two weeks, you might
forget me.”
“I should do to you what you did to me this afternoon,” I said.
He let out a short snort of a laugh into his whiskey. “You don’t
have the self-control.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Yeah. I wanna bet.”
He pulled me close and spoke so softly I could barely hear him.
“You get me to beg for it, and tomorrow I will take you to Tiffany on Rodeo
Drive where you can pick out anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“And what if I don’t? Which I won’t, but just for argument’s
sake.”
“Then you cancel whatever it is you’re doing, and I take you back
to my house, where you will obey my every command until the sun comes up.”
“I am not scrubbing your kitchen floor.”
He smirked. “That’s not what I had in mind.”
I hadn’t noticed the piano had stopped until I mentioned the
kitchen floor.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, getting out of the booth before I
had a chance to explain that I wasn’t ditching him or manipulating him. I’d let
Gabby go off by herself, and I didn’t know if she’d seen me with him and taken
a cab home.
I ran into Teresa in the hall on the way to the dressing room.
“I am so sorry,” I said. “I was rude and unbecoming.”
“My brother’s an asshole, so I don’t blame you.” She said it with
a smile, taking my hand and squeezing. “We both loved your voice.”
“Thank you. I have to go. I’ll try to see you on the way out.”
I got into the dressing room just as Gabby shouldered her bag.
“I was looking for you,” she said.
“I was talking to Jonathan. You ready to go? I want to see him on
the way out.”
“He’s here? Oh my God, Mon, he can help us get an agent or
something. Another manager. Anything.”
“He’s not in the business, Gabs, please come on.”
She tugged my sleeve. “Wait. First of all, everyone’s in the business,
even if they’re not. Okay? And what are you hiding from me? What?” She was a
few inches shorter and looked up at me like she could pierce me with her eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Monica.”
“I want to go home.” I took a step toward the door, but Gabby
leaned against it. I dropped my bag, giving in. “Fine, he wants to make this
bet, and it has to do with sex, and I’m not hanging out with him tonight, I’m
hanging out with you.”
“Cancel with me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because Darren would kill me.”
“God damn the two of you!” she shouted.
“Gabs, please. Give me a break.”
“No, you guys won’t leave me alone to take a dump and you think
I’m too stupid to notice? Now you have the chance to get the ear of a major
fucking player—”
“He’s not—”
“Shut up. Because you don’t know anything. He teaches business at
UCLA where Janet Terova heads up the Industry
Relations board, and you know who that is right?”
I sighed. I felt like I was taking a quiz.
“Arnie Sanderson’s ex-wife?”
“Eugene Testarossa’s boss. Right. Him.”
“Gabby, if something happened because I went to have sex with
some guy I barely even know…”
She put her hands on my arms and looked up at me with those big
stinking blue eyes, the ones that had rolled to the back of her head and could
only be brought back with a slap in the face, and said, “I promise I will not
try to kill myself tonight.”
“Your word is the last thing I should believe.”
“I tried to kill myself because I felt hopeless. You do this, I
have hope. Okay?”
“You’re whoring me out.”
“Am I taking a cab home or not?”
I had to admit, the temptation was painful, almost physically so.
Here she was, not only giving me permission to leave her alone and promising
not to hurt herself, but pushing me out the door.
The exquisite ache between my legs grew to a distracting level
when I thought about being with Jonathan. The afternoon’s frustration had
turned into a longing that seemed bigger than my
forget me.”
“I should do to you what you did to me this afternoon,” I said.
He let out a short snort of a laugh into his whiskey. “You don’t
have the self-control.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Yeah. I wanna bet.”
He pulled me close and spoke so softly I could barely hear him.
“You get me to beg for it, and tomorrow I will take you to Tiffany on Rodeo
Drive where you can pick out anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“And what if I don’t? Which I won’t, but just for argument’s
sake.”
“Then you cancel whatever it is you’re doing, and I take you back
to my house, where you will obey my every command until the sun comes up.”
“I am not scrubbing your kitchen floor.”
He smirked. “That’s not what I had in mind.”
I hadn’t noticed the piano had stopped until I mentioned the
kitchen floor.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, getting out of the booth before I
had a chance to explain that I wasn’t ditching him or manipulating him. I’d let
Gabby go off by herself, and I didn’t know if she’d seen me with him and taken
a cab home.
I ran into Teresa in the hall on the way to the dressing room.
“I am so sorry,” I said. “I was rude and unbecoming.”
“My brother’s an asshole, so I don’t blame you.” She said it with
a smile, taking my hand and squeezing. “We both loved your voice.”
“Thank you. I have to go. I’ll try to see you on the way out.”
I got into the dressing room just as Gabby shouldered her bag.
“I was looking for you,” she said.
“I was talking to Jonathan. You ready to go? I want to see him on
the way out.”
“He’s here? Oh my God, Mon, he can help us get an agent or
something. Another manager. Anything.”
“He’s not in the business, Gabs, please come on.”
She tugged my sleeve. “Wait. First of all, everyone’s in the business,
even if they’re not. Okay? And what are you hiding from me? What?” She was a
few inches shorter and looked up at me like she could pierce me with her eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Monica.”
“I want to go home.” I took a step toward the door, but Gabby
leaned against it. I dropped my bag, giving in. “Fine, he wants to make this
bet, and it has to do with sex, and I’m not hanging out with him tonight, I’m
hanging out with you.”
“Cancel with me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because Darren would kill me.”
“God damn the two of you!” she shouted.
“Gabs, please. Give me a break.”
“No, you guys won’t leave me alone to take a dump and you think
I’m too stupid to notice? Now you have the chance to get the ear of a major
fucking player—”
“He’s not—”
“Shut up. Because you don’t know anything. He teaches business at
UCLA where Janet Terova heads up the Industry
Relations board, and you know who that is right?”
I sighed. I felt like I was taking a quiz.
“Arnie Sanderson’s ex-wife?”
“Eugene Testarossa’s boss. Right. Him.”
“Gabby, if something happened because I went to have sex with
some guy I barely even know…”
She put her hands on my arms and looked up at me with those big
stinking blue eyes, the ones that had rolled to the back of her head and could
only be brought back with a slap in the face, and said, “I promise I will not
try to kill myself tonight.”
“Your word is the last thing I should believe.”
“I tried to kill myself because I felt hopeless. You do this, I
have hope. Okay?”
“You’re whoring me out.”
“Am I taking a cab home or not?”
I had to admit, the temptation was painful, almost physically so.
Here she was, not only giving me permission to leave her alone and promising
not to hurt herself, but pushing me out the door.
The exquisite ache between my legs grew to a distracting level
when I thought about being with Jonathan. The afternoon’s frustration had
turned into a longing that seemed bigger than my
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