The night of the premiere arrived before I knew it. I'd spent the entire day going back and forth between dresses, not sure of what to wear. Luckily, I had plenty of outfits left over from the shopping trips that Liam had treated me to, so I didn't need to go shopping.

"Damn, girl," said Sophia, stepping into the bedroom where I stood in my underwear, two dresses on the bed that I couldn't even begin to decide between. "I know it's a big night, but there's indecisive and there's indecisive."

"I just…I don't know. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time."

My eyes flicked back and forth between the dresses. One was a deep, midnight blue that was low cut, the other was a flesh-colored, classic-looking thing that hugged my body like crazy. Sophia looked me and down.

"Well, you've got the damn body for both of ‘em," she said, taking a sip of the champagne we'd opened an hour or so ago. "You could wear a potato sack with holes cut out of it and you'd still turn heads."

Sophia and I, neither one of us wanting to deal with the hassle of finding dates, decided to just go as a pair.

"I'm not really interested in that tonight," I said, still trying to decide between the two dresses.

"Oh, please," said Sophia. "Every producer and actor worth a damn is gonna be there, and you don't care about ‘that'?"

"I just, I don't know…" I trailed off, my mind still on the outfits.

"You're thinking about Liam, aren't you?"

At that moment I hated Sophia's skill at getting right to the heart of the matter.

"No…" I said, covering my mouth with my hand. "Where's my wine?"

Sophia handed me my glass, her mouth in a knowing smirk.

"Fess up," she said. "I know you're trying to play it cool, but you're still all into that hunk of man. Hell, I'd be if I were you."

I didn't want to say anything. I wanted to keep doing just what I said I was doing, which was playing it cool, pretending it wasn't a problem. But now that she'd brought up the topic, I couldn't help it. I could feel the words flowing to my mouth like water rushing up towards the opening of a geyser.

"I know I should be mad at him," I said, the words shooting out. "But I can't stop thinking about him. I'm wondering if I made a big mistake in cutting him out like that. What if I'd been given a second chance and I threw it all away?"

"Well, you did catch him locking lips with Emmanuelle Jarrod."

"I know, but he seemed so sincere when I accused him, like I'd seen something at exactly the wrong moment."

"Maybe," said Sophia. "But in my recent experience with producers, I'm not really inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being on the level."

"You're probably right," I said. "Maybe he's just a sleaze like all the others."

"Now, I didn't say that," said Sophia. "I think…well, you're seeing him tonight. Maybe think of this as a ‘second chance for a second chance'. That is, unless he shows up with Emmanuelle on his arm.

The thought of this made my blood boil.

"Just go with the flow, lady," said Sophia giving my shoulder a squeeze."

"Yeah, you're right," I said, feeling a little better.

Feeling calmer, I decided on the blue dress, and a half hour and a glass of wine later, I was ready to go. Thorne Productions paid out for pickups for the tops members of the crew, so Sophia and I were able to arrive there in style. We showed up to the red carpet, paparazzi packed on both sides of the barrier that led up to the theater. I was nervous as hell, and not ready to take on being the center of attention all by myself. Sophia, on the other hand, was all about it. She grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out of the back of the limo, the cameras flashing all around us. My face went red right away. Through the camera flashes and the din of chatter, I heard Liam's name mentioned, and I was sure that some of the paparazzi remembered me as the girl who'd been on Liam Thorne's arm not too long ago.

Sophia hammed up for the cameras, posing and making silly faces as they snapped away. Then, right before we headed in, she gave me a big smooch on the cheek.

"What was that all about?" I said, wanting to die of embarrassment and laughter all at the same time.

"Give ‘em something to talk about," she said, taking a pair of wine glasses off of a passing waiter's tray and handing me one. "Think about it: ‘Liam Thorne drives promising young producer to lesbianism'."

I gave her a playful swat on the arm before turning my attention to the theater.

"Damn," said Sophia, looking around.

My thoughts exactly.

The Hell's Kitchen theater was glitz and glamour that I didn't think still existed. A double spiral staircase dominated the lobby, a pair of gold columns leading up to the ceilings high above. The floor was covered in rich, red carpet, and posters of old movies dominated the walls. The lobby was packed with men and women in all sorts of finery, waiters and waitresses in all-black zipping here and there. The paparazzi was outside, so the noise was a pleasant din. And, of course, celebrities were everywhere. The words “THE BRITISH JOB” where in bright, sparkling letters on the marquee.

Sophia and I stood for a moment near the entrance, gawking at all of the Hollywood elite who we saw in attendance. I spotted the screenwriters and the director, as well as many of the bit players in the movie. Jace Landau was there with some generic hottie on his arm, and Emmanuelle Jerrod was in attendance, a slim, effeminate man on her arm. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that it wasn't Liam.

"You spot your man?" Sophia asked.

I scanned the crowd but didn't see him. Checking my watch, I saw that the premiere was about to start. We'd arrived a little behind, so we didn't have much time to schmooze. Which was fine by me- that sort of stuff was never my forte.

I continued to scan the crowd for Liam. Finally, I found Olivia. She looked adorable in the teal-colored dress she was wearing, and seemed to be enjoying the attention from the celebrities who were cooing over her. I wanted to go over to say "hi," but before I could, the bulky shape of Simon Whittaker stepped in front of Sophia and me.

