Their lips lock in a kiss. Not just any kind of kiss, but an “I gotta have you right now” kiss, where the participants shove their tongues down each other’s throats.
I blink, sit up. There’s no way I’m seeing what I’m seeing. Pyotr is… He’s dating Renni. Maybe it’s somebody who just looks a lot like Pyotr.
I push my sunglasses over my forehead and stare, but nope. It is Pyotr.
“That son of a bitch!” I turn to Renni. “Oh my gosh, I can’t even. I’m so…”
I want to get over there and beat him up, but I can’t. Renni just sighs and looks up at the sky.
A convertible behind me honks. “The light’s green!” the guy yells.
“Sorry!” I raise a hand, then check the light to make sure it is indeed green, and step on the gas. I want to go after Pyotr and his illicit lover boy, but I can’t. They just made a turn.
My knuckles whiten as I grip the steering wheel.
Renni’s face is resigned. “You can’t tell anybody what you saw, especially not Gary.”
“Why not? He should go beat Pyotr up for what he’s doing.”
“No, he shouldn’t. We’re not really dating.” Renni straightens and thumps the back of her head against the seat. “We’re faking it because of his homophobic grandfather. If his grandfather finds out that he’s gay, he’s going to be cut off. He’s paying me to play the girlfriend.” She sighs. “I am an actress, after all.”
“Oh.” This is an unexpected turn. “Sorry. I h
ad no idea.” I thought she was in love with him. She can’t stop gazing at him or touching him whenever they’re together. Even at home, she often talks about him like a loving girlfriend.
“You weren’t supposed to. Everyone’s supposed to think we’re crazy in love so that if there’s ever a question, you can honestly answer that Pyotr can’t possibly be gay.” Tension makes her expression more stark and harsh.
“What happens if he gets found out?”
“Then it’s over. He isn’t getting his inheritance, and I need to go back to my old job at the café or something to pay the hospital bills.”
Renni had an appendectomy two years ago. I thought she paid it off when she quit her second job at the café around the time she started “dating” Pyotr, but I guess she quit because she has a new job of pretending to be his girlfriend.
“If the inheritance matters that much, he should be more careful not to stick his tongue down another man’s throat in public.” It’s unfair that Renni has to worry about all this because he’s too spoiled to give a damn.
“Please, Paige? Can you just pretend you didn’t see anything?” Renni asks, worry etching lines in her face.
The injustice of it all makes my teeth hurt, but I nod instead and feel like the worst kind of friend ever because I can’t do anything to help her.
Chapter Nine
Paige
Unlike most people, I generally don’t mind Mondays. But this particular Monday does not start well.
First, I get up late. Then the pilot calls to let me know he flew Ryder back to Los Angeles. Then, in my rush, I forget my cellphone at home.
Since it’s not the kind of beginning I’d like for the week, I don’t realize I’m missing my phone until I’m in my car. Which means I have to go back, which means I’m half an hour late for work.
Given how things have gone so far, I’m certain the rest of the day’s going to suck. Oh yay.
Then I smack myself mentally. Don’t let a couple of hours ruin the whole day. You can do better than this.
With renewed determination to be productive, I go to my office on the second level, then stop when I spot Mira.
She’s so skinny she almost looks anorexic. The midnight blue one-piece dress doesn’t help. The black Cleopatra hairstyle looks harsh for her delicate narrow face with dark glittering eyes. Behind them burns fire or manic zeal. I can’t quite tell which. She always wears the brightest red lipstick, which makes it look like she’s feasted on the blood of the innocent for breakfast.
She probably does. She is too good at her job and knows everything about everyone in Hollywood, including secrets that nobody is supposed to know. I’ve heard some whispers about Satanic rituals, sacrificial offspring and the like.