SLEAZE: A Hollywood Comeback Story (Book #1)

Chapter 45

After hours of masking my discomfort with drinks that Michael seemed to conjure from his back pocket, I eventually neared the point of acute liver failure. Past experience combined with the relentless spinning in my head told me that I was only a few drinks short of blacking out, so I slipped away from the crowded ballroom and aimlessly wandered around the villa until I found a roped off corridor away from the hum of voices and laughter. I hesitated for a moment and then stepped over the ineffective barricade, hoping that security wasn't already on its way to tackle me for trespassing.

The truth was that I needed a break from the schmoozing and smiling but most of all, I needed time to collect myself. I'd been in a pretty terrible mood all night and contrary to what I'd hoped when I started downing rum and Cokes, the alcohol hadn't helped. In fact, the more I drank, the more annoyed I became by the smug look on Richard's face as his hands roamed over Sophie. It wasn't necessarily the touching that bothered me so much as the fact that he seemed to get some sort of twisted enjoyment out of watching her squirm. The worst part of it all was that even though I wanted to say something, I couldn't - not here, anyway.  

Other than the glow of moonlight that filtered in through the massive bay windows, the first half of the hallway was almost pitch black. Cautiously placing one foot in front of the other, I continued along until I reached a spot in the corridor where light from the brass lanterns lining the backyard's sidewalk reflected against the glass. The partiers gathered outside hadn't made it to the side of the garden that the hallway looked over, making the area almost as silent as it was dark. When my eyes adjusted to the dim setting, I looked around.

The narrow room was filled with marble statues and busts of people who I guessed were famous for something. All of the stone faces had strong jawlines and other defined facial features, though none were smiling. I traced my fingertips along the hairline of one of the statues and tried to work out how much it would cost to replace if it happened to topple over. I guessed not even my parents' house would be worth enough to buy a new one so I stepped away, careful not to brush against it as I went.

Moving towards the window, I peered out into the night and squinted at a rustling bush that seemed to be staring back at me. Imagination running wild at the thought of what might be out there, a shiver ran down my spine and I jumped when I thought I saw something white move amongst the branches. I waited for the leaves to twitch again but when they didn't, I decided it was probably just a cat.

"Parker?"

Surprised, I turned to see Sophie awkwardly trying to make her way over the same rope barrier that I'd ignored minutes before. I hurried to help her across. "What are you doing here?" I asked, half-expecting Richard to be a few steps behind.

"Looking for you," she replied, glancing around. "I saw you leave. God, this house is so creepy."

"You think?"

Sophie nodded. "You know all of these statues are supposed to be of dead designers, right?" When I said no, she lowered her voice and added, "Apparently, Armada wants to be buried with all of them when he dies."

I looked at the marble works again, though now their perfectly chiseled faces seemed somewhat morbid, if not downright sinister. "How do you know that?"

"Haven't you ever talked to him?" She thought about what she'd said and then added, "Never mind, I guess you're one of the lucky ones. Well, if you ever do, just know that the guy's a complete lunatic - genius, but certifiably insane."

I laughed and Sophie smiled, moving closer to me. Her hand reached out to cup my face and she stroked my cheek gently with her thumb. "I wish you were my date tonight," she whispered and even in the faint light, I could see the sincerity in her eyes.