Dear Heart, I Hate You

by J. Sterling

  “The guy who owns the club is Ron. He’s one of my clients, and I’ve known him for years. He owns a handful of nightclubs in the area, all super successful. I don’t know much about his background. I think his mom might have been an actress at some point, but I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that all of his clubs are popular with celebrities, and are usually the clubs you see people stumbling out of in the tabloids.”

  “Is he a nice guy?”

  “Really nice. Pretty normal, just super involved in his businesses and making sure they’re successful. But you’ll like him. He’s not a dick at all. I can’t say the same for whoever else might be there tonight.”

  I shook my head. While celebrities were usually fairly normal people, some were total assholes with huge egos and bad attitudes.

  “What’s tonight’s event about?”

  “I think Ron said that some actor was starting his own line of tequila, so it’s a promotional party for that, and maybe someone’s birthday. I don’t know exactly, to be honest. Whenever Ron invites me, I come because his parties are usually really fun, but they’re also good for networking. Ron introduces me to everyone. He’s great about that.”

  Cal nodded his head slowly, as if lost in thought. “That’s really cool that he does that.”

  I reached for his hand on my thigh and squeezed it. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he takes you around too,” I said before stopping short. “If you want. You can take out-of-town clients, right?”

  A slow smirk appeared. “Yeah. I have clients all over the country. But that would be great, Jules. Thank you.”

  I shrugged. “Not a problem.”

  Knowing Ron, he would happily introduce Cal to anyone who might need his services. It was a long shot, since most people would most likely be set up already in the financial end of things, but you never knew what could happen. Plus, if I could help Cal, I wanted to. I knew he’d do the same for me.

  Tami lived below Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. And while we could technically walk to the club from her place, I knew we weren’t going to.

  As I pulled into her short driveway, I looked at Cal. “We’re here.”

  “Cool place,” he said as he glanced at the lighting in her yard. “Does she own it?”

  “No. It’s a rental, but the location is killer and it’s not an apartment. Tami couldn’t handle the whole shared-wall thing. Before she moved here, I thought she was going to murder someone if she didn’t find a new place.”

  He reached for my hand as we headed toward her front door. Instead of walking right in, I knocked first and waited, not exactly sure why since it wasn’t what I’d normally do.

  “Come in,” she shouted from somewhere in the house, and I turned the door handle and stepped inside.

  Tami came flying around the corner from her bedroom and leaped into Cal’s arms. He laughed and hugged her as she kissed his cheek.

  “Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that she’s crazy?” I pointed at my best friend who was currently molesting my . . . Cal.

  “I already knew,” he said as he set her onto her feet.

  “Cal, it’s so nice to meet you in real life,” she said with a big smile that I was thrilled to see was genuine.

  “You too.”

  As he took her in, he paused at her eyes, and I worried for a second that she had those damn pink contacts in. But when she glanced at me, I saw she was wearing the ones that made her eyes an unnatural shade of green.

  “Your eyes,” he said before looking at me and then back at her.

  Oh Lord. If Cal complimented Tami’s fake eyes, I might have to end whatever this was between us immediately. I begged him silently to not be that guy, to please be smarter than the rest, as he continued to glance awkwardly between us.

  “Your eyes aren’t real, are they?” he finally said, and I wanted to shout with joy.

  Tami parked a hand on one hip. “What do you mean, Cal?”

  “It’s just . . . don’t get me wrong, Tami, they’re attractive, but they’re not normal,” he said, his expression wary as if he was afraid of offending her. “Contacts, right?”

  She laughed. “Yes, they’re contacts. I don’t have green eyes. Mine are boring and brown and I get tired of them, so I spice it up. Speaking of, I need to finish getting dressed. Help yourself to whatever. I’ll be right back.”

  When Tami was gone, I grinned up at Cal. “I freaking love you for not telling her how pretty her eyes are,” I blurted without thinking. “Not love-love you. You know what I mean.” I waved a hand, hoping I hadn’t completely freaked him out.