"There're my girls," he said, stepping in and hugging us both.

"Hi, Mr. Whittaker," I said.

"Hi, Simon," said Sophia brusquely.

"I trust you're both having a lovely night?" he said.

I murmured something in response. Truthfully, he was the last man I wanted to see. Simon was unsteady from his booze, and he wasn't even being subtle about eating us up with his eyes.

"Well, I'll let you both get back to it. Maybe the three of us can meet up after the premiere, figure out if we give it a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down, you know?"

I felt sick to my stomach.

"Maybe!" shot Sophia, saying whatever it would take to get Simon to leave us alone.

It worked, and he shuffled off.

Before either of us could say another word to each other, a chime sounded, followed by a young man announcing that the film was about to start and that we should find our seats now. Lines began to form at both entrances into the theater, and just before it was my turn to walk in, I finally spotted Liam. My heart skipped a beat when I laid eyes on him, and I knew right then and there that I needed to talk to him. Thankfully, the only woman on his arm was Olivia.

I vowed, after the film, to find him and get this all sorted out once and for all. But before I could think too much about it, Sophia and I were led to our seats and, after a brief speech by the director, the movie began.

It was…amazing. I might have been biased from having had a hand in the production, but I couldn't believe just how damn good it was. The story followed Jace Landau's character, who was a criminal trying to go straight. Of course, he got pulled back in by Emmanuelle Jerrod's character for one last heist. The story was pretty standard, but the execution was amazing. It went from funny to quirky to dramatic with expert precision, and the dialogue and direction was top-notch. I'd even found myself crying once Jace and Emmanuelle's characters patched things up at the end. It was like anything else I'd seen before, and It was clear that even to my untrained tastes that it was going to be something special.

Once the film was over, my heart began to beat like a drum as I looked forward to speaking with Liam. The lights went on, and I tried to find him in the audience without looking too conspicuous.

"I think I see what you're up to," said Sophia with a smirk. "But girl…"

She pointed at my eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Movie get to you?"

I pulled out my compact and opened it up. Sure enough, my mascara was running from the tears I'd squirted out.

"Shit," I hissed.

"There's a private bathroom upstairs," she said. "I'll keep an eye on your boy and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

"Thank you thank you," I said, hurrying through the aisle.

Once I returned to the lobby, I spotted the hallway leading to the private room. I rushed up there as quickly as I could without looking like a madwoman. As I turned into the hallway, I couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching me; it was that hot feeling on the back of my neck. But I put it out of my mind, choosing to focus on getting my makeup fixed and finding Liam. Once in the private room, I entered and shut the door behind me.

It was a small, one-person bathroom- nice and quiet after the crowds. I went to work on my makeup, wiping away the black smudges around my eyes.

But as I went to work, I heard a jangling sound.

It was the door.

"You in there, love?" asked a voice on the other side.

I recognized the voice right away as Simon. My heart began to race as the door creaked open, revealing the bulky, unsteady figure of Simon.

"What are you doing?" I asked, rushing to the other side of the small room.

"Just, ah, havin' a little private meeting," he said, shutting the door behind him. "You'll have to forgive me; I just couldn't wait any longer."

He was trashed; I could tell. He could barely stand, and his eyes were bleary. But he looked steady enough to do what he had in mind.

"Come here, cutie pie," he said, shuffling over towards me. "Just a little kiss."

"Simon," I said, making my voice as stern as I could. "Get away from me. Now."

But he wasn't listening. He had one thing on his boozed-up mind, and he wasn't going to leave until he got it. The smell of whiskey filled my noise, and his wheezing filled my ears.

Then, right at the moment he put his fingers on me, the door opened with a bang. I looked past the bulky form of Simon.

It was Liam. He was the most beautiful sight that I could imagine seeing.

"Mr. Whittaker," he said. "I think you ought to do as the lady asks."

Simon spun on his feet more quickly than I would've thought.

"Mr. Thorne," he slurred. "I was just havin' a little chat with the lady. Leave us in peace, why don't you."

"Not gonna happen," he said. "Let her leave, now."

Simon shambled towards Liam, who stood as still and towering as a statue. Then, he did something that I wasn't at all expecting: he took a swing at Liam.

The blow went wide, and Liam was able to easily dodge it. Liam answered with a swing of his own, his fist connecting with Simon's Jaw. A wet smack rang out, and Simon tumbled backward onto the counter. Liam's eyes shot to me, and he gestured for me to follow him out. I was all too happy to do so.

With a smile, Liam offered me his arm and I took it. Simon slurred drunkenly from the dressing room, and the men and women in the hallway began to crowd around the door as Simon shouted the usual retorts of neither of us ever working in this town again.

"Good to see you, kid," he said, leading me back to the lobby.

"Same to you," I said, tears forming in my eyes.

As we stepped back into the lobby, I spotted Olivia waiting for us. She ran into our arms, and the three of us embraced. Off in the crowd, I could see Sophia enthusiastically courting one of the handsome actors in attendance.

Liam offered me his arm once again, and I felt the tiny hand of Olivia slip into mine. Together, the three of us stepped onto the balcony overlooking the lobby, the eyes of all in the crowd on us.

I knew that it was going to be a great night.