Page 68 of Stanton Adore

13

Natasha

“Just pull over up here,” Bridget says as she points to the curb. It’s 10:30 p.m. and Abbie and I are dropping her at Jeremy’s after our Italian dinner date. I’m exhausted. I yawn. The car is stopped, and she has the car door open talking to Abbie about making fresh pasta or something equally boring.

I rub my eyes. “Can you two hurry the hell up?” I frown as I lean my head onto the steering wheel. I’m frigging delirious. They finally finish up and we head down the street. Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ blares from my handbag.

“Shit, get that, Abbs,” I snap.

After rummaging through my bag, she answers. “Hi…. No, this is Abbie…um yeah, hang on a sec…. Who’s speaking, please?” She puts her hand over the phone.

“It’s Adrian.”

“Who?” I frown.

She hunches her shoulders. “Adrian.”

“Oh shit. Josh’s Adrian.” I quickly pull over the car. I snatch the phone.

“Hi, this is Natasha.” Damn, I sound like a schoolteacher.

“Hi, Natasha, sorry to bother you. It’s Adrian. Are you busy?”

I frown, that’s a strange question.

“It’s just…I was wondering if you could help me out?”

“Sure, Adrian. Is everything OK?”

“Not really, it’s Josh.”

My heart jumps in my chest. “What’s wrong?” I snap.

“No, it’s OK. We have just had a really long lunch and we are in a bar in the Rocks.” I smile as I imagine Josh drunk in a sleazy bar. “Anyway, that guy that Josh had that fight with the other night…um, that friend of yours.”

“Todd,” I snap.

“Yes, he turned up about forty minutes ago.”

“Right,” I wince.

“They are just glaring at each other at this stage.”

“Who is Josh with?”

“His two exec friends from IBM.” My mind is going a million miles per minute. Surely this can’t be good. “Um, anyway Josh just ordered all of the bodyguards out of the pub and asked me to go home.”

My eyes bulge. “Is that abnormal?”

“Well, he’s never done anything like this before.” Holy fuck, they’re going to kill each other.

“I know this sounds lame, but can you come and get him? If he gets into another fight it will affect his visa. This idiot already put him up on an assault charge.”

“OK. I’m on my way. Where are you?”

“Thanks. We are at the Observer in the Rocks.” Oh shit. I hang up and start driving like a maniac.

“What’s going on?” Abbie frowns.