Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
DEIDRE
“H ey, girl,” Mandy calls as she plops down on my bed.
“Hey,” I reply, not bothering to turn to look at her.
“What are you doing?”
“Working,” I huff.
“You’ve been working on that thing, day and night, since you last saw Luke.”
She’s not wrong. I’ve avoided him the past two weekends. One is because I craved his touch. The other is because it was that time of the month again. I’m shooting for a third week to ensure we keep things casual.
“I’ve got some ideas with one of the apps, and I want to get them written before I forget,” I deflect.
“Are you trying to distract yourself?”
“From what?” I ask as my fingers continue to tap away on the keyboard.
“From the fact that you want him, but won’t admit it?”
“No,” I snap.
“Yeah, you are,” Mandy teases.
“Am not.”
“What did you want to do today?” she asks, suddenly changing the subject.
“What do you mean?”
“Today’s my day off, remember?”
“Oh,” I sigh, turning to face her. “I forgot.”
“Clearly,” she goads.
“Give me about ten more minutes, then we can do whatever you want.”
“ Whatever I want?” A devious grin forms on her face.
“Almost anything.”
“So, have you talked to him?”
“Who?”
“Luke,” she groans.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Are you two going to see each other again soon?” she asks.
“I think.”
“What do you mean you think?”
“Victoria’s booked me up again for some stuff,” I say.
“So, take him with you,” she suggests.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because…it’s none of those kinds of events,” I say.
“Oh,” Mandy huffs. “I don’t see why you don’t just bring him along anyway.”
“It would be weird.”
“For whom? You?”
“For both of us.”
The room is silent for a few minutes as my fingers continue to furiously tap at the keys under them.
Off and on, I hear Mandy chatting with Vix, but I don’t bother to pay attention to what she’s saying.
Half the time, she talks to Vix like Vix is another person.
In the past, I’ve caught Mandy looking at Vix as if she expected an honest, verbal response.
“Done,” I announce, hitting the save button before I spin in the chair. “What did you have planned?”
“I think…” Mandy says, tapping her chin. “We should call Luke.” Her eyes bulge with excitement.
“No,” I return flatly.
“Why not?” Mandy whines. “You said we could do anything I wanted to do.”
“ Almost anything,” I remind. “Besides, you want me to call him so you can listen in.”
“So?”
“So, it’s not going to happen. Pick something else.”
Mandy pouts. “Fine. I want to go to a yoga class and then the spa. We can get some reflexology, then mani/pedis, and then get some Chinese takeout and watch girly movies all night.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agree.
When Friday arrives, Tony and I are with Victoria by one in the afternoon for the event I must attend.
We meet up with her in Hollywood before going to our next destination spot.
Once we arrive together, I’m quickly ushered to a chair.
As my hair and makeup are being done by the team, I play with my phone.
Vix sits across from me on a high table.
She’s getting her nails painted to match mine.
Victoria is chatting in some corner as usual, while my hair and makeup team talk amongst themselves with the latest gossip regarding celebrities.
“We’ve got several more meetings lined up during the next couple of weeks,” Victoria states, not looking at me as her fingers tap away on her phone. “You’re clear tomorrow.”
“How many?”
“A few,” she replies passively.
“As in how many and who?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” she returns with a grin.
“Lovely,” I exhale, forcing a happy tone. “Can’t wait.”
“Hey…if you want to keep these sponsors, we need to do some additional marketing with them to keep them happy,” Victoria reminds.
“I know.”
“We’ve got plans with three,” she confirms. “But there might be another one or two to consider.”
“Okay,” I agree. “Just make sure you get the new ones on the calendar as soon as possible.”
“What else would you be scheduling?” Victoria pries.
“Work,” I remind. “Family stuff with the holidays starting at the end of next month.”
“The meetings are work,” she states.
“I mean working on the app.”
“The one you have yet to tell me about that will work with Flirt ?”
“Yeah,” I lie. “That one.”
“Got the creative spark again?” she asks excitedly.
“Ironing out some more details.”
“Okay,” Victoria says. “I’ll text Rachel to make sure she gets it on the synced schedule ASAP for you.”
“Why are you texting your assistant to do her job?”
“Don’t,” Victoria sighs dramatically. “I’d fire her, but you know how hard it is to find someone competent enough to do the job? I mean, it’s not that hard.”
“You are demanding,” I remind sarcastically.
“Shush,” she commands.
I giggle as she walks away because her phone starts ringing again.
Closing my eyes, I do my best to relax, knowing that I need to get into the proper headspace for what’s to transpire tonight with the event.
Deidre, Flirt Deidre, needs to be channeled.
She’s more confident, social, and outgoing than the everyday Deidre.
My ears perk up on occasion while my eyes stay shut despite the chatting around me.
A smile creeps on my face when my phone vibrates in my hand. The app indicates that I’m getting messages. When I check, there are several, but Luke’s pops up first. I swipe right to flirt back, ignoring the rest. A second later, a text message arrives.
Hey, Tyson
Hey, Busta
Excited about tonight?
