ChampagneCravings

by Ava McKnight

  I didn’t need anything else screwing up this job.

  Mav thanked those in attendance for coming out this evening. He skillfully addressed last week’s botched launch with a mix of seriousness and levity that took the edge off while also validating how concerned he was about the incident and the public’s response to it, and its negative impact on the new makeup line.

  He said, “I realize waterproof cosmetics aren’t the newest concept on the market—and we’ve yet to prove Elan’s are worth their weight in gold. I assure you, they are, and the very lovely Biel McKinley has graciously agreed to demonstrate that for you this evening.”

  I smiled. His words about the makeup being worth their weight in gold had significant impact, given Biel was dressed all in gold, looking like a gazillion dollars.

  Mav continued. “Regardless of the incident we encountered last week, I am confident women around the world will find these products to be light as air, while they cover flaws impeccably with absolutely no smudging. I’m sure the men in their lives will appreciate not picking up foundation or lipstick on a crisp white collar.”

  A ripple of laughter helped put everyone even more at ease.

  Mav added, “And by the way, this is a very special evening for Biel.” He raised his champagne glass to her and said, “I am eternally grateful you’ve chosen to spend your twenty-second birthday with us this evening. I do apologize you have to work on your special day, but I appreciate your commitment to the company.”

  Biel beamed. The crowd applauded her. Then Mav told her, “Your agent has a word or two regarding the momentous occasion.”

  The spotlight was on Biel and I felt she deserved it. She’d kicked the crap out of adversity.

  Unfortunately, my warm, fuzzy feeling didn’t last long. I caught a familiar flash of short, curly blond hair and grabbed Cal’s arm.

  “What is it?” he demanded in a low voice, snapping to attention.

  “Piper Levine,” I whispered with a discreet gesture toward the woman stealthily working her way through the clumps of people. She headed toward the stage and the second Biel’s agent finished his brief toast with, “Happy birthday, Biel,” she snatched the mic from him.

  “Yes, indeed,” Piper said, a forced smile on her face. “Happy birthday to Biel. Everyone loves you. Some more than others.” Her gaze shot to Mav, standing off to the side, a quizzical look on his face.

  Oh fuck. I groaned inwardly. She knows!

  I glanced back at Biel, whose brave front faltered.

  Piper continued, tension exuding from her, though she kept her tone even. “I have a special presentation for Biel, if you’ll all indulge me. I’d like to commemorate our time together. Five years.”

  A smattering of curious whispers met my ears as dread filled my heart.

  A presentation? My head whipped to the screen as Piper’s image was replaced by what appeared to be a long hallway someone crept along as they videotaped the corridor.

  My stomach dropped to my knees. Piper had spied on Biel and Mav!

  “This is going to get ugly,” I told Cal in a hasty voice. “Get her off the stage. Now!” I pushed past him and worked my way quickly to the audio-visual tech in the corner by the screen, making a motion with my hand slashing over my throat for him to kill the feed. No such luck. I broke through the crowd and raced over to him as a man’s naked backside appeared on screen, to the shocked gasps of two hundred or so people.

  Grabbing hold of the tech, I said, “Turn it off. Turn the damn thing off!”

  He was dumbfounded and didn’t move.

  “Goddamn it!”

  The video footage included soft moans coming from the couple. A woman kneeling before the man, giving him a blowjob. There was no evidence of who the twosome was at the moment and I needed to keep it that way. Seeing the long, taped-down power cord that led from the projector to the outlet I deduced was behind the skirted screen, I made a beeline for the enormous visual display and literally dove under the black, velvet skirting, tearing Biel’s dress and scraping the hell out of my hands and knees. But I was on my feet in the next instant, following the cord to a surge protector filled to capacity. I had only one shot at this, so I couldn’t mess with the individual power adapters. I gripped the main source and yanked, ripping the plug from the recessed outlet in the rooftop floor.

  The sound from the “presentation” died instantly. The projector had too, as evidenced by the sudden absence of illumination around the edges of the screen.

