by Jo Leigh
What was she hoping for here? That her from-the-heart confession would change things? Would have Trace whacking his forehead with a “Eureka, now I get it?” Wasn’t going to happen. Trace believed a number of things about her, had believed those things for a long time. He had no reason to think she was telling him the truth. And even if he did buy that she was being completely frank, it probably wouldn’t matter.
But she hoped it would.
She stared at herself in the mirror. “You like him,” she said. “You like him more than you should. So what’s up with that?”
Her reflection offered no theories. And it was almost time for their meeting with Kit.
Piper walked back into the bedroom, took the tape out of the machine and put it on his pillow. And promised herself she wasn’t going to give it another thought. What he did with it was his business.
She gathered her things and left, making sure she had the key card to give back to the front desk. On her way to the elevator, she called Martin. “Where are you?” she asked, before he had a chance to speak.
“In the limo.”
“Is Logan with you?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why? Last I heard, you guys were doing great.”
“We were never doing great, Martin. In case you haven’t noticed, your boy there is an alcoholic with a pretty bad drug problem. And FYI, he can’t even get it up. So what we had was convenience. But it’s no longer convenient, so do me a favor, and keep him close, okay? I don’t want him at the party.”
“Okay, Piper. I’ll do that for you.”
“And in return, you want…?”
“I’m not an alcoholic and I can still get it up.”
She laughed. “Okay, Martin. You and a guest are on the list. Just make sure your guest isn’t Logan.”
“Deal.”
She hung up. Wondering how on earth she could have thought that being seen with Logan could have ever appealed to her, even as a convenience. Actually, he was such a huge star, and such a wreck, she thought he might deflect a bit from her own ridiculous life.
Bad plan. Stupid plan.
Maybe the thing she had to do was drop out. Move to some remote island and just stay there until everyone forgot about her. Nice idea, bad timing. She had Hush now. And as much as she needed the hotel, Hush needed her right back. On the front page. But maybe, she could be on the front page fully clothed.
17
THE MEETING with Kit lasted three-and-a-half hours. Trace sat in the conference room, staring at the new drawings as Piper walked Kit out. He needed to process everything that had happened.
Piper had been astonishing. She’d been more than accommodating, and he figured if he brought the new campaign to Nicholas, showed him the new direction, Nicholas would back off. Well, he’d still want all the sex accoutrements disposed of, but Trace didn’t think that was a deal breaker. Not after hearing Piper.
He stood and shuffled through the drawings that Kit had come up with. She had some terrific ideas. They needed to be fleshed out, finessed, but they pictured Hush as a sophisticated place to stay, the only place to stay if you wanted to be a player. They were still about sex, just not overtly so. And Piper wasn’t center stage.
He still hadn’t shaken this afternoon. Not the way Logan had looked at her, not the images that kept spinning in his head.
He wondered if Logan was still in her suite. And if he was, was he staying?
The meeting had been all business, and with Kit there, he wasn’t about to start anything personal. But now they were alone and he needed to get clear on some things.
“So what do you really think?”
He turned. Piper was standing at the door, arms crossed as she leaned against the frame. She was more beautiful than any woman he’d ever known. Of course he wanted her. And he doubted the ache would ever ease. “I think these are great. I’m impressed as hell.”
“Kit’s good.”
“She is. But the credit, I think, belongs with you.”
“I’m still not sure I’m going to go with them.”
“What’s the confusion? These are classy. Elegant. They’re what the hotel is all about.”
“Also what the hotel is about.” She pushed off the door and came into the room. “I can’t help but wonder what the media will make of the sudden shift. Will they think I’ve lost my nerve? That I no longer believe Hush is for lovers?”
“Maybe they’ll just think this is a natural progression. That you’re appealing to more than the libido.”
“Perhaps. But I’d be willing to bet the first week’s receipts that someone, somewhere, will find out that Nicholas had something to do with it.”
“So what?”
She smiled. “Spoken as a man who’s never been on the front page of The Enquirer.”
“They don’t own you.”
“Don’t they?”
“Come on, Piper. You’re stronger than that.”
She gave him a look of utter astonishment.
“What?”
“You can say that to me? You?”
He stood up. Approached her, but when he got close, she backed away.
“I don’t pretend to understand your life Piper, but I feel like I’ve gotten to know you a little better.”
Her laughter was genuine. And insulting.
“Why is that so hard to believe?”
“You know what you read in the papers, Trace.”
“What’s going on, Piper? Why are you so angry?”
“I didn’t invite Logan here. I had no idea he would show up.”
“The press…”
“He brought them. His manager called, set it all up.”
“So it wasn’t planned.”
“Not by me.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. And thanks for asking.” She walked around him, heading for the hallway.
“Hold on. Just wait.”
She stopped, but she didn’t turn around.
“Last I heard, you and Logan were an item.”
Now she did turn, and looked at him with sadness. “I repeat. You know what you read in the papers.”