  He pulled me close and kissed the tip of my nose. “Your eyes are prettier. I love the color.”

  Inside, I moaned a private little sigh. I wouldn’t have been surprised if all my bones had turned to sand and I slipped right through his fingers. Who knew I could be such a sap?

  “You want a beer?” I asked as I pulled open her fridge.

  “Yeah, sounds great. But I can get it.”

  “I know you can.” I pulled out a bottle and handed it to him. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to make sure she’s actually getting ready and not texting, or we’ll be here all night. You okay?”

  He looked around her living room. “I think I’ll manage.”

  I hustled into the bathroom. Tami still wasn’t dressed, but was instead focused on clipping blood-red and neon-blue extensions into her hair.

  “I hate to feed your ego, but those look fierce.” I reached for one of the blue strands.

  “I know.” She smiled in the mirror before turning around to face me. “First of all, he’s stupid hot and looks so good. A man who knows how to dress is such a turn-on,” she said, her face serious. “Second, he’s awesome, Jules. He let me hop into his arms and he knew my eyes were fake. What a keeper.” She smirked at me before turning back around.

  I wasn’t sure how to respond so I just grinned, knowing my best friend would have more to say on the subject.

  “How has the weekend been so far?” she asked. “Oh my God, Jules.” Her eyebrows shot up as if she’d only just remembered something important. “How was the sex? Tell me right now!”

  My cheeks warmed, and the mirror revealed I was blushing. “It was . . .” I glanced around, searching for the right word.

  “It was what? Awful? Awesome? Amazing? Terrible? I’m dying here, Jules. Tell me.” She frowned at me, contorting her lips in the mirror as she lined them and applied deep red lipstick.

  “It was incredible,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know what the hell I’ve been doing all those other times, but it wasn’t that.”

  She tilted her head, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Aw, you finally found a man who knows how to fuck properly. I’m so proud of you. And happy for you.”

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “You’re so inappropriate.”

  “I know, but I’m right. Hand me my dress. You look gorgeous, by the way.” She started to slip out of her clothes but paused to call out, “Don’t come back here, Cal. I’m getting naked, and I wouldn’t want you to fall in love with me while Jules is standing right here.”

  I smacked her shoulder. “You’re an idiot. Seriously.”

  “Stop trying to seduce me with your fake eyes and hot body, Tami,” he yelled from the other room, and I giggled.

  “I knew you wanted me,” she yelled back, and I wanted to do a crazy victory dance at the easy way the two of them got along.

  I touched up my lipstick in the mirror before giving Tami a once-over in her gorgeous red dress. “You look amazing.”

  “I’d look better with my pink contacts, but someone won’t let me wear them.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Listen, devil woman, I’m doing you a favor. Don’t you want to make friends?”

  She pouted. “Not really.”

  Laughing, I said, “Let’s go.”

  We walked arm and arm into the living room where Cal was sitting on her leather sofa, finishing off his beer. He set
it down on a coaster when we appeared, his eyes widening.

  “Jesus, you two. I get to walk in there with both of you on my arm?”

  “Charmer.” Tami winked. “Are you driving or should we call a car?”

  “I don’t plan on drinking much and they have valet. I can just drive. It will be easier,” I offered.

  Normally we’d call for a car, but usually I’d be drinking way more and didn’t feel like dealing with the parking situation. This was different.

  “Cal, take a picture of me and Jules, please?” Tami handed him her phone as we posed. “Thank you.”

  “Will you take one of us?” I asked her, and she snatched my cell from my hand.

  “Anyone ever told you two that you look perfect together? It’s gross, actually,” she said.

  I stuck out my tongue, and she chose that moment to take the picture. When I started to complain, she held up her hand.

  “I’ll take more. Hold your horses.”

  “Oh, Cal loves horses. Don’t you, Cal,” I said, meaning the tops he collected from his bourbon.

