‘Handsome little devil, isn’t he?’ Brad said, grinning proudly. ‘And well hung too!’
‘Brad!’
‘Just telling the truth.’
‘Anyway, he’s fantastic!’ Amy raved. ‘He’s got your eyes, and Tina’s mouth.’
‘And maybe your disposition?’
‘Don’t flatter me,’ she said modestly.
‘You’re the best,’ Brad said, hugging her. ‘A true friend.’
She kissed Tina and the baby, then quietly made her way out. It was almost midnight and the maternity floor was deserted. She hesitated a moment, then called Max on her cell.
‘Sweetheart!’ he said, sounding more than pleased to hear from her. ‘I just this minute got home. Where are you?’
‘Leaving the hospital now.’
‘Did everything go okay?’
‘Yes. A healthy eight-pound six-ounce baby boy.’
‘I’ll come get you and drive you to your apartment.’
‘I can take a cab,’ she said, walking towards the elevator.
‘Wouldn’t hear of it. I’m on my way out of the door now.’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘Yes. I do,’ he insisted. ‘You must be anxious to hear all about our party.’
‘I certainly am,’ she said. ‘Was my mother furious?’
‘You know Nancy. But Gianna–Jett’s girlfriend–saved the day. What a charmer! She had everyone under her spell, including Grandma Poppy. And, yes, even your mother.’
‘Great,’ Amy said flatly, thinking this was all she needed to hear. Not only was Gianna the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen, apparently she was the most charming too.
Ha! Lucky Jett.
Lucky Jett, the seducer, the cheat, the ex-druggie who’d got her drunk and lured her back to his apartment.
Screw him!
And yet…she’d gone willingly. She had not put up a fight. In fact, when he’d backed off due to her virginal state, she was the one who’d insisted he carry on.
He was still a cheat.
And what did that make her?
She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about him. As far as she was concerned, it was one big nightmare she never planned on revisiting.
By the time Jett finally got Gianna out of the party his Italian supermodel was still ready to rock ’n’ roll.
‘We go clubbing, carino,’ she announced, throwing her arms round his neck, and flicking her tongue across his lips. ‘Gianna feel like dancing.’
Christ! She was the original Energizer Bunny. Wind her up and she’d go all night, when all he really wanted to do was clear his head and try to make sense of the night’s events.
What the fuck was he going to do? Amy Scott-Simon, the girl of his dreams, was about to marry his freakin’ bigshot brother–a man who could give her everything she wanted. Whereas he could give her–what? His undying love? It was wrong, all wrong, yet how could he stop it? What could he do?
Hang on. No need to get carried away. She was not the girl of his dreams: she was a one-night adventure, cheating on her fiancé. And yet she’d obviously never slept with Max, so what was that about? How come she’d never had sex with her fiancé, but she was happy to jump into bed with him?
They needed to sit down and talk, discover the truth of the situation. And the sooner the better.
‘Carino!’ Gianna purred, her tongue snaking its way into his ear. ‘Where we go now?’
Good question. Where was he supposed to take her?
He pulled out his cell and called Beverly. ‘I’m here with my girlfriend,’ he began, ‘and—’
‘You found her!’ Beverly exclaimed. ‘Who is she? What’s the lucky girl’s name? And, even more important, is she as hot as you remember?’
‘Uh…my girlfriend, Gianna, from Italy,’ he said pointedly, glancing at Gianna to see if she’d overheard.
‘Oops!’ Beverly exclaimed.
‘She wants to go dancing,’ Jett continued. ‘Any ideas?’
‘I’m on my way to meet Chet at Gatsby’s, then there’s a party at Slick Jimmy’s. You and your girlfriend can come with.’
‘If you’re sure…’
‘Meet us at Gatsby’s, babe.’
‘You’re the best, Bev. We’ll see you there.’
Back at the hotel Chris called Andy for an update on his house.
‘The news is not good,’ Andy informed him. ‘They think your house was built on the site of an ancient landslide, and that at any time it could slip on down the hill.’
