Chapter 29

For breakfast, Paula made pecan pancakes, scrambled eggs, and ham. Rory was joined by Crystal and Sophie since Tyler was already at work.

“We need you to come to the office today,” Crystal told him.

“Is Sarah not cutting it?” Rory worried.

He thought she was up to speed before he left.

“No, she’s doing fine. Periodically, we change the set layout and furniture to keep everything fresh, and we need your muscles to move stuff.”

“I think Sophie should help,” Rory quipped.

“She has plenty to do. After our students finish the class on talent self-promotion, Sophie’s been helping them set up websites and a social media presence. She’s volunteered to do that today,” Crystal said.

Rory could tell that Sophie had volunteered like he had: she’d been told.

“Aren’t there child labor laws?” Rory joked.

“Not for ‘volunteering,’” Sophie told him.

Sophie had obviously brought that up before.

“But we get paid, right?” Rory asked.

“Not if you irritate me,” Crystal said.

“That means I don’t have to get dressed up,” Rory tried.

“Not today. But you have to remember it is a place of business,” Crystal said.

“That means you can’t wear your ‘Two Seater’ t-shirt,” Sophie said.

It had arrows pointing up and down. Sophie must have rooted through his room to find that one. Someone had left it at the gym back in Chicago, and he thought it was funny.

“I don’t get it,” Crystal said.

“With that, I’m going to change for work,” Rory said, leaving Sophie to explain.

He took his dishes and put them in the dishwasher. He figured it was the least he could do to thank Paula for another excellent meal.

Daisy was irritated because she’d been scheduled to film today, but the shoot had been canceled, and she needed the money. Living on her own in Summerlin was more expensive than back home. Her plan was to talk to Tyler about rescheduling.

She asked at the front desk where she could find the boss, and they told her Tyler was in Studio One. She walked in, and the first person she saw was Rory, who was looking like the type of guy who she’d go out with. Instead of business casual, he was sporting a white t-shirt and jeans. The short sleeves of his shirt were rolled up in a bad-boy style that showed off his strong shoulders and biceps.

She’d thought he was a slick city boy when she first met him. Back home, those were the type she tried to avoid. While he seemed nice enough, when he’d offered to take her out to dinner, she’d turned him down. She didn’t need some doughboy who sat on his butt all day. She liked her men ripped, and now that she was looking at his arms, she wanted to see what was under his shirt.

“Howdy,” Daisy said as she amped up her Southern charm.

“My day just got a whole lot better. How are you doing, Miss Daisy?”

“Not good. I was supposed to film today, and I need the money,” she admitted.

“The sets are being upgraded and changed to keep them fresh. My dad said he’d start production again on Monday,” Rory shared. “Want to see something neat?”

The set looked like a room with large, dark windows and a sliding glass door. The set that had been in Studio One had never had windows before.

“Stay there. I need to turn on the windows,” he called out as he trotted around the side.

A moment later, it suddenly looked like she was looking out over a pool deck in the California hills. Each window was in sync, and she could faintly hear a bird chirping. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought it was real. Then the view changed to the Las Vegas skyline at night, followed by the Greek Isles. Finally, it was like the outside was a fish aquarium, complete with the sounds of the bubbles and filter.

“They’re virtual windows,” Rory said as he came back. “They were initially designed for medical offices or treatment rooms that didn’t have windows, with the idea that going to the doctor could be stressful. Having virtual windows would make patients feel more at ease.

“This will give the sets a more realistic look without having to add the exterior in postproduction. It’ll save us a ton of money in the long run.”

“I like the couch,” Daisy commented.

“Check it out. The chaise longue is good and bouncy. It’ll be great to have sex on,” Rory said.

The couch had a section that jutted out that you could lie down on. She didn’t know it was called a chaise longue. But as Rory said, she had no doubt that she would find out if it was suitable for sex.

“I’ll let you know,” Daisy teased with a wink.

“What are you doing tonight?” Rory asked.

“Not breaking in this couch with you.”

He waved her off.

“The girl I liked dumped me for someone else. Tonight, I’m going to a party, and she’ll be there with her new boyfriend. With you on my arm, I would look like I’ve moved on, too, instead of looking pathetic and going alone.”

“What exactly would I need to do?” Daisy asked.

Rory gave her a shy look and explained how his friends would do a group hang and then split off from the party to hook up—many times in the same room.

“I take it that the one who broke your heart is that Summer girl I met when we went to lunch?” Daisy asked.

Rory nodded.

“I didn’t really like her. She kept eyeing me as if I were going to take you from her.”

“So, you’ll help me?” Rory asked.

She shook her head.

“I’m not really into creating a bunch of drama. Besides, while I have a bit of exhibitionist in me, I’m not into swapping or group stuff with people I don’t know.”

“It wouldn’t be like that. You would only be with me.”

“This is a terrible idea. I’m out,” Daisy said.

“I’ll pay you,” Rory tried.

“How much?” Daisy asked before thinking it through.

“What if I matched what you lost today? It would be about the same amount of time, and you wouldn’t do anything more than you would have done today,” Rory quickly said.

“What exactly does that mean?”

“To be candid, I’d want to do everything. I’ve wanted you since I saw the pictures you sent in.”

Daisy blushed for some unknown reason—that had never happened to her. She also couldn’t believe she was considering this.

“I’d want the cash up front.”

“No problem. I’ll bring it with me when I come to pick you up at seven. We can go to dinner, hit the party, and then go back to my place,” Rory said.

