Page 42 of Overexposed

Fuck.

I was so hooked on this woman and I didn’t even know her name.

“Am I doing anything right now?” she repeated, clearly amused as she raised her camera. “Yes, Gem. I’m working.”

I frowned. That…yes, okay she was working. But I couldn’t miss this opportunity to get her name at very least. “You’re working… You just need one great photo right? One image that is exclusive and can be sold for five figures?”

Her brows rose. “Uh…yeah. But so far nothing will get me more than a couple hundred bucks.”

I nodded, glancing at Ollie. “Want me to punch Ollie? I’m sure the tabloids would have a field day making up a bullshit story to accompany that image.”

“Hey, whoa, time-out,” Ollie protested, making a T with his hands. “Ollie does not consent to being punched.”

Meanwhile, Slick looked thoughtful. She was considering it. Yes, this was good; we were getting somewhere here.

“Bro, wipe that look off your face,” Ollie growled. “We’ve got that premiere next week and I do not need a fucking black eye to cover up.”

Okay, that was a valid point. Still… “How about it, Slick? I get you a five-figure photo and you come for a burger with us?”

Her lips pursed and her dark lashes narrowed around her eyes. “A burger? I thought you were offering coffee?”

Yes. Shewantedto say yes. We were making progress. “Slick, baby, I’ll give you anything you want at this stage. Burger, coffee, my last name…you name it, it’s yours. Deal?”

I put my hand out for her to shake on the deal, and she glanced at Ollie beside her. What wasthatall about? He just met her gaze with his own dark, mysterious look and the corners of his mouth kicked up. “Sounds like a good deal to me,” he murmured, “so long as I don’t get punched.”

Slick sighed, then slapped her hand into mine. “Deal. But I don’t know what sort of photo you think will fit the bill…”

I already had the perfect idea and grinned. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” I walked backwards, finding it hard to pull my eyes away from her. “Get your camera ready, Slick. I’m hungry!”

Bubbling with nervous energy, I made my way back into the party and anxiously hunted out the perfect pawn to play into this scene.

“Clara, baby, there you are!” I purred, wrapping my arm around my twin’s wasted ex-girlfriend. “Gem told me you were looking for me.”

“Seven?” she whimpered, blinking up at me with somewhat unfocused eyes. “Baby, I knew you couldn’t stay mad forever.” She reached up to wrap her thin arms around my neck, and I had to turn my face to dodge her sloppy kiss.

“Come with me,” I urged her, tugging her away from her friends and heading for the exit. “I wanna talk to you alone.”

Her throaty chuckle said exactly what she thought I wanted to doalone, and my skin crawled at the mental image. How the fuck had Seven dated this irritating woman for so long? Both Ollie and I had made our feelings about her clear years ago, so Sev hardly ever brought her to the house.

As wasted as she was, it was easy to steer her out of the house and down the short path to the service gate. Then right as we were about to pass through the gate, I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Clara, I wouldn’t put my dick in you again if you were the last woman on earth. You fucked around and chose your ownfame over our four-year-long relationship and there’s no going back from that. Did you know I was going to propose to you at theHidden Daggerspremiere? Now I’ll be attending with my new girlfriend after signing the Carriage Pictures deal, and you? You’re nothing but myex. Washed up, has-been,aging?—”

Oop, that did it. Her slap was harder than I’d thought she was capable of and it rocked me back a step as my ear rang. She started to shriek an insult but the flashes from Slick’s camera sent her scurrying back through the gate faster than a rat into its hole.

That was…surprisingly satisfying. Seven was going to be pissed, but oh well. Some things needed to be said, and the fact she thought he was saying them? Perfection.

chapter

seventeen

Stella

Idon’t really know what I thought Gem planned to do when he disappeared back into the party. At the same time, it was kind of nice hanging out with Ollie for a few minutes alone.

“How’s your head?” he asked as Gem ducked back through the gate. “Did you get it checked by a doctor?”

I mock gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “You mean Gemini isnota real doctor? That lying bastard. I guess being a doctor andplaying doctoraren’t the same thing?”

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