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Authors: Bonnie Hearn Hill

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BOOK: Aries Rising
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Finally, the multitiered lights of the Golden Gate flashed in front of me. All I had to do was find the hotel, and I had printed out directions before I left. No turning back now.
Arianna met me at the door of her suite. She was barefoot and wore a short white dress embroidered with multicolored designs. Even before I entered the room, I could smell the
alcohol on her breath.
“Tequila shots,” she said, as if acknowledging my not-so-brilliant observation. “Want one?”
“I’ve been driving for three hours,” I told her. “I could use some coffee.”
“We’ll call room service, but we need to use your name.” She walked back into the suite and motioned for me to follow. “It won’t be a problem since I used it to register.”
I stopped in the doorway. “You used my name? To register for this room?”
“Dude, get over yourself, will you? Last time I used the limo driver’s. No one pays any attention to me when I come in wearing a baseball cap and pretend to be someone normal. Hurry up and close the door, will you? It’s getting cold in here.”
I had driven through the wind and rain to learn more about her astrology chart, and to help her if I could. Now that I realized she was registered under my name, I felt a little weird. If something happened to me here, there would be no connection to her.
“I said close the door.”
“I’m not so sure I should,” I told her.
“I could have gotten you fired, you know that?” She gave me that look again, but the navy eyes were less hostile. “I still could.”
“Why would you do that?”
She sighed, and I realized that she was close to tears. “I don’t want to. I’m just saying that I could. Okay?”
“Okay. I also know that you could go to any number of astrologers to the stars for what you want.”
“And maybe end up in the tabloids tomorrow. It’s happened before.” She sat down on the sofa and curled her legs under the dress. On the large screen, an image of her DVD,
Paradox
, played with no sound. “I know I was shitty to you, but you deserved it. I’m willing to give you a second chance.”
“I didn’t come here because I wanted a second chance, Arianna. I came because you sounded pretty scary on the phone. And because I wanted to help.”
“I always get like this when he treats me like crap,” she said. “We can’t stay together, and we can’t stay apart. Just tell me if a Gemini stands a chance with a Capricorn, okay?”
She reached for that tequila bottle again and splashed some into a water glass that was already stuffed to the top with ice.
“Capricorn and Gemini can be really fine together,” I said. “A Cardinal versus a Mutable sign. He’s take-charge, and you’re flexible. Capricorn wants to lead, and Gemini can’t be controlled. But both signs share a wonderful gift for wit, and it could definitely work.”
She put down her glass on a dark wood table. “Then why isn’t it working? Why do we always fight?”
“Maybe this?” I picked up her glass, rattled the ice cubes, and set it down on the table again. “A serious Capricorn is not going to like all of this booze you’ve got, Arianna.”
“I don’t drink that much,” she said. “In spite of that tabloid trash you’ve heard. I just do it because I get bored. And because he treats me so bad.”
“How’s that?”
“He blames me for leaving the band. So does Cory. But I had to. It was the only way I could go after everything I have now.”
“Didn’t you date Cory before Josh?”
“Dude, for like seconds.”
I couldn’t help thinking of Gemini Chili. To these Mutable Air signs, forever was a feeling, and not one that lasted all that long.
“Cory was always my favorite,” I said. “Of the guys, I mean.”
“He had the magic, all right, but it was Josh who made me feel safe.” She wiped her eyes. “How did I lose him? How do I get him back? Can you really help me?”
“I don’t know, but I can try,” I said. “And, by the way, when it comes to love, most Gemini girls are just looking for a hero.”
“You mean a daddy, don’t you? My dad started a second family a year after he left my mom for the biggest bimbo on the planet. I hate him.”
“No you don’t.” I thought of my own parents. My mom was out there trying to be the golf queen, resenting the hell out of the fact that she’d been slowed down by having to raise a child. Me. My dad was trying to work hard at the ad agency. Slowed down by having to take care of me since my mom bailed. “You have to forgive your parents. We all do.”
“I know you’re right, but I am so angry. All I want is Josh. If it can work out with him, the rest won’t matter.”
“Give me his birth information, and I’ll do a compatibility chart,” I said. “I can’t do it tonight, because I have to drive back home so I can get to school tomorrow. But I’ll get on it as soon as I can.”
“I need it right away,” she told me. “It’s my only hope.” To have her Rising sign and really dig into her chart would give me the rest of the information I needed, for the column, yes, but also for whatever might be coming down the night of the
CRUSH
launch party. I’d be helping her in more ways than one, regardless of what happened with Josh and her.
“I’ll start on it right away.”
“You really do know this stuff, don’t you?” She pushed her thick hair out of her eyes. “Stacy said you’re trying out for a column.”
“Yeah, I am.” I didn’t know how much I was supposed to say, but I was only confirming what Stacy had already told her.
“What do you have to do to get the gig?”
“Just make some predictions about the launch party. I’ve been forecasting where the stars will be that night, and it could be, well, explosive.”
“I hope not,” she said, and it was all I could do to keep from telling her that the explosive stuff was in her Gemini/Aries chart. “Stacy’s really stressing, though. She told me about the elevator getting stuck.”
“More than stuck,” I said. “Somebody turned off the power and cut the phone cord.”
“Really? You don’t think someone is trying to hurt you, do you?”
“Of course not, but Alex Keen was in the elevator too, and a lot of people knew he’d be there.”
She began to fidget with her glass. “Who’d want to harm him?”
“I’m not sure,” I told her. “My astrological sources are old, and sometimes, the language changes. I just need to do a lot
more research on Alex. Do you know him?”
“No, and I don’t care about what happens to him.” She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “All that matters to me is keeping Josh. Call as soon as you have the chart, okay? I’ve got stuff to do now.”
After demanding that I drive three hours?
I stood up as well. “Are you sure you want me to leave?” I asked.
“Sorry.” She flashed me a nervous smile. “Thanks for coming. I have another appointment in a few minutes. Drive safely, okay?”
She closed the door behind me. Maybe just a little too fast.
So, all of a sudden, Arianna had an “appointment,” after insisting hours ago that she had no one to talk to? Henry Jaffa told me that if you pay attention, you can smell a lie. I was smelling one now.
Might as well try to follow her, since I was here anyway. I went over to the alcove in the hall across and down from her room. If anyone noticed me with my book, they’d think I was studying and not getting ready to stalk a star.
Minutes passed—five, ten, fifteen—and still no Arianna. Just as I was deciding that this was crazy and I really should drive home, the door to her room opened a crack. I put the book up to my face and peered around it. Any moment now, she would step outside. But she didn’t. Why was she hesitating?
A guy dressed in white hurried past me, mumbling something on a cell phone. Although the chef outfit hid most of his body, nothing concealed those blond curls of his. The door to Arianna’s suite opened slowly, cautiously. Alex Keen rushed inside.
CRUSHES: HOW TO CAPTIVATE A CANCER
By Logan McRae
 
