Sugar and Spice_ An L.A. Candy Novel - Lauren Conrad [34]
Madison eventually reached the Venetian (okay, so it was kind of spectacular, like an over-the-top Italian palace with real gondolas gliding along real canals) and pulled up to the valet stand. The PopTV crew was already there, as were Jane, Hannah, and Oliver. Madison noticed Oliver wrap his arms around Hannah as they stood on the curb, giggling idiotically about something. God, had the two underlings hooked up? Madison had noticed a certain vibe between them at the office, and more than once, she had spotted them leaving on the elevator together, at the end of the day. (Not that Madison usually stayed at the office that late. Who had the time to work when there were so many other important things to do?) Madison had no idea what Oliver saw in Hannah—she’d originally pegged him as gay, because she’d asked him out for a drink on his first day at Fiona’s and he’d begged off with some lame excuse. He obviously had no taste in women.
One of the PopTV sound guys gestured for Madison to roll down her window, then handed her a mike pack and a roll of tape. Eyeing her skintight, low-cut black tank shirt, he said, “I’m not sure how you’re gonna manage this.”
“I’ll manage. Unless . . . you wanna help me?”
“Uh . . .”
The director—Matt?—called out to the sound guy just then, and he took off hastily, leaving Madison to fend for herself. Sighing, she slipped the mike pack onto the back of her skirt. It bugged the producers when the thing was visible; but she worked hard to be in shape, and she didn’t like the awkward bump it created on her back when she wore it under her shirt.
After a moment, Matt signaled for her to get out. Checking her makeup in the rearview mirror, she opened the door and emerged slowly, seductively, making sure the camera got a good angle on her five-inch black stilettos, her slender, spray-tanned legs, her super-short skirt, and her impressive (even by Hollywood standards) cleavage. She had a mental image of her fans crowding around, cheering, shouting out her name. Without thinking, she smiled and gave a little wave to no one in particular before handing her car key to the valet.
“Who are you waving to?” Dana asked, appearing with the camera crew. “Are you miked? Good. I need you to go say hi to Jane and the others and walk into the lobby with them. Then stay put for a min while we move the cameras inside. If you can, suggest lunch at Postrio. We just got it cleared, and the guys need to start lighting right now if you can get them all to go. Also, you should say something to Jane about having to drive separately.”
“Got it,” Madison said. So Dana wanted her to pick an on-camera fight with Jane about the car thing. Personally, Madison would much rather humiliate Jane about her ex-boyfriend’s DUI, which everyone was talking about, or her truly unattractive teal dress (some people just couldn’t pull off that color). But, whatever. Madison knew it was important for her to do whatever Dana told her to do, since Dana took her orders from Trevor.
Jane, Hannah, and Oliver were heading toward the front entrance. “Hey, wait up!” Madison called out, rushing to catch up to them. “Jane, why couldn’t I ride with you guys? Are you mad at me for some reason?”
Jane turned to her. Madison blinked innocently.
“I told you, Madison. It was a space issue. Next time, why don’t you rent a bus, and we can all ride together with all your luggage?” Jane suggested sweetly.
Bitch, Madison thought. “Sounds like a plan. Hey, so . . . when’s our first meeting? Two, right?” She peered at her diamond-studded Chanel watch. “That means we have time for lunch at Postrio. After we check into