“Pepper, I don’t know what to say. I mean, the time and thought you’ve put into this look is apparent. Where have you been my entire life?”
“Your entire life?” she said with a smirk. “Probably just a twinkle in my father’s eye. But I’m here for you now—and if you need me to remind you about any part of what I did here today, all you need to do is give me a call and I’ll walk you through the application process, OK?”
“I’m going to be calling you so often you’re going to get sick of me.”
“Look, Julia, when it comes to my mother, you did me a solid today—and trust me, I’m well aware of that. So, you call me whenever you need to hear the tricks of the makeup trade, OK? We’ll walk through the steps together, and before you know it? You’ll have this shit mastered in no time. Because when it comes to makeup? Honey, it’s not that difficult. You just need to know how to do it properly. As I coach you going forward, makeup is going to change your damned life.”
“You’re the best,” I said as I reached over to give her a hug.
“I’m glad that you’re happy with it,” she said as she hugged me back.
“I love it, and you nailed it. I look absolutely professional, but with a punch of color and a bit of drama.”
“And a bit of sex thrown in . . .”
“Maybe some of that, too . . .” I admitted.
“Because of Hunter...?”
“Pepper . . .”
“Well, it’s true,” she said as the limousine rolled to a stop as we arrived at the building. “Because in a few minutes, you are about to see him again, and we need to knock that man off his feet.”
“Pepper, I’m telling you that it’s not like that between me and him.”
She snapped her fingers over her head and gave me a dismissive look before she tossed her long brown hair over her shoulders. “The lies,” she said. “But I get it, girl. All of this is new and fresh when it comes to you two. Neither of you wants to go public with any kind of mutual attraction because it’s still too early for that. But when you and I first met with him? Please. Even a blind person in the room could have sensed or smelled the kind of sparks that were blowing up between you two—even if they hadn’t been in the room with us. I mean, come on, Julia! I felt it myself!”
“Can we please just forget Hunter?” I asked.
“I can,” she said. “But the question is whether you can.”
“DON’T JUDGE ME BY THE sheer amount of luggage I’ve brought with me,” Pepper said as we exited the limousine together.
“Why would I?” I asked. “You’re here for three straight months. To keep looking your best, you’re going to need a shitload of clothes.”
“I mean, right?”
“It’s noon,” I said as I glanced at my watch. “Let’s go inside while your driver brings up your luggage. Because in this business? No pro shows up late.”
“Let’s do this shit,” Pepper said with ice in her voice. “The other girls have already moved in, and I have no idea who I’m going to be rooming with. If it’s Lexi, I swear to God, I might cut her throat in her sleep.”
“Here’s my advice to you,” I said as we entered the building. “Save the drama for when the cameras are rolling. Don’t waste your energy otherwise. Because the producers are going to want to catch you girls acting out on camera—not off. They will be seriously pissed if they miss out on an opportunity for even a trace of drama.”
“Got it,” she said. “But trust me, Julia, I’ve watched so many of these shows—particularly this show—I know exactly how to play the game.”
“Perfect,” I said, as we stepped out of the elevator onto the second floor. “Now, get your game face on, because we’re about to step inside.”
“Bring it,” she said. “But before you do, let me fuss with your hair a bit.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, as she fluffed my hair around my shoulders.
“Nothing much, because I have to say that whoever is styling your hair is on point. I just think that while I was applying your makeup, I kind of disturbed it a bit. But now, it’s perfect.”
“How about my outfit?” I asked.
“Red always suits a blonde, thus the reason I went for red when it came to your lips. I actually love the red suit you’re wearing, even if you did buy it off the rack. It looks as if it’s been fitted to you. Was it?”
“Yeah, not so much.”
“Lack of money, and all that?”
“You could call it that . . .”
“Whatever the case, it works. You totally are serving it today. I think you’re looking like a ten right now. I mean, just look at your tits,” she said. “Hoisted up with the right kind of bra and ready to be motorboated. Hunter’s going to drool when he sets his eyes on you.”
“Pepper!”
When I rapped on the door, it wasn’t opened by the woman who’d greeted us the last time we were here. Instead, it was Hunter himself who opened the door, which I knew wasn’t a coincidence. After last night, was he as eager to see me as I was to see him?
Looks that way!
What I noticed first were those damned blue eyes of his, and how they twinkled in delight when he saw me. After the kiss we’d shared last night, it was all I could do not to melt into them—or throw myself at him. Instead, we simply shook hands like professionals and said hello to one another—even as Pepper clucked her tongue in disgust behind me. As I looked at Hunter, I couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing another revealing pair of Levis that left little to the imagination, and a white T-shirt that clung to his muscular frame in ways that were simply unfair . . .
“Julia, it’s good to see you,” he said in a voice that was deeper than deep. “Thanks for bringing Pepper today.” He looked at Pepper. “Welcome to your new home for the next three months, Pepper. I’m really glad that you’re here.”
When he extended his hand to her, Pepper shook it politely and smiled genuinely at him. “I’m really excited to be here, Mr. Steele. Do you know who I’ll be rooming with?”
