On the Edge

  “I’ve got to play by the rules,” Kaya said, surprising Blue. And then she winked at Mick. “Will you wait for me?”

  “Oi.”

  Blue supposed that meant yes, since Mick strutted toward the back of the restaurant.

  “Why did he make me ask that last question?” Kaya whispered to Maddy when Blue stepped out. “It’s too personal. Blue never said anything intimate to me during sex. What does it mean?”

  “Nothing.” He’d been a talker with Maddy, but not about what mattered.

  She felt Blue’s gaze on her as he returned to the room. Her chin came up.

  Cora opened the door to the private dining room.

  “Here comes the next one,” Maddy said.

  The next bachelor was Tate Johnson, a semi-successful Survivor contestant, although there’d been so many seasons of Survivor that Maddy couldn’t recall which one he’d been on. He was a big man, broad-shouldered and clean-shaven, even his head. Tate was a canvas for tattoo artists, not particularly consistent about the designs he’d chosen – flames, dragons, quotes, snatches of bible verses. The plethora of tattoos fought for attention with his sturdy, plain features.

  Kaya greeted Tate and they sat down across from each other.

  “I’m an admirer of your work,” Kaya said. “You know how to play a game.”

  “You, too. Loyalty is over-rated.” Tate glanced at Blue. “I hear you’re trying to get back at this dude. How’s that working out for you?”

  “Pretty damn well.” Kaya grinned.

  “Still hung up on him?”

  Kaya hesitated, glancing at Blue.

  Tate shrugged. “Not that it matters.”

  “You’d date a woman who was hung up on someone else?”

  Tate leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Best damn sex in the universe when a woman is trying to recapture the moment with a loved-and-lost one. I could be anyone you wanted me to be for that kind of quality sex.”

  Maddy was relieved to see Kaya’s smile dim. The guy was an ass.

  “I guess that answers the first question.” Kaya stole a glance at the dog carrier in the corner. “What do you find sexy in a woman?”

  “Her willingness to do things.” Tate glanced at Blue again. “You wanted me to be honest, right?”

  “Right,” Blue said emotionlessly.

  “I find turning on women a turn on,” Tate continued. “You ask, I comply, and vice-versa. Any more questions?”

  “Just one,” Kaya said flatly. “What’s the most tender thing you’ve whispered to a woman during sex?”

  “I don’t do emotions.” Tate looked at Blue again. “Didn’t I make that clear?” He swiveled his attention back to Kaya. “I’m too young to get tied down to any one pussy. If it’s a ring you’re looking for, call me when I’m thirty.” He stood. “I’m done here, man.”

  “Good riddance,” Maddy whispered before she caught herself.

  Kaya’s smile almost wasn’t a smile at all. “Yeah, well, when I’m thirty, he’ll most likely have a sexually transmitted disease. I’ll pass.”

  Maddy gave her a thumbs up.

  Blue was fairly certain Greg Bingham, the bad boy of the nineties, now in his fifties, would work as Kaya’s third bachelor. But he wasn’t one hundred percent certain. And there sat his wild card – a former actor turned cop – the only man in the booth meeting his gaze. He chose the policeman as Kaya’s third candidate.

  Kaya took one look at the clean cut cop with his khaki pants and blue polo shirt, and laughed. Blue wanted to shut down the show and end his misery.

  Langdon Price wasn’t pleased by Kaya’s laughter. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Better cut right to the questions.”

  Kaya leaned forward. “Would you be my sex slave for the weekend?”

  “You’re talking to a man who owns a pair of handcuffs and knows how to use them. I think the question should be would you be my sex slave for the weekend?…Ma’am.”

  Kaya sat back in her chair, as surprised as the rest of the room, but she fired right back. “What do you find sexy in a woman?”

  “Confidence. Not bullshit. Bullshit means she’s hiding something or covering up because she feels as if she’s lacking.”

  No shit. Langdon was wiser than he looked.

  Blue glanced at Maddy. That’s me, he wanted to say. Forgive me, he wanted to say. She wouldn’t look at him.

  “All men want big boobs,” Kaya said.

