hadn’t slept together yet, but things were rapidly moving in that direction. She’d warned him when they started seeing one another that she needed to take her time. She was still bruised from a break-up, and she wanted to get to know him. Steph was done
with impulsivity and relationships. After a series of sexual
hookups- turned-boyfriends, she was ready for a more thoughtful
approach toward her and Christopher’s serendipitous romance.
“I imagine bed head suits you just fine.” She’d been incredibly gun-shy after agreeing to date him at Ricky Gervais’s New
Year’s party. He promised to let her dictate the terms, and she
finally relented. She figured it would rapidly unravel anyhow.
He had three strikes against him right from the start. He was
British, blonde, and in “the business.” She was not looking for a Phillip clone or a rebound guy, so she figured it would die on the vine, and she’d have to go look for a new agent.
Three months of marathon dates with Christopher had
yielded an unexpected result. She’d found she really liked him.
He was so kind and thoughtful. Plus, he had an epic romantic
streak; their first date alone topped most people’s honeymoons.
He’d flown to Paris and stayed in her guest room. They’d spent
two days and three nights together. They’d driven out to Ver-
sailles, and she’d photographed it from top to bottom. They’d
dined at outdoor cafés, and looked at fine art at the Louvre hand in hand. His fluent French and laid-back temperament made it a
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TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
relaxing experience, and she found herself mildly disappointed
when he didn’t try to sneak into her room on the second night.
He did kiss her goodbye, and it was surprisingly nice.
They took turns flying to see each other every other week-
end. Her to London, him alternating between Milan and Paris.
When she happened to be in London, they got together daily.
She doubted it was a coincidence that he hadn’t booked her a gig in the U.S. since he’d taken over as her agent, but found she
didn’t miss the transatlantic hop in the least.
They drank buckets of coffee and discussed articles in the
New York Times and Huffington Post. He was athletic, avidly
playing both soccer and rugby. He dragged her out on bike rides
and meandering walks. He even encouraged her to try yoga for
her nerves. She was shocked to discover she loved it, and now
she was addicted. But Steph’s yoga instructor had tailored the
soundtracks for her, replacing the Mercury Max music for The
Red Hot Chili Peppers.
From date one, Christopher pressed her for answers in a
way no one ever had. When she tried to kill conversations with cheeky quips, he sternly looked her in the eye and redirected the question. Real questions about her parents, her past, and her
views. As a result, she felt like she knew herself better than ev-er—which was both a blessing and a curse. Steph often worried
he was way too nice for her. She didn’t exactly deserve someone
like him, after slamming around the world the past few years like a long-horned bull window shopping for china patterns.
It seemed unimaginable that Christopher had started a brawl
with Phillip. He was usually so smooth and unflappable. Plus
Phillip was a monster of a man and obviously outmatched him.
But Christopher was definitely a man’s man, no doubt about it.
He could square off with the best of them. When she brought up
the wedding and Phillip’s attendance, she could see the rugby
player in him itching to come out and rumble. He’d tried every-
thing he could think of to be able to come along, but in the end, 76
RAGE
his work demands prevented it.
“How’s the island? Any run-ins with Phillip?” Not Christo-
pher’s most suave transition of topics, but she’d anticipated this line of questioning since before she left the U.K.
“Yep. It’s cool. We agreed to avoid one another,” she re-
plied as Kara exited the bathroom looking like Aphrodite incar-
nate with her blonde ringlets and gauzy white dress. She flashed a toothy, wide-eyed grin at Steph, who violently suppressed an
eye roll. She didn’t envy Cheyenne having to live with all her
exuberant enthusiasm.
“Good. I mean…I’m sure that’s for the best.” Christopher
replied. “I’m sorry I can’t be there, love.”
She tried not to flinch every time he called her “love”.
“Chris, I have to go. Cedric’s waiting for me. I’ll Skype you
tomorrow, okay?”
“Sounds good. Steph?”
“I’m still here.”
“I love you.” His declaration was so unexpected that Steph
thought she had hallucinated it. She paused awkwardly and
looked at the phone as if there might be an instant replay waiting for her on the screen. Her mouth went dry, and she didn’t seem
to have the muscle control to form words.
“Bye!” She hit end and dropped her phone on the bed. She
slapped her palms over her eyes and stomped her foot. “Fuck,
fuck, fuck!”
Kara poked her head out from the closet where she’d been
trying on shoes. “Is everything alright, mate?”
“No!” Steph flopped on the bed in a decidedly unladylike
manner, considering she was wearing a dress.
“Want to talk about it?” Kara offered, crossing to her while
putting in dangling earrings.
“No thanks. I just need booze.” Without a thought about her
carefully styled up-do, she buried her head under her pillow with a loud groan. Just when she thought things were shaping up nice-77
TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
ly with Christopher, he had gone and thrown a wrench into the
gears.
Kara stuck her hand out to her. “Come on. They have a
great selection of beers at the bar. Cheyenne said beer’s your
favorite.”
Steph thought maybe she’d misjudged Kara when she dis-
missed her as a dizzy blonde. Perhaps she was some sort of sa-
vant or Rhodes Scholar. She took Kara’s hand and allowed her to
pull her to her feet.
When they arrived, a party was in full swing. Several cou-
ples were dancing to the samba band, and Stephanie was amused
when she saw two Victoria’s Secret models flanking her brother
at their table like he was P.Diddy.
“Olá!” Cedric greeted her. Her eyebrow and the corners of
her mouth twitched as she looked at both of his companions.
“Hey there, Padre.” Steph nodded, taking in his causal, col-
lar-free attire.
“Steph, I’d like to introduce you to
