by C. J. Duggan
‘What’s the bet he tipped them off that he was going to be here?’
‘Surely not.’
Jay shook his head as he looked at me. ‘So naive, so innocent,’ he teased.
‘Yeah, well, some things I don’t want to know,’ I said, looking on as Sienna lingered next to Leon. She was yet to gain his attention as he spoke to his ‘boys’, who were all laughing and lapping up his conversation.
Jay grabbed my arm and guided me towards the bar. ‘There’s only one way to get through a night like this.’
‘But you’re driving.’
‘Not me, you.’ He laughed, slapping his palms on the marble bar before drawing the attention of the barman, who slid us over some drink menus.
‘Hey, look, this one’s for you,’ Jay said, a line drawing between his brows in concentration. ‘Mediterranean sunset, to match your tan,’ he joked.
I tilted my head, squinting at his utter hilarity, before studying the menu myself. ‘Wow, this place is made for us; look, you can get an ale called “Arrogant Bastard”. You sure you don’t want a drink?’
Jay’s mouth lifted a little in the corner, as he pretended to ignore me.
‘Hey, can I have a bottle of Rosé Perrier for the woman?’ Leon’s voice rang out over all others as he slid in next to Jay and ordered the thirteen-hundred-dollar bottle for his ‘woman’ whom he suddenly realised existed. It appeared he now registered our existence, too, looking our way and dipping his shades. ‘Hey, you’re that chick.’
‘And you’re that guy,’ I said, wondering where exactly this stimulating conversation was leading.
‘You’re Sienna’s bestie from Oz,’ he said, but he was directing his conversation to Jay while he sized him up.
‘We used to work togeth—’
‘Hey, man, I’m Leon.’ He cut off my words, holding out his hand to Jay, who took it and shook it slowly, old school-style. ‘Sorry, I didn’t catch yours.’
Jay smirked. ‘I didn’t throw it.’
Something flashed in Leon’s eyes before he burst out laughing, shaking his finger. ‘Heeey, I like you.’
Before Jay could respond, Sienna moved between them. ‘Here you all are, my favourite people.’
‘Yeah, just speaking with the mystery man here,’ Leon sneered, hooking his arm over Sienna, who could only laugh.
‘This is Abby’s boyfriend, Jay, he’s the owner of the Saloon on Sunset – you know, the place I was telling you about?’ Sienna looked at him, imploring him to remember, no doubt like so many things she had told him.
‘Oh yeah, right, I love that place. Haven’t been there in a while, but hey, we might have to change that. Do you think you can hook us up with some VIP treatment?’ Leon winked, grabbing the bottle and glasses.
Jay didn’t say a word, watching as Leon moved away.
Then Leon stopped and turned, clearly perplexed. ‘Have we met before?’
Jay shrugged. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Maybe you guys met at the Saloon?’ Sienna added helpfully.
Leon’s stare was unmoving. ‘No, that’s not it.’
‘Guess I just have one of those faces.’ Jay smiled.
‘Yeah, you really do,’ Sienna nodded.
‘Hey, grab your drinks and head upstairs – we’ll teach you what VIP is all about. You might even pick up some tips for the Saloon, J-Man.’ Leon laughed, signalling to his posse to make a move. I could feel Jay’s body tighten next to me as he turned to the waiting barman.
‘One arrogant bastard.’
‘A beer?’ The barman questioned.
Jay breathed out a laugh. ‘No, just an observation.’
Chapter Twenty-One
How did the night pan out like this?
There was no networking or bonding with potential new friends to be had. Apart from Dion Preston and Sienna, I didn’t know any of these people, and no one went out of their way to introduce themselves. There was nothing sunshiny, friendly or welcoming about the clique, no matter what kind of filter you put over this. I felt so bad for subjecting Jay to this; if I didn’t want to be here, I could only imagine how he was feeling. And instead of working the room with the flair and confidence that I might have done back home, I selfishly used Jay as my anchor in the storm. Would he ever know how grateful I was that he had stayed?
At least the view was spectacular, even if the company wasn’t.