  “You’ve been hanging around the wrong men.” Langdon was almost too good to be true, the evolved version of Blue.

  There was hope.

  Mr. Jiggles growled.

  Kaya huffed. “What’s the most tender thing you’ve whispered to a woman during sex?”

  Langdon considered that carefully. Blue was rooting for him now.

  “You’re beautiful – ”

  “Cliché,” Kaya cut him off.

  “I was going to say – ” Langdon cocked an eyebrow. “You’re beautiful when you make that noise.”

  “Oh.” Kaya was impressed.

  So was Blue.

  “It was nice meeting you.” Not one to waste time, Langdon stood.

  “Maybe we’ll meet again.” Kaya turned to Blue when Langdon left. “Now what?”

  “You might have two men out there. You might have none.”

  “If it’s not the right man, I’m walking.”

  “Okay, but when you walk, leave my dog. Cora said she could get you one of your own.” There was one mistake he could correct. Blue went out to check. There was only one man waiting in the back booth.

  Cora opened the door to the private dining room. Langdon stepped in.

  Kaya’s face fell with relief.

  Maddy was happy for her. After the preliminary conversation, Maddy called a halt to filming and told Larry to pack up. Then came the hard part. She went to find Blue. Much as she wanted to leave without seeing him, as the show’s producer, she had to face him.

  “We’re done.” Heart pounding, she forced herself to meet his gaze, to look into his eyes and not think of kisses or sex or vulnerable layers of man.

  She failed. Words stuck behind the heartbreak clogging her throat.

  She loved him. She loved him despite his lies, his mistakes, and his stubborn pride. And somehow she had to get over him. Somehow she had to forget how that challenging spark in his eyes made her speak up for herself, how hearing him admit he was wrong humbled her, how the way he read her mood and character made her feel loved.

  Blue didn’t say anything to her. Not good luck. Not have a nice life.

  On a positive note, he didn’t say, “Let’s meet at my house for one last hurrah,” either.

  The clink of dishes and murmur of voices in the restaurant filled the silence between them. Traffic shot by outside. Music blared out windows. Life went on.

  Where once there had been snappy comebacks and innuendo, there was only the silence of the end.

  “I thought you were here.” Amber leaned against the doorjamb in Dooley’s house. She looked tan, except for a bit of pink on her nose.

  “How did you find me?” Blue had been staring at the Forgiveness poster, thinking about Maddy mostly, sometimes Cora. He’d listed all the reasons Maddy should forgive him. There was one item on the list: he loved her. Two if you counted he was sorry. But when he got to the sorry part, he got stuck on who should be sorry – her for the video leaks or him for not trusting her? And then there was the not so inconsequential obstacle of him admitting he didn’t know the Rules of Attraction.

  “I went by the office and Gemma filled me in on the drama. Nice work at the Tiegler’s. Gemma projected you’re going to meet your sales quota early.” Amber opened the refrigerator, but it was empty. “I figured you might want some company.”

  “That doesn’t explain how you knew I’d be here.”

  “I get a text alert every time someone logs into the house alarm system. I was fairly sure it wasn’t Cora.” She plopped into an ora
nge tulip chair, and let her red hair down. “I’ve been worried about you.”

  “Rightfully so. I fucked up my life.”

  “Is it that bad? Let me help.” She frowned. “It wasn’t so long ago that you were bailing me out of trouble.”

  “But not out of jail. Have I apologized for that?”

  “Many times, but it always feels good to hear it again.” She swiveled the chair slowly, back and forth.

  “I’m sorry. I was an ass. Have been for years.” He was the king of asses.

  “I know.” She sighed. “But you’re a well-meaning ass, which generally makes up for whatever crap you pull.”

  “To you, maybe.” Maddy was a different story. “I’ve been running quite a freak show – matchmaking, bringing old ladies the juice, letting dying kid’s take out their frustrations on me.”

  Amber’s smile was gently accepting. “You could’ve refused to participate at any point. But you didn’t and you brought new meaning to client satisfaction. That’s exactly what Dad would have done.”

  Blue made a gesture like he was stabbing himself in the heart. “Ouch.”

