“Emerson,” Scarlett yells from the top of the stairs. She steps down, wearing nine-inch gold heels looking absolutely stunning in a white jumpsuit. Taking each step slow, she finally hits the bottom level and greets me with a double air kiss before leaning over to Wes and doing the same, careful not to smudge her signature red lipstick. “I’m glad you guys made it.” She walks us outside, linking her arms between ours. “Drinks are over there, make yourself comfortable, and please excuse the hoard of Playboy Bunnies that somehow got invited to the party.”
It not difficult to find them. You only have to look at every man and where their eyes are directed to spot them huddled in the corner—fake boobies in tow. Wesley laughs, making some joke about ‘how many blondes does it take to change a light bulb.’ I’m not listening to his answer. Instead, my eyes move around the room until I find the only male not staring at them, but rather they’re staring at me—Logan.
I want to go and talk to him, but Wesley pulls me in the direction of the bar. He orders some drinks then becomes distracted talking to some friends of his. Thankfully, Scarlett’s beside me and ushers me to the ta
ble sitting by the pool.
“Okay, so we want you to talk about what’s been happening in your lives.” Josie lowers the camera, adjusting the lens and zooming in to where we sit, the boom mic held firmly above our heads and out of shot. “Scarlett, can you please move a little bit back?”
Scarlett adjusts her position as per Josie’s direction. Josie turns the camera on while I pretend she’s not there, jumping straight into conversation. “So, I’ve been offered a deal to expand the fitness line to Europe,” I tell her, proudly.
“Em! That’s great news. Does that mean you’ll be spending time there?”
“Umm… not too much time. I’d be lonely, my family’s back here.”
“Speaking of family… Ash and Logan are quite something.” She grins.
“Something, as in talented?”
“Logan Carrington,” she mouths slowly with a smirk. “Mister Sports Illustrated.”
I don’t know how we got onto this topic so quickly, and I hate being filmed while talking about Logan.
“And Ash modeling those sports boxers for Adidas... how do you sleep at night?”
“Well,” I say with a mouthful of champagne. “Usually great, but maybe not so much tonight since you brought up my brother in underwear.”
“Oh, I get it. But Em... your brother is sexy.”
I scrunch my nose, disgusted by her comment. I’ve heard many women talking about Ash like a sex object and it gets grosser every time.
“Okay, sorry.” She raises her hand laughing. “And Logan? Is he seeing anyone?”
I shake my head instantly. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask him that question. Soccer players talk about one thing only… the game.”
I’m well aware of the pang of jealousy that hits me. For all I know, he could be dating someone and all these flirtatious back-and-forths are merely to fill in his time. I scan my brain to find another topic to talk about, quick to change the subject to her latest movie. “I can’t believe you’re filming in Australia next month. I’d love to go visit.”
“I’m excited. We’re filming for three months in Sydney. I need to find me an Aussie husband.” She sighs.
“Oooh... that would be nice.” I smile.
“I love their accents.”
“And the way they call everyone mate.”
“So easy-going,” she says dreamily. “Like ‘hey, there’s a spider! No worries, mate.”
“You lost me at spider,” I tell her, with a shake in my voice. “I’ll take my American boy.”
“Your American boy, of course. Wesley Rich.”
Josie stops filming, telling the both of us to relax while she joins Karl for a short break. As soon as she leaves the area, I finally chill with some more champagne and a few other actors that join us.
After my third round of drinks, my voice becomes louder as we fight to be heard over the music. With a sudden urge to pee, I remove my mic and tell Scarlett I’ll be back.
Somehow, I stumble my way to the bathroom, waiting in line and chatting with a few people.
When I finish, my vision becomes hazy and I forget which way I have to go.