Fifteen
WHEN SATURDAY EVENING rolled around, as many of Hollywood’s biggest names and most beautiful faces were presumably being primped and dressed, and as frantic publicists undoubtedly raced around coordinating the all-important last-minute details of who would arrive exactly when and with whom, Taylor sat quietly alone in her apartment.
She wasn’t going.
She took the Terrace Snafu as a warning sign that Jason Andrews plus alcohol (she still blamed the vodka) was not a good mix, and that things between them should remain on a purely professional level from here on out.
Yes, true, not going would mean spending another Saturday night by herself while the one person she knew in Los Angeles threw what appeared to be the biggest party of the year. And yes, not going would mean pathetically sitting home alone on what was previously supposed to be the night of her wedding, while being forced to listen to the long and pitiful messages Daniel kept leaving on her machine (he had called three times that day already).
And not going also meant not seeing Jason.
This was a good thing, Taylor reminded herself. After their night in Las Vegas, she had a pretty good idea what Jason was after and—judging from her completely unthinking reaction to him on the terrace—she worried that she couldn’t keep him at bay forever. Or rather, that she wouldn’t want to.
And she worried that this seemed to be worrying her less and less.
Taylor had replayed that moment on the Bellagio balcony a thousand times in her head. Actually, it wasn’t just in her head—the shots the paparazzi had gotten of her and Jason, right before they had almost kissed, had made the covers of all the tabloid magazines. “Jason and the Mystery Woman: It’s On!”; “Hot Desert Nights: Jason with Mystery Woman in Vegas!”; “Romance at the Bellagio!” Every morning, Linda left a different tabloid on Taylor’s chair. And every morning, she promptly tossed them in her garbage can.
Possibly after taking a quick peek or two.
She had paused the first time she’d seen one of the photographs of them on the terrace. Her back had been to the cameras, but Jason’s face could be seen as clear as day. Something about his expression had struck her, something about the way he had been looking at her right then. Like nothing existed except for her and him, in that moment.
But that was a ridiculous thought. A ridiculous and dangerous thought, and one that could get her into a whole mess of trouble.
And that was why she wasn’t going to the party.
SHE WASN’T COMING.
Jason stood on the balcony outside the living room of his Beverly Hills home. The party was crowded and wild, with people everywhere—around the pool, by his guesthouse, even spilling onto his basketball court. At least the security staff had done a good job of keeping everyone outdoors. So far.
He had stopped having interest in his party guests well over an hour ago, about the time when the degree of Taylor’s lateness had gone beyond being fashionable. He glanced at the front gate, the entrance to the party, once again.
“I don’t think she’s coming.”
Jason glared at Jeremy, who stood next to him on the balcony. To think this was one thing, but for Jeremy to actually vocalize the sentiment was pure treachery.
“She’s coming,” Jason assured him, sounding far more confident than he felt.
“I don’t know . . . it’s getting late,” Jeremy said, shaking his head skeptically.
Jason checked his watch. Four minutes since the last time he had looked, and still no sign of Taylor.
“You actually look anxious.” Jeremy sounded both surprised and amused by this.
Jason threw him another cautionary look—he was not in the mood to be trifled with that night—when he spotted something at the front gate. Or rather, someone.
Seeing the expression on Jason’s face, Jeremy turned and followed his gaze. Both men watched as Taylor walked into the party.
For a moment, Jason was speechless.
She wore a dress that would have no place inside a courtroom—a black strapless dress with a slit up to there that molded perfectly to her every curve. Her hair was long and wild and wavy, and her eyes were smoky. He had never seen this side of Taylor before, so overtly . . . hot. He vaguely heard Jeremy’s voice in the distance, telling him to pick his jaw up off the floor before someone tripped over it.
Jason swallowed, then turned to his friend. “I told you she was coming,” he said confidently. Then he quickly headed down the steps that led from the balcony and worked his way through the crowd. As he approached Taylor, her eyes met his and did not break away. He slowed as he drew near and stopped before her.
“You’re here.”
“I am.”
Jason boldly took in the way she looked.
“I take it you don’t often wear that dress in court.”
“Probably not a good idea.”
He grinned. “Yes, I can imagine it would be somewhat awkward standing before a judge who has a huge hard-on.”
“Is that the effect this dress has?”
Taylor’s eyes traveled downward, to the zipper of Jason’s pants, and he was momentarily caught off guard by her bluntness.
Her eyes sparkled, amused.
