Page 6 of Forbid It

“Why did I ever agree to host my Dad’s party? Now I’ve got to plan one for her too.”

Pip snorts. “Couldn’t be me.”

I sober slightly. Three years ago, Pip was swept up in a horrific scandal caused by her father’s sexual misconduct. Her dad was a successful film producer, with hundreds of blockbusters under his belt, but he also couldn’t keep said belt closed. I always thought he was a creep. Whenever I met him, his eyes would linger on my body like slime. I never brought it up, but since the news came out, I wonder if I should have. Pip and her brother Danny have completely cut their father out of their lives, releasing press statements condemning him and publicly shunning him, but neither of them like to talk about it.

“Have you heard from the newlyweds?” I ask Pip, moving the conversation firmly away from dysfunctional parents. I’ve seen Danny often over the last two years, working on his debut album.

Danny is still relatively new to the music industry but I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager. I had some talent, sure, but I was a kid dropped in a studio with grown ups who knew what they were doing. I had a folder of songs to choose from, adding the occasional creative change, but working with a team of songwriters and producers. For my last album, I decided to try to write my own. A complete album full of my own songs and my own words. And Danny helped me.

“Yes,” Pip sighs. “It’s adorable. Anya keeps sending me the worst candid pics of Danny. It’s cracking me up. How was the party?”

I clear my throat. “Uh, yeah. Good. Good. Nothing happened.”

Silence.

“Why did you say it like that?”

“What do you mean?” I try to laugh it off, but I know she’s not going to let that go.

“Nothing happened. I didn’t ask if anything happened. What happened?”

“Nothing!” I protest, running my hand through my hair and remembering how Robbie tugged at the strands.

“Cassandra Hamilton, you slut!”

“What!” I gasp. “How did you know?”

“I knew it! You got some. Who was it? One of your dad’s friends? I can’t tell if I like that or not. Older guys can be very sexy.”

“Who’s the slut now?” I laugh. “He wasn’t old. Well I mean, I don’t know how old he was. Older than me, but not like my dad’s age. Jesus, Pip.”

“Hot?”

I nod before remembering she can’t see me. And then I tell her. How I was relaxing in my favorite spot until I was interrupted by a British sex god, who literally charmed the panties off me and gave me an orgasm without finding out my last name. He didn’t seem to recognize me, and I had zero interest in telling him.

“Wow,” Pip says after I’m finished.

“Yeah,” I say, on a sigh.

“Are you going to see him again?”

“I didn’t get his number. I don’t even know his full name.”

“Surely your dad will know. He would have invited him.”

“Yeah, great idea. ‘Hi Daddy, you don’t happen to know the last name of the hot English guy who came to your party? He ravished your daughter in the garden.’” I make a dramatic heaving noise at the thought.

Pip’s laugh rings in my ear. “Fine, don’t ask him. Just spend the rest of your life desperately trying to find your mystery man again.”

“I’ll think about it.” I say. “I’m seeing him tomorrow. He wants me to come to the first training session for the team.”

“I thought your only plans this week were to surf and write.”

I close my eyes. “It was, but Dad asked me at the party to come watch practice.”

“What are you going to do? Help run the workouts? You don’t know anything about football.”

I snicker. “I’m sure he’s not going to ask me to play.”