Page 118 of Broken Romeo
I twitch, tugging at the material clinging to my hip. Even though it’s exquisite and fits perfectly, I still feel on display.
Shrinking back from the crowd, I press myself against the wall, hoping that I’ll disappear—or at the very least, that people will stop wondering who I am and what the hell I’m doing on the arm of one of Broadway’s most coveted actors.
Nolan eyes me, handing me the Cosmo the bartender finished making.
“Why are you so twitchy?” he asks, giving me a strange look.
“People are staring,” I whisper. Every nerve ending is on edge, and I glance around the party, trying to see if Holden’s dad is here yet, while also actively avoiding the area near the piano where Holden and Missystand. Together.
“You’re an actress,” Nolan whispers in my ear and snakes his arm around my waist, pulling me in for a hug. “Act like you belong here. Which, for the record, you do.”
I smile up at him, grateful to have a friend—a real friend—not only tonight at the party, but in this industry. It can be a strangely lonely career for something that involves such large teams of people.
A bright flash of light pops in front of us. I startle and spill my drink. The pink, sticky liquid sloshes over the edge of my martini glass onto my hand. Thank God I was quick enough to move it away from my dress, avoiding a disaster I couldn’t afford to have. I’m already in debt to Holden for my rent. I can’t be in debt to him for this dress too.
“What the hell?” I mutter and glance up at a man with a giant camera directed right at Nolan and me.
Nolan is totally unfazed and leans in closer to me, holding me tightly and smiling.
The man holding the camera waves to me, calling, “Ms. Harris!”
He knows my name? How does this stranger know my name?
“Are you and Nolan here together?” he asks.
“Uhhh… yeah. I mean, no. We’re here together, but not together together—”
Nolan cuts me off with a squeeze to my hip. “Katie was kind enough to let me escort her tonight. Even if I had to cut to the front of a long line of people who’d asked her.”
Katie. The only people who call me that are Mallory and my parents. And sometimes Jill if she’s looking to piss me off. But with Nolan, it’s almost endearing.
His eyes spark as he glances down at me, smiling, and pulls me flush against his body in a hug that I’m pretty sure is more for the camera than for me. “Isn’t that right?”
Shit. He’s practically berating me with that hug. Silently begging me to get it together. We’re playing a part tonight. Nolan had warned me that these parties were giant PR stunts filled with media.
I take a deep breath. He’s right. I’m an actress. And this is one giant performance.
I grin and deliver a wink to the man with the camera. “Something like that.”
I feel the relief in Nolan’s sigh as he guides me away from the bar, his palm still heavy on my hip. “I thought you weren’t going to play along.”
I laugh and grab a napkin off a table as we walk past to wipe the spilled drink off my hand. “Hey now, I thought you said I was a good actress!”
“You’re a great actress. And apparently terrible at improv.”
I knock my elbow into his ribs and revel in the muted grunt he gives me.
“Damn, Harris, I was kidding,” he mutters, but manages to chuckle in that good-natured way of his.
“What’s that about anyway? Why are we pretending to be more than friends?”
Nolan gives a quiet snort. “Are you kidding? Every time the media thinks I’m dating my co-stars, ticket sales soar. It’s like guaranteeing that we have a sold-out opening week.”
I glance at him curiously. “But usually you are dating your co-stars, right?”
He winks at me from over the edge of his gin and tonic before answering, “True. But usually, we don’t really date until after we’ve pretended for the cameras. Don’t worry, though. You’re safe this time. I meant what I said the other night about wanting a friend. A real friend.”
“A not naked friend?” I tease.