“You’re blushing, Jason. That’s cute.”
He smiled at her sassiness, then grabbed her hand. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
He led Taylor through the crowd, past all the people who stared, and the two of them headed inside the house.
AS JASON GAVE her the grand tour, Taylor couldn’t help but be impressed by his passion for and sizable knowledge of architecture, which appeared to be mostly self-taught. As he pointed out one detail after the next—everything from the teak floors up to the intricate crown molding—she learned that he had personally overseen the design of the 12,000--square-foot French Normandy-style mansion when he had built it five years ago.
Jason led her through the six guest bedrooms, master suite with two separate sitting rooms, vaulted glass foyer, screening room, private wine cellar, spa, steam room, and two-story reading studio/library. At several points along the way, Taylor couldn’t help but think how she had never before seen wealth like this. She was not someone who was particularly impressed by money—her firm paid her over a quarter million dollars per year and that constituted a far greater income than any other Chicago Donovan had ever seen—but being in that house with Jason was so far out of her league it was downright dizzying.
After the tour, Jason took her outside to one of the bars that had been set up on the first-floor terrace. As he handed her the French martini she had ordered (getting into the spirit of the Normandy style of the house), he gave her a coy look.
“So . . . is there any reason you waited until after midnight to finally show up?”
“Sorry. I had to stop at a party at Jack Nicholson’s along the way.”
“Actually, Jack is sitting about ten feet behind you, smoking a cigar in that lounge chair.”
As Taylor turned to look, Jason pressed on. “Seriously, I know you debated whether to come tonight. What made you decide?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “It sounded like fun.”
“But I know how busy you are. So I’m touched by the gesture.”
Dismissing this with a wave, Taylor moved away from the bar. Jason followed her. Slowly they weaved through the crowd, going back and forth.
“You’re reading too much into this. I just thought I needed to get out for a few hours.”
“And you chose to spend those few hours with me.”
“I chose to go to a party. You just happened to be the host.”
“You chose to wear that dress.”
“Surely you’re not suggesting that a woman’s attire is an indication of her intentions?”
“No, but when this woman spends the little free time she has with me, I start to get curious.”
Taylor came to a stop in an alcove that was set off from the rest of the party. She leaned against the wall, holding her martini with one hand.
“Going to Las Vegas with you was part of the deal we made,” she said casually.
Jason moved in close and rested one hand on the wall next to her. He stared down into her eyes.
“But coming here tonight wasn’t—you did that on your own. Why?”
Taylor avoided the question. The truth was, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing there. On an impulse, she had hopped in the PT Cruiser and driven over—a totally last-minute, spur-of-the-moment decision.
After twenty minutes spent doing her makeup.
And thirty doing her hair.
And four dress changes.
Totally spur-of-the-moment.
Avoiding Jason’s gaze, Taylor gestured to the party. “You probably should get back out there. You’re ignoring your other guests.”
“Screw them.”
“I’m sure that many of them, you already have.”
She regretted the words the instant they came out.
Jason cocked his head with a knowing grin. “Hmmm . . . now that sounds a little bit like jealousy. How intriguing.”
Taylor could have smacked herself for making the comment, for giving him any ammunition. He was standing too close to her, that was the problem, she realized. It was . . . distracting. She needed to quickly extricate herself from the situation.
She stared him in the eyes defiantly. “Whatever you’re trying to get me to admit, Jason, it’s not going to happen.”
And, having gotten in the last word, Taylor slipped under his arm and walked away.
JEREMY HADN’T MOVED from his position on the balcony. It was the only place in the crowded party where he could safely drink his beer without being jostled by some drunken early twenties asshole threatening to throw his scantily clad date into the pool, or accosted by a hopeful starlet who believed that flirting with him would get her that much closer to Jason.
Frankly, Jeremy disliked the whole Hollywood scene, but he tolerated it not only as a sometimes-necessary part of his life as a screenwriter but also as an always-necessary part of Jason’s life. It was one of those things that anyone close to Jason inevitably had to accept, for better or worse, like the constant presence of the paparazzi.
He was not particularly surprised when Jason rejoined him on the balcony that evening, in a huff and alone. He personally thought Jason was approaching this thing with Taylor in entirely the wrong way. But once his friend set his mind to something, it was nearly impossible to steer him in a different direction.
“Any luck?” Jeremy asked as Jason pulled up alongside him at the balcony’s ledge, where they had a good view of the party below.
