The Winemaker's Dinner: Entrée (15 page)

“Girl, if I was into women, you’d be in some serious trouble,” Kat said. “You look stunning.”

Blushing, Jaden admired herself in the mirror. Excitement began to rise in her chest. She’d been looking forward to this evening for months, and even though Ivan wasn’t there to share it, she was going to have some fun.

The clock on the wall told her it was much later than she expected. Adam had been waiting outside for quite a while now. She hurried to collect her belongings and stopped to give Kat a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for everything. You did an amazing job as usual.”

Kat’s voice echoed down the hallway as Jaden headed for the car. “Have fun tonight, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

The sound of her high heels clicking against the polished marble floor echoed off the walls as she dashed toward the door. And as expected, Adam stood beside the car waiting patiently.

“Ms. Thorne, you look absolutely stunning tonight.”

“I bet you say that to all the women.” She smiled and tucked herself into the backseat of the town car. As they dipped around corners and down hills, her stomach began to flutter. Tonight promised to be several fun-filled hours of drinks with the hosts of the other network shows—people she’d befriended since moving to LA, but never got to see enough of.

Her phone buzzed, announcing a text message, and she fished it out of her purse. This time it was from Tasha.

I miss you, girl. Big party tonight, right? You’re probably just on the way, and I’m going to bed! Hope you’re doing great, and I hope to see you soon. Love you!

Miss you too, girl! Yes, big party so wish me luck.
I’d rather have pizza and beer with you.

Yeah, sure. Stay safe, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!

Jaden rolled her eyes. The thought of what Tasha
would
do was both frightening and hilarious.

Oh shit, Ivan!
Texting with Tasha reminded her she hadn’t really acknowledged his messages from earlier—other than the quick calendar check. But now Adam was pulling the car into the parking lot of the hotel hosting the evening’s event. Tucking the phone back into her purse, she promised herself that no matter how late she got home, she’d email Ivan to tell him all about the night.

“We’re here, Ms. Thorne,” Adam called from the front seat.

She took one last deep breath, then opened the door and stepped out into the night.
Here we go!

“Have fun this evening. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Adam.” Before she started across the parking lot to the checkin area, she grabbed him a Rusilko bear hug. Judging by the shocked expression on his face, she’d caught him off guard. She laughed, feeling buoyant as she walked toward the crowd and added a little strut to her step. Stacey cleared a path for her between the photographers and climbers who were clamoring for a chance to attend the hot-ticket event.

“Stunning as usual,” Stacey said as Jaden pushed her way through the throngs of people.

“Thanks. You look great too. How is everything in there?” Jaden motioned toward the door where a line had started to form.

“It’s insane. That’s why they’ve got me out here on door duty.” Stacey scowled and rolled her eyes. “I’ll be in a minute to join you. Work that red carpet, girl. And wait until you see what Damian’s wearing. Wardrobe went all out on that boy.”

For reasons unbeknown to her, Jaden smiled at the thought of seeing Damian all dressed up.
No jeans and T-shirt this time, eh?
She giggled to herself.

The not-so-helpful voice piped up:

Mmmm-hmmmm….

“Rootless Tree”

T
HE
H
OTEL
L
OBBY
W
AS
P
URE
D
ECADENCE
. The venue had been made all the more popular by its recent appearance in a national architectural magazine, and Jaden could now see what all the fuss was about. A ten-foot waterfall anchored the open space, surrounded by plush white leather couches and shiny glass tables. The smell of eucalyptus wafted through the air and mingled with the rumblings of a party getting underway.

With every step she took, Jaden grew more confident. Though not what she would have picked for herself, the soft pink gown hugged her curves and her silver four-inch heels shimmered against the white marble floors and ruby red carpet. Jaden drew closer to the party’s entrance and saw a sea of reporters and photographers awaiting her arrival as if she were some celebrity. Wait, is that what she was? A celebrity? Despite all the fanfare that had recently surrounded her, Jaden still had a hard time wrapping her head around her sudden fame.
Yeah, maybe a G-list celebrity.
She laughed to herself.

A reporter for the six o’clock news began speaking into her microphone as Jaden approached. This alerted the other press sharks, who joined the media frenzy. Within seconds, thirty or so photographers and cameramen had their lenses trained on her as she strode past them, escorted by a young woman dressed head to toe in black. The girl deposited her near a large
One Hot Kitchen
logo that stood beside the entrance to the ballroom.

“Oh my. She looks gorgeous,” a woman wearing an
LA Times
press pass gushed to the man beside her.

With the logo behind her, Jaden smiled. Cameras began to click and a hundred flashes lit up the room. Confidence welled within her. She knew she looked good, and the buzz she heard over the clicking of cameras confirmed it. Ivan had taught her so much, and posing for the media was no problem now. But hell, this was a far cry from Miami, let alone Estes Park.

The flashing of cameras stopped just as quickly as it had started, and she paused mid-pose. The media’s attention now turned to the next celebrity to grace the red carpet.
Well, if that was my fifteen minutes of fame, I’ll take it,
she chortled to herself. She turned to enter the party, but the woman in black seized her arm.

