"Don't bother--I know where the HVAC is!" Ben argued, nudging Duffy to the side so he could fulfill Jacqui's latest request.

"Stay right here," Grant whispered, giving her arm a squeeze. "I know the guy who's running the party. I'll get it done."

"Who are they?" Mara asked when the three boys disappeared into the throng. "Your slaves?"

Jacqui laughed. "They're cute, aren't they?"

"Not bad."

"They're the guys who started DormDebauchery.com --there was a big piece in the Sunday Styles section about them a few months ago, remember? They started the web site their freshman year at Harvard, and last spring their IPO took them to, like, several hundred million dollars."

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Mara nodded in recognition. The web site was a paean to college humor--selling T-shirts screen-printed with slogans like the punch line to a famous SNL skit, "More Cowbell," and jokes concerning teenage abstinence, proclaiming, "I gave my word to stop at third." They were famous for their "Shocker" logo--a vulgar hand gesture (not the usual one) of two fingers held up in a crooked V, which they'd

made into the huge foam fingers normally found at football games. Ryan had once explained to Mara what "The Shocker" was, and she'd been disgusted for a day and then amazed at how dirty boys' minds could be. But what was most amazing was how young and rich they were. None of them was over twenty-one.

"Anyway, they rented out the Reynolds castle this summer. It's their first summer in the Hamptons, so I told them I'd show them around," Jacqui explained.

Mara raised an eyebrow. "All three of them?"

"I'm just having some harmless fun." Jacqui laughed.

"Oh, wait, there's Sydney. I should go--I need to get an interview," Mara said, spying the designer mingling in the crowd.

She passed her champagne glass into Jacqui's hand, almost running over a tuxedoed waiter bearing a tray of canapes as she chased the rotund designer around the crowded room.

"Sydney, hi! Mara Waters from Hamptons; we're doing a story on you. . . . Can I ask you a few questions?" she asked, thrusting her iPod voice recorder in his face. She'd bought it soon after finding out about the assignment.

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"Not right now," Sydney said, hiding his face behind his black fan. "As you can see, I'm extremely busy."

"I know, I'm so sorry to bother you, Mr. Minx, but if I could just get some quotes?" Mara asked, feeling intimidated by Sydney's imperiousness.

"Paige! Paige!" Sydney suddenly shouted, taking no notice of Mara. "Talk to my assistant, Paige. She'll take care of what you need. ..."

"Oh, okay. I guess," Mara said, defeated, as she switched off her recorder. "Do you think you'll have time after the show to chat?"

"Regina, darling! You look fabulous! Yes, thank you. It's crazy, right? And Cecily! You're wearing it! Love!" Sydney said, disappearing into a crowd of socialites congratulating him on the opening and taking no further notice of Mara.

Mara stood to the side, patiently waiting for him to finish his conversation. "Mr. Minx, do you think--"

"Can you move? You're blocking my light," Sydney ordered, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence. "Paige!" he yelled. "What's the ETA on that dress?"

"Eliza said she'd be here any minute now," Paige assured him, looking harried.

"She better be," Sydney threatened. "The show starts in minutes!"

Mara felt upset and flustered. She'd been brushed aside like an inconsequential minion, like someone who didn't have her own

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column in the area's most popular magazine. Maybe Eliza could help get her on the inside track--but Eliza was nowhere to be found.

Mara tried not to panic, but if she didn't get an interview with Sydney, how on earth was she going to file the story?

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Tags: Melissa de la Cruz The Au Pairs Romance
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