  He grinned at me before leaning down and kissing me thoroughly, ruining the lipstick I’d just redone.

  “Told you not to keep putting it on,” he said when he ended the kiss.

  Breathless, I blinked up at him. I’d almost forgotten that Tami was there, taking pictures.

  “Hello,” she said, snapping her fingers at us. “Can I have one where you’re both looking at me, please?”

  Cal wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. I leaned my head toward his shoulder, my arm around his back as I smiled.

  “Perfect,” she said before handing me my phone. “You owe me. You’re going to die with how many I took.”

  I quickly swiped through them as excitement tore through me. She really had taken a bunch of candid shots, which was awesome, and I turned the phone off so I could look at them later. I mouthed thank you to her as we headed for her door.

  “I like your place, Tami. It’s really nice,” Cal said as he held the door open for us.

  “Thanks. It was a steal, and perfect timing. It’s a first-time rental.”

  “The architecture is cool. It’s so woodsy,” he said before looking at me as we piled into my car. “I’m not the real estate guru, so I don’t know what it’s called.”

  I smiled. “It’s an old Craftsman. All original beams and wood. It’s a great house.”

  • • •

  The club was about a five-minute drive from Tami’s house, ten with Saturday night traffic. I pulled up to the valet in front of the building and gave him my name.

  He nodded and opened my door for me, waiting as I carefully maneuvered out of the driver’s seat so as not to show off my goods. Paparazzi swarmed us, and even though we were technically nobodies, a few flashes still went off.

  Cal positioned himself between me and Tami, giving each one of us an arm. We walked up to the entrance, where an older gentleman dressed in black glanced at us before smiling, his earpiece and clipboard identifying him as the greeter. Ron preferred to used the same people at his events when possible. He said he liked the idea of having people be familiar and comfortable, believing it took the edge off.

  “Jules.” Razz smiled at me before giving me a kiss on my cheek. “Tami,” he said, greeting her the same way. “And who is this, besides the luckiest gent of the evening.” He extended a hand toward Cal.

  “Hi, Razz,” I said with a smile. “This is Cal. He’s here from Boston for the weekend.”

  “You know how lucky you are, right?” Razz asked him, and Cal grinned.

  “I’m aware.”

  Razz scanned his clipboard and crossed off our names before adding the time next to it. Even though he knew us, he still needed to mark that we’d arrived, and for whatever reason, Ron liked to know when his guests showed up.

  “All right, you three. Go have a good time.”

  “Is Ron already here?”

  Razz cocked his head to the side. “Are you kidding? He’s been here since five.”

  I laughed. “Have a good night, Razz.”

  “You too, doll. You ladies look stunning,” he said as we headed through the door.

  I loved this particular club because it was split up into sections. There was a dance floor that boomed with the bass from the DJ, but there were also separate sitting areas where you could actually conduct business or have conversations without shouting to be heard. There was something about a space that fit multiple needs that appealed to me.

  As we walked in, a guy in a tuxedo approached us with a tray in his hand. “Tequila shots?” he offered.

  Remembering that the party was to promote this particular brand of tequila, I took one and made sure Cal and Tami did too. It would be rude not to.

  When the waiter slipped away, the three of us glanced at one another.

  “I hate tequila,” I said with a groan.

  “Me too,” Cal said, grimacing at his shot.

  Tami rolled her eyes. “Well, I love it. Stop being pussies and try it, then give me the rest,” she said before clanking her plastic shot glass against ours. “Cheers.” She downed it without making a face.

  “Like a pro,” she said, still watching us. “Are you two going to stare at yours all night, or are you going to drink it? It’s actually pretty good.”

  When I sniffed my shot glass, my insides quivered. One bad tequila night back in college and I’d banned the stuff from my life until now. I didn’t even care for it in a mixed drink, much less down it by itself.

  “Just give it to me,” Tami said before taking it from my hand and tossing it down her throat. “What’s your excuse?” she asked Cal.