“Would you mind posing for a few more shots?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’d love to get a few shots of you and your co-host together,” a photographer at the front of the media circus added. He jerked his head toward the back of the room, where the person who’d stolen her show—and now her red carpet moment—had just entered.

Strutting down the red carpet as only he could was Damian, larger than life and sporting his ever-popular I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. Despite this, she couldn’t help but stare. His usual surfer boy jeans and T-shirt had been replaced by tailored pants that hung from his hips and poured over his black pointed dress shoes. And his black suit jacket covered a crisp, patterned white shirt, accented by a cobalt blue skinny tie. He had a smile for everyone he passed and worked the media like a pro, as if truly in his element. His chiseled jaw appeared even more defined than usual, and his eyes, blue and sparkling in the flash of the cameras, were fixed on…her? Looking the way he did, how could she not be impressed?

“Hello, Jade,” he said with a drawl. “Don’t you look delicious tonight?” Snatching her hand in his, he kissed it, posing for the cameras and giving the media what they salivated for.

Not quite able to conjure up the anger to scold him for calling her Jade, she simply replied, “Thanks. So do you.” Wait…
Did I just tell Damian Gris he looked delicious? Fuck!

“Let’s take some pictures and give them what they want. Shall we?” He smiled and took her hand as they stood side by side in front of the show’s logo.

When Damian wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him, she noticed the whispers that began to spread through the crowd. She tried to distance herself from him, put some space between their bodies, but the flashes once more began to pop.

When the media’s enthusiasm dwindled after a few moments and the photographers turned their attention to the next person on the red carpet, she was thankful for the reprieve. She needed a minute to collect her thoughts and stepped away from Damian. She hated him, didn’t she? He was supposed to be the enemy, but she found herself softening toward him. He was here tonight, working hard and promoting the show just like she was. That had to count for something…She felt him lean over and his voice, soft and just the right amount of friendly for once, whispered in her ear.

“Let’s grab a drink.”

Yesterday she would’ve said no to his request, but tonight, she nodded in agreement. The two made their way through the throngs of people in the ballroom. Crowds milled around, talking in hushed tones, but their whispers quickly transformed into chatty gossip and blatant stares.
Where’s the goddamn bar?
Jaden searched the room.
Bingo!
There wasn’t just one bar, there were several.

“Be a doll and grab me a cranberry and vodka. I have to ask Stacey a question,” Damian announced. “I’ll only be a minute.” And without a backward glance, he disappeared into the sea of people.

Did he just call me
doll
and make me his waitress?
For a moment, she’d allowed herself to look at Damian as her equal, not some pretty boy trying to ruin her life, but he’d just reminded her how annoying he was. He was a womanizer who only thought of himself. Ivan had
never
sent her to the bar. The people in Damian’s life were there as long as he deemed them useful, she suspected. When they’d exhausted their usefulness, he’d discard them like yesterday’s trash.

“One dirty martini and one vodka cranberry, please,” she told the man behind the bar
.
As he went to work, she sighed. She’d been looking forward to this night for months, so how was it that ten minutes with Damian had her wanting to run for the hills? She leaned against the brass rail of the bar.

“How does your boyfriend want his martini?”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my co-worker,” she snapped, startling the man. “I’ll have
my
martini straight up, and I’m guessing he wants his vodka cran on the rocks.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” the bartender replied and went back to making the drinks.

A moment later, one dirty martini and one vodka cran sat on the bar in front of her. “Thank you.” She picked up the drinks and merged back into the mess of media and industry people.

Weaving her way through the crowd, she joined Damian, Stacey, and a third man she didn’t know. She handed Damian his drink, then stood and watched. He spoke with great energy, demanding attention from everyone around him, and Stacey clung to his every word. Hell, if she drooled any more, the woman would need a bib. After a few more moments of nonsensical conversation, Jaden jumped in just to change the subject.

“Hi, there, I’m Jaden Thorne,” she bellowed, conveying her mood and startling the others. She offered the unknown man her hand.

“Hello, Jaden. I’m Gary Pallaria,” he replied in a thick Boston accent as he shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I love your show.”

“Thank you. And what is it you do?”

“I manage an exclusive venue and event planning company in—”

“Ladies and gentleman,” Kevin’s voice boomed over the PA system. The lights grew even more dim, and their conversation ceased as he took the stage.

“Please excuse me,” Gary whispered. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Thorne. You are all that and more.” He disappeared, leaving her with Damian and Stacey.

“I want to welcome you all here tonight,” Kevin continued. “It’s such an honor to have everyone under one roof—and not working! Tonight is our thank you for all your hard work. So grab a guy, grab a gal, grab a drink, and let’s enjoy the evening.”

The crowd erupted in cheers, the spotlight lifted, and the grand chandelier in the ballroom once again came to life. Both Damian and Stacey seemed confused to find just Jaden standing beside them.