Seven Nights of Sin - Lacey Alexander [103]
She hadn’t seen Damon or heard from him since the night she’d left his Las Vegas suite in tears. And she hated—just hated—knowing he thought she was that kind of person. The conniving, manipulative kind. The entertainment business was full of them, though, so under the circumstances, she couldn’t really blame him.
She just wished…well, she wasn’t sure what she wished exactly.
If she hadn’t agreed to Jenkins’ plan in the first place, she never would have gotten to know Damon. And if she’d been honest with him at any point in their week together, it would have changed everything. He wouldn’t have fallen for her—she knew that much.
She just wished…that she was still in Sin City, with Damon, learning more and more of those new ways to sin.
When someone came whizzing around the corner to her desk, she expected Collette but instead looked up to find Kelly in a stunning coral suit. “Hey,” her friend said. “How’s it going?”
Kelly, of course, knew everything that had happened. Well, not about Rendezvous or Caligula’s, but she knew about the sex, and the love, and the heartbreak. She knew it had ripped Brenna apart to have Damon fired and to see news about Claire Starr’s lawsuit splashed all over the entertainment headlines. And she knew Brenna was finding his A&R shoes challenging to fill.
Brenna just shrugged. “So-so.” But then she reconsidered. “Although I’m afraid of Malcolm Barstow and Tommy Max, so I can’t bring myself to return their calls. So maybe a more accurate answer would be…sucky. It’s going sucky.”
Kelly winced. “Sorry. And maybe this isn’t the best time to tell you this, but…I just got a press release announcing that Damon is starting his own label.”
She sat up straighter, stunned. “You’re kidding.”
Kelly shook her gorgeous blond head. “He found a few investors who believe in him, and he’s back in business. He’s calling the label Inspiration.”
“Oh, that’s so great!” Brenna said. Music was Damon’s life, and she was thrilled to hear he was carving out a new place for himself in the industry this quickly.
“Great?” Kelly looked aghast. “No, it’s not great. It’s awful. We don’t need this kind of competition right now.” Kelly hissed in her breath slightly, making a face of regret. “No offense, but…”
Brenna nodded matter-of-factly. “But I don’t know what I’m doing. I agree. So you’re probably right. This is terrible news for Blue Night. Still…I’m glad for Damon. He didn’t deserve what happened.”
“Oh, and here’s your mail.” Kelly dropped a small handful of it into the in-box on the corner of Brenna’s desk. “Collette saw me walking this way and asked me to bring it. Lazy ass. I worry about her, Brenna. I don’t think she’s catching on.”
Brenna sighed. “Yeah, I know. The whole place is crumbling around us.”
“And I get to handle the PR nightmare of it all. Yippee for me.” Kelly pointed over her shoulder toward her office. “So I’d better get back to it. But…speaking of Damon, how are you doing in that way? Getting over him a little by now, I hope.”
Another large sigh left her, which she supposed answered Kelly’s question. Added to everything else, the very thought of him—of them, together—made her feel as if her chest was being crushed.
“Oh, hon,” Kelly said, reaching down to squeeze her hand. “Want to get drunk after work?”
Never in her life had Brenna purposely set out to get drunk for the sake of escaping problems or pain. It just wasn’t in her makeup. So as tempting as the offer was, she said, “Thanks anyway, but I’m gonna try to tough it out sober.”
After Kelly departed, Brenna picked up her fresh stack of mail, gasping when she saw the return address on the first piece. It had come from the freaking Playboy Mansion! Ripping into the expensive stationery, she found an invitation to one of the place’s famed pajama parties. Oh God.
It was her worst nightmare come true. Exactly the sort of thing she’d dreaded. Because she should go. Because she needed to meet more people, get to know