them more profit to think about, instead of your absences from the executive offices.”
“I like it, Lia. I’m sorry I thought you were out to get me,” he said, sounding like his old self.
“No problem,” she replied. She was never going to tell him about the fear that gripped her whenever she thought about him using again. Auggie hadn’t handled the lifestyle as well as some of his peers. While she’d turned to scandalous behavior to deal with the pressure, Auggie had turned to drugs and it had almost ruined his life.
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you, too,” she said, hanging up. As much of a pain in the neck as he was, she needed her brother. She needed to know that he was going to be calling her and asking her to take care of things for him. He was a man that she knew how to deal with, she thought.
Maybe she hadn’t always disappointed the men in her life. And with Auggie, she was her true self. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone other than who she was. He had known her since birth.
Interesting, she thought. Maybe there was more to being herself than she’d realized. Maybe this was the key to the balance she craved.
She put on a final dash of lip gloss and headed out the door. She’d planned on driving herself, but the rain had changed her mind. She’d never really liked to drive in inclement weather.
If she took her car, Tommy and the other paparazzi would know where she was going and who she wasmeeting. She sat down on the edge of her bed. This was harder than it should be.
She’d changed clothes more times than she normally would today. She’d been sneaking in and out of her own apartment building and now she was going to have to…what?
Bebe. She’d call her friend. Surely Bebe could help her out.
She dialed Bebe’s number.
“Hello, darling,” Bebe said.
“I need a favor.”
“Okay, what do you need?”
“I have a date with Geoff tonight and I don’t want anyone to follow me. How would you feel about coming over here and providing some distraction?”
“I’d love to, but your boys aren’t going to follow me,” Bebe said.
“I know. I was thinking we could go together to a club and then I could sneak out the back.”
“Why don’t you just drive?”
“It’s very wet tonight and my car is so recognizable,” Amelia said. She had a vividly painted Jaguar that was very memorable, which was why she’d bought it. She liked people knowing she was behind the wheel, but not tonight.
Bebe laughed. “Come to my place. My dad’s here and he can drive you wherever you’re going.”
“Your dad?”
“He has the Rolls and you know that you’d never be seen in a stodgy car like that unless you were going to visit your own father. They aren’t likely to follow you in that car.”
Bebe had a point. Amelia hung up and was on her way to Bebe’s house a few minutes later in a cab. And though she knew she should be annoyed at all the subterfuge she was going through, she wasn’t. She was simply excited at the prospect of seeing Geoff again.
Geoff was running behind schedule—something that rarely happened to him. He was driving his Bugatti Veyron toward London City Airport when his mobile phone rang.
“Devonshire.”
“Hi, Geoff. It’s Mary. Mary Werner.”
“Hello, Mary. Can I give you a ring tomorrow? I can’t really talk right now.”
“That’s fine. I just…well, I saw your photo in The Sun today and I wondered if you were still going to the breast cancer dinner with me next week.”
He hadn’t even thought to call Mary when the photo had appeared, which was not his classiest move. He realized that he needed to end things with her officially, even though she clearly already knew what the story was. “I think I can still manage that if you’d like me to.”
“I would, Geoff. It would mean a lot to me, even though you are…uh…” She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
“I’m sorry, Mary. I should have called you. I know that we’d
“I like it, Lia. I’m sorry I thought you were out to get me,” he said, sounding like his old self.
“No problem,” she replied. She was never going to tell him about the fear that gripped her whenever she thought about him using again. Auggie hadn’t handled the lifestyle as well as some of his peers. While she’d turned to scandalous behavior to deal with the pressure, Auggie had turned to drugs and it had almost ruined his life.
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you, too,” she said, hanging up. As much of a pain in the neck as he was, she needed her brother. She needed to know that he was going to be calling her and asking her to take care of things for him. He was a man that she knew how to deal with, she thought.
Maybe she hadn’t always disappointed the men in her life. And with Auggie, she was her true self. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone other than who she was. He had known her since birth.
Interesting, she thought. Maybe there was more to being herself than she’d realized. Maybe this was the key to the balance she craved.
She put on a final dash of lip gloss and headed out the door. She’d planned on driving herself, but the rain had changed her mind. She’d never really liked to drive in inclement weather.
If she took her car, Tommy and the other paparazzi would know where she was going and who she wasmeeting. She sat down on the edge of her bed. This was harder than it should be.
She’d changed clothes more times than she normally would today. She’d been sneaking in and out of her own apartment building and now she was going to have to…what?
Bebe. She’d call her friend. Surely Bebe could help her out.
She dialed Bebe’s number.
“Hello, darling,” Bebe said.
“I need a favor.”
“Okay, what do you need?”
“I have a date with Geoff tonight and I don’t want anyone to follow me. How would you feel about coming over here and providing some distraction?”
“I’d love to, but your boys aren’t going to follow me,” Bebe said.
“I know. I was thinking we could go together to a club and then I could sneak out the back.”
“Why don’t you just drive?”
“It’s very wet tonight and my car is so recognizable,” Amelia said. She had a vividly painted Jaguar that was very memorable, which was why she’d bought it. She liked people knowing she was behind the wheel, but not tonight.
Bebe laughed. “Come to my place. My dad’s here and he can drive you wherever you’re going.”
“Your dad?”
“He has the Rolls and you know that you’d never be seen in a stodgy car like that unless you were going to visit your own father. They aren’t likely to follow you in that car.”
Bebe had a point. Amelia hung up and was on her way to Bebe’s house a few minutes later in a cab. And though she knew she should be annoyed at all the subterfuge she was going through, she wasn’t. She was simply excited at the prospect of seeing Geoff again.
Geoff was running behind schedule—something that rarely happened to him. He was driving his Bugatti Veyron toward London City Airport when his mobile phone rang.
“Devonshire.”
“Hi, Geoff. It’s Mary. Mary Werner.”
“Hello, Mary. Can I give you a ring tomorrow? I can’t really talk right now.”
“That’s fine. I just…well, I saw your photo in The Sun today and I wondered if you were still going to the breast cancer dinner with me next week.”
He hadn’t even thought to call Mary when the photo had appeared, which was not his classiest move. He realized that he needed to end things with her officially, even though she clearly already knew what the story was. “I think I can still manage that if you’d like me to.”
“I would, Geoff. It would mean a lot to me, even though you are…uh…” She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
“I’m sorry, Mary. I should have called you. I know that we’d
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