Well, at least now there was no reason for me to see him again.
Which is what I wanted… wasn’t it?
Salinger
“I FORGOT HOW much I hate events like this.” I muttered the words in Jeno’s direction as I forced a smile at the older woman who had been leering at me suggestively all night long. I couldn’t remember what her exact title was, but I knew if I flipped her off, it wouldn’t do my career any favors. Plus, I promised Jeno I would behave tonight.
The charity event was black tie and attended by the who’s who in the industry. I was far from the most famous face among the crowd and for sure hadn’t written the biggest check. The only reason I let my brother badger me into coming was because a portion of the proceeds from the event went to help homeless youth. There was an astronomical number of kids who lived on the streets on the West Coast, and I knew, more often than not, they struggled with the same kind of vices I had. It was a cause I actually didn’t mind donating to and being involved with, but I was really rusty when it came to putting on my game face and rubbing elbows with the elite and entitled. I’d lost a lot of my patience for bullshit when I was getting clean. It was a lot harder to bite my tongue and play along with whatever shit was being shoveled at me now versus when I’d been a kid.
“You hate them now because you have to be sober. Events didn’t bother you before because you were wasted and couldn’t remember anything that happened.” Jeno shook the can of cola he was holding and wiggled his eyebrows in my direction. He hadn’t given up all indulgences to support me as I tried to stay clean, but he refused to drink, smoke, or do anything else that might be considered too much of a temptation when we were together. He was still really young. I didn’t want him to change his entire life just because I’d screwed up mine so royally time and time again.
I squeezed the water bottle in my hand, making the plastic crunch. I sighed and tugged at the tie I had loosely looped around my neck. It was the first time I’d been in formalwear since I restarted my career. I’d forgotten how much I hated the stuffy designer duds that made me look like I was about to get married. It was generally pretty warm in California. Layers and layers of clothing that cost a fortune when we were supposed to be giving money to those less fortunate all seemed so silly and contradictory.
“How much longer do we have to stay?” The oversized check had already been handed off, and we’d already done the pause and pose for the press. I’d answered overly invasive questions about my life while trying to turn attention to my new production company. It was a delicate line to walk, and it was super hard for me to balance the information people wanted against the information I wanted to give without losing my temper.
Jeno looked down at his smartwatch and frowned slightly. “Not too much longer. I was hoping Piper would show and we could generate some early buzz about the movie, but it doesn’t look like she’s coming.”
I grunted and lifted a hand to run it through my already messy hair. “You know she hasn’t signed the contract yet, right? Her people are still looking it over and adding addendums. We have no idea what those might be, so the deal is far from done.” I was secretly hoping it fell through. Sure, Piper was talented and had a huge following, but she wasn’t who I pictured in the role. She was too polished. Too perfect. And her personality was just a little too bright for the character. I knew acting by its very nature could take care of all those things, but I wanted someone who didn’t have to fake it.
Her personal interest in me was also a little unnerving. She’d suggested more than once that we meet up for a drink to discuss the project. She seemed to conveniently forget that I told her I didn’t drink anymore and I wasn’t going to a bar or a club anytime soon. She was on the verge of being pushy and didn’t want to take no for an answer.
Jeno made a face and shrugged. “As long as they aren’t asking for your firstborn, or for us to sell them a portion of the business, I think we need to accept whatever they offer. We’ve already had twice the amount of investor interest since the rumor got out that Piper was interested.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as a familiar figure with a head of dark, shiny hair slipped through the crowd of people and headed down a hallway. I didn’t know that Maren was attending this event, but I wasn’t surprised. She was big on philanthropy. Always had been.
She wore a shimmery dress made out of a material that caught the light and was balanced on a pair of insanely high heels that made her tall figure stand out even more. She seemed to be by herself, and she brushed off more than one greeting as she headed wherever it was she was going.
“Are you listening to me?” My brother’s voice was sharp in my ear.
I snapped my attention back to Jeno and gave him a crooked grin. “Not at all. I think I just saw Maren.” I flinched as his fist solidly knocked into my shoulder. “Ouch. What was that for?”
“You told me you were done obsessing over her. I already warned you that you were trading your fixation on substances with a fixation on her. Neither is healthy and both will end with you in a world of hurt.” He sounded mad.
I rubbed the sore spot and lifted an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t say I was going to go after her; I just said I saw her. I didn’t know she was going to be here tonight. Did you?” The last question was asked with a slightly accusatory tone.
Jeno scowled at me and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his dress pants. “I’m not answering that. It shouldn’t matter one way or the other. Now that you’re trying to be active in the industry, you’re bound to run into one another on occasion. You need to keep your shit together either way.” He held up the phone and showed me that he had several missed calls from his mom. “Let me go call her and see why she’s losing her mind this time.”
