Page 27 of Forbidden Puck
“Maybe. Club Regret. Midnight.”
“See you then. xoxo”
Don't tell old man Shea, but that's how it's done. That's how a guy in my profession has all the no-strings-attached hook-ups he could ever want.
And that's how I'm gonna forget all about Ella, too.
Chapter 9
Night Out
Ella
Lance paced back and forth through the hallway, hanging around the bathroom door like an anxious cloud, while I carefully applied mascara.
He stepped into the doorway and let out another pained groan. “Hurry up,Ella! You takesolong to get ready.”
“I'm almost ready. But please stop pacing around like that. You're putting me on edge.”
Lance's cell phone rang, and he retreated into his bedroom to answer it. I breathed a sigh of relief—now I could put on my finishing touches in peace.
Lance was on the phone for a good half-hour, tittering in his bedroom like a schoolgirl, which proved to be quite a blessing in disguise—because I'd decided that I hated the floral print dress I was wearing, and now I wanted to change into another one. I could justhearthe bitching and moaning Lance would've made if I wanted to change dresses while he was trying to hurry me out the door.
But alas, his phone call gave me the opportunity. I changed into a cuter, more flirtatious cocktail dress—something playful, but still sexy enough for the club.
Just when I was truly ready, Lance emerged from his bedroom.
“Oh, hey Ella,” he said. He wore a dopey, almost love-struck smile. Dear God—he lookedhappy. It was disturbing.
“Gross,” I muttered, “what's gotten into you?”
“That was Lindsay,” he said.
“Oh? The butt model wanted to chat?”
“She doesmorethan just model her butt, okay? Someday, she'll be a real model. Everyone has to start somewhere, you know?”
“True enough. Well anyway, I'm ready to go.”
Lance frowned with the weight of some bad news.
“Sorry sis. I have to cancel on tonight.”
“What?”
“Lindsay wants to meet up.”
“You're really bailing on me?”
“I told her you were visiting and we were going out tonight, and I asked her if she wanted to come with us. But she said what shereallywants is me to head over and hang out with her. She said she had a long day and she wants to stay in.”
“She had a long day of modeling her butt?”
“Don't be a dick, Ella. Honestly, I'm super exhausted from shopping all day, too. A night in actually sounds kinda nice.”
“It didn't sound nice when I suggested it an hour ago,” I quipped.
“Ella …”