The Crab is going to be less interested in what you’re like on the outside and more interested in how much you understand him. If you have an insensitive bone in your body, believe me, he can tell it a mile away.
Cancers are also protective of their possessions, and if you spill soda in his car or accidentally delete a special photo from his cell phone, you probably won’t get much farther into his life. Here are three ways you can captivate him.
• Nurture.
If he has a cold, bring him chicken soup. If you know he has to come in early to study, drop by with his favorite coffee drink, then leave before he’s distracted by anything other than your thoughtfulness.
• Show interest.
Ask casual questions about his parents and sibs. Cancers are always tied to their families, some in a good way; some not. Showing that you’re a good listener will score big points.
• Be romantic.
A funny card that goes almost over the line, but not quite. A text about an assignment with a compliment at the end. Romantic gestures will get that Crab out of his shell.
What to say when he asks you out: “I thought you’d never call!”
13
THOSE WITH THE SAME ELEMENTS (FIRE, EARTH, AIR,
OR WATER) ARE SAID TO BE TRINED (CONNECTED) AND
USUALLY RELATE WELL AND OFTEN INSTANTLY TO
EACH OTHER. BUT YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS DO NOT HAVE
TO BE TRINED. A PASSIONATE FIRE CAN APPRECIATE
THE DETERMINATION OF AN EARTH SIGN, THE
COMMUNICATION SKILLS OF AN AIR SIGN, AND THE
EMOTIONS OF A WATER SIGN.
 