“I don’t know what to ask.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Are you still seeing him?”
“No.”
“Is there anyone else?”
She shook her head.
“Will you have dinner with me?”
“Not tonight.”
“Fair enough.”
“I have some calls to make.”
He nodded, then watched her walk away. Before he left, he gathered all the papers together, put them in the portfolio. He’d planned on taking them to Nicholas in the morning, but maybe he’d hold off. Piper had said she wasn’t sure and he didn’t want to jump the gun.
He’d go to his room, have dinner. Call Piper later. He didn’t want the conversation to end here. And he had the feeling she didn’t, either.
“I THOUGHT YOU’D GONE.”
Piper shook her head as she walked into Kit’s office. It was just so Kit with her wee-smiley-face fetish. Everything from her clock to her screen saver had the big yellow grins, and every time Piper came into her office, her mood lifted.
“What’s up?” Kit asked, pushing her long blond hair behind her shoulder.
“I want to set up a press conference. Tomorrow morning. Can we do it?”
“Sure. Want to give me a hint?”
“I’ll talk about the new campaign, and I’m also going to announce that Logan and I are history.”
“Uh, you sure you want to do that second part the morning of the party?”
“You think people are coming to see Logan or to see the hotel?”
“I don’t think Logan’s presence would be a bad thing.”
“Well, he’s not coming back here. Ever.”
“It’s your call.”
“I think it’s gorgeous. Classy.”
“And?”
“I like things the way they are.”
“Why?”
“You’re kidding, right? The ad campaign is a wet dream. And I mean that on so many levels. Piper, sorry, but you’re like one of the most famous women in the world. Why would I not want you in the ads? It doesn’t hurt that you’re totally hot, that the hotel is smokin’, and you’re going to be turning away anyone who’s not on the A list.”
“Now tell me what you really think.”
“You asked.”
“I know. But go ahead and put the conference together, okay? Early. We’re going to need to clear the press out right after. Talk to Janice and see about getting the security team out first thing.”
“Okay. Should I keep working on the designs?”
Piper nodded. “Thanks.”
“No sweat, boss.”
She left Kit’s office and walked slowly toward her own. But she didn’t want to go there, either.
Trace was probably in his room. And if he was in his room, he was watching the tape. Which made her really, really nervous.
She needed to do something to take her mind off things. Off him. She’d find Lisa. Lisa would help. Lisa always helped.
TRACE HADN’T MOVED a muscle since the tape started. He watched as Piper faced the camera unflinchingly, her voice soft and shaky, her eyes glistening with tears. His chest constricted as he listened to her naked honesty, at the pain that she’d hidden so well.
“My father immediately thought the worst,” she said. “From the time I was in high school, and the paparazzi started getting nuts. He never asked me what really happened, or how they got the horrible pictures. He just figured I was exactly what they said I was. Even when I tried to explain, he’d look at me like I was lying.”
Trace closed his eyes, unable to look at her, thinking about his own reactions to the media’s portrait of Piper. Shame burned in his gut, and it was all he could do not to turn off the tape.
He’d looked at her torn blouse and immediately assumed she’d manipulated her own costume malfunction.
The truly sick thing was that he understood how the media worked. Especially the tabloids. They were held to no journalistic standards and they made things up as it suited them. So why had he even once entertained the idea that what they said about Piper was true?
He forced himself to watch her again. To listen.
“I admit, I gave up. I stopped fighting it, and I shouldn’t have done that. It just felt so big. So I went with it. The men, the parties. I couldn’t see another way. Until school. Until Hush. And maybe I should have gone for something more tasteful, but dammit, there are some things I’m not ashamed of. I’m not the woman in the papers, but I am a sexual being. And the hell with anyone who wants to take that away from me.
“I don’t want to lose my inheritance. But I don’t want to lose myself, either.” She laughed. “I’m just starting to really understand who that is. And now, I’m supposed to give it away.”
There was more. The truth about her relationship with Logan. The circumstances behind some of her most infamous pictures. The time she went on the Today show to talk about a children’s charity and the host had called her slutty twice. Nicely, of course, all in good fun. But it had hurt, and hurt deeply.
Finally, the tape ended, but not before the tears that had threatened spilled down her pale cheeks. Before her voice broke.
He turned off the machine. Then he sat back on the bed. He needed to think.
PIPER WORKED Amuse Bouche, stopping at several tables. There were a lot of celebrities tonight, all A list, and all invited to the opening-night party. She couldn’t afford to miss a one, so it took her almost forty minutes to make it to Lisa’s table.
She remembered the reporter but struggled a minute to recall his name. “Jace.” She held out her hand, and he stood to greet her.
“You do that well,” he said.
“I majored in Schmoozing 101.”
“I’ll bet you got an A plus.”
She smiled at him, then turned to Lisa. “Hey.”
Lisa nodded. “Sit down, Piper. We were just talking about you.”
