothing."
Antoine lifts an eyebrow. "I heard something about you two having a history."
"History? No. He was just my big brother's arrogant alpha-hole of a friend, is all."
The way I bite off the wordarrogantmust give me away, because Antoine smiles. "History may not be the right word. Did you date? Briefly? Once?"
"No! Never! As if!" I leave out the part about having a crush onRio since I was a kid. That stupid ballerina notebook, still tucked in my bag, remains a humiliating reminder of how naïve I used to be.
But Antoine’s game face is impossible to read. The silence stretches until I cave.
"All right, if I tell you… do you promise to never tell anybody else? Especially Steven."
"You never told your own brother?"
"No. Steven can't know. Nobody can know."
"Sounds serious," says Antoine. "But yes, I promise to keep your secret."
"All right. If you sense some tension between us, you're right. Four years ago, I made a surprise visit to see Steven at his university.”
“Go on.”
“It was really late when I got there, like after midnight. The dorm RA let me in with his master key. I was so exhausted I just crawled into the spare bed without even changing. I must have fallen asleep right away.
Next thing I knew, I felt this weight on top of me and hands touching me all over. It took me a second to realize what was happening—I was half-asleep and confused.”
Antoine nods for me to continue, his expression serious now.
“When I finally registered what was happening, I screamed, jumped out of bed, and flicked on the lights. Then I saw Rio, looking at me with that characteristic smirk of his. That same expression he wears on all his albums. Like he thinks he's God's gift.”
I pause to collect myself, the memory still making my skin crawl. “Then Rio started laughing. Actually laughing, like this whole thing was just some hilarious joke. I was terrified, and he thought it was funny.”
"Rio laughed?!" Antoine sounds genuinely surprised.
I think about it for a moment.
“I should probably explain he was completely wasted. Once the light was fully on, I felt certain he realized it was me, Maddie, forthe first time. That smirk disappeared, and he just stared at me like he'd seen a ghost."
"What do you mean?" Antoine leans forward. "He didn't know it was you when he was on top of you?"