‘Shit!’
‘I’ll contact the insurance agents first thing tomorrow. You’re fully covered, right?’
‘Who the fuck knows? Mudslides are a force of nature, don’t think that’s covered.’
He hung up and couldn’t sleep. Then he remembered the actress from the plane. Inez Fallon. Talkative but still attractive, and tonight he definitely needed company.
She was staying in the same hotel, so even though it was almost midnight he took a chance, picked up the phone and called her. She answered on the second ring.
‘Inez,’ he said.
‘Who’s this?’
‘Chris Diamond. We sat next to each other on the plane.’
‘Of course I remember,’ she purred. ‘What can I do for you, Chris?’
You can come to my room and suck my dick ’cause I’m too tense to sleep.
‘I’m sitting here on L.A. time unable to crash. I thought you might be doing the same.’
‘Actually,’ she confessed, ‘I’m watching a porno.’
‘You are?’
‘Yes,’ she said, with a wicked laugh. ‘It’s what I always do when I’m trapped in a hotel room by myself. Very relaxing. You should try it.’
‘Seems like a reasonable way to pass the time.’
‘I was thinking I could talk to Dave about it tomorrow on his show. Had to come up with something that’ll outdo Drew and her tits.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’
‘It does, doesn’t it?’
‘So…how about coming up to my suite and watching a porno with me?’
A three-second pause. ‘Sure. Why not?’
Ten minutes later they were making out on the couch. She wore a skimpy purple dress, short and low-cut. It did not take him long to manoeuvre her out of it. Underwear was not her thing. Neither was pubic hair. She was shaved to within an inch of her life, and pierced right on her clit.
Naked, she straddled him, large erect nipples on small breasts. Real. Made a nice change.
She thrust them into his mouth, urging him to suck hard. He did so, and she shuddered to a climax within seconds, screaming like a wild woman. Then she bent her head to blow him, and he discovered that this was one practised actress. She had it down–the tongue-teasing and the hand-twisting. Stopping. Starting. Driving him fucking crazy.
When he came, it was an explosion big enough to make him forget about his house, Birdy and Jonathan.
He lay back on the couch and, within minutes, had fallen into a much-needed deep sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Max was waiting when Amy walked out of the hospital. He jumped out of his car and grabbed her in a hug. ‘You’re really a remarkable girl,’ he said, squeezing her tight.
‘I’m not so remarkable,’ she said, extracting herself.
‘Yes, you are,’ he insisted. ‘You stood up to your mother–you actually walked out on her. I don’t care about you missing our rehearsal dinner because I didn’t want it in the first place, but Nancy was not happy.’
‘I’m sure she got over it after a while.’
‘She did,’ he said, holding open the car door for her.
‘Good,’ she said, sliding into the passenger seat.
‘Thank God I had Chris and Jett for support. I’m really getting to know the two of them. It’s nice.’
‘Did they, uh, stay for the whole party?’ she asked, thinking that, as far as she was concerned, it wasn’t
nice at all. In her eyes, Max bonding with his brothers was a disaster.
‘Let’s just say they did their brotherly duty,’ Max said. ‘And, as I told you on the phone, Gianna was charming everyone.’
‘Wonderful.’
‘You met Gianna, didn’t you?’
‘That Italian woman?’
‘Yes. She’s Jett’s steady girlfriend. They live together in Italy. Apparently she’s a top model there.’
‘Nigel told me. She’s doing the ad campaign for Courtenelli.’
‘What a striking girl,’ Max said admiringly. ‘And a lot of fun.’
‘I’m sure she is,’ Amy said, wishing he’d stop singing the woman’s praises.
‘Not as gorgeous as my Amy, though,’ Max said, reaching over to pat her on the knee.
‘How long are they staying in New York?’ Amy asked, attempting to sound casual.
‘Who?’
‘Gianna and, uh…Jett.’ It was an effort to speak his name.
‘I didn’t ask,’ Max said. ‘I’d like it if they could stay around for the wedding. Your mother would have to rearrange her seating, but I’m sure she can deal with that.’
