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“‘Rarely’ being the key word. They might come back for more.”
I gave a small shrug and then pulled my cup from the coffee machine. “If they do, they do. If they don’t, they don’t.” I really wished I felt as flippant about it as I sounded.
“One can but hope.”
“I was disappointed that there was no male-on-male touching, but it meant that I was their focus—there was nothing disappointing about that.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I can totally understand why they have so many groupies.”
“Don’t be surprised if some of those groupies start shooting you snarls and glares. They’re a jealous lot. And proper obsessive. I once overheard one talking to her mate, literally scheming on how to ‘reel’ the two blokes in and get rid of their anti-arrangement rule. She seemed very confident that it’d work. But considering I overheard that conversation four months ago and the blokes arestillunattached, her plan must have failed.”
“Thank God it did, or I wouldn’t have gotten laid by them last night.”
Izzy’s mouth curved. “You know, I’m still taking it in that, wow, my girl had a threesome. Wait until Cat and Inaya find out. They’ll be buzzing.”
I drank more of my coffee, taking a seat opposite Izzy. “Maybe it’s a good thing that the guys aren’t into arrangements. It would be too tempting, too easy, for me to settle for one if they made that offer. I don’t want to settle. I want something real. More. I want what you have with Cole, and what Cat has with Danton.”
“You never said so before.”
“I hadn’t really acknowledged it before. I avoided relationships for a while because my past ones didn’t go well. It was never a simple matter of finding the right person. It was also a matter of finding someone who my mother can’t seduce.” Because Alondra would give it her best shot, no matter how much I cared for them. “We know how good she is at that.”
Izzy’s face tightened. “That woman … Ugh, I could honestly light her on fire. I’m not saying I wouldn’t put theflames out at some point—I’m not a monster. I’d just like to see her burn for a little while.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “You know, I can think of quite a few people who’d watch the spectacle right along with you. She’s good at making enemies. But enough about her. And my somewhat eventful evening. Tell me how things are going between you and Cole.”
The corner of her mouth tipped up. “I have absolutely no complaints.”
We talked a while longer, covering several topics—her relationship with Cole, how happy Cat was these days, how it was baffling that our delightful Inaya was single, etc. etc. We also made plans to stop by Inaya’s house this evening to check on Judy after her fall.
A few hours after Izzy left, my apprentice Zhen arrived so that we could go over the new project we were working on. Five years younger than me, the ridiculously adorable Asian was extremely talented and would undoubtedly go far in the industry.
He gestured at the box of pastries in his hand. “I come bearing gifts, Your Highness.”
I took them, grateful. “Many thanks, peasant.”
He smiled, clasping his hands together. “I’msoexcited about the charity ball. My tuxedo is ready to roll. I look hot in it, even if I do say so myself.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
He gave my arm a little squeeze. “Thank you so much for taking me as your plus-one.”
“You admittedly wore me down with the many ‘Please take me’ memo notes that you scattered all over my office.”
“I wore Chris down with similar memo notes when I wanted him to take me on a date back when he was swearing thathe wasn’t bi,” he said, referring to his boyfriend. “He still insists that he’s not.”
“Sometimes it’s about the person, not the gender.” My dads were proof of that. “You’re too damn adorable not to love.”
“Don’t get mushy on me, I’m an ugly crier.”
I snorted. “Let’s get some work done. First, we need coffee.”
Once we had our drinks in hand, we headed to my office. Next door to the master bedroom, my workspace was bright, spacious, airy, and somewhat on the swanky side. It was also the only room in my apartment that wasn’t tidy, but it possessed a kind of organized chaos.
Evidence of my career was visible everywhere—the mannequins, the sewing machines, the rolls and piles of material, the sketches and notes pinned to the corkboard, etc.
Zhen and I settled on the leather chairs at my long-ass desk, where we immediately got to work. We were only in the first stage of this particular project, so our time was mostly spent studying the theatrical script in order for us to determine costume requirements. Only after that would we research styles and fabrics, sketch ideas for costumes, and discuss the aforementioned ideas with everyone working on the show, including the director, set designers, and production team.
I loved this stage of the process just as much as I loved bringing the sketches to life with the aid of costume makers and wardrobe assistants. Being on set—whether at a theater or for a movie—and watching actors and performers slip on their costumes was an incredibly satisfying experience. For me, it would never get old.
Later on, after Zhen and I were finished and had demolished the pastries, I passed him his jacket and walked him to the front door. “Remember, I’ll be picking you up at six am tomorrow on my way to the airport. Be ready.”
