“Did you …?” Aubrey asked.
I nodded.
“The part that confused me was that you weren’t intimidated. The way you touched me and were so confident had me off-balance. I did things I swore I would never do,” she said, then looked down and whispered something.
“What did you say?” Aubrey asked.
“I liked it,” she said and then rushed on. “You made me a woman in every way possible. I’d never imagined it could be that good. And then you just left. I was sure you were the one for me and didn’t know how to win you back.”
“He gave you some good orgasms, so you thought you were in love?” Aubrey asked.
“I know, I was stupid. I went out a couple of times with different guys who were supposed to know what they were doing. It was terrible. They were like two-year-olds compared to what David did to me. I kept wishing it would just end.”
“Maybe you and Adrienne should try to bring her over to the dark side,” I teased Aubrey.
“Lexi doesn’t read bi.”
“No, I’m not.”
“What am I supposed to do with you?” I asked.
“Give me another chance,” Lexi said hopefully.
“If she messes up again, I’ll be your PA while you’re here,” Aubrey offered.
“Even though you would want to spend time with the boss?” I asked.
“And his girlfriend,” Aubrey suggested.
“Damn! You drive a hard bargain.”
Lexi giggled and pointed at my lap because Mr. Happy had come to life. And he’d been so good earlier. Unlike Lexi, I knew Aubrey wasn’t teasing. She would keep her end of the deal.
“I’m not sure how I could square that with Caryn,” I admitted.
“It would be after hours, and I heard her make the offer,” Lexi said to supply me cover.
“Okay,” I said, and Lexi did a little bunny hop in her seat. “But remember, I’m actually rooting for you to mess up.”
She sighed as she contemplated that. Aubrey let her off the hook.
“He would only sack you if he had reason to. Go home and show up tomorrow ready to work.”
◊◊◊
Dad offered to take everyone to dinner. We drove to a little bistro that Aubrey said reminded her of Paris. It served veal chops and hearty stews. Both Aubrey and Adrienne kept us entertained with stories from when they were models.
When we made it back to the house, we found a party bus parked out front. We also discovered that my other roommate, Hana, had invited most of the J-drama cast over. The music was thumping out by the pool, and they’d found the leftover appetizers and had raided my wine.
“What’s all this?” Dad asked.
“I’m taking them to their first ‘American’ party. They seem to be a little overexcited.”
Adrienne groaned.
“I’ll take a hard pass on that. I’ve been to enough of those to last me a lifetime.”
“Yes, I agree,” Aubrey said.
I could see right through those two. They planned to have their own fun once we left. I was surprised when Sarah also decided to stay. Then again, she had a shoot in the morning … with me. I felt just a touch irresponsible.
I walked out back and had to stop and stare. All the girls were dancing to K-pop music. I got out my phone to video it. I thought it might be a routine the cheerleaders should incorporate. It reminded me of something middle-schoolers would do to act sexy. It was both cute and oddly arousing at the same time. I was sure that Brook and the other girls could improve on it.
When the song ended, they were bouncing around.
“You ready to go to a party?” I asked.
That got everyone moving. We passed through the house, and I found my original group in the living room. Dad and Fritz had broken out the scotch while the girls had opened another bottle of wine. In retrospect, I was glad I’d bought two cases. At the rate everyone was drinking it, I would be out before the weekend was over.
I saw Manaia sitting in the corner looking dejected. Fritz must have told him that he was going to the party with me. I completely understood his disappointment. Attending a party and watching everyone else have fun was boring. Drunks weren’t as funny when you were sober. Besides, who could foresee what a group of models might get up to after a couple bottles of wine?
My castmates recognized Adrienne and suddenly became quiet. This was the perfect example of how you had to change your demeanor when you spoke Japanese, and you were with different kinds of people. They all became respectful but were excited to meet her. Adrienne put them all at ease with her charm. I finally all but dragged them out of the house.
Once we got onto the bus, I decided I’d better give my castmates the safety talk.
“When I first started modeling, I was given this advice. While I hope none of this happens tonight, I want you prepared if it does,” I said, and they all stopped talking and paid attention.
“Never accept a drink from a stranger. Your best options are to grab a drink from the bartender or make it yourself. If you get something that should be sealed, like water, make sure that it is. There are two models I know who were drugged in New York and were almost raped.”
