Page 113 of Sins (The Sins Trilogy 1)
“Some of them didn’t believe me. Jerks. Like, why would I lie about that? Anyway, forget the idiots and tell me about your job!”
“It has nothing to do with music. I’m an assistant at the Pryce Family Foundation.”
“You mean…the Pryce Family, like you’ll be working for Elizabeth King?”
I nod.
Julie’s eyes grow wide. “Holy shit. That’s a big deal.”
“It is?”
“If you end up working for her long-term, you’re going to go places. She knows everyone in the world—all the politicians and ambassadors and stuff—and everyone loves her. I think even Byron had a bit of crush on her way back when. She has everything a man could want—looks, pedigree, money, connections, personality… Her marriage broke a million male hearts,” Julie says, putting a hand over her own heart dramatically. “But you couldn’t have been spending all your time job hunting. This is L.A.! Have you met anybody hot? Maybe even considered doing him?” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.
My mind drifts to Tony. The most arresting, magnetic and confusing man I’ve ever met. I don’t know if he really feels any kind of sexual attraction for me, since he hasn’t made a move after the kiss. Can a single phone call kill lust for days? Or is he still embarrassed about calling me Ivy by mistake? Regardless, he’s been super helpful and friendly, and he touches me constantly, every chance he gets—massages, little squeezing of the shoulders and arms and hands—but is that really attraction?
Julie snaps her fingers. “I know that look! Tell me! Who is he? Anybody I know?”
“Well… This, uh, guy…”
“Oh, come on! Name? What does he look like? Pictures? Is he rich? Young? Hot? Good in bed?”
I raise a palm to stop the flood of questions. “Tony. That’s his name. I ran into him at Hammers and Strings, then at a reception Sam threw, and, you know…”
“Keep going. Give me all the deets. Tony who? Anybody famous?” She leans closer. “A movie star?”
“Blackwood. I don’t know if he’s famous, but he’s definitely not a movie star.”
Suddenly, all the humor vanishes from Julie’s face. “Tony Blackwood? You mean Anthony Blackwood?”
“Yeah, I think that’s his real na—”
“Oh, shit. Does Byron know?”
Why is she being so weird?“No. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him.” Even if I did, why would I tell him about Tony? Why does Julie think I should?
She leans forward. “Are you guys sleeping together?”
“What? No!” Am I protesting too much? We didn’t sleep together, but we might have if not for that call.
“But you said ‘Tony.’ He only lets his family and closest friends call him that. I read on a gossip site that not even his exes are allowed to call him Tony. If they do, he corrects them, saying his name is Anthony. A little odd, right?”
From the very beginning, he asked me to call him Tony. In light of what Julie’s saying, it is odd. He and I were strangers then…
“Anyway, I guess if you really want to date him, it’s okay, but…” She looks at me like she can’t decide if she should say more.
“What? Spit it out.” The suspense is killing me.
“He and Byron, like, hate each other. And he has certain rep. Like, he’s cold and probably, uh, a little deviant.”
“Deviant?” My stomach is fluttering as I wait for the other shoe to drop. “In what way?”
“He never, ever dates blondes. It’s always some brunette with dark eyes.”
Marty said the same thing. I dismissed it, assuming he was being his usual asshole self, but having Julie say it is different. “That’s just a preference. I thought you meant in bed or something.”
“There’s more. His latest girlfriend—well, ex-girlfriend—tried to kill herself over him. It was all over the gossip rags.”
No way.I haven’t heard that, but then, I don’t read tabloids the way Julie does.
