“I’m not lying.”
Her eyes widened. “Well, in that case, why don’t you go ask for it back?”
“Later. Right now, I have some people I’d like to introduce you to.”
“Why can’t you introduce me to Elton?”
“Because he’ll only bore us with tales of how he slept with Cher in the seventies.”
Now she gasped. “He did?”
I chuckled and led her further into the party. I snagged a glass of champagne from a server and handed it to her. “Here you go.”
She took it and brought it to her mouth. “Mmm, that’s good champagne. Why aren’t you having any?”
“I don’t drink.”
“Oh.” She frowned, then asked. “Any reason?”
I answered honestly. “It was a problem for me in the past.”
Her expression sobered. “Right. Understood.”
I was surprised that she simply accepted my explanation without wanting to know more. Usually, when it came to my past addictions, people were nosy, but not Elodie.
“Julian,” came a sweet accented voice and I turned to see Krystyna walk toward us. She and her husband were arm in arm, looking the picture of youthful, wealthy elegance.
“Krystyna, you look wonderful. And Branson, I’d never guess you just turned forty,” I teased.
The handsome, dark-haired man gave an amused laugh. “Thirty-seven, actually.”
“Ah, right. My apologies,” I winked and he shook his head.
“And who is your lovely date?” Krystyna asked, eyeing Elodie with interest. I’d heard through the grapevine that Krystyna and Branson hosted swingers’ parties from time to time. Alas, I’d never been invited, since I was too much of a wild card. Celebrities typically only let loose at small private gatherings consisting of other celebrities. Everyone had to have something to lose, and I didn’t.
“Elodie Grant,” Elodie replied with a practiced smile as she held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
“And you,” Krystyna said, coming forward to give her a kiss on either cheek. Branson did the same, and I was surprised at how Ellen took it all in stride, not once breaking the act.
“Well, please enjoy the party, and hopefully we’ll see you again before the end of the night,” Krystyna went on and the two turned to mingle with more guests.
I led Elodie away. “That went well.”
“He’s even better looking in real life,” she exclaimed. “And his wife, my God, she’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met in person.”
“She is quite something. I think she liked you, too.”
Elodie preened at this. “You do?”
“I do. Maybe they’ll invite us to one of their partner swaps.”
She blinked and almost spat out the mouthful of champagne she just swallowed. “Their what?”
“Branson and Krystyna have an open relationship. They host uber-exclusive swingers’ parties at their house in Hampstead.”
“Oh.” Colour rose in her cheeks, a glimpse of Ellen trickling in. She cleared her throat. “Have you, uh, ever gone to one?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never been invited, I’m afraid. I’m not in the circle of trust, though I get the feeling Krystyna is planning to vet me.”
She took a long gulp of champagne. “Vetting? They really take this stuff seriously.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“I guess so. How does it all even work? Do they put their keys in a bowl or something?”
“Not quite. Like I said, I’ve never been, but I have been to other such parties. Normally people partner off as they so please.”
“That sounds…interesting.”
“It is. If you’re into that sort of thing.”
She eyed me now, all curiosity. “Are you into that sort of thing?”
“I was, for a while.”
She went quiet and I could see her thinking, turning it all over in her head. When she looked at me, I found myself frustrated at the green contacts covering her naturally brown eyes. No wonder I’d thought them so odd before. Now that I knew they were fake, it was hard to believe I’d ever been fooled by them. Even her wig, that was clearly expensive and expertly made, seamless to the untrained eye, seemed obviously false.
“The other day,” Elodie ventured, breaking me from my thoughts. “You said you believe gender is non-binary.”
“True.”
“Does that mean you’re bisexual?”
Hmm, how to answer such a tricky question. I took a deep breath. “I believe gender is non-binary because I’ve never felt like a typical male, or well, I’ve never possessed typical male attributes. When I was a little boy, lots of people mistook me for a girl. As I grew older, I couldn’t relate to boys in the same way I related to girls, but I wasn’t gay, so I fell into this odd, nondefinable category. I also don’t consider myself bisexual, but I admit I’ve been with men in the past when I was still discovering myself. It wasn’t unpleasant, and I certainly enjoyed it, but it’s not something I seek out. Those instances, well, they happened organically. Even though I consider myself straight, I’m a firm believer in allowing moments with other human beings to progress naturally. If sex happens, great, but if it doesn’t, that’s fine, too. Does that make sense?”
She stared at me in fascination. “Yes, actually, it does.”
I chuckled. “I guess you could call me experimental. I don’t typically have sexual feelings towards men, only women, but there have been occasions in my life when I’ve—”
“Experimented?” Elodie put in.
I smiled down at her. “Yes.”
She went thoughtful again. “I guess women do that sort of thing all the time.”
“Kiss girls?”
A soft laugh. “It’s just more of a taboo for men though, I suppose.”
“Well, I’ve never been one to let taboos stop me from doing what feels good.”
“I need to take a leaf out of your book,” she murmured.
I clinked my glass of orange juice to her glass of champagne. “And I’m more than happy to teach you.”
We shared a moment, locked in each other’s eyes before we were interrupted by a suave, slimy, and annoyingly familiar voice. I grimaced, wishing him away.
