But I could see Hayes still smarting, and I knew that was not going to happen.
“Really?” he said, taunting. “Was itmegetting my way? Or your sister gettinghers?”
Oliver’s eyes narrowed. And then, unexpectedly, he began to laugh. “Hayes Campbell. Doesn’t play well with others.”
He was turning away, a smug smile on his aristocratic face, when Hayes spoke. His voice low, but clear enough for us all to hear:
“At least not in the way you’dlikeme to.”
There was a moment of quiet while we were all registering what Hayes had said, and then it happened in a flash. And I think none of us was more surprised than Oliver, the elegant. He spun around,his arm whipping back and then flying over Simon’s shoulder, catching Hayes in the center of his perfect face. It wasn’t skilled or pretty, but it had the desired effect. There was a popping sound and then blood… everywhere.
“Fuck!!”
“Holy shit!!!” Rory jumped on the other side of the room.
“Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!!”
“Raj!!!!!!” Liam yelled. A bit like a girl, I thought.
“Holy shit!”
“What the fuck?” Simon pushed Oliver in the chest, and he stumbled back onto the floor. “What the fuck are you doing?”
And Hayes, in the middle of it all, both hands to his nose, eyes wide and unbelieving, and the blood dripping down his forearms and his chin, onto his Saint Laurent shirt. And his boots, his favorite boots.
“You fucking hit me? You little bitch.”
I jumped up and grabbed a towel from the stack over by Petra’s table and went to him. “Tip your head back.”
“This fucking hurts.”
“I know, honey. I’m sorry. Come, sit. Liam, go find Raj or Andrew and tell them we need a medic. Rory, get us some ice. Now!”
Simon helped us over to the couch along the near wall, rolling a towel to support Hayes’s head. When he was done, he stepped back, watching me, a wry smile on his chiseled face.
“What?”
“You’re like the hot mum I never had.”
“Really? Not the ‘disappointed mum’?”
“Campbell.” He leaned over Hayes and gave him two thumbs up. “It’s like the MILF fantasy and the nurse fantasy rolled into one.”
“Simon…”
“Also, high-five on Penelope.”
“Simon,go away. And change your shirt. There’s blood on your shirt.”
“Change it for what? It’s not like we can go on without him.” He spun around to nail Oliver on the other side of the room. “You are in so much fucking trouble, HK.”
Andrew appeared then at the door with Liam and three security detail. “What the bloody hell happened?”
For a second no one spoke. Oliver stood with his arms crossed looking contrite. Simon shook his head. Hayes’s eyes were closed.
“Apparently, Hayes shagged his sister,” Liam said. And that was all he said.
Andrew’s look was incredulous. “Today?”