“We decided to place you with Lexi . . .” he said tentatively.
“For the fireworks?” Pepper asked without breaking a sweat.
“Well, the show is called The Terrible Teens for a reason . . .” Hunter said.
“And you’re expecting a major bang for your buck,” Pepper said reasonably. “I totes get that since I’m the highest-paid person on the show, and you want a return on your investment. While I’m not sure that Lexi can hold a candle to the kind of poison and shade I can serve, we both have a job to do, and at the very least, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in my performance, Mr. Steele.”
“Why’s that?” he asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? I mean, come on! We are talking about me rooming with Lexi here.” She giggled. “Hopefully, she’ll dare to appear on camera with me. If things go sideways when it comes to us, let’s just hope that she has the wherewithal to come up with the necessary theatrics while the cameras are still trained on her, because that shit is going to be ratings gold.”
“Please call me Hunter, OK?”
“Hunter it is.”
“Pepper’s driver should be on the way with her bags,” I said to Hunter.
“One of the assistants will bring them to her room when he arrives,” Hunter said. Then he looked at Pepper. “Please come inside. Pepper, this is your new home. I want you to feel comfortable here. Have you eaten? Because catering has gone all out, and the girls are eating in the kitchen. Come and have a bite. And let’s see what happens on your first day here.”
“Will the cameras be rolling?” Pepper asked him.
“Actually, they’re already rolling,” Hunter said. He turned to nod over his shoulder, and that’s when Pepper and I both saw that her job already had begun, because a tall man with a camera slung over his shoulder was taping us as we spoke.
“Reality TV,” Pepper said with a smile. “I live for it. And now I get to be part of it. So! Take me to t
he girls and let the reality begin! But Hunter, I need to ask you this first. My seventy-five million followers on social media are living for a photo of my first day here. Can I take a photo or ten when we first see the girls?”
“We’re hoping you will,” Hunter said.
“And look at me,” Pepper said as she pulled her phone out of her purse. “Already ready to be all kinds of terrible!”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“HEY, HUNTIES!” PEPPER said when we entered the unusually large and sleek kitchen. In the middle of it was a massive granite island covered with all sorts of sandwiches, salads, potato chips, a few pasta dishes, bottles of water, and several diet sodas at the ready. All of Pepper’s six roommates were cramming their mouths full of something, and a horrified ripple swept through all of them when Pepper started to take photographs of them with her iPhone.
“Look at all of you eating like a bunch of pigs,” she said. “I’m going to hashtag these photos #toofatforasummerbody #beachedwhales #lastdaybeforelipo.”
Snap, snap, snap!
“Done and done,” Pepper said when she looked up from her phone. “Just imagine what my millions of followers are going to be thinking of you now.”
Since I knew the girls from watching the show, I also knew their names.
“Oh, no you didn’t,” Clove said as she tried to wipe her mouth with a napkin while Pepper trained her phone on the mayo smeared across Clove’s mouth.
“Clove,” Pepper said. “As the only dark-skinned girl in the group, the photos I just took of you are going to look as if you just took a gallon of cum down your throat. Because just so you know, you have mayo all over your lips, and I’m going to hashtag those photos as #bukkakegirlgonewild.”
“Bukkake?” Clove said as she wiped her mouth. “What the hell does that mean?”
“As if you don’t know.”
“I don’t!”
“Well, then, look it up, sugar,” Pepper said. “But let’s just say that it’s probably how your whore of a mother landed that rich man of hers. Trust me, girl—your sorry-ass mother only got that man because she knows all about the glug, glug, glug.”
“Girl, I will beat your ass if you post that shit.”
“Please,” Pepper said as she glanced at her phone and pressed a few buttons. “I just posted it.”
“She’s posted all of it!” Lexi Reynolds shrilled when she looked at her phone and checked Pepper’s social media feeds. “And people are already commenting. They’re saying that I look like a pig! What? Just because I’m having a sandwich?”
All at the same time, the other girls grabbed their phones and checked Pepper’s feeds with equal horror.
“Take it down, Pepper,” Lexi said as she moved aggressively toward her.
“Ha!” Pepper said. “Sweetie, honey, here’s what you need to know—there are reasons why I’m part of this season. Beyond my formidable fame, I was paid more than all of you combined because of my massive social media following and because I promised Hunter and the network that I’d chronicle everything on my feeds to generate interest in the second season. And as you just saw, my social media commentary on the Teens begins today. So, back off, bitches, because this girl has been given permission to slay, which I plan to do to anyone who comes my way.”
“You were given permission to do none of that!” Lexi shouted at her.
“Hunter?” Pepper said as she coolly looked over her shoulder at him.
“Pepper’s correct,” Hunter said to the group.
“On what?” Lexi demanded.
“On all of it, Lexi. Teens had a good first season, but with the right kind of marketing, we can do better. It’s in all of our best interests to use Pepper’s social media following—which is off the charts—to generate buzz around season two. Going forward, she’ll be doing just that. As of today, all of you have been put on notice.”
“Are we still allowed to post to our own followers?” Lexi asked him.