  Mr. Jiggles appeared in the kitchen doorway, stretched, then trotted over to check out Amber’s shoes.

  “It’s not so bad to be compared to Dad. I’ve gotten used to it.” Amber shrugged. “I assume since you’re here you’ve read the names of the people he helped, the ones with the blooming flowers. It’s a list of who’s-who in Hollywood. They wouldn’t have done the great work on their resume without Dad helping them.”

  “First off, you’re assuming I helped somebody.”

  “I bet those old ladies at Winnie’s are grateful.”

  “They sent me a basket of chocolate and a bottle of champagne.” Which he’d put to good use with Maddy. He still hadn’t returned any of Winnie’s messages.

  “I bet Ulani is grateful. She paid her monthly retainer on time and didn’t cancel.”

  Despite Blue not returning Ulani’s messages. How could he make up for Ulani’s and Winnie’s public humiliation?

  He picked up Mr. Jiggles. Only the tips of his hair were pink. “Gemma is more efficient than I give her credit for. Did she tell you how the reality show’s doing?”

  “Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. When I landed today, my cell phone mailbox was full of requests for life coaching. My office phone – same thing. And I don’t recognize any emails in my inbox. It’s all new business. Haven’t you looked at your phone? Checked your emails?”

  “Not since yesterday.” He couldn’t bring himself to. “It can only be bad.”

  “It won’t all be bad.” Her smile was accepting when he’d expected her to return home and ream him out for undercutting the Foundation’s reputation. “Don’t you always tell me that any press is good press? There are people out there with problems who are ready to be helped. Gemma said you got a huge check from Jenny’s dad, one from Vivian Gordon, and another one from Jack. You’re well on your way to meeting your sales quota.”

  Shocker.

  The front door opened. “Babe, I’m hungry. Is Blue coming with us to dinner or not?”

  “Of course, he is.” Amber stood, stretching her back.

  “What about the way Dad went about helping people? He put them through hell. I put my exes through hell these last few days.”

  “As long as you’re tough, but fair, I wouldn’t worry about it. People – especially celebrities – are too cocooned nowadays to see the truth. And even when you tell them what their problem is, they don’t want to see it.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “But charge them money and engage their emotions? All of a sudden they start to think. And after they think, they get brave and attempt to change.”

  Blue wasn’t quite convinced. “It’s emotional boot camp.”

  “Babe!”

  “Coming.” She headed toward the door, gesturing that he should to follow. “Toughen up, bro. It’s as tough helping people change as it is for them to change. I can tell you stories.”

  “Really?” That would make him feel a lot better.

  Amber paused. “No. Client confidentiality prohibits me from sharing. But I could talk generalities.”

  “Really?” He wasn’t believing her this time.

  “Really.”

  LA Happenings by Lyle Lincoln

  …Jack Gordon stole NCAA winning coach, Trent Parker, away from the collegiate world. Coach Parker should arrive in L.A. just as the Flash return from summer league in Vegas.

  …My sources tell me Blue Rule’s chances at true love were thwarted by those frisky Playboy Avengers. That’s right. He started dating and during all the Avenger madness, various embarrassing videos and rumors of poor performance, this woman dumped him! He’s heartbroken. Who is she? Sending out an S.O.S. to all his meddlesome, talkative friends.

  Chapter 33

  “Where’s Blue?” Ulani’s voice filled the Dooley Foundation lobby the next morning.

  Blue could no longer avoid an overdue apology.

  “He’s not to be disturbed.” Gemma clomped somewhere in a hurry, if her heavy footsteps were any indication. “Hey! You can’t go in there.”

  Blue had been sitting in his office, his chair swiveled around to face the window, his mind boggled by the challenge of his love for Maddy.

  The building had been swarming with paparazzi since before Blue came in. Ulani must have braved the throng of camera wielding crazies. And they’d certainly gotten a picture of Ulani. This was exactly the three ring circus his father was known for. The three ring circus Blue was now known for.

  Except if Blue was his father, he wouldn’t be hiding up here. He would have greeted Ulani down in the lobby, jauntily waving at the paparazzi.

