Page 53 of Cocky Nerd
I smile. “Maybe he thinksyou’reoverwhelming.”
He nods. “That makes sense. Actually, I’ll keep the hotel room in Cleveland as an office. So I can get a few hours of work done. I have a lot of conference calls set up. I wouldn’t want to distract you.” He grins at me. I know that I’m the distraction, I know that he knows that it irritates me when he’s so focused on his work when I’m in the room. I’m working onit.
We posefor pictures on the way into the museum benefit, and I am surprised to hear photographers shouting John’s name, even though by now I shouldn’t be. I am his date because he’s an important celebrity entrepreneur, amongst socialites and the wealthy elite of New York. He smiles when he tells a PR person my name, and that I’m a dancer with the Bay Area Ballet. It’ssweet.
Once we’re at the end of the carpet, I hear photographer’s yell out: “Montana! Montana!” and see a thousand flashing camera bulbs out of the corner of my eye. I feel John’s body stiffen. He doesn’t look over, but I do, and all I can see is the frenzy around a very tall woman who’s with a well-groomed man that I recognize from magazines as a fashion designer but I don’t know who he is exactly. John leads me away, shaking hands with people, but he doesn’t stop until we’re at our dining table under a giant fiberglass blue whale that hangs from the ceiling of the Hall of OceanLife.
The whole enormous room is bathed in blue light and flickering candles. Fortunately, there are about a hundred round tables in this great space, and from what I can see, Montana is not seated anywhere near us. Aside from the body tension and hasty retreat to the table, John shows no signs of nerves about encountering Montana, but I’m kind of dying to see her. I don’t want drama, but I do want to get a sense of where things stand between them. I really want to text Callie that she’s here, but the rich old lady seated next to me seems like the kind of person who’d frown upon such activity at a gala dinner, but then again she’s done nothing but frown since she satdown.
And then, as I look around the room while speeches are being given on the stage, I see her. She is seated at a table across the room and to the right, but she’s facing us and staring. Directly. At me. Glaring, is more like it. She doesn’t flinch when I make eye contact with her. She may have been staring at us like this for a full hour, and I had no idea. I look over at John, who has politely given the speaker on stage his full attention, though he squeezes my hand to acknowledge me. I glance back at Montana, who is truly stunning, in a red dress, and I see her fashion designer date leaning in while she talks into his ear, still glaring atme.
Once we get to the dessert course, people start getting up to mingle, and there is a parade of them coming over to chat with John. He always introduces me, but no one wants to include me in the conversation, and I’m fine with that. They have an agenda, and it doesn’t involve me. I let John know that I’m going to the ladies room. My plan is to stay away from the table for a while, to give Montana a chance to go over to talk to him. I make sure she clocks me as I make my way out between the tables, dodging servers and dealmakers and, I think, one of theHiltons.
When I openthe door of the bathroom stall and go over to the sink to wash my hands, I look up and see Montana Reed staring at my reflection in the mirror. She is leaning back against the wall, her head cocked to one side studying me. She looks like Uma Thurman’s hotter younger crazier sister. I dry my hands and turn to face her.Here wego.
“Whoareyou?”
“Hi. I’m Olivia. Nice to meet you.” I reach out to shake her hand, but she jerks away fromme.
“How did you meetJohn?”
“Oh, um. I’ve known him my whole life. He’s my brother’s bestfriend.”
She shakes his head. “You aren’t right forhim.”
“Excuseme?”
“He’s TonyStark.”
“Who?”
“Iron Man. He needs a PepperPotts.”
“And you’re PepperPotts?”
“I have the same personal trainer as GwynethPaltrow.”
“Oh.” I wait for more of an explanation, but that’sit.
I can’t believe Johnny dated this person. She’s stunningly gorgeous and mildly insane. I am seething with jealousy because I can’t stop imagining him doing those amazing things that he’s done to my body tohers.
That is when Montana and I begin a wordlessconversation:
He did that ancient Chinese sex yoga stuff to you, didn’the?
Yes, and I want to rip my hair out because I can tell he’s done it to youtoo.
You’re a stunning supermodel! Surely you’ll meet someone great soon. You’ll get overJohn.
No I fucking won’t! Just wait, you’ll see. Sex with anyone else is boring and I want to die. Also I’m not a supermodel, I’m just a very successfulmodel.
I’msorry.
No you aren’t fuckyou.
I am, I’m sorry. But I lovehim.
Montana lets out a small sob. Her eyes are damp and she’s shaking. I reach out to hug her, but she swats me away. Two more women come into the restroom giggling, then go silent as they stare atus.
