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I scurry after them, hating every second. “I’ll come.”
* * *
Except for the blood-red pool on the plate, there isn’t any trace of the rare steak Felix ordered. He ate like a beast, ravenous and sloppy. My stomach sours, and I push away my uneaten bowl of soup.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, we were seated quickly thanks to being in the company of Felix Thorpe, and naturally, we were given the best table in the house.
The service was great as well as the food though I have no appetite. I haven’t had a chance to explain things to Tom, and I wish we were alone, back at my place. And I wish Felix was anywhere but here.
Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to get rid of him without having an argument. Felix doesn’t deserve my energy or the oxygen I’d waste talking to him, but we need to have this conversation. It has been a long time coming. I just wish he wasn’t here, intruding on my time with Tom.
A stone sits in the pit of my stomach. I’m prepared for Tom to ask outright what the hell is going on between us, but not for how things will shake out. Felix will deny the truth to his death. That’s who he is. I need to separate these two and talk to Tom alone.
“Weren’t you on that show years ago?” Tom waves around his fork, the final piece of his steak perched on the end. “I forget the name, but it was about a bunch of high school kids. I think it was set in California.”
The men have been doing all of the talking, and for the most part, I’m only partially listening.
Felix gulps his wine and nods. “Laguna Beach.”
“Yes, that’s it. You played a secondary character.”
Felix’s body jerks at what I’m sure he considers an insult, and he frowns. I want to burst out laughing. I’m not sure if Tom’s deliberately trying to get under Felix’s skin or if it’s purely coincidence, but either way, there’s much to love.
“Oh, come on, I stole the fucking show.” Felix slams the table with his fist in what he wants Tom to think is mock indignation. Oh no, he means it.
I haven’t spoken in easily twenty minutes and can no longer keep my mouth shut. “Pfft, hardly. Roman Kingsley was the star. Hands down.”
Felix glares at me and slaps his napkin onto the table. “No fucking way. Roman likes to think so, but you and I both know the success of that series was all on me.”
God, this man’s ego has no end. It amazes me how he can blatantly lie without so much as batting an eye.
I straighten in my seat and smile smugly, loving this opportunity to put him in his place. “Sure, you tell that to yourself and the millions of Roman Kingsley fans.” I turn to look at Tom. “I actually got to play an extra in a couple of episodes. I was a huge fan…” I now look directly at Felix. “A Roman fan and begged my dad to get me on there. I even got to meet him. The sweetest man and oh, so sexy.”
“That’s cool.” Tom’s also looking at Felix and chuckles, clearly catching the volley going on between me and the movie star. “Hey, Felix, for what it’s worth, I thought you were great in that show.”
Oh no, Tom, don’t fall for his bullshit or the unquestionable star factor that makes levelheaded people drunk on Felix Thorpe.
The jerk next to me puffs out his chest, and the stench of his arrogance makes me want to gag.
Fortunately, the topic changes and I tune out the two of them, still pondering how and why Felix is here. I’m pretty sure he called Lois to find out where I was and that was how he probably got the condo door code.
While I wish she’d denied him access to my home, she’s only doing her job. Why wouldn’t she give Felix the code? He’s stayed there before. She thinks we’re an item. My father would have told her to treat him like family.Yuck.
My stomach roils just thinking about the fallout when this façade comes to an end. It has to end now. I tried to get ahold of my father, to tell him first out of some misguided sense of loyalty, but Felix is here. Ignoring me and treating me like a thing to be used and discarded at his discretion is one thing, but now he’s messing with my life.
I can’t be discouraged by how my father will react or that I’ll no doubt be portrayed as the jackass in the media. Felix won’t hear of anything else, and my people, parents included, will back him one hundred percent.
The crunch of Tom chewing breaks my dark musings, and I stare at him. “What is it with you and French fries?”
I don’t get his fascination, but clearly he enjoys them, and I’m starting to like that about him. How easily he enjoys life.
Felix pats his stomach with pride and responds as if I was talking to him. “I never touch the stuff.”
Not caring to hold back, I snort and ignore Felix. If these two men were to stand side by side, movie-star status aside, there isn’t any discernible difference between their physiques though Tom’s a couple of inches taller. Both are in great shape regardless of the T-shirt and button-down shirt they wear respectively. And I would know.
I’ve seen Felix shirtless on more than one occasion, and the guy’s a movie star, so photos of him in swim trunks are easily found online. As for Tom, the memory of him shirtless outside of the Marmont is emblazoned on my brain. That’s not something I can easily, if ever, forget.
Undeterred by Felix’s comment, Tom munches on another fry, still a little aloof but looser than before. “Now that I’m back, I plan to eat my weight in fries.”