“Hello, Julian.”
“Warren, what a nice surprise to see you here,” I said, mustering a pleasant tone as I met the gaze of the six foot five blond Adonis in an Armani suit. Warren Gold and I had known each other for years, but we weren’t what you’d call friends. We shared a profession; however, our methods of operation were far different. Warren had a website, social media accounts, the whole shebang. He posted oiled up, topless pictures of himself sunbathing on exotic beaches to Instagram, which seemed to work a treat in attracting customers.
I operated on nothing more than word of mouth.
The dark-haired woman on his arm was not a stranger. She was an ex-client of mine named Marie. We’d amicably parted ways about a year ago. Clearly, she’d decided to move on to new pastures. I didn’t hold it against her, even if her taste in escorts left a lot to be desired.
“I was just saying the same thing to Marie,” Warren replied. “It’s been what? A year?”
“Too long,” I lied and turned to his date. “Marie, you look well.”
She lifted her glass, a face on her like the cat that got the cream. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“And who is this beautiful little thing?” Warren asked, casting his serpentine gaze on Elodie. His quaffed, shoulder-length hair was worthy of a shampoo advert.
“This is Elodie, she’s a close friend of mine,” I said, lying again, and belatedly realised my error. I should not have introduced her as a close friend, because that only made her more of a prize to Warren. He had an ongoing vendetta against me. A couple of years ago, one of his clients dumped him and hired me instead. Ever since, he made it his mission to return the favour, which was clearly the case with Marie.
&
nbsp; He’d also tried to seduce Rose a while back, but luckily my best friend was too wise to fall for it. She’d had the same upbringing as I did. I feared Elodie might not be so discerning as Rose when it came to men, and Warren had a way of dazzling people, so they couldn’t see the tarnish beneath the false shine.
He stepped forward, took her hand, and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. Everything inside of me recoiled at the action. I wasn’t sure why, because I hardly knew her, but I felt protective of Ellen.
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, gazing up at him, clearly dazzled.
He smiled his practiced in the mirror, overly white smile and murmured, “The pleasure is all mine.”
Marie cleared her throat, the ghost of irritation flashing across her face. It was gone in an instant, but I caught it all the same. “So, Julian, how have you been?”
“I can’t complain. And you?”
She looked to Warren, her expression turning smug. “Oh, just wonderful. Warren’s been taking very good care of me.”
I didn’t take the bait. “So, I see.”
“Marie and I are off to Majorca for a little break tomorrow,” Warren put in, sliding his arm around my ex-client’s waist. “I can’t wait to get some sun. London can be so dreary.”
“True. There’s not many occasions for sun worshipping in this city, and I do know you’re fond of a sunbathing selfie.” Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Gold.
His only sign of irritation was a slight twitch in his left eyebrow. “Well, we can’t all be off the grid like you, Julian. Nobody would ever be able to find us.” He laughed boisterously, and Marie joined in. Elodie glanced at me with a raised eyebrow, and I was glad she didn’t indulge Warren with a fake laugh like Marie had.
“I think we all should take a break from social media from time to time,” Elodie said. “It does the soul good.”
Warren gazed down at her. “Does it now? Perhaps I’ll give it a try sometime.”
Up on the stage, a well-known rock band took their instruments and started to play their latest hit. I couldn’t remember their name, but I knew they’d been in the charts a lot lately because their song was on every radio station.
“Oh, my goodness, is that actually them? I love this band,” Elodie exclaimed, showing her greenness. Instantly, Warren knew she was innocent and ripe for manipulation, which was his specialty.
Couples were taking to the dance floor, and calculation shone in Warren’s eyes. “Do you know what? Me, too. Care to join me for a dance?”
Elodie hesitated only a moment, glancing to me as though for permission. Grudgingly, I gave her a look that said go ahead, while inside I’d rather pull teeth than have her dance with Warren. His surname always reminded me of the proverb, all that glitters is not gold.
I watched as he took her hand and guided her to the dance floor. Marie folded her arms and stood beside me, annoyance written all over her face.
“You would have to be here with some irresistibly sexy redhead on your arm,” she griped. “Do you know how long it took me to get an appointment with Warren?”
“Oh Marie, fret not, you’ll have him back by the end of the song,” I said, finding her jealousy tiresome. Marie was the type of client who fooled you into thinking she was fine with the arrangement, but who secretly thought she had some kind of claim over you. She wasn’t necessarily a bad person, but she was rich enough to think that meant she could simply buy whatever man she wanted.
“I better,” she hissed, swiping a glass of champagne from a passing server and taking an angry sip.
My gaze followed Warren and Elodie’s movements. Thankfully, it wasn’t a slow song, so he didn’t have cause to put his hands on her. That didn’t stop him from shimmying close. Too close. I swallowed, putting my feelings of jealousy down to the fact that I disliked Warren and his methods immensely. He was the proverbial thorn in my side. It wasn’t because I felt something for Ellen. I mean, Elodie.
Not at all.
Chapter Eight
Ellen
Wow, this man was tall.