“I’m not dressing up.”

“No problem. As a matter of fact, I hate having to do that, too.”

“I’m talking jean shorts and a halter top.”

“Perfect,” Rory agreed.

“And if one of your pervy friends touches me, you’d better be prepared to kick their ass.”

“All good,” Rory said with a huge smile.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m in,” Daisy agreed.

Rory did a happy dance, which made her like him even more. He wasn’t afraid to act goofy, and she felt that a sense of humor was sexy.

Summer’s phone rang. She debated letting it go to voicemail because she was shopping for the perfect outfit for the party that night. But when she saw it was Alice, she picked up.

“I’m glad you called. I’m trying to decide if I should buy this cute white chiffon fitted shirt by PrettyLittleThing, or a sexy, strapless, bustier top by Laquan Smith. What do you think?”

“After I tell you what I know, you might head to the back room where they have the good stuff. I saw this Versace black spaghetti-strap latex bustier you might consider,” Alice said.

“My dad would kill me if I spent that much,” Summer worried.

“Rory’s going to be at the party tonight.”

“He’s back? Where did he go? When did you talk to him?” Summer asked, rapid-fire.

“He was in Reno, helping some guy train for a fight. And, before you ask, he left his phone at home, which was why he didn’t get back to any of us. He knows about you and Chad,” Alice shared.

“And he still plans to show his face tonight?” Summer asked.

“He acted like it was no big deal. I thought you wanted him in our group for the status he brings,” Alice said.

“I’m not sure,” Summer admitted.

“Well, you knew you’d have to see him while you were with Chad at some point. You might as well get it over with so we can all get back to normal,” Alice said.

“Versace it is, and my dad will just have to understand,” Summer decided.

“That’s my girl. See you tonight,” Alice said as she hung up.

Summer was still mad at Rory. He hadn’t even given her a chance to explain about Chad, and then two different girls had insinuated that he’d cheated on her at the frat party.

First was Sophie’s awful friend Paige. She’d found Summer alone at the country club and said Rory and some girl had gone back to his motorhome. When Summer asked if it was the underwear model look-alike, Paige said the girl was really hot.

Then Rena, the water-polo skank, had told a similar story. She’d even confirmed that the girl had done a body shot off Rory.

Later that day, Chad had called and asked if she wanted to go to the party with him. Her first thought had been, ‘Hell, no,’ but when she thought of Rory with that ... that ... girl ... she’d said, ‘Yes.’

Then, at the party, she’d gotten drunk, and the next thing she knew, she was blowing Chad in front of her friends. She’d wanted to rip his balls off when he came all over her face and in her hair. When she complained, Chad had said she should get used to it and laughed at her.

Deep in her gut, she knew Chad was a mistake, but he promised he’d be faithful to her. She also knew that dating the water-polo captain would raise her status enough to challenge Gigi for the position of queen bee of Valley Prep this fall.

Tonight, she would remain in control and get Chad in line. She would need her wits about her because she planned to give Rory a piece of her mind. He would also be drooling over how hot she looked.

Rory picked Daisy up and nearly had a heart attack. She hadn’t been kidding when she said she’d be wearing a halter top. Her nipples looked like they wanted to come out and play, which had his dick getting half-hard. And her jean shorts barely covered her ass.

“Dear Lord, you look hot. Every guy who sees you is going to be staring, wishing he was me,” Rory said.

She went up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“That’s so sweet of you to say,” Daisy said, falling into her sexy Southern drawl. “You think Summer will notice?”

He’d forgotten about Summer when he saw Daisy. He was thinking they could skip the party, hit a drive-through, and then go back to his place.

“Who cares when I’m with you? What do you want to eat?” Rory asked before he said something foolish.

“I’d love some fried chicken.”

“I know just the place.”

Rory had been told about a restaurant on the south Vegas strip called the Crack House. One of the film editors had said that was where she always went for chicken.

They ordered ten pieces, deviled eggs, biscuits, and fries. When Rory saw all the food, he figured they would take some home. Daisy surprised him; she could eat some chicken. And it was every bit as good as he’d been told.

Over dinner, they got to know each other better. Daisy was the youngest in a big family of boys, so she became a tomboy. It wasn’t until high school that she realized how she affected men. She admitted that she went a bit wild.

Rory then filled her in on what to expect that night. It helped that she’d met his friends for lunch her first day in Las Vegas. He did warn her about the Whitman twins and how they’d been at the center of his troubles with Summer. He also explained how they made it a sport to steal another guy’s girl and then dump the girl after sleeping with her.

Rory was glad when Daisy asked him to point them out so she would know who to watch out for.

After they demolished the food, it was time to go face Summer.

Summer wore a blouse over her new Versace latex bustier because her mom would have never let her out of the house otherwise. It fit like a second skin and pushed the twins up, so it looked like she had a lot more up top. The reason for the blouse was the bustier left the top halves of her breasts exposed.

When they pulled up to the party, she began to unbutton her blouse. When Chad got an eyeful, he asked if she wanted to get in the back seat or just blow him in the front.

“Fuck off, Chad,” Summer said as she got out of the car.

He scrambled out and trotted after her.

“Hold up. You just look so damned sexy, I couldn’t help myself.”

Summer took a deep breath and slowly let it out to calm down.

“Thank you. But when I dress nice for you, I expect you to still treat me like a lady,” Summer said.

“Everyone is going to crap when they see you,” Chad predicted.