I'll do it again. Reporters don't scare me.
"Can I crash here? I ain't got it in me to drive back to my ranch tonight."
It’s thirty minutes to drive, lazy shit.
"Ugh. Sure. Just don't make a fuckin' mess, Jett."
He holds up his beer.
"To kidnapping." He cheers.
I clink my bottle against his with a laugh.
"To kidnapping."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Harper
I’m running behind because I couldn’t find my damn purse. I could have sworn I left it at the table, but lo and behold, it somehow ended up in their office. Hudson thought he was being useful by moving it. Clearly not.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry I'm late!" I rush the words out as I find Gianna sitting at the bar. Alone. The place is nearly empty, a low-lit cocktail bar in West Hollywood with velvet booths and jazz playing soft enough that you forget it's there. Two espresso martinis sit in front of her, untouched.
She lights a cigarette and blows the smoke up into the air. Her nails are long and black. Sharp enough to draw blood. She taps the stool beside her.
"No problem, Harper. I can wait for you."
I hop up onto the barstool and take a sip of the drink. The caffeine of the espresso martini hits my bloodstream, and I feel the fog of the evening start to lift.
Her eyes aren't on my face. They're fixed on my left hand. On the diamond.
"Harper." She sets her cigarette down. "What is that monstrosity on your finger?"
I nearly spit my drink out.
"I'm engaged."
She tips her head back and laughs. Several of the staff glance over and immediately glance away.
"Not to Hudson, I hope."
"Why not? He loves me."
The laughter stops. Her eyes narrow into slits. She doesn't say a word. Not for an entire minute. I’m not sure why I’m even lying to her. If anyone might understand this whole set-up, it’s her.
"You don't love him back, though, do you?" she says finally. "Your heart is elsewhere. This life here—it's not what you want, is it?"
I glance down at the ring. The diamond catches the bar light and throws tiny rainbows across my knuckles. “How did you know?”
She grins. “I guess it’s intuition.”
A shiver runs down my spine. I’m not sure I believe her. Not knowing who she is and all the information she could find.
"It is what it is, Gianna. Sometimes in life, you just gotta suck it up."
She bites her red lip.
"No. That's what they tell us to believe, Harper. If you don't love him, don't marry him." She pauses. "Unless it's a deal you can't refuse."