  My pulse raged in my ears and my heart beat wildly. I limped over to the skirting again, that being my only means of escape from behind the monstrosity of a projection screen. I crawled to the other side and stood. I seemed to be the only one who made a move.

  Suddenly, Piper pointed her finger at Biel and shrieked, “You whore! You had an affair with Mav Linnear!”

  Cal had reached the stage just as Mav yelled, “Get her out of here!”

  I rushed up the steps as well, tearing the microphone from Piper’s hand. And then I slapped her. Hard.

  More shocked gasps filled the quiet night air. Piper stared at me, incredulous. Speechless.

  “You deserved that,” I ground out. “For ruining the launch. For making Biel miserable. For—”

  She unexpectedly lunged for me, screaming, “You bitch!”

  But Cal was quick on his feet and threw his body between mine and Piper’s, catching her in a tight hold. She struggled against him in a scrappy way, but something told me this guy had been a lineman in school who’d never let anyone tackle his quarterback.

  Lifting Piper off her feet, he physically removed her from the stage as hotel security swooped in. Mav joined me and I handed over the mic, my body vibrating with adrenaline and exhilaration.

  Turning to the stunned A/V tech, I shouted, “Sound!”

  He scrambled to get us the audio feed, knowing precisely how to rig the adapters, without bringing the video footage back up.

  Clearing his throat, a surprisingly composed Mav said, “I suppose that’s more than you’d anticipating seeing this evening.”

  Embarrassed laughs cut some of the tension.

  “I apologize for the interruption. Obviously, we have someone hell-bent on ruining our product launch, no matter when we schedule it.”

  I stole a glance at Biel. She was silently crying, her body shaking and tears running down her face, though not a hint of makeup smudged. Not even her mascara.

  She didn’t run and I was damn proud of her for that. Her shoulders were still back, her head held high. She did, however, mouth the words, “I’m sorry.”

  Mav saw her. He shook his head and said, “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Biel. I take full responsibility for this. As you can all see,” he addressed the group again, “I did have a brief affair with Biel. That was the two of us in the video. We became fast friends when we met, right before I’d signed her to this campaign, and we bonded quickly. Although we only shared one evening together, I have no regrets about it.”

  One corner of Biel’s mouth lifted. “Neither do I.” We could barely hear her, but those on the floor apparently caught her sentiment.

  Continuing, Mav said, “While our launch is less than perfect yet again this evening, I don’t think Biel needs to swim the width of that pool to prove Elan’s new product line truly does make good on all the promises it boasts. There’s no denying it. Biel is as lovely as ever.”

  This caused more tears to flood her eyes and stream down her cheeks. I felt them pool in my eyes too. I was horrified for her, but also happy, because she would triumph again. I knew it in my heart.

  Her tuxedo-clad waiter stepped forward, not missing his cue despite the dramatic change in the script. He handed her a fluffy white towel, as he’d done last week. This time, when Biel blotted, the towel remained clean.

  She held it up for all to see. They applauded her. Enthusiastically.

  When the din eventually subsided, Mav said, “Thank you to everyone who came
this evening. Thank you to Biel McKinley for sticking with Elan. And thanks to Lacey Mansfield. You did exactly as I’d asked. You pulled the plug.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mea Culpa. (Times a Lot.)

  I took Biel home with me. After Mav turned his product launch into a rave everyone seemed to enjoy and Biel accepted a ridiculous amount of kudos and well-wishes, I had the hotel send a limo for us. We arrived at my apartment around one in the morning. She cried on my shoulder the entire way.

  John helped us out of the car and into the elevator. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

  “Yes, thank you. We’re fine.” I knew he was discreet enough that I neither had to explain about the supermodel or my shredded dress, nor worry he’d gossip about us.

  I let us into the apartment and locked the door. Then I put Biel in my room, telling her, “Take a shower. You’ll feel better. We can talk if you want. Or not. Whatever makes you most comfortable. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

  With a weak smile, a sniffle and a hiccup, she said, “Thank you, Lacey. For everything.”

