Part 15 (2/2)
”I'll get the media to flip this in Hotel du France's favor,” she said as if it was just another day at her office. Taddy held court well.
”How long will your fame-glam-Brill strategy take?” He couldn't imagine it was possible to rebrand or re-launch anything until at least a year from now. The hotel would most likely be closed by then. Who would want to stay at a place reporters had coined ”Hotel du a.n.a.l”? He had to act fast.
”Twenty-four hours.” She clamped her jaw tight and stared at him. ”Drop the charges against Kiki this second and we'll get your little PR stunt crossed off my long to-do list.”
Warner noted how confident Taddy was of her PR capabilities. But he wasn't convinced. ”And what's the contingency plan if your publicity mastery backfires?”
”I don't have one.” Her voice raised a pitch. ”Brill, Inc. won't need one.”
”If you fail...” He imagined the possibilities. She'd have to do whatever he wanted. ”We finish what we started at Prive Extreme...Red and her Big Daddy.”
Her perfect eyebrows furrowed. ”I would never sleep with a married man.”
”What are you talking about?”
”How's Rielle?” Taddy blurted his ex-fiancee's name as if calling sooey to a pig. He thought, for a second, she might add an oink, but she didn't.
”You honestly don't think I'd marry her.”
”Yes I do.”
Upright in the chair, he held his left hand out and ill.u.s.trated no wedding band. ”Not married. Rielle's insane-arrested after you left. Had you not run away so fast-” He cut himself off and swallowed a deep breath. ”If you'd given me the benefit of the doubt after I held you in my arms, you would know this already.”
”I thought...” Red's features clouded with unease. ”Sorry.” She reached for the chair and rested her tall body against the backrest. He hoped she'd sit down with him. ”You're single?”
”Yes. Do you honestly think I would've kissed you if I was getting married?” He looked her over seductively. With any luck, it would remind her of what they'd shared.
”Totally.”
”Touched you?” He focused his attention on the exact spot his hands had been.
”Maybe.”
”Invited you back to my place?” He had her there.
”No, I suppose not.” Taddy shrugged it off. ”Our night was a misunderstanding and so is this week's fiasco.”
”I'll drop the charges if you hold your press conference tomorrow morning. Work on your strategy today.” He paused. ”Tonight you can show me what you've come up with over dinner.”
”Sounds fair enough,” she confirmed.
”If your press conference fails, we finish what we started at Prive Extreme.” Warner hoped they'd succeed at both. He could always get another hotel, but he could never find another Red.
”Deal.” She extended a firm handshake and relaxed her face into a slight grin. Finally, he saw the whites of her teeth. Straight and perfect, they matched the rest of her features.
All this arguing made him ravenous. ”Can I take you to lunch? We could eat at La Palme d'Or over on Boulevard de la Croisette and discuss your media approach further.” He loved their tables on the terrace. They overlooked the Bay of Cannes.
Suddenly Red straddled the back of the chair. She dropped her shoulders and teased him with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Warner remembered stroking her sensitive nipples in his hands. He'd enjoyed seeing her face blush in pleasure as his fingers slid in to her weeping hole. When his eyes met hers, she spoke. ”Do you have any clue how much work is ahead of us to pull off this conference?” Turning for the door, she whispered over her shoulder, ”See you tonight, Mr. Truman.”
I haven't seen you since December. It took me five months, but I got you, Red!
Outside, Taddy spoke to the journalists who'd gathered on the street. They'd clamored for a response from Hotel du France. She hosted a short two-minute pre-press media alert and told the world to tune in tomorrow for bigger news with their CEO, Mr. Warner Truman.
Kiki was ready to go home. Not back to Manhattan but Utah. She'd called her family from jail and they agreed some time in Provo would be good for her.
DJ Dejon who'd been arrested with Kiki had waited at a nearby cafe until Kiki was released. His record label had sprung for his bail earlier. Warner had also dropped the charges against him. When Taddy first met Dejon, she'd grilled him on his intentions with Kiki. Taddy concluded he was a great match for Kiki. He seemed like an upstanding guy, especially when she'd learned Dejon had advised Kiki against inviting the adult actors to their room. When he and Kiki had first arrived in Cannes, he'd tried to score his own private melonlicious time with her.
Afraid to be alone with Dejon, Kiki had hung out with Manuel and Caramel as a distraction. ”Better Manuel and Caramel having s.e.x, than me with Dejon,” Kiki had revealed to Taddy when she was packing up her things. ”Dejon puts b.u.t.terflies in my stomach I've never felt before.” She couldn't imagine losing her virginity, but Lord, how she wanted to. ”Please thank Mr. Truman for dropping the charges.” Her a.s.sistant opened the door to Taddy's rental car and climbed in with her bags.
”I'm glad that's over.” Taddy apologized to Kiki for possibly being overly s.e.xed the past few months. She told Kiki she just wanted to see her happy.
During the drive to the nearby Mandelieu Airport, Taddy hoped she could get her a.s.sistant to change her mind and stay. ”Are you sure you want to leave Cannes?”
”Yes.” Kiki held on to her bag as if it was all she owned.
Taddy s.h.i.+fted the Peugeot into fifth gear as they zipped east down Avenue Bachaga Said Boualam. She didn't have much time to get the press conference organized but wanted to make sure she gave her goodbyes to Kiki. ”If you change your mind and stay, I could take you shopping once the press conference is over.” The car's radio played unfamiliar French pop music. She turned it down. ”We could spend the day in Rue d'Antibes. They have the best-”
”No.” Kiki shook her head.
She tried again to encourage her a.s.sistant to stay. ”Blake emailed me a nightlife schedule. We could make our rounds.
”No way!”
”You have tickets for the Vanity Fair party and let's not forget the gorgeous dress, which you have yet to wear. I could do your hair.” Please stay. I feel horrible about suggesting you watch those darn videos.
”You can go in my place, Miss Brill.” Her face tilted toward the window.
She patted her a.s.sistant's leg. ”I could get us into the Marie Claire party. Rumor has it Prince Harry and Zac Efron are attending. How fun, let's-”
”There's something about being handcuffed while ten thousand h.o.r.n.y people chant 'f.u.c.k her! f.u.c.k her!' in your face that makes you not want to party.” She turned toward Taddy and added, ”Or be seen in public.”
”Gotcha.” She lowered the visor. The early-afternoon sun shone bright white and yellow across the Mediterranean beaches. Gla.s.slike, the water gleamed back at her as if saying everything on the French Riviera existed for pleasure.
”One night in jail and I'm ready to leave France.” Kiki squeezed Taddy's hand to show her grat.i.tude for the bail-out. ”Thank you for buying my airline ticket to Utah to see my folks for a few days. I'm homesick.”
Taddy's sadness over Kiki leaving Cannes eased at the thought of her in Utah. She wanted Kiki's family to get close again and had called the airline for a ticket before they'd left the police station. ”Your trip home is a blessing.”
”How so?”
”You'll make right with your family.” She hoped Kiki would return as promised. a.s.sistants often left the city for a break and never returned. That was the reason Taddy resisted bonding with her employees. They never lasted. Devastated when one would resign or quit on the spot, over the years she found if she distanced herself from them, it would be easier when they left. Taddy had learned as a teen if she didn't want to get hurt, she couldn't get attached.
”My parents are looking forward to meeting Dejon. I'm relieved he's flying back with me. He texted to say he'd meet me at the airline check-in counter.”
”Dejon is perfect for you. He's young and lanky with ET-like fingers. You know what they say about men with his body type, don't you?”
”No. What?” Kiki's face was expressionless.
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