Jay led me away from the hollers and high fives of the group to the outer edge of the impressive rooftop pool of the Skybar, an open-air, ivy-covered pavilion. It was the hottest new LA lounge and, come daylight, would make you feel like you were floating in the clouds, if not for the custom-made furniture: luxurious lounge seating accented with yellow-and-gold reflective glass surfaces evoking the twinkling city views. We stood for a long moment, almost enjoying ourselves, until we heard a loud cackle and jostle break out between two of the group, drunkenly play-fighting and threatening to drag one another into the pool.
‘You know what? A bowl of chilli looks really appealing right now.’ I laughed.
I turned to Jay, lifting my glass to my lips, only to pause at the way he was looking at me.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘Abby Taylor, are you trying to be fresh with me?’
I rolled my eyes. ‘All I’m saying is, I’d rather be anywhere but here.’
‘Well, it’s not like you’re making an effort.’
My eyes snapped up. ‘What?’
‘You have to work at it, introduce yourself, make new friends; isn’t that why you’re here? Go get a sip of that expensive wine.’
I didn’t know what to say. I guess I just kind of expected Jay to be on my side, to validate my feelings by saying what a nightmare this was, maybe even throw in a cutesy offer to reheat some chilli for me. I really didn’t expect this.
‘I don’t know what I’m meant to do,’ I admitted. It was the first time I didn’t feel like I could face something. I was usually the life of the party, and now I just felt completely insignificant.
‘Yes, you do,’ he said, almost annoyed.
‘I really don’t; if anything, I should be at home in sweatpants rehearsing my lines and – ’
‘Feeling sorry for yourself.’
I glared up at him; now he was starting to ruin the first not completely awful part of the night. Our twosome was now suffused with tension; if he turned on me, I would have no place to go.
Jay sighed. ‘Okay, you see that girl over there? The brunette in white, burgundy lips.’
I followed Jay’s eyes, unnerved by how my chest tightened at how he noticed the colour of her lips. She was an absolute stunner, sitting casually on the edge of one of the daybeds and talking to some of the others.
‘What about her?’
Jay stepped closer to me. ‘That’s Alexis McKellen – she’s a really big deal in daytime TV.’
I looked more closely at her. She did seem familiar, but apparently so did Jay so I didn’t think too much about it.
‘She’s sitting with some big-time producers. And here’s the clincher: she’s not an asshole.’
I smiled, turning back to Jay. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’
‘How do you know so much?’
‘I may not have a rooftop pool at the Saloon, but I get people through the doors, more than once.’
‘So, what do I …’
‘Just play along; you can act, but can you improvise?’ Jay said, taking my drink and tipping it out, much to my horror.
‘Of course I can.’
‘Okay, then, follow me.’ Jay carried both of our empty drinks past the pool, right near where Alexis was sitting; he didn’t have to say a word before a bright, happy voice sliced through the air.
‘Jay?’ Alexis clocked him the moment we passed, bringing us to an abrupt halt.
‘Hey,’ he said, like he was surprised to see her; it was kind of unnerving how effortless he was in playing the role.
‘What are you doing h
ere?’ She stood, embracing and kissing him on the cheek, which registered with a violent jolt inside my stomach. I had expected to stand to the side like I had done all night, play the subservient role as Sienna did with Leon, but I needn’t have worried. Alexis’s shining eyes moved straight to me and she held out her hand.
‘Hi, I’m Alexis,’ she said.
‘Abby,’ I said, instantly warming to her. ‘Lovely to meet you.’
‘You’re Australian?’
‘Guilty.’
‘Oh, I just adore your accent! Do you guys want to come join us? Come, sit, speak Australian to me.’ She laughed, sitting down and tapping the spare space next to her. I turned to Jay, who looked triumphant.
‘We were just headed home, but I could grab us a couple of refills,’ he said, lifting up the empty glasses.
I smiled broadly. ‘Absolutely.’ I liked how he implied we were leaving together; the openness of it gave me a kind of thrill.
‘Oh yeah, stay! We have been so bored – come wake us up.’
Alexis’s friends were already making space for us. ‘Well, let’s get the party started, then. What are you ladies drinking?’