Jeno’s mom was the opposite of mine. Where mine liked to pretend I didn’t exist unless she needed money, Jeno’s wanted to control every single aspect of his life. She was such a helicopter parent, it was amazing he was allowed to pick out his own clothes most days. The woman hated me with the fire of a thousand suns and fully blamed me for her only child’s rebellion against her. She didn’t want Jeno to work for me. She hated how close we were, and it had little to do with the acrimonious divorce from my father. She thought I was a bad influence on her baby boy, and she was right. Luckily, Jeno was a kid with a mind of his own and loyal as hell. Our relationship, both personal and professional, often put him in a tight spot, but he was always willing to fight tooth and nail for me.
I was planning to find a dark corner to hide from the cougar who was still sending me very obvious signals from across the room when I noticed another familiar figure follow in the direction Maren just disappeared.
I didn’t know much about Maren’s ex-husband, other than the fact he was a washed-up rockstar of some kind. I knew he’d been caught cheating on her in a pretty spectacular way, and that he’d dragged their divorce out for way longer than he needed to. When I was in rehab, I made it a point to check up on her and see what was going on in her life on the rare opportunities I was allowed access to the Internet. I told myself I was just keeping track of all the things I needed to apologize for once I straightened myself out. The list was long.
I couldn’t believe she married a slimy adulterer. Not after she escaped that scumbag agent who screwed her over. I would’ve sworn that she’d developed a better sense of people after all she’d been through at the hands of others, but apparently not. The guy looked like a douche, and I knew there was no good reason for following Maren now that their split was finalized.
Realistically, I didn’t think the dude was stupid enough to confront her or cause a scene in a place with so many industry people and press lingering around. But then again, he was the type who believed all press was good press, so there was a chance he sought her out to specifically start something that would make the tabloids explode.
I chugged the rest of my water, found a recycle bin to toss it in, and argued silently with myself for a few m
inutes before heading in Maren’s direction. I knew Jeno was going to be pissed when he came back and couldn’t find me. And Maren didn’t need anyone to ride to her rescue. She was perfectly capable of saving herself. She’d proven it more than once over the years. But my curiosity still got the best of me, even though I knew it was more than likely to get my ass in trouble if I didn’t keep it in check.
The long hallway led to the bathroom and the coat check. At first, I didn’t see anything unusual, until I noticed there was a small alcove at the end of the area that was filled with cocktail tables and fancy artwork. It was likely a gathering place for people to wait for their limos and Town Cars to pull around when the event was over, but right now, it was empty except for the dark-haired woman and the older man who was squared off with her.
Maren had her arms crossed over her chest, and I could tell, even from a distance, she was angry. Her sparkly dress was low cut and tight. I could see a bright red flush crawling over her exposed skin. The toe of one of her deadly looking shoes was tapping on the floor as they had a conversation in low tones. I couldn’t hear what they were saying as I got closer, but when the man leaned toward her in a threatening manner, Maren very loudly told him to back off. It was indeed a scene that would sell thousands of magazines if someone snapped a picture, and I was sure the situation was one Maren wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
So, I slapped a smile on my face and sauntered into the private alcove.
“Hey.” My voice immediately brought the man to his full height, and he took a step away from the pretty brunette. “Why did you disappear?”
Maren’s gaze locked on mine, and I could see relief and panic filtering through all the different colors that created her special shade of hazel.
“Uh, no reason. I was looking for a quiet place to return a call and bumped into Erik unexpectedly. I was on my way back.” She stepped around her ex, and it was obvious she was unsettled by the encounter because she wobbled on those tall-ass heels. She was always so composed; it was weird to see her rattled and nervous. I didn’t like it at all. When she lurched slightly, the other guy and I both reached for her automatically. I was closer, and Maren purposely shifted out of her ex’s grasp. I put a hand on her arm and another on her waist, waiting until she was steady on her feet before letting her go. Much to my surprise, her hands latched onto my arm and squeezed so tight it was close to being painful.
“Let’s go back. I’m sure people are wondering where we got off to.” She forced a smile, but it was all teeth, and I could clearly see that she was pleading with her eyes for me to get her out of there.
“Sure, no problem.” I dipped my chin at her ex, noticing he had a brightly colored shirt on under his velvet suit jacket, and the buttons were undone almost to his waist. The guy was in good shape for being older, but he looked like he was trying too hard. Or like he was playing the role of a rockstar rather than just existing as one. It was glaringly obvious he was an obnoxious attention seeker. “Later, dude.”
I hated people like him. Mostly because I’d been similar not too long ago and knew how awful I was and how easily I’d used others for my own gain.
I felt Maren lean into my side and could tell she was shaking just slightly. I didn’t know the ins and outs of what went on between these two, but I was on her side by default.
“Think about the offer, Maren. It’s a good deal and will give us both a lot of exposure. Everyone wants to put our messy history behind them. This would be the perfect way to show that we’re all adults and have moved on with our lives.”
I didn’t like his condescending tone or the way he glared at her. She practically vibrated with whatever she was feeling when she pressed even closer to me.
“No. I’ve told you time and time again, I don’t want anything to do with you.” Boy, did that sound familiar, but when she said it to him, it sounded different than when she said it to me. “You go right ahead and put our history behind you. I want to keep it right in front of me so I don’t ever make that kind of mistake again.” She pulled on my arm. “Hurry up. Let’s get out of here before anyone realizes we’re missing.”
