Page 27 of Stay Here Tonight
“No, no. My mother knows about that. She simply thinks it’s a phase and my heart will magically transform once the perfect rich man enters my life.”
“How about a rich woman? Would that sway her?”
“That remains to be seen.”
“For what it’s worth, Ms. Kellerman,” Maxine never missed the shivers that went down Lydia’s spine whenever called herMs. Kellerman,“I could easily see a rich Californian man being taken with you. There’s probably one here tonight who’s already calculating how to get you away from me.”
“Besides the fact I’m gay, I suppose it wouldn’t be too farfetched since you and I…”
Maxine didn’t want to hear it. She kissed Lydia, softly, shutting up any idea that they were not a couple, even if such facts truly were ambiguous at best.
Lydia sighed against Maxine’s lips; their hands squeezed together. When Maxine lifted her head again, she was pleased to see those sleepy, bedroom-like eyes fluttering in disbelief.
“It’s farfetched because I wouldn’t let them. The world thinks you’re mine now. I intend to keep it that way for a while longer.”
Lydia’s face twitched as she attempted to rein in her giddiness. Maxine’s, however, turned sour as soon as she glanced up and saw Satan herself march into the ballroom on the arm of an elderly gentleman.
Penelope found her quickly. Her sneer of mischief was definitely grounds for a restraining order.
Chapter 10
It took Lydia a few minutes to understand what had twisted Maxine’s tongue and paled her face beyond recognition.
Because at first she didn’t recognize Penelope Amarillo, who wore a royal purple sheath dress to complement her bleach blond hair. The Penelope Lydia remembered from pictures and papers was a brunette with a healthy tan. The tan was still there, but the hair made her both stick out and remain under a thin blanket of anonymity.
Except Penelope was not the type of woman who could stay off anyone’s radars for long. She was born for the runway, and she strutted her shit now, sashaying past the dancefloor with her new man doting on her – while her eyes stayed in Maxine’s direction.
Oh, God.
Maxine.
The only other time Lydia saw her this visibly upset was in the conference room at work. No tears fell tonight, though. Only bile surfaced from Maxine’s throat as she hurried off the dancefloor and to the far corner of the room. Lydia went after her, unsure of what to do.
“Maxine?”
“I had no idea she would be here.” Maxine accepted a fresh flute of champagne from Lydia, who had snatched the last one off a passing tray. “Who the hell invited her? Or that guy?”
“Is this event invitation only?”
“It’s a buy-in. That’s how these fundraisers tend to work.”
“Then clearly they bought their way in.”
“Did they do it because they knew I would be here? Someone would have told me if they heard Penelope was coming. They must have decided at the last minute. Like…”
“Like?”
Maxine shook her head in disbelief. “Like when that misprint came out. She’s doing this to check up on me.”
Lydia looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, Penelope had inched along the perimeter of the dancefloor, her cat-like eyes searching for a pair of women shediedto get to know better.
“Your bodyguard’s here, right?”
As if on cue, the large man in a tuxedo made himself known only a few feet away from Maxine. His crossed arms were pointed in Penelope’s direction.God, is the bodyguard because of her ex? Was the article more than a lie?Lydia didn’t want to consider that the abuser was the one making accusations of abuse, but she sadly knew the type.
“So you don’t have to deal with her.” Lydia scooted in closer, her nose telling her to get excited about Maxine’s masculine perfume, but her eyes focusing on the grim look of panic on that forlorn face. “You’re with me now, remember? Or at least for tonight. I don’t have to sleep with you, but Idohave to look like I want to be around you. I do, by the way.”
That reclaimed Maxine’s attention. “That’ll really piss her off.”
