He perks up. “Well, it is a pretty big deal.”
“That’s the spirit.”
HOLLIS
There are so many people here.Too many people.
My hands start to get clammy. My pulse starts to race.
Something doesn’t feel right.
Our driver is sitting in a line of cars, inching closer to the club.
“What’s the holdup?” I lean forward, trying to get a better view from the front. “Can you see anything?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing, sir. I think there are just too many cars. Not enough parking.”
Well, that appears pretty obvious.
But the question is why.
This is an invite-only event. Anexclusive,invite-only event.
Sure, there is a lot of buzz around the opening of the club. And like Pres said, everyone in LA is clamoring to get their chance to walk through the doors, including top-name celebrities.
But we didn’t publicize who was attending tonight’s opening. We didn’t invite the press. Doesn’t mean I didn’t expect a few to show up anyway, but we have protocol in place to distract them.
Because we’re selling an experience, and we can’t do that if there are screaming fans and flashing cameras everywhere.
“Fuck.” I blow out a breath.
“Do you think someone told the press?” Pres asks.
I shake my head, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Not anyone on the list, at least,” I say. “Jonas and I handpicked everyone. Not a single one of them would want this circus following them. It’s why we chose them. We knew they’d want what the club had to offer.”
Exclusivity. Privacy. Anonymity.
“Someone else then?”
“Maybe.”
The car lurches forward, but at this pace, we’re better off walking. In the mob outside, though, I’m not so sure it’s worth the risk.
My phone starts to buzz, and I quickly pull it out of my pocket. Relief sweeps over me when I see Jonas’s name flash across the screen.
“Hey,” I answer.
But before I can say anything else, he cuts me off and says, “Where are you?”
“Stuck around the block in traffic. Where are you?”
“Also stuck in fucking traffic,” he growls. “I was hoping at least one of us would be inside.”
“Do you know what the hell is going on?”
“No,” he answers. “But this is not the vibe we were going for, Hollis. I know there is a lot of buzz around the club, and I expected a bit of noise outside—people always show up when there’s talk of celebrities—but this is insane. It looks like the merch line Keisha made me stand in at the Taylor Swift concert.”
“Oh my god. It wasn’t that bad,” I hear her mutter.
