The Au Pairs (The Au Pairs 1)

Eliza clambered into the front seat. "Get in," she told Mara. "What about the twins?"

"Anna and Kevin said we could take any car in the lot." Eliza shrugged. "The Volvo's still available." She grinned wickedly.

A line of paparazzi stood in front of the red carpet, hollering at various people. Eliza walked slowly, hoping they would snap some shots, but they were distracted by blond pop starlet Chauncey Raven and her crew of bodyguards. The eighteen-yearold most famous for baring her toned midriff all the way down to her pelvis and declaring her virginity while sucking face with a crew of Hollywood hotheads was the latest tabloid phenomenon. "CHAUNCEY! CHAUNCEY! OVER HERE! CHAUNCEY!" the photographers screamed in desperation, but the star stayed completely hidden behind her seven-foot-tall army of former linebackers.

Eliza and Mara entered the club after her without any fanfare. Inside, Eliza began scanning the place for her friends and disappeared into a back room, losing Mara in the crowd. Mara stood by the wall, holding a martini glass and feeling a little out of place. She put down her drink and hit the ladies' room,

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where she found a chubby Chinese guy stuck halfway through the back window, his arms dangling helplessly over the porcelain sink.

"Excuse me?"

"Help! You, there, in the two-hundred-dollar top and the Jennifer Aniston haircut! Help me!"

Mara took one of his hands--the one not holding an enormous Nikon camera--and pulled him inside.

"Oh, good Lord!" the guy said, wiping his brow. "I should really stay away from the buffet table next time. Too many free meals are not good for moi!"

The man in front of Mara was a pint-sized Chinese guy with an enormous belly and a double chin. He wore a leopard-print jacket over a paisley shirt and shiny, polyester pants. Everything was too small and too tight--as if he had been caught off guard by some sudden expansion of his girth.

"Lucky Yap!" he said, holding out a hand for Mara to shake.

"Mara Waters."

"My savior! I need to get a shot of Chauncey Raven or my boss is going to have my ass. The little tart didn't even stop for photos outside the club. And they wouldn't let me in even though I'm on the list."

"Wow, they can do that?"

"Honey, they specialize in that! Her PR guy is a total prick. But then, they weren't too happy with the shot we got of her last week." Lucky sniggered. "Girlfriend passed out at Tavern and had

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to be carried off the dance floor. Star magazine paid a hundred grand for the exclusive."

Mara snickered. "C'mon, I think I saw an alternate entrance to the room back there." They headed to the hole between the curtains that separated the VIP tables from the rest of the riffraff. Inside, Chauncey was straddling her latest paramour with great gusto. "Keep it sexy!" Lucky said, angling his camera for a shot. "That's right, baby, grind it! Woo-hoo! Show me the money!" His flashbulbs barely made a dent in the laser strobe light that shone to the beat of the music.

"Thank God her thong was showing. They always pay more for undie shots," Lucky said, putting his camera away. "You're a lifesaver."

"No worries." Mara smiled. Meeting Lucky was the most fun she'd had so far that evening.

"I'm going to do a

lap to check if there's anyone else worthy of being plastered all over the party pages with spinach on their teeth. Do you know if the Perry twins are here? Sugar and Poppy?" he asked.

"Urn ... not sure." Mara giggled, wondering if the twins would hazard the Hamptons nightlife in the crappy Volvo. Crappy?Apparently the Hamptons really were getting to her.

She said a warm good-bye to the prickly paparazzo. But now that their little adventure was over, she didn't know whether to go or stay. She was still deciding when she felt someone brush by her.

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"Hey, you," Ryan said, bumping her shoulder with his fist lightly.

"Ryan! Hi!" she said, so happy to see a familiar face that she impulsively gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Wow, you look great!" he said, stepping back to take a good look.

"Because for once I'm not covered in baby drool?" Mara teased.