“What did you lie about?”

I hang my head. I can’t even look at him. “You,” I mutter.

“What did you say?”

“I’m sorry, really. It was like something inside me snapped. I said, That’s enough. I told her I knew what really happened between you two. Then I said, While I may look virginal, I can assure you that I’m not. I whispered to her that the party was boring. Then you heard the other part.

“I’m pretty sure everyone heard the other part. So what did you whisper to Ellie?”

“I lied again, because I was mad. I told her the same thing I told Vanessa. That we had another party we had to go to, but that we wanted to at least make an appearance. Everyone knows you save the best parties for last. Ellie is a big blabbermouth. She’s going to tell everyone that we’re going to a better party. A party Vanessa wasn’t invited to.”

Cush whistles. “Ohhhh, she is gonna be pissed at you.”

“No, she’s gonna be pissed at us, but I don’t care anymore. I really don’t.” Then I look at him. “I’m sorry I lied about you though. I shouldn’t have. It makes me just as bad as her. And I’m sorry I let you kiss me like that. I shouldn’t have, but I had just told her we had sex, so I couldn’t exactly stop you. My mom’s right. Once you start lying, it’s hard to stop. I suck.”

He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You’re not like her. You might have lied about what we did, but you aren’t using it against me. And I don’t care why you kissed me back; it was hot. So are we really going to another party? I am all dressed up, and it’s not even ten.”

“I lied about that too, but Mom and Tommy were going to a party tonight.” I grab my cell and call my mom.

“Hey, honey.”

“So, I’m all dressed up, have a hot date, and nowhere to go. Tell me you are at a fabulous party that we can crash.”

“We are. I’ll put your name in at the door and text you the address. We’re about ten houses farther down the beach.”

“Awesome.”

My phone vibrates. It’s Brooklyn.

B: Hey, change of plans. The guys and I decided to head out early.

Me: You left me?

B: Didn’t really think it was a big deal. You know us, we’re not big planners. We just sorta ended up here. I figured you could just drive down tomorrow or something.

Me: James won’t let me drive there by myself. There’s some stalker issues going on that I haven’t told you about. I’m not really allowed to go places all by myself.

B: Sucks. Oh well, maybe next time.

“Maybe next time?” I mutter. “What the hell? That’s all I get? Sucks?”

“What’s wrong?”

“That was Brooklyn. You know how we’re supposed to leave in the morning?”

“Yeah.”

“They left without me tonight.”

Cush starts laughing.

“Shut up.”

He puts his hand in front of his mouth. “I so called that. I told you he doesn’t treat you right.”

“I don’t really appreciate your gloating.”

He smiles at me. “Maybe not, but your night is about to get a whole lot funner, Miss Douglas.”

I squint my eyes at him. “That almost sounds like a threat.”

“Now you have no excuses. And trust me, I am going to kiss you again.”

We park on the street. I’m barely out of the car when Cush closes the door and pushes me hard against the side of it.

He snakes an arm around me and presses his lips into mine.

It’s a nice kiss. Cush kisses quite nicely.

No.

Nice is not the word for it.

Hot. Smoking hot. Sexy. Steamy.

Those are better words.

“Um, we should probably get to the party,” I tell him, pulling my lips away from him. I can’t keep letting him kiss me.

His lips leave mine, but he doesn’t stop. He blazes a trail of kisses down my neck instead. The scruff on the side of face is tickling my skin, and I breathe in the wonderful, musky smell that is Cush.

Am I really in love with Brooklyn?

I mean if he was my one truelove, isn’t he the only guy I’d ever want to kiss again?

If I’m kissing Cush, and liking it, what does it mean?

The only answer I can come up with is that I’m going to have a very large glass of wine and see if I can get my brain fuzzy enough to shut the hell up.

A doorman escorts us to a bar in the entryway, where I get a Chardonnay and Cush gets a water. There’s a band set up in a huge room overlooking the ocean. Mom and Tommy are not in this room, but I stop and introduce Cush to an aging film star that is actively looking for his fifth wife, an up-and-coming actress that played mom’s younger sister in her last romantic comedy, and a well-known director. Then I spot Millie and Deron. Well, mostly I spot Deron. He’s six feet and nine inches of pure black muscle, a Lakers forward, and the husband of Mom’s best friend, prime time soap opera star, Millie Santino.

“There they are,” I say to Cush.

“Is that Deron Wallace?”

“Yeah, he’s a beast on the court, but he’s really a big teddy bear. His wife, Millie, and my mom have been best friends for years.”

I take his hand and lead him back to where they are and introduce him to everyone.

“Keatyn, you look stunning. That dress is to die for,” Mille says, after kissing both my cheeks. “It’d be perfect for Cannes. Can I borrow it?”

“You’ll have to ask Mom. I think she’s supposed to wear it.”

“You thief,” Mom says playfully.

“It’s Kym’s fault.”

“Well, you make a very handsome couple. Where have you been, all dressed up?”

“Had a school party to go to. It was Monte Carlo themed, but it was kinda lame, so we left.”

While Cush is involved in an intense discussion with Tommy and Deron about the varying horsepower of exotic cars, I walk out onto the deck to get some fresh air and think.

I’m kinda upset that Brooklyn left me.

No, I’m really upset.

Because I realize I was completely wrong about everything. Brooklyn doesn’t like me. He doesn’t love me. I’m just a convenient hookup.

I’m absentmindedly swirling my wine around in my glass and staring out into the ocean when a man leans his arms onto the railing next to me.

“We seem to keep running into each other on the beach,” Vincent says.

“Yeah.” I’m not in the mood to chat. Not even with Vincent. I take a very large sip of wine and hope he’ll take the hint and go away.