Ehh
Ehh is better than bad.
True
Where are you now?
Getting my hair and makeup done.
Sounds like fun.
It’s easier having someone else do it, that’s for sure.
I bet it’s stressful.
Don’t tease.
I’m not teasing. Besides, I think you’re beautiful just the way you are.
Heat rises in my cheeks.
Thanks.
We still on for tomorrow?
“Who’s that?” inquires Hillary, one of the hair stylists.
“No one,” I lie.
“Doesn’t look like no one,” Toby retorts playfully as he tugs on my hair.
“Ouch,” I whine.
“That didn’t hurt,” he says.
“Yeah, it did.”
“I heard you like it rough,” Toby teases.
“Funny, because I heard the same thing about you,” I goad.
“Oooh,” Hillary responds, coaxing Toby and me to keep going.
Toby and Hillary are cool people. They’ve been with me since Flirt started doing really well. Victoria shifted them to my team, taking them from another client who was pulling some kind of drama with her. Now, Toby and Hillary are kind of like a brother and sister to me in some regards.
I double-check the last text Luke sent before responding.
Depends on how late I’m stuck at this thing.
Text me when you get home.
It might be really late.
Don’t care.
I smile, enjoying how he isn’t pushing or complaining that I didn’t invite him.
If you get bored, you can always text me.
Thanks.
By five, Tony brings food for me and then takes Vix out for a quick walk.
I’m not allowed to leave until I’m finished.
Once the meal is done, the team helps me get into the dresses that are hanging on the rack.
The Designer, Pierre, had my measurements and crafted each piece.
Once each dress is zipped up, they take a photo.
While I stand on the riser with the final dress on, Pierre and Victoria look at the photos on a screen to determine which one I should wear.
Each dress is a different shade of pink that is either the exact shade of the Flirt app, the color of my pink highlights, or a color within the palette that matches.
After about twenty minutes of deliberation, they settle on the one I’m in.
Lastly, I try on about ten different pairs of gold or silver heels before heading down to the waiting limo.
“Deidre,” Ethan greets, stepping out of the vehicle. “You look sexy.”
Ethan is my date for the night. We know each other, but we don’t know each other.
He’s been trying to sleep with me, but he’s completely not my type.
He’d be in it just for the sex, which is fine, but he likes to brag and boast about his conquests.
I’m not interested in that being plastered all over the tabloids.
“Thanks,” I accept, taking his offered hand.
Ethan waits for me to get on the seat before following me. “You excited about tonight?”
“Sure,” I say with a smile.
“Come on,” he coaxes with a dashing grin. “You aren’t nervous, are you?”
“No. I just don’t like being the center of this much attention.”
“What did you expect?” he asks.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I think that it’s amazing how quickly the production team was able to incorporate Flirt into the movie as they did. It’s going to be some great additional promotional pieces for your company,” he praises.
“It has already been, thank you.”
“I’m happy to,” Ethan replies. “How many techy girls, who run their own business, are as hot as you, and are my date for the evening?”
He said it. Did he really need to use the term techy girl?
Do all girls who like or understand computers have to be four-eyed, crusty-haired, bad breath and pimply hermits or something?
The only reason why he’s my date for tonight is because he’s the leading male role in the movie which Flirt is a paid product placement for.
He wouldn’t like it if I made some side comment about all actors being vain, hypocritical, needy, self-absorbed, and insecure.
God, please make this boy keep his mouth shut so I don’t say or do anything to jeopardize this evening.
Ethan manages to keep his hands to himself, other than when we need to pose for photos. He does sneak in a kiss on the cheek and even plants one on my lips for special effect when we’re talking to one of the entertainment shows’ representatives. I almost smack him on live television for it.
After the film, we end up talking with a few people before making our way to the after-party.
Once we’re at the venue, I’m able to disappear for a while into the bathroom and then slip by when Ethan is chatting up some of his colleagues.
I dart towards the bar for a drink and look for a waiter who has food.
Victoria finds me at some point and scolds me for ditching Ethan.
I smile, but don’t apologize since I did my part of the agreement for tonight’s event.
There are a few people I know and end up talking to them, hoping to hide until I can have Tony sneak me out the back.
By midnight, while everyone but me is pretty much intoxicated, I make my way to a bathroom I found earlier in a side hallway. I text Tony, and within about ten minutes, he’s escorting me out a door that leads to the venue’s loading and unloading area and into the car.
The ride is calm and the traffic is minimal to our next destination.
As Vix and I ride up the elevator to Luke’s, I contemplate taking off my heels. My feet hurt, but I’m not interested in ruining the effect they have to complete the outfit. I shoot a quick text to Luke, and as my knuckles wrap against the door a third time, it flies open.
“Hey,” Luke greets, wearing only boxer briefs.
“Hey,” I return, matching his smile.
“God, you look more beautiful in person than you did on television.” He’s softly taking my hand and leading me inside. Luke directs me to spin so he can see my whole body. “Damn, Dei.”
“What?”
Luke’s mouth cocks to the side and I know just how the rest of the night is going to unfold.