"I think you need your head examined. The only thing that Neanderthal wants is to get into a willing female's pants and that female will most certainly not be me."
"And why not? He's sexy!"
"Then you go out with him," she sneered.
"I've got my eye on a different fireman, thanks. Alisha, it's been a long time since T—"
Alisha held up a hand. "Uh-uh—we don't speak of him, remember? He-who-must-not-be-named—like Voldemort."
"Or Vanessa on Gossip Girl," Maggie said, scrunching her nose up disgustedly, making Alisha laugh.
"Exactly!" She plucked the cream cashmere sweater she'd bought in her rage-induced shopping spree off the bed and folded it neatly. Glancing at the rest of the purchases, she looked up guiltily at Maggie. "I need help, don't I?"
Maggie smiled and laughed softly. "Sweetie, for several years now," she teased, dodging the purse Alisha threw at her. She opened the door, looked back over her shoulder. "Don't forget that we're hosting game night this evening."
"Oh yeah," Alisha said, her face lighting up. "That will cheer me right up! Let me just get this mess put away and then I'll put some food together for tonight," she said, gesturing to the rainbow pile on her bed.
"Great—see you later."
Maggie hurried to her room and shut the door, quickly dialing Russell.
"Yes?" he asked in a posh voice.
"I think we should abort our plan for game night, Russell."
"And why would we do that? Didn't you already invite him over?"
She felt the pang of guilt settle in her stomach, knowing Alisha would be pissed from being blindsided. "Well, yes, but—"
"No buts, M! What's the worst that could happen? She Starlets out and gets pissed for a day or two? Been there, done that. Ooh, I've got to run. Ciao Ciao!"
When the line went dead, she frowned. She hated that he always somehow managed to get the last word in. The little diva. Her phone beeped with a text message and she got sidetracked from all other thought when James told her he was looking forward to seeing her tonight.
Alisha artfully arranged the hors d'ouevres on a platter and scooped some dip into a bowl while she got caught up on the latest gossip from Russell's boyfriend, Adam. She laughed when he told her of the colossal hissy fit Russell threw the other day before the Bergdorf meeting. "Why does that not surprise me?" she asked, smiling over at the handsome man with the sandy hair and blue eyes.
"Things have calmed down considerably since the deal went through. Get you a drink, Lisha?" he asked, pulling open the fridge.
"I'd love some wine—red. Thanks, Adam." She grabbed the snacks and headed for the living room, spying Maggie and Russell having a hushed argument on the couch. "What are you two arguing about now?" she asked, setting the food down on the coffee table.
"Business," they blurted quickly. In unison.
She gave them an odd look. "Well, stop. It's game night! And I'm in the mood to have fun." A knock sounded at the door. "That must be Cristina and Beau. I'll get it," she smiled and bounded over to the door.
Alisha pulled open the door fully expecting to see her married friends and saw a happy-faced James on the other side instead. "Hi, James," she greeted, smiling in surprise. "Come on in." He stepped inside and, much to her chagrin, a smirking (seriously?) Big appeared in the doorway behind him. Her face fell into a scowl. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Chapter 5
Alisha stood in front of the open door scowling at the absolute last person she expected to see at game night, his trademark smirk firmly in place. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she spat. His grin was quick, his eyes amused, and she wanted to slam the door in his stupid (sexy) face. "What are you doing here?" she asked, forgoing politeness.
"I was invited."
She sneered at him, looked back at her friends in the living room and saw Maggie walking over with her guilty face on. One look at the wicked grin on Russell's otherwise cherubic face confirmed all she needed to know—her friends hated her. "How could you?" she mouthed silently to Maggie before turning back to tall, dark and douchey taking up space in the hall.
"Hi, Big," Maggie greeted brightly. "Thanks for coming."
Big carelessly shrugged his broad shoulders, but smiled back at the blonde. "I brought beer," he said, lifting the case for evidence.
"Fantastic—you can never have too much alcohol. Right, Lisha?"
"I'm going to need it," she muttered under her breath and then pressed her lips together and gave him a tight, fake smile before turning and flouncing off to the kitchen.
His lips twitched as he watched her storm away and he stepped into the apartment. "Want me to put this in your fridge?"
Maggie cast a quick glance towards the kitchen, "Ah, I'd better take that. Go on in the living room. We're waiting on a couple more and then we'll get started. There's food if you're hungry." She smiled and took the case of beer from his hands and headed to face Alisha's wrath.
"I'm sorry," Maggie said the moment she walked into the kitchen, flinching as Alisha's brutal gaze sliced through her.
"Why do you hate me?" Alisha pouted, folding her arms across her chest.
She put the beer on the counter and turned. "Don't be so dramatic," she sighed. "I told James a few days ago to bring him if he wanted to."
"Which you failed to mention entirely," she heatedly pointed out.
"I know—but it was Russell's idea," Maggie blurted, throwing her friend under the bus. After all, she was the one who'd tried to call it off and it wasn't fair that he was in the other room while she got yelled at. "I had no way of knowing you'd bump into each other and get into it today."
"So, Larrington—you talk to your friends about me?" he asked from the
