“Me?… Or Hayes?”
Oliver tensed. “What doyouthink?”
“I think it says something that I’m asking you to clarify.”
He stared at me for a moment. And then he smiled. It hurt that he was so good-looking, and still managed to be such an ass.
“Well, you know where to find me. When you’re ready for an upgrade…”
“I love your audacity, Oliver. I’m going to be nice to you, because I know how much you mean to Hayes. And because I like Charlotte. And because you’re cute. But I’m not going to let you cross the line…”
He paused, smiled, swilled from his glass. “I think you already have.”
“Ollie!” A voice called from off to the side.
He looked over, and I followed his line of sight to a striking young woman approaching us in a peacock-green dress. I took her for a model, but then thought she seemed far too self-possessed. And he seemed far too adoring.
“Hey.” She hugged him, mussed his hair. He kissed her cheek. And then I realized.
“Solène, do you know my sister, Penelope? Pen, this is Solène. She’s a friend ofHayes.” It seemed to me he said it pointedly, but I could not be certain as to why.
She was stunning.
She had her brother’s height and arresting hazel eyes, but the similarities ended there. She was sexier than I’d pictured, riper, darker, fuller lips. A young boy’s wet dream. I wanted to high-five Hayes’s fourteen-year-old self. I imagined his joy. And then it dawned on me thatshemay have very well been the prototype. The original Hayes fantasy.
“Pleasure,” she said, extending her elegant hand.
I could feel her assessing me and then remembered that I was not supposed to know their story and could not openly assess her in the same way.
“Are you from New York?” she asked.
“Los Angeles,” I said, and she nodded.
“Did you like the film?”
“Very much…”
There was something unnerving about being in her presence. Knowing who she was and what she’d represented to Hayes. And the idea that she knew him. She knew his mouth, she knew his dick, she knew his hands. She knew what I was going back to at the hotel. Sheknewhim.
This seemed to be happening over and over again.
“Didyoulike it?” I asked.
“It wasfun.” She smiled. “They’re afunbunch.”
“Yes,” I said, turning to look at her brother. “That they are.”
“Ha!” Oliver smirked. And as much as I might have wanted to, I could not hate him. Because he had thatthing. That cocky thing I fell for. Every single time.
“Liam, especially,” Penelope continued. “He’s quite rascally, that one.”
I nodded, taking her in. Round breasts, narrow waist. I wondered if she’d slept with Liam, too. Lanky Liam with his darling freckles, angelic voice, and winsome smile. And then I realized how outrageous that sounded. But it was all a wee too incestuous for me. I needed to get out of there.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I said, “I have to check on my daughter. Penelope, it’s been a pleasure. Oliver, I’ll see you around.”
I found Hayes back up near the booths, engaged in conversation with a bunch of women I did not know. They could have been publicists, industry execs, ex-girlfriends, fans. I’d stopped caring.
His face lit up when he saw me, and he managed to remove himself from his admirers. “Where did you run off to? You okay?”