“You look amazing,” he says. “A little over-dressed for a beach party, but incredible. Prettiest girl here, if you ask me.”

I turn to look at him. He’s wearing a crisp aqua shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. Softly draped taupe slacks. Buttery leather loafers. Expensive gold watch. Everything about him screams money and privilege.

I take another big drink. Swallow.

“What’s wrong?”

I shake my head. “Nothing, really. Same shit, different day.”

“I know how that goes. Even though I’m excited about our movie, it’s still been a rough week. I miss her.”

“I’m glad I could help a little. It must be hard going through something like that by yourself.”

He nods. “Yeah, but I do have some good news. Our movie is a go.”

“Really? That’s exciting. So you got the financing?”

“Grandmother left me a pretty large estate. I met with her attorney today and got all the details. I don’t have to worry about the financing now. I can do it all myself.”

“Is that smart to do? What if it bombs and you lose all your money? You haven’t even seen me act yet.”

“I’ve seen you surf. I’ve seen your emotions. If you can be yourself on camera, we’ll both make more money than we’ve ever dreamed about. Why don’t we get started tonight? I’m dying to get you on film. I know it will inspire me even more.”

I don’t reply, just take another sip of wine.

He leans closer to me, causing our shoulders to touch.

I don’t want to make him mad by saying that I don’t know him well enough to go anywhere with him. Mom has warned me about stuff like that. About photographers who say they’re going to make you the next supermodel, they just need to “take a few photos” first. About producers, who promise to make you a big star, they just need you to “come read” for them first, but what they really want is to get you on the casting couch.

“You always go to parties like this?” I ask him. I’m trying to be polite.

“Free drinks and beautiful women. Who wouldn’t?” he says.

“You trying to meet that special girl on the beach?”

“I already met a special girl on the beach. Fine. I get it. You don’t know me well enough yet, right?”

I touch his forearm. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re smart. There are a lot of men out there that lie about this kind of thing just to get girls. I’m not one of them, though. I usually don’t have a problem finding women.”

I look at his handsome face and laugh. “I don’t suppose that you do.”

“So go for a walk with me. I’m in mourning. It’s the least you can do.”

“I can’t. I’m here with my . . . um, like, we’re friends, but . . . ” I roll my eyes, thinking about Brooklyn. “Story of my life, apparently.”

“All the more reason for a mind-clearing walk on the beach. The party is getting pretty revved up. No one will even notice you’re gone.”

“Keatyn! There you are,” I hear Millie say. “Get your ass in here and come dance with that handsome date of yours before all the old women try to get their hands on him.”

“Thanks for the offer, Vincent. It’s sweet of you, but I don’t think anyone can solve my boy problems.”

“Maybe you need to solve them yourself.”

I had just started to walk away, but I turn back around. “What do you mean?”

“If a guy is interested in you, really interested in you, he’ll let you know it. If he doesn’t, he’s not worth it.”

I walk back to him and give him a hug. “Whatever I did to help you the other day, we’re now even. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. Have some fun tonight, okay?”

He raises his glass to me as I walk back inside.

When Cush leads me out on the dance floor and holds me tight, I start to feel better about getting ditched by Brooklyn. Cush is adorable, fun, and he seems to like me. And Vincent is right. I should stop wasting my time on a guy who doesn’t really like me.

We have so much fun dancing that the next time I looked at my phone it’s almost one. There isn’t a single text from Brooklyn, but many bitchy ones from Vanessa. I ignore those. I’m in too good a mood.

“Cush, I’ve kept you out so late, and you have soccer tomorrow!”

He runs his hands down the sides of my arms. “I’ll be fine for soccer. And it’s not like my mom’s waiting up for me. She’s in Milan this week. Or maybe it’s Thailand. I can’t remember.”

“Do you wanna just stay at my house? It’s close, and you can crash on the couch in my room.”

“That sounds better than going home to a big, empty house. I’m also really not ready for this night to end.”

Please say yes.

1:15am

Back at home, I go into Tommy’s closet to grab a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt. I run back in my room and throw them at Cush.

“Here. You can put these on.”

“Will you untie this tie for me?”

“Sure.” I slide the white dinner jacket off his shoulders, fold it in half, and lay it over my chair. Then I untie his tie.

Then I realize that I’m undressing him.

And I don’t want to stop.

I take the cufflinks out of his sleeves and set them on my desk. Then I slowly unbutton his shirt. I get to see a sliver of his chest at a time. It’s kinda like unwrapping a really cute present.

I smile at Cush. I know his reputation, but we’ve been friends for a year. He confided in me about his dad, carried me down the hall when my feet hurt, and he’s looking at me so adorably right now.

“So, I was thinking,” he says.

“About what?”

“Us.”

He pushes my hair back behind my ear and runs the back of his hand down the side of my neck.

It gives me goosebumps. “What about us?”

He replies with a soft kiss and then trails his tongue across my jawline. I tilt my head, close my eyes, and run my hands through his hair.

His fingers intertwine around the braided gold strap on my shoulder, and he slowly slides it off. “I think we should sit at a different table next year. Together. Invite some cool people to sit with us. Or you could just come sit with me and all the soccer guys.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

He stops kissing my shoulder and looks into my eyes. “It’s not just for you. It’s for me too. I don’t want a bunch of fake friends.”

“I don’t either, but I don’t know. Vanessa would make our lives miserable. She’s probably already planning our demise. We pretty much committed mutiny tonight. You should see the things she texted me. And RiAnne is just as pissed. I don’t know what they’ll do, but trust me, it won’t be pretty. Those cheerleaders, Mandy and Alicia, are dying to sit at our table. She could fill our spots in seconds.”