Page 15 of Cruel Saint

“So tell me,” Melanie began, leaning toward me so I could hear. She smoothed a few waves of her dark hair behind her ear. “How was your first week at your job? How’s your townhouse coming along? Or are you still living out of boxes and sleeping on a mattress?”

“The boxes are still packed, but I’m no longer sleeping on a mattress, thanks to Liam.”

“Let me guess. He sent a bunch of big, strong handymen to your place to assemble all that furniture we bought last weekend. I hope to god at least one of them was easy on the eyes.”

“He didn’t send any handymen.”

Her brow furrowed. “Then?—“

“Heshowed up last night and helped me put a bunch of it together.”

Melanie choked on her drink, some of the liquid spraying out of her nose. She grabbed a cocktail napkin and dabbed at her face. Regardless, her makeup was still impeccable, as if a professional had applied it.

“You’re shitting me.”

“I certainly wasn’t expecting to see him, either.” I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, I’m not surprised he showed up. He adores you and would do anything for you. I simply can’t imagine Liam Pierce putting together furniture. It seems so…beneath him.”

“He used to help us assemble furniture all the time.”

“That was before he had more money than sense.” She took another sip of her drink. “Speaking of more money than sense.”

Scowling, she set her glass onto the table and nodded toward a group of people sitting on a pair of couches a few feet away.

Actually, that wasn’t entirely accurate. It was more like a harem, a handful of models hanging all over an actor I recognized.

“Be grateful Liam hasn’t turned into someone like Atlas Wolfe,” she remarked with a hint of bitterness. “Some days Ifeel more like an overpaid babysitter than an intelligent woman with a law degree.” With a long sigh, she downed nearly all of her drink in a few gulps. “Time to go remind him that he’s one bad story away from being fired off his current series.”

“‘May the odds be ever in your favor’,” I quoted from one of our favorite books as I tilted my glass toward her.

She paused, raising her arm to the sky with three fingers extended, much like Katniss Everdeen did.

Then she spun on her heels, a woman on a mission.

I didn’t know how she did it. I’d hate having to cater to the whims of high-strung celebrities. It was bad enough having to deal with some of the baseball players’ egos during my residency. That was nothing compared to what Melanie had to put up with, though.

As much as she may have complained, I knew she loved it.

I continued to sip on my drink, trying not to feel out of place amongst all the actors, models, and politicians, when a body rammed into me, causing the liquor to spill down the front of my dress.

At least I’d worn black.

“Oh, shit,” a man in his twenties slurred, reeking of booze and too much cologne. “I’msosorry.” He grabbed a napkin off the table and dabbed at my chest.

I quickly stepped back, pushing down my irritation not just with him, but also with his friends who were openly gawking at my breasts.

“I can handle it.” I snatched my clutch and searched the room for Melanie. She was no longer in the lounge area where her client was seconds ago.

Neither was her client.

I squinted, attempting to find her in the darkened space, finally spotting her in a corner, seemingly in the middle of an intense conversation with Atlas Wolfe.

When she noticed me, I mouthedbathroom. She nodded, holding up two fingers. Then I weaved through the throngs of people until I reached the narrow hallway that led to the restrooms.

The good thing about Melanie dragging me to an upscale club was the amenities. Instead of flimsy paper towels or a broken hand dryer, there were soft cloth towels and powerful blow dryers at my disposal. If someone were to spill their drink on me, this was the best place for it to happen.

Once my dress was relatively dry, I sat in front of the vanity, if for no other reason than to give my feet a rest. Opening my clutch, I took a moment to freshen my makeup, reapplying my eyeliner and lip gloss. Then I stood and slipped back into the hallway, the music growing louder with every step.

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