“You’ve stooped to dating children now? Is he your pool boy, Maren? Are you trying to make me look bad by replacing me with someone younger? Don’t you know how desperate you look right now?” He scoffed and let out an ugly laugh. “I didn’t know you had it in you to play those games. I’m actually kind of impressed. You should consider the show so you can afford to keep the kid around.”
I paused and turned to look over my shoulder at her ex. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he really didn’t know who I was or if he was just playing dumb because he was embarrassed. I definitely didn’t need Maren’s money. I had plenty of my own. And if there was anyone desperate between the two of us in the equation, it would be me, not her.
I wanted to set the asshole straight on her behalf, but I didn’t get the chance.
One second, Maren was cackling like a woman who’d lost her mind and gasped out, “You think he’s a pool boy? That’s so clueless, and so on-brand, for you. I’m embarrassed that I was ever in a relationship with you. I would give anything to see your face tomorrow when the news breaks that I was seen kissing a pool boy at this event.”
The next second, one of her hands was on the side of my face, and she lifted up on the toes of those spiky shoes so her lips could lightly touch mine. Of course, the minute our lips met, loud gasps came from somewhere, and I heard the faint sound of whispering, or rather, fake whispering. Out of the corner of my eye I saw cell phones lift, and I knew that, regardless of the class of people at this event, there was no way this little incident would go away in the morning. Regardless of how much Maren regretted it tomorrow.
However, none of that mattered because I was kissing Maren Copeland, and I couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t care about anything else in the whole damn world.
Maren
WHEN THEY TALKED about the lesser of two evils, this was the very situation they meant.
As much as I wanted to avoid Salinger, I would take twenty of him over five minutes with my ex-husband. When it came down to it, all the bad blood between me and the younger man really should be water under the bridge, like my father said. I was holding Salinger accountable because it was easy. He didn’t actually owe me anything, and he wasn’t the one who failed to stand up for me when the rug was yanked out from under me. Again, my dad was right. All that responsibility fell on the adults who’d been desperate to let a child destroy himself just because he was a guaranteed payday for them.
My ex, on the other hand—the very least he owed me was some respect. I’d asked him more than once to back off and leave me alone, but so far, it was like talking to a brick wall. I should’ve known when I saw him walk in with his new wife: he was going to do what he could to corner me or cause a scene. It was my own stupid fault for allowing him to catch me alone. Of course, he had some idiotic reality show idea he wanted to throw at me. Ever since my star went back on the rise, he’d been torn between jealousy and greed. Either lambasting me for outshining him or harassing me to keep him in the spotlight. Even though we’d been separated for a long time, it felt like he was stuck into my life like a pointed barb. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t shake him loose.
Maybe that’s why I lost my ever-loving mind and grabbed Salinger like he was my only lifeline in a vast ocean of disappointment. As soon as I touched his face, warmth immediately radiated through my fingers and stilled some of the angry tremors that I couldn’t hide. His dark eyes widened in surprise as I stepped closer, and I heard his breath catch. Everything about him got more colorful the closer I got. His eyes weren’t just dark brown, but a swirl of espresso and midnight black. His blond hair wasn’t just golden, but shot through with threads of white and darker hints of brown. There wasn’t a single color missing from the ink that decorated his skin, and I could smell something on his neck that was lush and expensive. There wasn’t a hint of Ax
e body spray or whatever else the average twenty-something slapped on for a night out.
He looked like a sexy devil who knew every secret temptation that might lead one astray. It was how he’d gotten away with everything aside from murder for so long. Who wanted to punish someone as pretty as he was? The reality was, most people wanted to be punished by someone who looked, acted, and spoke like him.
The only thing I thought as I lifted up to press my lips against his was that maybe it would finally shut Erik up if he saw me with someone else. Since I’d remained single, and pretty bitter, during the entire course of our separation and divorce, he thought I was still hung up on him. Not only was Salinger better looking, younger, and more successful than Erik, he was also a better human being. He’d repeatedly apologized for his mistakes, and even though it’d only been a few weeks, he’d kept his word, kept his distance, and stayed quiet about my dad’s business just like he said he would.
I told myself I was an actress and could act through a kiss with someone who was supposedly my worst enemy. Salinger was just a prop, nothing more, nothing less… but goddamn, was I wrong.
Why I underestimated him once again when I’d already been burned by that mistake in the past was beyond me. One would think I’d learned that lesson the hard way, but apparently, there was still more for me to understand where this complicated man was concerned.
As soon as my lips landed on his, the action went from something phony to something very real. My breath caught, and I tasted something sweet and minty as his lips pressed more firmly against mine. All my senses zeroed in on the places where we touched. The world shrank to the feeling of his lips moving over mine in an artful, highly skilled way. The kiss was supposed to be a distraction, not something that flipped my tummy upside down.
A Righteous Man Page 8