If I weren’t wearing heels, I was pretty sure I’d look like his kid standing next to him, which was a weird thought. His blond hair was shinier than any person’s I’d ever seen, and he was built like a superhero.
If Thor were a supermodel, he’d look like Warren Gold.
Still, there was something too perfect about him. Something in his eyes I found unappealing. But maybe I was being too judgemental. Incredibly good-looking men were very intimidating, after all. Not to Elodie, of course, but to Ellen they were mythical creatures to be gazed at and never spoken to.
It was a good thing I was here as my alter ego tonight.
“So, Elodie, how did you and Julian meet?” he asked as we danced. It was hard to hear him over the music, which was probably why he leaned close to speak in my ear. His hot breath danced across my skin.
“We live close by and met at our local coffee shop,” I replied, answering as honestly as I could in case he happened to ask Julian the same question. I sensed an uneasy vibe between them and suspected Warren’s date, Marie, might be an ex of Julian’s. The woman had practically eaten Julian up with her eyes, even though she was on the arm of the most attractive man in the room.
“How quaint. I thought you might’ve been a client of his.”
A client? I realised I still hadn’t asked Julian what he did for a living. When we spoke, I always got so distracted, fascinated by every word that came out of his mouth. I didn’t want to give anything away, so I simply replied, “No, I’ve never been his client.”
Something I said piqued Warren’s interest. “Well, if you’re ever interested, I’d be more than happy to take you on.”
“Oh? You’re in the same business?”
“We are. Just ask Marie if you’d like a reference.”
Okay, now I was confused. Luckily, the song ended and Julian swooped in. “My apologies, but I have to steal Elodie away. There’s someone I’d like her to meet.”
“Of course,” Warren replied, taking my hand and kissing it in farewell, a seductive glint in his eye. “Until we meet again, beautiful Elodie.”
I linked arms with Julian and he led me away. “Wow, he’s intense.”
Julian gave an amused laugh. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“How do you know him anyway? Is Marie an ex of yours?”
He arched an eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”
I shrugged. “The way she looked at you.” A pause as I glanced at him. “The way you looked at her.”
He seemed hesitant to answer, not meeting my gaze. “I guess you could call her something of an ex, though we were never in a relationship.”
“So, she was a hookup?”
“Along those lines, yes.”
“And you don’t like Warren because she’s with him now?”
We walked by a table of hors d’oeuvres and I swiped a little cracker with salmon and cream cheese. I’d been so nervous for tonight that I’d barely eaten all day and hunger was starting to creep up on me. Julian exhaled deeply and guided me further through the fancy room.
“There are many reasons why I dislike Warren, but none of them have to do with his current relationship with Marie.”
I popped the cracker in my mouth and chewed. “Okay, so tell me one of them.”
“Has anyone ever told you it’s impolite to speak with your mouth full?”
“Elodie never claimed to be a lady. Now spill. I want to hear why you hate Thor, Supermodel Edition.”
Julian laughed at this. “Hate is a very strong word. But one of my main gripes with Warren is that he tried to seduce Rose a few years ago, with every intention of discarding her afterward.”
Huh. Rose was the woman who’d come with him to the bookshop. “Were you and Rose together at the time?”
He shook his head. “Rose is my closest friend. We’ve known each other since we were children and our mothers entered into a polyamorous
relationship with one another. In fact, she’s more like a sister.”
“A polyamorous what?” I gaped at him. If I hadn’t already swallowed, I might’ve choked.
“Polyamory is when you enter into a relationship with more than one person. Unlike me, my mother was bisexual, though she had a preference for men. Anyway, the point is, Rose and I have been through a lot together, and I was not going to allow Warren to hurt her. Luckily, she was wise enough to see through him.” He eyed me meaningfully.
“Don’t worry. I can see through him, too. There’s something not right about his eyes.”
Julian appeared relieved. “I’m glad to hear it. Warren will love you and leave you, Ellen…I mean, Elodie.”
“Well, it’s a good thing Elodie isn’t looking for a relationship right now.”
“And what about Ellen?” he questioned, seemingly interested.
“Ellen will be happy enough just to get by without having a panic attack every time a stranger tries to talk to her.”
Julian tutted. “That’s no life for a pretty girl like Ellen.”
He thought I was pretty? Colour stained my cheeks as I whispered, “We can’t always have it all.”
He turned to face me now, his face full of sincerity and warmth. “My dear, you can have anything you set your mind to.”
A silence fell as I looked around the room. These celebrities lived in a whole other world, and I certainly understood the ordinary person’s fascination. It was a world where everyone appeared to be living their best life. Julian didn’t seem to be a part of it, but rather, on the fringes. A welcome guest but not a fully-fledged member. I glanced at him and found him studying me.
“What are you thinking about?”
“About you,” I answered honestly. “You have quite an interesting life.”
His eyes held a sparkle. “Oh Elodie, you don’t know the half of it.”
I was locked in his gaze again. If I wasn’t careful, I could get lost there. I looked away, scanning the room. “So, who was it you wanted to introduce me to?”
His tone was playful. “Are you familiar with the work of J.K. Rowling?”
My mouth fell all the way open. “Shut up! She’s here?”