  I patted her on the shoulder. “Maybe a bubble bath would be better. Help yourself to whatever you need.” I stepped into the dressing room to retrieve fresh towels for her, then I left her alone. I was sure the shock of Piper’s actions hadn’t worn off. If I were her, I’d want some time to compose myself.

  In the living room, I slipped off the shoes I’d borrowed. The dress was a disaster, totally ruined from the knees down. Perhaps Biel’s seamstress could fix it.

  When I heard the water running in my bathroom, I returned to the bedroom and changed the sheets for Biel. Then I slipped into my yoga pants and tank top. I laid out a similar outfit for her on the bed but added a soft, button-down sweater. A comfort garment, if you will.

  I closed the bedroom door behind me, giving her some privacy, and went into the kitchen to wash my hands and scraped knees. Then I heated water in the old-fashion teapot I kept on the stove. I took the box of assorted teas from the cabinet and spread out a few packets on a serving tray. The fridge was filled with leftover takeout boxes but I also had fresh brie and Havarti that I sliced and arranged on a plate with crackers and grapes. For the hell of it, I opened a can of foie gras terrine I’d brought back from Paris and added that, as well as torn pieces of baguette to smear it on.

  Knowing Biel as well as I remarkably did, I also uncorked a chilled bottle of champagne that had sat on the top shelf for a couple months. I couldn’t remember the occasion for which it had been purchased, but I’d never gotten around to drinking it.

  I added it to the tray, along with two mugs filled with piping hot water and two champagne flutes. Very carefully, I made my way to the living room. I set the goodies on the coffee table. I didn’t bother with music and I only kept the one light on in the corner, not wanting Biel to feel as though she were under interrogation.

  She came into the living room about five minutes later, sweater and all. She’d even found a pair of socks, which I hadn’t thought to include because I liked to go barefoot.

  Curling up on the sofa, she said, “Thanks for the loaner clothes. Sorry I had to go through your drawers to find the socks.”

  I laughed. “As long as you stayed away from the one next to the nightstand.”

  With a soft grin, she said, “Trust me. I know better.”

  Thoughts of Mike naturally popped into my head, but I was on gal-pal detail, so I had to shelve them. I hadn’t even turned my phone back on. I actually prayed he hadn’t called, because I wouldn’t want him to think I was avoiding him by not answering.

  Biel said, “My head is spinning. I can’t even begin to process everything that happened tonight.”

  She reached for the bottle of champagne and poured two glasses with shaky hands.

  I took one from her and said, “Please don’t blame yourself.”

  “How can I not?” She took a sip, then sighed. “Mav really is a genuine guy. He won’t hate me for this. But how will I ever make it up to him?”

  “I don’t think he expects you to, Biel. I mean, he said himself, he has to take responsibility for your brief affair.”

  “One-night stand,” she corrected. Then scowled. “Jesus, I can’t believe Piper filmed us. I didn’t even know she was in town. She must have been spying on me the whole time. Like, I think she followed us to the restaurant that night and then back to the apartment. Of course, she still had a key, so it would have been easy for her to sneak in when Mav and I went into the bedroom.”

  I was still a bit blown away by her choice in men, not that Mav wasn’t attractive, but… “He’s thirty years older than you. I would have guessed you’d picked some hot, young stud if you wanted to give the opposite sex a go.”

  “No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I like how worldly and sophisticated he is. And the gray at the temples is damn sexy.”

  I really couldn’t argue with that. “So now what?” I asked.

  She sipped and then reached for the knife to spread some terrine on a chunk of bread. After noshing, she told me, “Clearly, it’s over between me and Piper.” A thought occurred to her and her brow furrowed. “I wonder if she can go to jail for what she’s done.”

  “Tampering with and essentially stealing proprietary products, defaming the company and its CEO… Yeah. She’s in some serious hot water.”

  Biel considered this, then said, “I’m not going to bail her out. I won’t beg Mav not to press charges. Nor will I have anything to do with her ever again.”