“Of course you are,” Hunter said. “Social media is powerful, and we want your fans to be eager for the next season.”
“Ladies, phones at the ready!” Lexi said. “Because this bitch is coming in!”
Before Hunter, Pepper, or I could react, Lexi turned into a bolt of lightning. In a feverish blur, she charged toward Pepper, and as she came at her, I watched in horror as she scooped up a large pile of spaghetti in one hand from one of the bowls on the table—then hurled it straight into Pepper’s face.
“Oh, my God,” I said to Hunter.
“And so it begins,” he said under his breath.
“Pepper!” I said.
“Girl, no worries. I’ve so got this,” she said casually.
As the six girls started to photograph Pepper while she swiped the sauce and the spaghetti off her face, she already had doubled over with laughter, and I knew why. Pepper was as smart as she was savvy. These girls were going to try to humiliate her on their social media accounts, but if all they could capture was Pepper laughing throughout all of it, the sting of what Lexi had just done to her would hardly say to the world that Pepper had just been humiliated. Instead, it would say that she was in on the joke and having fun in what looked like nothing more than a food fight.
“Phones down, ladies,” Hunter said as he handed Pepper a kitchen towel. “Turn them off—now.”
At the steel in his voice, all of them—including Pepper—gave him a quick glance before they followed through.
“Here’s what’s going to happen now,” he said to them. “First, Lexi is going to clean up the mess she made. She’s the one who chose to sling the spaghetti, and she’s going to be the one who wipes the kitchen clean.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Got me on that, Lexi?”
“How is that even fair?” she shouted at him.
“First of all,” Hunter said to her. “Never raise your voice to me like that. Understood?”
“I guess,” she said with a flip of her pretty, raven-colored hair.
“No,” Hunter pressed. “Either you understand me or you don’t, Lexi. Which is it? Because I’m here to tell you that if you don’t respect me, I will cancel your contract now, I will remove you from the show, and I will move forward without you. That’s true for all of you—even Pepper. Obviously, we want you to feel free to be the terrible teens, but when it comes to what happens behind the scenes? None of you will disrespect me, ever. You will fall in line when I give you direction. Got that?”
“Oh,” Lexi said, her face suddenly softening. “Well! I mean, I’m sorry, Hunter. And while of course I understand your position, you have to admit that Pepper’s the one who started this bullshit. I mean, why do I have to clean up this mess alone? Shouldn’t everyone help?”
“Why should they?” Hunter said. “You’re the one who took things too far, and you alone are going to be responsible for making this kitchen shine. None of the other girls participated in what you did to Pepper—who, by the way, handled your behavior like a champ.”
“Like a champ?” Lexi scoffed. “Hunter, she has spaghetti dripping off her face!”
“Yes, she does. But Pepper totally played you, Lexi. While all of you were taking photos of her, Pepper was laughing through it all. And why do you think she chose to do so?” He shrugged at her. “It’s simple, isn’t it? It’s because Pepper knew that if she looked angry or shocked by what you had just done to her, all of your fans would now be saying that she’s the one who just got played. But she didn’t, did she? By acting cool under pressure, Pepper made it look to the world as if she was in on the joke—and that has stolen everyone’s thunder. So, here’s my best advice to all of you—take note of how well Pepper turned the tables on Lexi. Study it. If you don’t, good luck to you when it comes to season two. Because I’m here to tell all of you that you’re going to have to be quick on your feet when it comes to Pepper. She’s that smart, she’s that cunning, she’s that good.”
“Hunter’s right,” Pepper said as she did her best to clean the sauce and spaghe
tti off her face, hair, and clothing. “I mean, there’s a reason I’m making two and a half million this season, bitches.”
Oh, shit, I thought.
“She’s making what?” Lexi said. “How can that be? I’m the star of this fucking show!”
“Excuse me, girl?” Jinx said. “Who said that you’re the star?”
“I mean, right?” Celina said. “Who propped the tiara on your head, Lexi?”
“Talk to my social media following, bitches,” she said. “None of you even come close to what I’ve achieved.”
While Livia and Angelina joined the chorus of those arguing about who was the star of the Teens, Hunter stopped them with a clap his hands.
“That’s enough,” he said. “Now, besides Lexi—who has a kitchen to clean—all of you girls need to go to your rooms and get ready for the shoot we have planned for the end of the day.”
Surprised, I just looked at him.
“What shoot is that?” I asked him.
“I was going to tell you and Pepper sooner, but then this happened,” he said to me. “The brass called before you and Pepper arrived. Today, we need to film the show’s introduction so the network can start running promos for the show. Pepper has drawn such massive interest in the show, they want to get on top of teasing the new season sooner rather than later.”
“What will be expected of her?”
“As you know from watching the show, each girl has a tagline that opens the show. You know, kind of like Real Housewives, since that is where we pretty much got the idea.”
“But how is Pepper going to come up with a tagline if you don’t give her time to do so?” I asked him.
“Not an issue,” Pepper interjected. Her face had been tinted red by the sauce, her wet hair was hanging in her eyes, but I swear to God she was the portrait of calm when she addressed Hunter and me.
“Really?” I asked her.
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