"My God," Jack whispers. "It's actually him. A bonafide living legend in our midst."
Daniel holds out his hand, and we all just stare, too intimidated to move. "I won't bite, you know."
That breaks the ice, and we all nearly fall over ourselves trying to say hello. Liam is extra enthusiastic.
"It's an honor," he says as Daniel shakes his hand. "You're the reason I wanted to become an actor. I've watched all your movies dozens of times. You're the master."
"Ditto to that," Ethan says. "My favorite is Twice Dead. Total classic."
As everyone breaks into excited chatter about their favorite Eastman movies, Marco turns to Erika, who seems shocked into silence.
"Darling," Marco says. "You remember Daniel, don't you?"
She flashes Marco a look before holding her hand out to Daniel. "Of course. How are you?"
Daniel brings her hand up to his mouth and kisses it. Wow, this dude is smooth.
"Better for seeing you," he says, standing close to her. "You look ... breathtaking."
They stare at each other for a few seconds, and it's clear there's a truckload of sexual tension parked between them.
Interesting.
Erika's the first to break eye contact, and after she pulls her hand back, she takes in a shaky breath. "If you'll excuse me, I see someone I must speak with."
Daniel seems to deflate as she leaves.
Okay, this is intriguing. Why am I the only one taking notice?
A few months ago, Daniel was involved in a messy divorce from his wife of twenty years. It was all over the papers. Insiders said his wife took him to the cleaners, and Daniel just rolled over and took it. There were whispers of infidelity with some of his younger co-stars, but judging from this exchange, I wonder if his mistress might have been someone closer to his age.
"Danny," Marco says. "You don't seem to have a drink. Let me remedy that. What will you have?"
Daniel keeps his eyes on Erika until she disappears into the long hallway on the other side of the room. "I don't care what you give me, but make it a double."
FOUR
Green-Eyed Monster
As the clock ticks closer to midnight, the party buzzes with excited energy. People are laughing, drinks are flowing, and even though no one is sloppy drunk, we're all at the stage where our inhibitions are fading, and our verbal filters have gone home for the night.
"I mean, you've seen the guy, right?" I say to Elissa as we sit side by side on a long, leather couch. "Do you think I'm crazy being paranoid about him?"
She nods. "Yes."
"Like, is it crazy to think they might be rehearsing a sex scene in her apartment one night, and OOPS, all of their clothes fall off, and they accidentally fuck?"
"Yes, it's crazy," she says emphatically. "That would never happen."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know Angel. And she's so nutso in love with you, she'd never even look at another guy." Her phone dings, and she checks the screen. "Well, speak of the devil. Here." She passes me the phone. "She's sent you pics."
I smile as I see her stunning face on the screen. Her smile is so dazzling, it could light up Manhattan.
She's taken a selfie with the Sydney Opera House in the background, and she wasn't lying when she said it was a gorgeous day down under. The sky is clear blue, and from what I can see of the yacht, it's one of those luxury jobs with all the bells and whistles.
I scroll to the next photo, and what I see makes my smile drop. "No." I scroll to the next picture, and the next, and that vein behind my eye starts throbbing again. "No, no, no."
"Josh?"
"He wasn't supposed to be there," I mutter to myself as I stand and flick back through the frames. "He had a press thing to do." Why the ever loving fuck are there pictures of Angel hugging Julian, and sitting on his lap, and staring at him adoringly as he throws his head back and laughs. "Fuck!"
"Bestie, you're not making sense," Elissa says as she pulls Liam to sit next to her. "But on the upside, that costume makes your package look freaking huge."
"Babe," Liam says. "I know you've had a few shots, but it's still not cool to talk about another guy's package in front of me."
I'm fixated on a photo of Julian and Angel on the deck of the boat, arms around each other as everyone else looks on. They look like a goddamn ad campaign for overpriced perfume.
"But, babe, it's right there," Elissa says. "Like, boom! In my face." She looks up at me. "Did you stuff a sock down there tonight, or what?"
I glare at her. "You said she wouldn't even look at another man. Then how do you explain this?"
I show her the pictures, and her face drops. "Josh, don't panic, okay? This doesn't prove anything except she's having a good time."
Liam squints at the screen. "These look like press shots. She's just playing it up with Julian for the cameras. I should know. I've done that with her a million times. It's good publicity for the film."
Elissa takes my hand. "See? It doesn’t mean anything. It's just a bunch of friends on a boat."
"Yeah," I say, trying to stay ahead of my rising anger. "But they're the only two friends who look like a couple."