  False bravado emitted from Biel, but I gave her props anyway. Patting her knee, I said, “You are so much better off without her. You don’t need the constant heartbreak, my friend. You don’t deserve it.”

  With a nod, she said, “I think you’re right. Still… I feel so bad for Mav.”

  “He’s a big boy. Worldly and sophisticated,” I reminded her. “And he’s got hordes of people around him who know how to attack this head-on. Legally and from a PR standpoint. Something tells me this scandal will equate to ginormo sales. Like Basic Instinct.” I winked at her.

  She grinned, though her mouth quivered at the corners and her eyes misted. “You’re really pretty amazing, Lacey. I am so glad to know you.”

  “Feeling’s mutual, kid.”

  Finally, she laughed. “Hey, I turned twenty-two today.”

  “Yesterday, technically. But you still make me feel damn old. Oh by the way,” I said, “I’m sorry about your dress. I completely destroyed the bottom half of it. But if you really like it, I think you can turn into a mini.”

  “Good thinking. It’s one of my favorites.” My face fell. She laughed again, heartier this time. “Oh Lacey,” she said in her singsong voice, bouncing back, as always. “As if I couldn’t have it designed for me again. Do you know how much money I make?” I was sure she’d repeated that last comment not as conceited one, but as an affirmation her career still rode its skyrocket.

  After we polished off the champagne and put the rest of the foie gras in the refrigerator, Biel bade me goodnight and went to sleep in my room.

  I nestled under a lightweight blanket on the couch, staring at my laptop, wanting to check it. But I was so drained, I couldn’t handle any emotional turmoil. In fact, I was asleep within minutes.

  * * * * *

  I awoke to a soft knock on my front door. Tossing off the blanket, I padded across the hardwood floor to the foyer. I took a peek through the peephole, half-expecting the rabid paparazzi outside my door.

  My heart flipped, as did my stomach, at the devastatingly handsome face staring back at me.

  Unlocking the door, I pulled it open. “Hey,” I said, my voice breathless.

  Mike flashed me his sexy grin. “Hey.” He propped a shoulder against the doorframe and lifted one hand, showing me the photos I’d left for him the other night. “Any more of these?”

  “No,” I said with a shake of my head. “That’s the last of them.”

  “Bummer.
” His other hand came from behind his back and he held up my letter. “How about more of this mushy stuff?”

  I fought back a grin. “Tons more.”

  “Good.” He pushed away from the doorframe and stepped inside. He dropped the pictures and the letter on the table and reached for me. “Now,” he said as he stared deep into my eyes. “Why the hell haven’t you returned any of my calls or emails?”

  It took a bit of effort to get past the sexual stirring and emotional churning that instantly brewed within me at the mere sight of him. But I had to be honest and forthcoming with him. That was my new motto, the new direction I chose to embrace. Because that was what you did when you were in love—you didn’t purposely torture the other person, as Biel had pointed out to me days ago.

  And I was most definitely in love. No denying it. No escaping it.

  I wasn’t even surprised to find I was perfectly comfortable with the intensity of my emotions.

  I admitted, “At first, I was terrified you were going to blow me off in your email. I didn’t know how to take that strange departure when you left for Dallas. But then things got of hand with my Elan assignment and I didn’t have a spare moment. Otherwise, I would have been in touch.”

  He pulled in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. All the while, he held me in a loose embrace. I desperately wanted him to kiss me, because that would immediately tell me he was still hot for me. But I forced my impatience and anxiety to simmer.

  “I wasn’t happy about leaving,” he told me. “Especially given the timing. We were finally together and I had to blow out of here the next morning. How did that not feel like a one-night stand?”

  “It didn’t,” I insisted. “Not to me, anyway. I just wished we’d had a chance to talk rationally, rather than when we were dealing with a these mixed-up, crazy emotions neither one of us has any experience with.”

  “That does complicate things for us.”

  With a nod, I said, “But we just keep pushing through the walls, right?” I gave him a hopeful look.