—Fearless Astrology
 
 
 
 
Had I really seen what I thought I had last night? Were Alex and Arianna together? Poor Chili. No way could I begin to discuss it with her. Arianna and I were trined because she the Gemini, and I the Aquarius, were
both Air signs. And although I did feel sorry for her, I couldn’t trust her now that I knew she lied about knowing Alex.
It was the middle of the night by the time I got home. I managed to sneak in without waking my dad and was so exhausted that I didn’t know how I would wake up in time for class. I did it, though. When Chili and Paige picked me up that morning, they were both still excited about our trip.
“I got a text from Alex,” Chili said. “I’m going to bring him some of my mom’s recipes when we drive you up on Friday. Can you believe this is happening?”
I could believe it, all right, and I was already blaming myself. “What does Stella say?” I asked.
“Just the usual Armenian mom stuff. That even though my dad’s older than she is, there’s no way she would allow me to date a twenty-one-year-old guy, no matter how famous he is. That kind of stuff.”
“It sounds pretty sensible to me,” I said.
“Since when are you sensible?” Both she and Paige laughed, but I couldn’t.
“What happened with that elevator was pretty scary. A lot of people knew that Alex would be in it.”
“You don’t think it was an accident?” Chili asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m just saying ...”
“Well if anyone messed with the elevator, it was Francis, the head chef. Can you believe that old guy?”
“He was probably just upset because he had to turn over his kitchen to a celebrity chef who hasn’t paid his dues,” I said.
She stared straight ahead as if trying to make eye contact with the road. “You don’t sound very happy for me, Logan.”
“I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“We were worried about Jeremy,” Paige piped up from the back. “But we supported you, even though we knew the relationship didn’t have much of a chance.” The words came out so easily, as if Jeremy and I were already over and done.
My eyes burned. “You’re right, Paige,” I said. “All this magazine stuff is making me crazy. I do think something is going to happen at the Halloween launch party, and Alex might be involved.”
“How can you be so sure?” Chili asked.
I couldn’t tell her that I had seen him go into Arianna’s hotel room right after I left. At least not now when Chili was so determined that he was the guy of her dreams. “I told you. Because of what happened on the elevator.”
“Can’t you check his chart?”
“I’m going to, but I can’t find the year he was born.”
“I told you he’s twenty-one.” Chili turned to me looking like her old mischievous self. “I can find out everything else for you when we go there Friday.”
“How are you going to get out of school?” I asked.
“Head cold,” Chili said, and faked a cough.
“Cramps,” Paige whined.
I had to smile. They had already figured it out. “On a Friday?” I asked. “All three of us? That’s pretty suspicious.”
“What are they going to do?” Chili said, “Demand that we take a lie detector test? I’ve got to go there because I have a
plan. I’m going to be so cute, hot, and interested in everything that he invites me to be his date for the launch party. What do you think?”
What did I think? That she was absolutely out of her mind. “If anyone can do it, you will.”
“And I’m designing their costumes,” Paige said. “Chili will be Catwoman, and Alex will be Batman.”
“And you,” Chili said, “are going to be Sherlock Holmes. But don’t worry. It’s a very sexy design, and super short to show off your great legs. I saw Paige’s sketches.”
Sherlock Holmes? Not a famous writer. Still, I kind of liked it. “What are you going to be, Paige?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s got to be good to impress the Platinum Dragon. If I could only grow a body like Chili’s.”
“You don’t need a body like anyone’s,” I said. “You look great, and you have the talent. But tell me, why am I only now hearing about these costumes you two have been planning for us?”
“Well.” Chili glanced back at Paige. “We weren’t sure how you would react to my mission of getting Alex to take me to the party. Come on, Logan, he is so fabulous. Please be happy for me.”
BOOK: Aries Rising
2.35Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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