  “Blue, stop being a chicken shit and come out here, or I’ll put your little receptionist in a head lock.”

  “Hey,” Gemma protested again, this time a bit more strongly.

  “Ulani.” Blue went into the lobby. “You’re many things, but not a bully.”

  Ulani looked like she was posing for the cover of a video game. Cat suit. Legs spread. Fists at hips. All she needed was a cape. Instead, Quinby stood behind her, holding her purse.

  “Say you’re sorry, sweetie.” Professor Quinby smiled at Gemma apologetically. “The photographers downstairs upset her.”

  Ulani ran forward and crushed Blue in a fierce embrace. When she let him go, her eyes filled with tears. “I just wanted to protect my Blue-man.” She cradled Blue’s cheeks in her large hands. “This problem with the Avengers is my fault. I’ve ruined your love life.”

  Blue shook his head. His wreck of a love life was all his fault. “Don’t believe everything Lyle prints in his column. I’m sorry your video was stolen. And that it was run disrespectfully.”

  “What do you mean it was your fault, Ulani?” Amber leaned in the doorway of her office.

  “The film wasn’t stolen.” Ulani released Blue’s cheeks and began to pace. “I asked Maddy to send me a copy of the video she’d taken the night Blue brought me my dream man. I needed some new promotional film. Maddy sent it to me. And then this little stick woman, this cockroach, she came to me and asked if she could help me with P.R. for my career. She told me the FWA had sent her, so I didn’t have to pay her anything. All I had to do was give her some promotional film.”

  So Maddy wasn’t responsible. Blue didn’t think he could feel like a bigger shit. But there you go.

  “Did she have spiky red hair?” Cora entered the lobby from her office.

  Ulani nodded. “And now everyone thinks Blue is an insensitive jerk and an embarrassment. I can talk to this woman who dumped you. I’ve already started mending your reputation. I told the men downstairs that you were the best lover I’d ever had.” She returned to Quinby’s side. “We know the truth, baby, so a statement like that doesn’t hurt your feelings.”

  The office door opened and Winnie led in a pair of track-suited grannies. “I’m so glad you’re here, Blue. I’d hate to ha
ve to shove my way through that throng again.” Winnie and her posse collapsed on the reception couch.

  “I had to stomp on paparazzi toes with my umbrella.” Mary pushed her sunglasses up her nose and pounded the point of her purple umbrella into the floor. “He refused to move.”

  “I think you broke a couple.” Eleanor panted next to her, the stairs having done her in.

  “Blue,” Winnie began. “We couldn’t live with ourselves, not after today’s Happenings column. We have to confess. We gave the Freedom Transformation video to the Playboy Avengers – not on purpose. When Maddy was at the house, we hooked up her camera to my TV. She went looking for you and I hit record so we’d have a copy of our triumph.”

  “I told her not to post it on Facebook,” Mary said.

  “It was my private Facebook account. How was I to know somebody posing as my niece wasn’t my niece? I friended her, and then when I saw Marty at the Club this morning, she said she didn’t have a Facebook account.” Winnie slumped from the tips of her teased hair to her lipo-suctioned ankles. “We’re the reason your love life is ruined. Although if that woman can’t accept your way of helping people, she doesn’t deserve you.”

  Today, the role of biggest shit in Hollywood would be played by Blue Rule. Maddy would never forgive him.

  “We’re here to apologize and to help with damage control,” Winnie said.

  “I told the photographers downstairs that you were better in the sack than Tony Curtis,” Mary said. “And that’s saying something, because Tony Curtis was a stud.”

  Vivian burst through the door. “Thank God, I caught you.”

  “Don’t tell me. Let me guess.” Cora was enjoying this far too much. “You gave the Avengers some of Maddy’s video.”

  “No.” Vivian frowned. “What video? I didn’t come here about any video.” She hugged Blue. “I didn’t feel right calling and apologizing on the phone for ditching you the other night, and telling my husband and Lyle that you were a lousy lover – ”

  The room erupted in chaos.

  “Vivian,” Blue cut them off. “Did you by any chance tell the paparazzi downstairs what a good lover I was?”