Oh, yes, Jett at her wedding. How exciting was that?
She decided she had to do something special to make it up to Max. The guilt was killing her–especially now that she knew the identity of her mystery man.
‘You need to get some sleep,’ Max said, glancing at her. ‘What with the party and the upcoming wedding, you’re under a tremendous strain.’
‘No, I’m not,’ she objected.
‘You simply don’t know it, sweetie.’
‘Max,’ she said, putting her hand on his arm.
‘Yes?’
‘I’d like to go to your apartment.’
‘My apartment?’ he said, surprised. ‘Why?’
‘I was thinking that, since I ran out on our party, it might be nice if we spent some quiet time together.’
‘It’s late,’ he said, checking his watch.
‘I know.’
‘And tomorrow’s Monday.’
‘I know that too. But I still want to come to your apartment.’
‘Uh…Lulu and her nanny are staying the night.’
‘They’ll be asleep, won’t they?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then it’s okay if I come over.’
‘If that’s what you want,’ he said reluctantly.
‘Yes, Max,’ she said softly. ‘That’s exactly what I want.’
‘So,’ Gianna said, twirling her multiple bangles up and down her arm. ‘This friend of yours, what she do?’
‘Beverly’s a top make-up artist,’ Jett said, hailing a cab. ‘You’re gonna love her. Everyone does.’
‘You and this friend–you do the wild thing?’
‘Babe!’ he said, laughing. ‘No way. Bev and I are purely platonic.’
‘Americans are so timido about sex,’ Gianna teased, getting in the cab. ‘In Italy is bene to have sex with good friend. Nothing wrong, huh, carino?’
‘You’re crazy,’ he said, jumping into the cab beside her.
‘Where we meet your friend?’
‘A drink at Gatsby’s, then she’s taking us to a party. That’s if you’re not too beat.’
‘Me?’ she said, laughing gaily. ‘Gianna never get tired. Pour me champagne and I’m good as new.’
Rushing into his apartment ahead of Amy, Max switched on lights and activated music.
‘I’m not a guest, you know,’ Amy said, following him in and smiling. ‘You don’t have to entertain me.’
‘You very rarely come here,’ he said.
‘That’s because you never invite me.’
‘We’re engaged, sweetheart. You’ll be moving in here soon. Surely you know you’re welcome at any time. I should give you a key.’
They had decided that after the wedding, Amy would move in with him until they found a new apartment she could decorate any way she wanted. She hadn’t really given it much thought–getting married was scary enough.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked.
‘Orange juice. Is there a juicer in the kitchen?’
‘I have no idea what’s in the kitchen. My housekeeper takes care of that department.’
‘Let’s go see.’
His kitchen looked like it was never used. She found a juicer in one of the cabinets, and some oranges in the fridge.
‘Shall I squeeze you some too?’ she asked, slicing the oranges in half.
‘Do I look like I need a dose of vitamin C?’ he said, amused.
‘No, in fact I’ve been meaning to tell you how handsome you look tonight. I was proud to be at the party with you. Oh, yes, and I loved our slide show. You were such a serious little boy–do you realize you never smiled?’
‘And you were unbearably cute.’
‘Unbearably?’
‘I meant that as a compliment.’
She handed him a glass of juice. ‘Drink up. It’s good for you.’
‘You’re good for me,’ he said, coming up behind her and nuzzling her neck. ‘You really are, Amy.’
‘I hope you understand why I had to leave the party tonight,’ she said quietly. ‘Tina needed me, and I promised her that when the time came I’d be there.’
‘It’s admirable that you were there for your best friend.’
They moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. Amy snuggled up close and began to kiss him.
After a few moments he pulled away. ‘Amy,’ he said warningly, ‘don’t get me all hot and bothered, then go home.’
‘That wasn’t my intention.’
‘Okay, what?’ he said, bemused.
‘Well,’ she said slowly. ‘We’re getting married soon, and even though I told you I wanted to wait, I was thinking that tonight we should…do it.’
