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I glance at Rake, who gives nothing away.
Vince places a hand on my arm. “You see, Petal, that’s the way it is with celebrities.”
I chug my soda to avoid puking but taste a little in my mouth anyway.
Is he for real? Are either of these guys for real?
Vince gets to his feet, our meeting apparently over, which is a big relief to me. Rake sighs loudly enough that I know we’re on the same page.
I shake both their hands. “Text me the details.”
I’m out of here.
8
PETAL
“I am not wearingthong underpants. I won’t do it, Gilly.”
She waves the silky little scrap of fabric in my face like it will magically crawl up my ass crack on its own.
“Those things are nasty. And bad for your vag,” I say. “I don’t know how you two hos wear them.”
Lucy takes the thong from Gilly. “Oooh, this is nice. Very high quality. If you don’t want it, Petal, I’ll take it. And I’ll have you know, Petal, my vag is very healthy.”
Yeah, right.
Do I really need my friends to help me get ready for a date? It’s not like I’m fifteen years old or something. And yet, they insisted on coming over like this is my last chance to snag a guy, and that if this goes south, I’ll be alone forever.
Which, to be honest, would be fine with me. After the bullshit that went down with Andy, I’m happy to die an old maid.
My mother’s term. Not mine.
“Give me some more of that champers, will ya?” I ask, thrusting my champagne flute in Gilly’s direction.
She pours and the bubbles overflow. “Isn’t this stuff the best? At the club, we sell it for twelve-ninety-nine per glass. And we get the whole bottle from our distributor for only nine-ninety-nine!”
“Regardless of how much the club gets it for, I have a feeling you paid for it using your ‘five finger discount’,” Lucy says with air quotes.
Gilly licks a drop from the rim of the bottle. “Yeah, and so what? I work hard at that place, singing my heart out night after night. If I want to swipe a bottle or two of cheap champagne, I will. Plus, you know the boss loves me.”
Loves her? He’s more likeobsessedwith her. She could drive her car through the front door of the club, and he’d just smile at her and ask how her day was.
“You do it with him yet?” I ask.
She shakes her head with an emphaticno. “Are you kidding? That’s the fastest way to burst the bubble with a guy like him. Once he gets in my pants, he’ll no longer want me. You see, he’s not really interested inme—he’s interested in theideaof me.”
Good God. How Gilly and I ended up on such opposite ends of the man spectrum as we did blows my mind. I’m like a kindergartner compared to her heartbreaker know-how.
“Where you guys gonna go, anyway?” she asks.
I pull on another of the dresses Gilly brought over, then take it right off. “I don’t know where we’re going, but I do know I don’t want to look like a hoochie mama.”
I sit on the end of the bed in my mother’s guest room. I stay here when I’m in the city since I moved out of the place I was sharing with Andy the asshole. “Why can’t I just wear jeans?” I moan.
“Look, Petal. That PR guy said there’d be cameras when you get picked up. You need to look nice. Not like you’re heading out to Trader Joe’s for some frozen biryani.”
I pull on the Betsey Johnson dress I wore to the auction. “This really is the best option. I feel good in it, and the swingy skirt suits my style. You know, girly without being over the top.”
