She had managed to rouse herself enough to crawl to the bathroom and have a bath without drowning in it. Now she was in bed with her iPad and extensive library of ebooks, hiding from the world and getting lost in the sweet, sweet love of imaginary people. The very last thing she wanted to do was to get dressed and go out. Even if it was the hottest new club around. “Come on,” Mia said, dragging the covers off Peyton. “I have VIP passes to Vibe. V. I. P. Do you know what that means?” She went on without waiting for Peyton to answer. “It means sitting in the VIP section. It means not having to fight for a seat. It means having a waitress bring your drinks to you instead of fighting for attention at the bar. Come on Peyton! We can’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We don’t even have to line up outside the club to get in!” “I don’t want to,” Peyton whined. “I’ve had enough people-ing today.” Mia sat down on the bed with a huff. “You know that you’re letting h
Finn sat in the corner and watched as Liam worked the room. He didn't want to be there but Liam had needed a wingman - or so he said. In Finn’s opinion, Liam was doing fine all by himself. A waitress set a beer down in front of him with a wink before sashaying away. What did it say about him - the ultimate player - that he didn't even feel a spark of interest? Was he getting old? He sipped his beer and looked around the club. The vibe was new and trendy but as he took in the women, they all looked to be about twelve. God. He was getting old. He mentally shook his head. What was happening to him? He was not even thirty and he was living a life that most guys dreamed of. He knew for a fact that some guys would do anything to live a week in his shoes; they emailed him constantly asking for just that and offering to pay obscene amounts of money for his one-on-one consulting. Unfortunately for Finn, the whole thing had begun to feel empty. It wasn't so much that he didn't en
He managed to move closer, within earshot. The music wasn't so loud in the VIP section that you couldn't have a conversation. He knew it wouldn't be long before she was approached by an eager male and he wanted to see just what she would do in that situation. It didn't take long until the first poor sucker approached. Finn felt an anticipatory glee for what he was sure would be a blood bath. “Hey I noticed your glass was empty—” it wasn’t “—so I thought I’d bring you a refill.” The guy sat down opposite her and slid a fruity umbrella drink across the table to her. The drink she had yet to finish was in a tumbler and was clear with a slice of lime. If Finn had to guess, he would say it was vodka or gin. “Thanks but I don’t—” “So, do you come here often? I know the owner, so I’m here a lot, but I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.” “No, I—” “Yeah. Me and Scott, we’re like this.” He held up two fingers, crossed. Finn rolled his eyes. He was pretty s
She smiled at him, a genuine smile even if he was being cheesy. “I believe you were introduced to me as Uncle Finn.” She watched as his eyes narrowed in concentration before widening as recognition dawned. “Wonder Woman?” She nodded once and then looked away, embarrassed. She enjoyed filling in for Brandi while she was pregnant, but it wasn’t exactly a career that garnered a lot of respect. “That’s…kinda cool,” he said, his cheeks creasing with a grin. “I prefer the red,” he said, leaning forward to pick up a lock of her hair. Her breath shortened and her pulse picked up. He let the curl slide between his fingers, his eyes never leaving hers. It suddenly felt hot in the club and her cheeks flushed… maybe not just her cheeks. His eyes held hers and she felt drawn to him. She may have even leaned forward a little without conscious thought. “Hey,” Mia said, flopping down beside her and breaking the spell that Finn had woven around them. Peyton sat back
“You’re doing the right thing,” Cassie said as the makeup artist brushed a final layer of powder on Peyton’s face. Peyton didn’t agree with Cassie’s assessment. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.” Cassie planted her hands on her hips and glared at Peyton. “I am in PR, remember?” Cassie said. “You need to nip this in the bud before it gets any worse. You’re already a meme for god’s sake.” Oh yeah, that had been a nice little heads-up from Chloe. The fucking In Like Finn Facebook page had started the damned thing, but at least it wasn’t just Peyton. They had put one up of Dale’s new wife too. Her video reply to Peyton’s hadn’t had quite the reach, but it was certainly enough to keep the story alive. This was why Peyton found herself in a makeup chair at four in the morning waiting to go on and be interviewed by Butch and Sunnie on Wake Up, Australia - a breakfast television program that was more tabloid than news these days. Why they thought her situation was wort
He was going through an unusually long dry spell and he knew exactly who to blame for it. Peyton, the crazy woman. Ever since meeting her in person on the side of the road - maybe even before that, when he had seen her dressed as Wonder Woman but hadn't known who she was - he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. Finn was not a guy to go without some sort of female companionship for any length of time. He liked women. He liked sex. Most importantly he liked combining the two. He loved sex with women and he managed to get enough of it to keep him satisfied. It was why he was the dating guru that everyone turned to when their sex lives were in a slump. Finn had never experienced a slump, not since he had discovered the joys of casual sex, except for now. He could lay this whole debacle directly at the feet of Peyton. Ever since she had stumbled into his life, he hadn't been interested in anyone else. He hadn't even kissed her and yet he couldn't get her out of his
Peyton returned Sunnie’s sickly sweet smile with one of her own. “Well, Sunnie,” she said, “I just can't bring myself to think of it as romantic when dear Dale was already engaged to someone else.” “But when it's love,” Starr simpered, “you just can't deny it.” Peyton snorted again. “Love? Lust maybe.” Starr pouted and Peyton had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She hated it when women pulled that dumb-blonde bullshit. It just contributed to the mass of stereotypes and gave all women a bad name. “You don't believe in love at first sight?” Butch asked. “I was with Dale for two years,” Peyton said. “We were in love, or so I thought, and it certainly didn't happen at first sight.” “What about you, Starr? Was it love at first sight?” Starr squinched her nose up in that cute way that some women could. “Maybe not at first sight but it was definitely within the month.” Peyton coughed into her hand. “Bullshit.” “You don't believe her?” Sunni
“What the actual fuck?” Peyton looked at Cassie in the hope that her sister could explain what the hell had just happened. She didn't even get a chance to mention Chloe’s charity. The entire interview had been hijacked. She should have known better than to trust this sleazy excuse for a news program. “Devious pieces of shit,” Cassie muttered under her breath. She looked around spotted the producer and took off after him, leaving Peyton standing there. With a sigh, Peyton fished out her phone and switched it back on, regretting it as her phone blew up with text messages and notifications. “Fuck my life,” she muttered. Shouldering her bag, Peyton stalked out of the studio. She didn't know how long Cassie was going to be and the last thing she wanted was to be standing around feeling like some specimen under a microscope. She could not believe just how awful that interview had been. Blindsided by Starr Sparkles, her replacement, and then baited into some sort of