“If he says he’ll do something, he has to do it. Of course, he’ll then be short a person. He has all our resumes on file,” she said with a smile.
“And you’re available,” I finished.
“Yep.”
◊◊◊
Maria lived in a regular neighborhood. Fritz had gotten a variety of items to grill and had also bought several side dishes. Maria introduced me to several of the cheerleaders on her team. There was also a group of guys there who were obviously athletes. A couple of them thought they were grill masters, so I let them take care of that task. While everyone else stepped outside to watch, Maria pulled me inside.
“I hope you don’t think I’m acting like Baby Dick. I’ve told some of my friends that we’d hooked up, and I suspect they told people that you’d be here tonight,” she warned me.
“That’s fine. I’m starting to get used to it.”
“Good,” she said and then got a sexy look on her face. “Let me show you my house.”
For some reason, the tour’s only stop was her bedroom. I had to laugh when I saw it was made up like a little princess’s room. It was pink, and someone had painted a castle with a princess in a tower on the wall. A knight was fighting a dragon. Her bedspread was pink with yellow butterflies on it.
She somehow distracted me, and my focus was now on the princess in front of me. She was the perfect before-dinner snack.
◊◊◊
All I can say about the two grill masters is that they were better than Mr. Anderson was. Of course, he could burn a brick. Even though my steak was overcooked, it was enjoyable. The girls cleaned up while the guys tried to figure out how to tap the keg. I had to chuckle when they all got sprayed with beer.
“You think you can do better?” one of them asked.
“You don’t have to force it,” I said.
I took the tap, lined it up into the slots, pushed down, and twisted it into place. They all looked at me and then at the idiot who’d sprayed them. Of course, he was going to hear about this for a long time. What were friends for? It made me miss my guys back home. I decided I’d have a beer or three tonight.
The party was a typical high school bash. The good thing about LA was most of them were used to seeing people in the business. That didn’t mean they didn’t want to talk to me, it just meant they didn’t act goofy about it. I had several offers to sneak off and have some fun. Like any guy, I was tempted, but something stopped me. With the number of available women, I could be fussier. So far, no one compared to Maria.
The party was going well until kids from a rival high school showed up. I watched them come in and immediately knew they were trouble by the way everyone seemed to take a few steps back. What surprised me was a girl led them. Usually, the top guy would’ve walked in first to make his presence known.
This girl was drop-dead gorgeous. She was five-ten and had the body of a model, except she sported large round breasts that were at least a ‘C’ cup. Her dirty-blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which allowed me to admire her long neck. She had striking blue eyes and kissable lips. If I hadn’t already had a major crush on Hannah Minacci, this girl would’ve been my newest fantasy. While Hannah had the hips of a woman, my latest fascination had a nice firm butt encased in tight jeans.
Maria came out of the kitchen and immediately scowled. She then did the frenemy bit girls do, and a big smile suddenly appeared. If I’d not seen her initial reaction, I would have thought they liked each other.
“Lexi, I had no idea you were coming,” Maria said.
“We heard you were having a party and just had to come. You’ve always been so good to us,” Lexi said.
“Beer’s on the patio. Help yourself,” Maria offered.
“We brought our own. Thanks, though.”
The little tick in the corner of Maria’s eye was the only indication that the slight had hit home. Lexi and her group went out back. Maria was suddenly surrounded by her friends as they made catty remarks about their rivals. Flo slid up beside me.
“You should be careful about that one. That’s Lexi Andon; her dad is Paul Andon.”
“That name sounds familiar.”
“He’s an executive at the studio that did your last movie.”
“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t get his daughter pregnant.”
Flo did have a sense of humor.
“No, that would be one of those things I think Fritz is paying me to prevent.”
“You’re fired,” I teased.
She rolled her eyes and returned to wall duty. I couldn’t help myself: I eased out to the patio to get another beer so I could check out Lexi. It was probably a good thing that I did because the more I watched her, the more I didn’t like her. She was a solid nine-and-a-half to ten in looks. She was maybe a three in personality. If I were drunk and just looking to get laid, I would go for her, but I’d regret it in the morning. Who am I kidding? I’d do her and be okay with it. Maybe if I used a ball gag on her, it would be better.
