Page 7 of Stay Here Tonight
“Ha! She can afford to pay other people to do the party planning and cleanup. She only has to show up and be a gracious hostess. And look hot, I guess.”
So hot.Lydia needed more champagne. At this rate she would be so wound up on her attraction to Maxine that it would end with her sobbing into her pillow that night.
The PR manager in the yellow dress marched up to Maxine and said something terse into her ear. Frowning, Maxine turned away. The woman glanced around until she saw Lydia.
She approached.
“Wanna make that fifty bucks? Come with me.”
She grabbed Lydia’s hand and took her around the edge of the dance floor. “Excuse me?” Lydia looked back at Joanie, who could only hold her hands up in disbelief. “What’s going on?”
The dance floor wasn’t big enough to save Lydia from embarrassment. A few people muttered on their way by, commenting on their strange behavior as they made their way to…
Maxine Woodward.
“Maxine!” The PR manager grabbed her client’s left hand, creating a chain-link from Lydia to Maxine. “You’ve left me no choice. I found a dance partnerforyou.”
“Jesus, Angela.” Maxine brushed her short bangs away from her forehead with a sigh. “This is nuts even for you.”
Lydia remained speechless, even after her hand was placed into Maxine’s.Oh my God!She barely had time to register the soft touch before Angel the PR manager said, “This is your party, Maxine, and I’ll be fucking damned if you’re not out there dancing with people. Don’t like it? I’m sure I can find a good-looking male to pair you up with for the photos.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“Do it.”
“Fine!” Maxine yanked on Lydia’s arm, not that she had any eyes for her. Those fierce pupils were locked on Angela’s face. “You want me to dance with someone? I’ll do it. Make sure the pictures are extra fantastic.’
“Oh, I will. Even though that’s Evan’s job.”
“Send Evan mywarmestregards as he shoots us.”
“Mind your word choice!”
By that point, both Maxine and Lydia were in the middle of the dance floor while a new jazz song emitted from the adjacent room.
Lydia finally found her breath again. Her heartbeat? Still unaccounted for.
“How much is she paying you to do this?” Maxine hissed in Lydia’s ear.
“I…” Words! What the fuck were words! Lydia’s hand was sweaty enough to slip out of Maxine’s hand. God knew Lydia’s feet had suddenly stopped working. Maxine had to practically drag her through the steps, not that they were doing much more than swaying back and forth in time to the soft music. Maxine was so warm! And leading, of course. She had to, if Lydia was going to keep up at all.
“Come on, I know how she works. She offered you money to dance with me.”
‘Cause I totally wouldn’t have for free?Should she say that out loud? Would that be a good flirtation? A hot come-on? No, it would be damn embarrassing, but maybe not as embarrassing as what she said instead. “Fifty bucks?”
Maxine finally gave her undivided attention. “What? Really? That’s all I’m worth?”
Here Lydia had thought it was more of a comment onherworth.
“So… I really don’t know what’s going on right now.” At least Lydia could admit that much. She was also starting to finally calm down. Sure, she was touching Maxine Woodward – intimately, even – but seeing some of the ice thaw around her helped Lydia find her voice again. Breathing was good. Great, even.
Maxine snorted, her flared nostrils half the size of her face from the sheer force of her derision. “My PR manager is convinced I need to be seen conversing with women, as if I’m dating again.”
“You’re not?” Ah, fuck. What a great thing to blurt out.
“I’ve been taking things easy since my divorce.”
“Oh, right. My condolences.”