  “Not a tequila guy, honestly,” he said with a shrug.

  “But you’ll drink that bourbon shit all night, and that stuff’s awful,” she snapped at him before turning her back to us and moving through the crowd.

  Cal grabbed my hand as we followed her. “I think your best friend hates me,” he said sadly, and I laughed.

  “She’ll get over it,” I promised.

  Tami led us in the direction of the dance floor, which had women dancing in choreographed routines on top of elevated platforms. It was mesmerizing to watch them; they were awesome. I looked around the room for Ron, hoping to introduce him to Cal before it got too crowded or late.

  “I’m going to head over to the bar over there. I see something I like.” Tami pointed toward the corner and I nodded, noting the group of guys standing there.

  “Isn’t that . . .” Cal stopped himself from pointing at a couple dancing on the dance floor.

  I followed his stare and smiled. “If you’re thinking it’s Quinn Johnson and Ryson Miller, then you’d be right.”

  Quinn and Ryson were one of the hottest young couples in Hollywood. They were both actors who also happened to live in Malibu together, and although I hadn’t sold them their house, my boss had.

  “Nice.” Cal sounded composed, but I could tell he was impressed.

  “Are you freaking out right now?” I squeezed his hand, now realizing that seeing celebrities like this would be a totally new experience for him.

  “No. It’s just a little surreal, is all. Lucas would shit if he were here. I can’t wait to tell him I saw Ryson Miller. He’s had a crush on him since he was like fifteen or so.”

  I laughed. “Who hasn’t?”

  Ryson was ridiculously hot and had that bad-boy appeal going for him. And Quinn was absolutely stunning in person, and was the one person who seemed to have tamed the beast that was Ryson, which made them even more adorable.

  “Let’s go into another room. I want to introduce you to Ron, if I can find him.” I pulled Cal by the hand and walked away from the pounding music and beautiful dancers.

  Leaving the groups of people behind, I took a left and walked us down a long, dark corridor.

  “Is this where you murder me and leave my body in pieces?” Cal asked, squeezing my hand.

  “
No. That happens later. We’ll dump your body in the hills so no one will find you. We have coyotes, you know,” I said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Reassuring.”

  Around a corner and up a flight of stairs, I found Ron chatting up a blonde on one of the many velvet lounges in the room. As I reached the top step, he noticed me and his entire face lit up.

  “Jules!” he called out before saying something to the girl that I recognized as Tabbie James, an actress I’d met many times before. He stood up and made his way toward us, dressed to the nines in a black suit and tie. His brown hair and beard were longer than I’d seen them before, obviously growing out.

  “Love the beard.” I tugged at it playfully.

  “You look hot as hell.” He pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. “Is this the elusive Cal I had to add as your guest?”

  “The one and only,” I said as Cal stepped forward and shook his hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ron. Thanks for letting me crash. This is a great place and a great party,” he said sincerely, his natural charm coming out.

  “Thank you. Glad you could make it. Cal, Jules tells me that you work in finance.”

  “I do.”

  “Do you think we could talk a little business?” Ron asked. “That is, if Jules doesn’t mind. And if you don’t mind talking work on a Saturday night, Cal.”

  When they both looked to me, I threw up my hands. “Have at it. I’ll just go grab a drink.” I gave Cal a quick kiss and watched as he followed Ron back toward Tabbie, who still sat alone on the lounge chair.

  Although I knew Cal was a little excited, he looked at ease and totally in his element as he shook her hand and made himself comfortable, looking back and forth between her and Ron. His demeanor was all business, and it was hot to watch. He talked with his hands a lot, something I hadn’t noticed until now, and it was adorable. He was adorable.

  I smiled to myself as I made my way over toward the bar, hoping they had something more than the featured tequila available.

  The bartender smiled as I approached. “What can I get you?”

  “Tell me I don’t have to get tequila,” I begged, and he laughed.