do if I stood on my toes. I left out the licking part.
“I know why you’re here tonight, Angel. I know all about what these girls in LA are doing. They want to put you out of business, and it would be my pleasure to help them, unless—”
She tried to pull away, but I squeezed tighter, ignoring for a moment the pain in my fingers as the blood rushed back in. The two of us stood perfectly still, a calm center in the middle of that surging dance floor.
“I know you’ve checked me out,” I said. “I’m not a hooker, and I don’t want to be a hooker. I’m a tight-assed, keep-your-fucking-hands-off-me management type with homemade hair and enough skill and experience to fix your little business problem here in LA without breaking a sweat. Or I could do the same for the women out here. You decide. But don’t take too long, because, like you, my services go to the highest bidder.”
I let go of her arm. She said nothing, just drifted back into the crowd wearing an enigmatic smile that said either I’m going to kill you or I’ll give you a call.
“What are you doing here by yourself? What’s with all the hand wringing?” Tristan had come up behind me. Both my wrists were adorned with flame-red bracelets. Holding them as if they were eggs, he inspected the damage. “What is this? What happened?”
“Nothing.” I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“If you don’t want to tell me, Alexandra, say so. Don’t treat me as if I were your mother.”
I looked at him and lied again. “I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
He pulled his hands, with mine in them, almost imperceptibly toward his body, as if to recover from a blow to his midsection. “You should put something on them.”
I turned him, looped my arm through his, and walked him off the dance floor. “I’m going back to the hotel.”
“I’ll go with you. We’ll get a cab.”
“I’d rather go by myself, if you don’t mind. You look as if you’re having a good time here. Is that all right? I’ll get the bouncer guy to call me a cab.”
“If that’s what you really want. Just be careful. Do you have money?”
“I’m okay. Thanks.”
He gave me a hug. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a better time. Don’t forget, we have an early call tomorrow morning. I’ll see you then.”
I made my way back through the house, past the bar, and to the doorway that led to the foyer. Bouncer Guy was alone, still absorbed in his game of solitaire.
I puffed myself up, wet my lips, straightened my teeny-weeny skirt, and strutted over to see him.
“Excuse me.”
He straightened up and clicked the game off the screen. Behind it was what looked like an Excel worksheet, one filled with names and addresses. I could see the disk inserted in the A drive as I leaned closer to him. I took that as a sign that I was supposed to have a copy of that guest list.
“I wonder if you would call me a cab. I don’t want to be here when the police show up.”
His brow furrowed deeply. “Police?”
“There’s a young woman in one of the bathrooms upstairs. It looks like an overdose. Someone is calling the police.”
“Which bathroom?”
“I don’t know. I’m telling you what I—”
He nearly knocked me flat as he bolted out of the entryway, pulling a cell phone from his pocket as he went. I swept around to the working side of the podium. The list was indeed in an Excel worksheet, saved in a file with the day’s date. I steadied my hands, put my fingers on the keys, and went to work.
Chapter
12
I HAD BEEN UP ONCE ALREADY WHEN THE ALARM went off, so the banging on the door confused me. If I had already gotten up, what was I doing still in bed?
“Alexandra, are you in there?”
It was Tristan. That much I knew. I lay on my back in total darkness, which confused me even more because my eyes were open. The one thing I was completely sure of was how much my head hurt. I reached up to touch it to see how it could be the size of a basketball and
“I know why you’re here tonight, Angel. I know all about what these girls in LA are doing. They want to put you out of business, and it would be my pleasure to help them, unless—”
She tried to pull away, but I squeezed tighter, ignoring for a moment the pain in my fingers as the blood rushed back in. The two of us stood perfectly still, a calm center in the middle of that surging dance floor.
“I know you’ve checked me out,” I said. “I’m not a hooker, and I don’t want to be a hooker. I’m a tight-assed, keep-your-fucking-hands-off-me management type with homemade hair and enough skill and experience to fix your little business problem here in LA without breaking a sweat. Or I could do the same for the women out here. You decide. But don’t take too long, because, like you, my services go to the highest bidder.”
I let go of her arm. She said nothing, just drifted back into the crowd wearing an enigmatic smile that said either I’m going to kill you or I’ll give you a call.
“What are you doing here by yourself? What’s with all the hand wringing?” Tristan had come up behind me. Both my wrists were adorned with flame-red bracelets. Holding them as if they were eggs, he inspected the damage. “What is this? What happened?”
“Nothing.” I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“If you don’t want to tell me, Alexandra, say so. Don’t treat me as if I were your mother.”
I looked at him and lied again. “I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
He pulled his hands, with mine in them, almost imperceptibly toward his body, as if to recover from a blow to his midsection. “You should put something on them.”
I turned him, looped my arm through his, and walked him off the dance floor. “I’m going back to the hotel.”
“I’ll go with you. We’ll get a cab.”
“I’d rather go by myself, if you don’t mind. You look as if you’re having a good time here. Is that all right? I’ll get the bouncer guy to call me a cab.”
“If that’s what you really want. Just be careful. Do you have money?”
“I’m okay. Thanks.”
He gave me a hug. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a better time. Don’t forget, we have an early call tomorrow morning. I’ll see you then.”
I made my way back through the house, past the bar, and to the doorway that led to the foyer. Bouncer Guy was alone, still absorbed in his game of solitaire.
I puffed myself up, wet my lips, straightened my teeny-weeny skirt, and strutted over to see him.
“Excuse me.”
He straightened up and clicked the game off the screen. Behind it was what looked like an Excel worksheet, one filled with names and addresses. I could see the disk inserted in the A drive as I leaned closer to him. I took that as a sign that I was supposed to have a copy of that guest list.
“I wonder if you would call me a cab. I don’t want to be here when the police show up.”
His brow furrowed deeply. “Police?”
“There’s a young woman in one of the bathrooms upstairs. It looks like an overdose. Someone is calling the police.”
“Which bathroom?”
“I don’t know. I’m telling you what I—”
He nearly knocked me flat as he bolted out of the entryway, pulling a cell phone from his pocket as he went. I swept around to the working side of the podium. The list was indeed in an Excel worksheet, saved in a file with the day’s date. I steadied my hands, put my fingers on the keys, and went to work.
Chapter
12
I HAD BEEN UP ONCE ALREADY WHEN THE ALARM went off, so the banging on the door confused me. If I had already gotten up, what was I doing still in bed?
“Alexandra, are you in there?”
It was Tristan. That much I knew. I lay on my back in total darkness, which confused me even more because my eyes were open. The one thing I was completely sure of was how much my head hurt. I reached up to touch it to see how it could be the size of a basketball and
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