“Maybe . . .” Jason mused. He looked over with annoyance when he saw that Jeremy was smoking so close to the house. But he said nothing, as smoking was a necessary part of Jeremy’s life and something that anyone close to him inevitably had to accept.
“Maybe how?” Jeremy exhaled smoke out of the corner of his mouth.
Jason considered this. “I think I’m starting to get to her.”
“I bet that’s what she’s telling Hayden Stone right now.”
Jeremy nodded to the party below, where Taylor was engaged in what appeared to be a friendly conversation with the good-looking director.
With a look of disbelief, Jason pulled back from the ledge.
“I don’t get it,” he said, frustrated. “She should be coming up here right now to tell me she changed her mind. Or waiting in my bedroom, naked, to surprise me. Or giving you a secret message that I should meet her in the gazebo, where she’ll be waiting, naked. Or in the bathtub, with bubbles, champagne, and—”
“Naked. I get the point.”
“The point, Jeremiah, is that this is not how things were supposed to go tonight.”
Jeremy reached out and solemnly put his hand on the Sexiest Man Alive’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Jason. But maybe she’s just not that into you.”
It was a joke, but Jason’s face suddenly filled with worry. “Do you really think that could be it?”
Despite the fact that he generally enjoyed any fun that could be had at Jason’s expense, Jeremy felt a little bad seeing the look of concern on his friend’s face.
“No, I actually don’t think that’s it,” he said. “But I also don’t think she’s going to admit how she feels.”
The words seemed to reinvigorate Jason. “Well, too bad for her.” He ignored the look Jeremy gave him. “Hey—don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying this game of hard to get she’s playing. It’s been like three weeks of foreplay.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes. The comment wasn’t even worth responding to.
“But it’s time for things to start moving along, to where she and I both know this is headed,” Jason continued.
“And I suppose, Evil Genius, that you have just the plan to accomplish this?” Jeremy paused when he saw the sly smile on Jason’s face. “You actually do have a plan, don’t you?”
“I do,” Jason said proudly.
“Do I even dare to ask what this plan might be?”
“Every woman’s weakness,” Jason told him. “Jealousy.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the balcony ledge. “Let her see me with someone else, and then we’ll see how stubborn she is.”
Jeremy waved this off. “Taylor’s hardly the type to get into some catfight for you.”
“That’s not what I’m looking for,” Jason said. Then he paused, as if suddenly getting the visual. “As hot as that might be . . .”
Jason shook this off. “Look—all I need is to see her reaction. Trust me, I know how a woman looks when she’s upset with me. And if she’s upset, that means she’s jealous, and that tells me everything I need to know.”
Jeremy shook his head. “This is not a good plan. I’ll tell you what—I’ve got a better idea for you.”
Curious, Jason leaned in as Jeremy lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“Now I know it’s a bit radical, but in desperate times—”
Jeremy paused dramatically.
“Give her . . . time to trust you.”
He glanced around furtively to make sure no one had overheard his devious plot.
Jason glared, unamused by Jeremy’s antics. “I don’t want to give her time to trust me. That’ll take too long.”
“So what if it does?” Jeremy asked. “Are you going somewhere? Dying? I better get the Aston Martin.”
“I’m just tired of waiting,” Jason said. “I want to know how she feels. I need to know how she feels.”
Jeremy glanced over, intrigued by this choice of words.
But seemingly not wanting to discuss the matter further, Jason turned away and headed back inside the house.
UNDERNEATH THE BALCONY, Scott and Rob huddled in a corner of the patio, out of view. They had just overheard everything Jason had said.
Scott grinned victoriously. “I told you they weren’t together.”
Rob nodded. “It’s the same thing I saw in Vegas—he has seriously got a thing for that girl.” He peeked around the corner, trying to get a better look at Taylor. “I wonder what her deal is? I mean, the guy could get anyone he wants.”
Scott yanked Rob back into the alcove. Perhaps a little rougher than necessary.
“Hey,” Rob complained, fixing his shirt. “I just meant, what’s so special about her?”
Scott thought about this for a moment. “You know, I think we should find out.” He moved Rob aside in order to have an unobstructed view of Taylor. “I think it’s about time that Jason Andrews’s Mystery Woman became a little less of a mystery.” With a purposeful grin, he headed back into the party.
Rob watched him go, calling after him. “Great! Sounds like a plan.” He pointed to the buffet table. “I’m just gonna grab a few snacks first.”