Page 65 of Collateral Damage
Wait, what?I immediately rip my hand away.Don’t even go there, Sybil. You know better.
We’re right that Benton and the McGuire siblings fake it for the cameras, acting like they’re meeting for the first time. They compliment Benton on his hockey accolades, and he compliments them on their father and asks them about their own interests and accomplishments.
Things are practically normal until the front door opens for a third time, and the Italian supermodel walks in.
“Now we’re talking,” Cooper remarks, and a streak of jealously burns through me.
Dumb. What do I care?
This woman is hot, and everybody knows it.
Especially Benton.
Benton also knows his way around a woman’s body, and right now he’s looking at Gloria Ricci like he’s about to know his way around her body, too.
The attraction between them is instant and electric, and the cameras pick up on it immediately.
This is exactly what we were hoping would happen.
Introductions are made, small talk continues, rooms are explored, and then it’s Justin Crawford’s time to shine. He walks in, and it’s obvious why he’s a movie star. The man sparkles on camera. I don’t know how else to put it.
He’s a stunning, mixed African American man with an athletic body, endearing smile, and the kind of sultry bedroom eyes that have captivated an entire generation of women. The light caramel color of them pop on camera.
“Woah,” Mom remarks. “Can’t wait to meethimin person.”
Make that two generations.
Conrad throws her a scathing look. “Way to act your age, Amelia. He’s what, twenty-five?”
She sticks up her nose, not even bothering to look at him when she replies. “Last I checked,you’rethe one who married a woman half your age. Twice.”
I snort. That’s true. After Victoria passed away, Conrad married a younger woman a few years later, divorced her not long after that, and has remarried yet again. I don’t even know their names. I lost track.
“She’s got a point,” Cooper whispers to his dad playfully, and I think I might die of shock. I’veneverseen him tease his dad, and I gotta say, seeing this looser side of Cooper gives me hope for his future. I have to bite back a smile to keep from giving myself away.
“I have more important places to be,” Conrad says, exasperated.
I can’t help but notice his red cheeks. He leaves without another glance, pulling out his phone to check his calendar on his way out of the room. He’s CEO and founder of a media empire. He probablydoeshave more important places to be, but I still find his exit hilarious.
“It’s okay,” Cooper whispers in my ear. “I know you want to.”
We turn to each other and bust up laughing.
Mom heads out a few minutes later, but Cooper and I stay at the back of the room, watching the film come in.
I make a mental note to add seating here, so I don’t have to stand. If the last hour is any indication of how this is going to go, I’ll be in this screening room as often as I can. It’s fascinating to watch this unfold, especially knowing these people are only a floor above us.
These are some of the most influential twenty-somethings of our generation, and they’re going to be living together for three months. It’s going to be the ultimate form of people watching.
What do famous people do behind closed doors? How do they act? What are they really like? I didn’t think I cared that much, but now I’m dying to know. They’re putting on a show for the cameras now, but nobody can put on a show for three months straight. We’re going to see the real them soon enough.
Just when I think it can’t get any better, Audra Mason, the world’s newest and hottest pop star sensation and the Grammy’s latest best new artist award winner, struts into the penthouse with more confidence in her pinky finger than most people have in their entire bodies.
She’s gotdivawritten all over her, from her head-to-toe black leather outfit to her long sleek raven hair. This is a woman who is hungry for her star to shine even brighter, no matter what it takes.
Bring on the drama.
Twenty-Nine
