She had gotten away.
Christian took a shot of vodka from one of the glasses set on the table beside him. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how a man looked at things), this was only shot number one. No matter how irritated he was, he wouldn’t ruin his chance with B.T.S on his end.
The three women in his penthouse chatted with each other as they texted and searched for just the right channel on the flat screen. Twins plus one had seemed like a great idea. Actually, the text he’d received from Vanessa Carlton during his layover in New York had seemed like an erotically brilliant idea. But that had been before he met Zoe.
Now here he was, an hour later, and not remotely interested in doing anything beyond pouring drinks and flirt. Poorly.
Not his usual MO. And he was a healthy, red-blooded bloke.
Letting out a harsh breath, he pushed at a couple of glasses. They smacked into each other with dull thuds. He had to find her. It wasn’t just because she turned him down. She was perfect for what he needed: small town girl, unimpressed with who he was and had a wicked wit.
He’d had fun verbally sparring with her. He’d had fun teasing her, and reading (very clearly) the expressions on her face. She also had a very lovely smile when she wasn’t scowling at him.
Zoe. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the back of the chair.
“My name is Vanessa not Zoe.”
Christian’s eyes popped open. “What?”
Vanessa’s narrowed as she walked over to stand in front of him. “You called me Zoe when I asked if you wanted to go out with us later.”
Oh, hell. He examined the shot glass in his hand, trying without success to think of something to say.
The twins joined in, planting fists on their hips. “Her name is Vanessa.”
“A very lovely name.” He stood and strode to the bathroom. “This has been most…diverting, but I’ve need of a shower.” Imitating how Sebastian talked should send them scrambling for the elevator.
“But we haven’t done anything,” Vanessa said.
“Maybe he’s going to divert us in the shower,” said one of the twins.
“Sorry, I’ll be diverting by myself,” he said, flashing an apologetic grin.
Spiked heels clicking on the tiled floor followed him in, but he ignored it. He braced his palms on the vanity top and looked into the mirror only to find them staring expectantly at him.
“Who’s Zoe?” Vanessa pressed.
“Do any of you speak French?”
“No,” they answered in unison.
“Zoe means awesome in French,” he improvised.
“We speak American,” Vanessa said with a disgusted look on her face. The twins nodded in agreement.
He rubbed a hand over his face. “If you ladies will excuse me...”
Of course, they stayed rooted in place.
Why couldn’t he be an ass**le and make them leave? Because he wasn’t a completely heartless bastard or a hypocrite, that’s why, and he’d been intent on having all sorts of fun with them, before he’d met a prickly brunette with lovely eyes and a thick-as-honey accent.
Sighing, he strode to the toilet and shut the door behind him. He closed the lid and sat on top of it. Maybe if he stayed in here for a while, they’d get the hint.
A knock sounded on the door. Guess not. “I’m busy.”
One of the women knocked again. Exhaling, he stood and opened the door. The trio stood in his way, blocking his exit. “Can I help you?”
“Are you okay?” one of the twins asked.
“Jet lag,” he lied. “I think a shower will help.”
They moved as a group out of his way, whispering as he snagged a towel. He walked to the shower, turning on the multiple heads before shedding his clothes.
As they continued to stare, he had an urge to cover himself. “Please don’t wait around for me. Go try your luck at the slots,” he suggested, stepping into the hot blasts of water.
“Go on, Kylie.” Vanessa shoved her forward.
“We, like, think that you should, like, introduce us to your friends, Wade and Brennen McGowan. You did say they would be here tomorrow, right?” Kylie asked. “Vanessa said there would be some producers here, too.”
Christian grabbed a bar of soap, scrubbing at his skin to wash away the guilt that covered him. Kylie and her sister shouldn’t be here. They should at college parties, not trying to live the Hollywood hype. Vanessa, however, knew exactly what she was doing. As a B-list actress with A-list goals, she’d been playing the be-seen-with-a-celebrity game for years now. It was a game that every actor, male or female, had to play at first.
He slathered shaving gel on his face. “Yes to all of the above. Brennen and Wade would love it if the three of you joined us tomorrow tonight.” Well, Brennen would. Wade, however, would probably grunt and cross his arms.
They clapped and squealed like little girls, almost making him nick his chin as he shaved. “All of you are over twenty-one, aren’t you?” That’s all he needed to place the final nail in the coffin: pictures of him doing coke and under-aged girls in his hotel room. Fantastic.
All three nodded their heads and he relaxed. Again Kylie answered, “Oh yeah, we’re, like, twenty-three and stuff. Don’t worry it’s all street legal with us.”
He quirked a brow, his reflection mimicking the movement in the fog resistant mirror hanging on the tiled wall. “Street legal?”
“You know, like, the game about cars and stuff. We can’t, like, get arrested for partying here ‘cause we’re legal.”
“That certainly clears things up.” He finished shaving, then leaned against the tiled wall and welcomed the hot water beating down on his body. His head ached and he felt closer to eighty than twenty-six.
The trio sighed, startling him. He smacked his head against the wall, his eyes watering in pain. “You’re still here?” He blinked a couple of times and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand.
“Oh, were we supposed to go?”
“I thought we were going to watch him diverting.”
“My ex-boyfriend liked to record me when I’m diverting.”
Christian wanted to bang his head against the tiles, on purpose this time. Instead, he breathed deeply and gave his signature smile. He got out of the shower, turning off the spigots and wrapping an extra large black towel around his waist. “Be at Shift around eleven tomorrow night. All of you will be on my guest list.”
That seemed to appease even Vanessa. They gathered their things and headed to the elevator.