‘Now, hold on’ he said, startled.
‘Don’t you want to?’
‘Well, yes,’ he responded, although he wasn’t at all sure that tonight was the night to sleep with his fiancée for the first time. Mariska and her threats regarding Vladimir were on his mind. Not to mention the upcoming face-to-face with Red, followed by the crucial meeting with the Japanese bankers. And as if that wasn’t enough, Lulu and Nanny Reece were sleeping in the guest room. Amy’s timing was totally off.
‘Then…can I spend the night?’ Amy asked, unaware of what was going on in his mind.
‘Are you sure about this?’ he said, wondering how he could talk her out of it.
‘Absolutely.’
There was the usual pushing and shoving crowd gathered outside Gatsby’s. Jett felt like a regular when the doorman waved him through as if he was an old friend. Hey, nobody was about to stop the fabulous Gianna. She blew the doorman a series of kisses, making the man’s night.
They found Beverly and Chet ensconced at a corner table downing apple martinis. Beverly waved them over. ‘One drink, then let’s go party!’ she called out.
‘Ciao!’ Gianna said, dazzling everyone with her smile and flamboyant style.
‘I’m a fan,’ Beverly said, acknowledging the Italian supermodel. ‘Seen you in all the Italian magazines.’
‘Grazie,’ Gianna said, loving any form of attention.
‘An’ here’s the news of the day,’ Beverly added. ‘I’m booked to do the make-up for your Courtenelli shoot.’
‘Bene!’ Gianna laughed. ‘This piccolo world, no?’
‘Yeah,’ Beverly said, grinning. ‘Very small.’
‘Jett, he do photos too,’ Gianna announced.
‘You mean I finally get my hands on that face?’ Beverly exclaimed.
‘Is nice face,’ Gianna said affectionately, patting his cheek. ‘Bello, si?’
Chet was his usual non-talkative self, but Gianna quickly found out what he did and plied him with questions about his music. He soon livened up–she had that effect on men.
After twenty minutes Beverly suggested it was time to make a move.
‘You sure you wanna go?’ Jett asked Gianna, hoping she would flake out so they could go home and he could let his mind run riot about Amy, and what he was going to do regarding their totally fucked-up situation.
‘We go,’ she said, laughing that he should think otherwise. She winked at Beverly. ‘These boys, they have–how you say?–no energia. You and me, we like to party–sì?’
‘You bet your ass,’ Beverly agreed, smiling broadly.
Now that they were alone in Max’s bedroom it was awkward. They stood at the end of his oversize masculine-style bed, all dark wood and chocolate brown sheets. They’d been kissing for a while, but he didn’t seem in any hurry to take it further.
Amy realized she needed something to loosen up, she was treading on uncharted territory and it was making her nervous. Sleeping with Jett had been so spontaneous and unplanned–they’d fallen into bed together, filled with desire and passion. It had been a lustful, crazy and, most of all, insanely pleasurable experience.
Tonight with Max was different. First, she was stone-cold sober. Second, Max wasn’t making much of a move: she was the one kissing him, and although he was responding, he was allowing her to set the pace. Also he wasn’t the greatest kisser in the world.
‘I think I’d like a drink,’ she said, in a small voice.
‘What kind of drink?’ he asked, drawing away from her.
‘Vodka,’ she said tentatively.
‘Sweetie, you never drink hard liquor.’
‘I’ll make an exception.’
‘Look,’ he said, ‘if this is making you uncomfortable—’
‘No, Max,’ she said vehemently. ‘I want us to be together.’
‘So do I, sweetie, but tonight might not be the right time.’
‘The thing is, I need to relax,’ she said, ignoring him, ‘and a drink’ll do it. I missed out on the champagne at our party, so one little vodka won’t hurt.’
‘Amy,’ he said seriously, ‘you’re stressed out. And, much as I’d love you to spend the night, I think we should wait.’
‘You do?’
‘We’ll be married soon, so why rush into something you might regret?’
Lovers & Players Page 26