A stocky blonde girl dressed more for business than pleasure lifted her glass enthusiastically to Jay.
‘Mediterranean sunsets,’ she said.
I closed my eyes briefly, willing myself not to turn and see Jay’s broad smile.
‘Sounds delicious,’ he said, and I didn’t have to look at him to know just how smug he felt.
Abby Taylor was back! Proving there was life outside of the Family, I had successfully ventured out to chat to Alexis, bonding over terrifying auditions, LA cliques (not mentioning any names) and the sheer vastness of the city. It was refreshing to know that Alexis also had to work really hard at her accent, shrugging her natural southern drawl to work on her show.
‘Now I just speak like this all the time; once I start saying “y’all”, I’ll be done for. Although, a few more of these and I will be saying it, guaranteed.’
‘Yeah, it really comes out when she’s drunk,’ said Brenda, the thin, dark-haired girl who blushed anytime she looked Jay’s way. I couldn’t exactly blame her. After a few sunset cocktails, I, too, felt my skin flush anytime he smiled, or when I felt his jean-clad leg pressed against mine as we sat side-by-side on the day bed. I could feel the heat of his body, the vibration of his laughter, his casual, relaxed warmth as he engaged our group. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe I could put it down to improvising, but I let my wrist casually lie on Jay’s knee as I leant forward, gripped by Alexis’s story of when she nearly choked on a buffet meatball at work.
Our group expanded when a few of Alexis’s friends rocked up and joined in. The night was filled with laughter, genuine laughter, aided by a few drinks. A long, interesting conversation led to an exchange of business cards with Jonathan, who worked in Star Network’s wardrobe department. His boyfriend worked in make-up and was really keen to recruit some new blood for the team. I tried not to snatch the card out of his hand, giddy at hearing ‘we are desperate to find someone with actual experience’. Thinking of Billie, I wanted to scream from the rooftop, and wished more than anything she was here with me.
I had gone from coy wallflower to actually wanting to get up and dance; gone were all my reservations. I accepted Jay’s dare and dragged Leon onto the dance floor, which surprised him, but it didn’t take him long to start busting some old-style dance moves that the nineties wanted back. I had even been in high-enough spirits to hug Sienna, telling her how much I loved her and how we had to catch up more. It was at this point that I knew I’d partaken of one (or two) too many cocktails.
By the time Jay steered me by the shoulders towards the ladies’ bathroom, I really knew I had.
‘I can walk,’ I insisted, banging into the side of the hall.
‘Sure you can,’ he laughed.
‘I can’t believe no girl wanted to go to the bathroom with me, it’s like our rite of passage to go in a group; I feel so betrayed.’
‘They probably didn’t want to be legally responsible for you if anything went badly.’
‘Oooh, that’s right, people love suing people in America, don’t they?’
‘I think you’ve watched way too much TV.’
I hiccupped. ‘Judge Judy is awesome.’
‘Okay, here we are.’ Jay grabbed my shoulders, pointing to the door where I needed to be.
I spun around, squinting up at him, trying my best to intimidate him, which only seemed to make him laugh.
‘You judged me,’ I said, pointing into his chest. ‘The second we met.’
‘Did I?’
‘Yes, you did.’
‘I see, and then what?’ Jay seemed invested in my recount of recent events, until I winced.
‘Then I flashed you my boob.’
Jay burst out laughing, so loud it rivalled the muffled music from the roof terrace.
‘It’s not funny,’ I said, hitting at him, but he was too quick, gripping my arms again and pinning me to the wall.
‘Abby, go the ladies’. I’ll wait for you here.’ He said it in a no-nonsense tone, but he was still smiling, looking down at me like he didn’t know what to do with me; should he keep me pinned to the wall or release a potentially wild animal?
‘I don’t need to go.’
‘What?’
‘It’s just an excuse girls use to check our reflections and see if we still look pretty.’ I blew a wayward strand out of my eyes, feeling anything but pretty. I felt hot and flustered, and dizzy, and I had a very sexy man pressed up against me, making me feel all sorts of strange things, especially with the way he was looking at me now. Gone was the humour of before, he simply looked into my eyes, the atmospheric lighting flickering across our faces in the dark, narrow hall.
