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“James!”
We turn to see Adelaide making her way over, smiling as though she didn’t interrupt an intimate moment.Great timing.
She looks beautiful as always. Her long dark hair hangs past her shoulders in soft waves, and she’s wearing a cream-colored gown that hugs her small curves.
“Hey, stranger,” she says leaning in to air kiss his cheeks. Once they’re apart, she turns her attention to me. “Hi, Lilah. How are you doing?”
The condescending way she asks smarts me a bit, but I can play the game. I put on a smile. “I’m doing well, thanks. How about you?”
She ignores my question. “How’s sobriety going? Rehab did you good?”
Jimmy takes my hand. An action Adelaide notices since I don’t miss the way the corners of her mouth tense a bit.
Hmm. Jimmy might look at her as a friend, but I’d bet my last dollar that little Miss Adelaide wants more than friendship.Too bad, sister—he’s mine.
“Rehab did put some things in perspective for me, yes.” I give Jimmy a loving glance and hold his gaze. “I know what’s important, and I’m going to do everything in my power not to lose it again.”
He kisses my cheek.
“Oh… that’s great.” She falters but recovers quickly, turning her attention back to Jimmy. “Rumor mill says that you might be getting an offer for Truman’s new movie. Any truth to that?”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m going to visit the ladies’ room. I’ll leave you two to talk, then we can head home and finish what we started?”
Jimmy’s eyes flare with heat, leaving no room for Adelaide to wonder what that might be. “Can’t wait.” He kisses my lips and lets my hand go.
“It was good to see you again, Adelaide.”
I smile, and she gives me an insincere smile back.
“Yes, good to see you.”
I spin on my heel and weave through the crowd to the women’s restroom on the other end of the lobby. I’m more than halfway there when someone grabs my upper arm, pulling me to a halt.
“Lilah.” It’s Bernie Butler, head of the studio for theThe Regulatormovie Jimmy is in.
“Mr. Butler, hi, how are you?” I retract my arm from his grasp.
I’ve only met the man a few times in passing, and every time, he gave me the creeps. As a user, I’ve hung out in some less-than-stellar places and met some nasty people. No one unsettles me the way he does.
“Please, call me Bernie.” He smiles, and his pockmarked cheeks rise, making him look as though he’s squinting.
“Okay.”
“I saw you here with James.” He allows his statement to hang there.
“Yes, we’re here together.” I want to brush him off and bolt, but this man holds a lot of power in the entertainment industry and therefore a lot of power over Jimmy and the trajectory of his career, so I force myself to smile and be polite.
“I hope you’re not going to cause any more trouble for him? He has a big movie coming out next year.”
I squeeze my purse. “I promise I’m not. I spent ninety days in rehab and I’m sober now. Doing better.”
“Good, glad to hear it.” He squeezes my shoulder. My eyes follow his grubby hand on my skin before looking back at his bloated face. “I wanted to catch up with you anyway and set up a meeting at my office.”
I blanch. “About what exactly?”
After I glance at his hand again, he drops it from my shoulder. “There’s some issues that have landed on my desk.”
“And I can help?”