She sat, wondering what was up with her friend. Maybe Jace was being a jerk, which wouldn’t surprise Piper in the least. She held no illusions about reporters. They appeared to be humans, but that was just a disguise. Inside they were sharks, always after their next prey.
“I was just wondering about you and Logan,” Jace said. “Heard he was here.”
“He’s not,” Piper said.
“But he was.”
“That’s right.”
“And?”
“No and. He was here. He left.”
“But what about you two? Is there trouble in paradise?”
She turned on him, struggling not to tell him what he could do with his incredibly lame questions. The man was writing a feature article for Vanity Fair. She could not afford to piss him off. “As much as I’d like to tell you, I can’t. I will say that I’m having a press conference tomorrow, and I might mention something about Logan.”
“No hints?”
She leaned over, eyeing him conspiratorially. “Here’s a hint,” she whispered. “The seared tuna is to die for.”
At least it got a chuckle from Lisa. But underneath that, her friend was hurting, Piper could tell. They needed to talk, but it wasn’t going to happen yet. Piper got up, put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder. “Call me later, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Nice seeing you again, Jace. Please be nice to Lisa. She’s very important.”
He didn’t even look at Lisa. Not even a glance.
Piper didn’t get it. Her best friend was incredible. Beautiful, smart, funny. Men were so stupid sometimes.
She worked the room one more time, suddenly so tired she felt she could fall asleep on her feet. On the plus side, she hadn’t thought about Trace for, what, ten minutes? That was something.
Once she was in the lobby, she checked to make sure everything was in good shape, spoke to Elliot, the concierge on duty, and that was it. She went to the elevator, too exhausted to even stop and visit Eartha Kitty.
The ride up seemed long, and the walk to her suite even longer. But finally, she was inside. She didn’t even turn on the light as she headed for the bedroom.
Somehow, she wasn’t surprised to see Trace waiting for her in the darkened room. Just glad. Really, really glad.
LISA GOT OUT of the elevator on the roof. The garden lights were lit, and she realized this might be one of the last times she could ever come up here with the expectation of having it to herself.
It was her favorite part of the hotel. She loved coming up here any time, but late at night was her favorite. The lights of Manhattan were a picture-perfect backdrop to the solitude. Even with the sun long set the scent of the flowers made her think of spring days. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen much of spring. The hotel had eaten up her days. Her life.
She walked over to the swing, sat down. She was twenty-eight and she was head of human resources for a major hotel. She was appreciated for her efforts, very well paid, had the best colleagues in the world. Her life was privileged in a hundred ways, not the least of which was access to the most important and influential people of her time.
And she was sitting in a swing bemoaning the fact that she didn’t have a date. What’s wrong with this picture?
She might be living in Piper’s shadow, but it was a choice, not a prison. She could leave anytime, but she didn’t. Why? Because living in Piper’s shadow was an awesome experience. In fact, it was a hell of a lot easier than being the woman herself.
Piper was enviably strong, and what she’d done was nothing short of miraculous, all things considered. Her father considered. And if it was hard for Lisa to find someone special, it had been damn near impossible for Piper.
>
Except, something was going on with Trace, and Lisa hoped like hell the two of them could get past their history. He was good for her. He didn’t roll over, let her get her way at every turn. Men either wanted to be cavemen with her or puppy dogs. Trace was strong and decent. The biggest problem Lisa could see was his job. How could they possibly have a relationship if he continued to work for Nicholas Devon? Couldn’t happen.
Wait, maybe it could. Maybe a lot of things could happen. Hush was here, right? And it was going to be a massive success. And she was living out her dream job.
She smiled. Why was it always so easy to focus on the negative, even when there were a hundred positives all around her? And why on earth was she so upset about not getting Jace? He was nice-looking, but he was severely lacking a sense of humor, and eek, why would she want that?
The next second it hit her. Here she was a single woman living in the sexiest hotel on earth, and she hadn’t done one thing about it. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, she had used one of the personal toys in her room, but as far as the true spirit of Hush, she was a sham. A mockery. She should be ashamed of herself.
She wasn’t living la vida loca. She was living la vida loser.
No more. From now on, she would take her pleasures where she found them, and let the chips fall where they may. She may not find true love, but she could certainly find the perfect orgasm.
Breathing deeply, she turned to look at the city lights. If she wasn’t tone deaf, she’d break out in song. Instead, she did a little happy dance. Really glad no one was there to see her but the moon.
“SODA’S FINE,” Trace said.
Piper stood at the bar, deciding that she wasn’t nearly as noble as Trace and that she needed something stronger. It took her a few minutes to finish putting their drinks together, but that’s because her hands weren’t particularly steady.
Trace wanted to talk. He’d seen her tape, of course. She’d wanted this. It’s why she’d made the tape in the first place. To set things straight between them, put all their cards on the table. And now that it was here, she was scared to death.
She brought the drinks, putting his next to him on the table by the couch. She sat across from him, wanting to see his face clearly. “So,” she said.