I almost forgot to breathe, looking into the depths of his eyes. A shiver ran down my spine, only heightened by the smile that tugged at the corner of his sexy mouth.
‘You still look pretty.’ Spoken like a promise, his voice was low and deep, and he was standing so close that the heat from our bodies in this narrow space felt like a furnace.
‘Pfft, that’s just the alcohol talking.’
Jay smiled wide and bright, the way I loved, as he let my shoulders go and stepped back a little, rubbing at his jawline with interest. He moved towards the men’s room, pausing before it. ‘Yeah, but I’m not drinking, remember?’
Then, through my drunken socialising haze, I remembered. Jay was stone-cold sober, having opted for water or Coke all night. I blinked. So what had just happened between us – the way he had looked at me, how he had let me casually drape over him through the night – had nothing to do with Jay’s choice of drink.
Oh God.
I felt my cheeks burn hot, my eyes flicking up to watch him push the door to the men’s room.
‘What are you doing?’ I said, panicked all of a sudden. A rather stupid question, considering, but my mind was not my own, and my legs weren’t either, as I had to use the wall for support.
Jay stilled, a cheeky grin forming as he looked back at me. ‘Going to see if I still look pretty,’ he said with a wink, before disappearing through door.
Smart ass.
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘You’re going to have to be quiet,’ Jay warned, steering me into the courtyard by the arm.
‘I am being quiet!’ I insisted. ‘Let go.’
‘Abby,’ Jay gritted.
‘Geez, someone needs a drink.’
‘And you definitely don’t.’
‘Pfft, okay, Grandpa. Ooooh, look at the pool!’ The water sparkled, as if little white diamonds lay across its surface, enticing me like a magpie to tinfoil.
‘Don’t even think about it.’ Jay steered me clear.
‘Oh, come on! I’ve been near one all night,’ I protested; I was starting to get really annoyed at my personal escort. I was fine, so fine, more than fine, and to prove just how fine, I ripped my
arm free of his hold and bolted towards the pool, ready to show him just exactly how okay I was.
I prided myself on my grace and flexibility in many areas of my life: dance and gymnastics, ballet lessons, netball and swimming medals. Not going to lie, I was a massive overachiever in many ways, and all those achievements steered me towards the pool’s edge. I would master the perfect dive into the pool, because I had done so a hundred times before. The ability to slice through the water with barely a splash was kind of my thing – my secret talent, if you will – but it was going to remain a secret no longer. Let Jay look on in wonder; maybe he’d even apologise for doubting my ability.
I was so confident, taking long strides to the pool, then moving into smaller, daintier ones, my arms out to the side, then sweeping up into position. It was like it was all happening in super-slow motion, my approach to the pool edge nearing, Jay calling out my name with no care or concern for who might hear, and what did I care? Let them see. Let them come out onto their balconies and see the master at work; it would be worth the 1 a.m. disturbance of peace to witness my prowess. And it would have been a thing of beauty had I not, on the very last few steps to the pool, tripped over a pool noodle.
I catapulted forward with a scream, before making the most inelegant entry possible. I hit the water so hard I barely had time to register that I was submerged, the air forced from my lungs as I sunk, face down. I found myself wishing for an out-of-body experience just to escape the burning pain that was coiling over my body.
I became overwhelmed with blind panic as I clawed at the water, my wet clothes and heels weighing me down. So this was death? Aussie actress found floating in West Hollywood pool – how very Sunset Boulevard. Knowing my luck, someone would get video footage of my last moments tripping over a pool noodle and sell it to TMZ. I would be a little more famous after death; I only hoped E! True Hollywood Story wouldn’t immortalise me as ‘Noodle Girl’.
Just another broken dream in Hollywood – but not today. I felt a violent burst of water and a dark figure appeared next to me, then unceremoniously gripped me, yanking me up from the pool floor. As soon as I breached the surface and the cool night air hit my exposed skin, the pain was a hundred times worse, and with each cough and splutter I was convinced I had shattered every rib. I was merely a bag of skin with rubble inside; the result of such a brutal entry.
