Lucy pushed the elevator button. She pushed it again. Hurry up and get me out of here, she thought as her face burned and her hands shook. She had never been so shocked or embarrassed.
‘Lucy. Lucy!’ Shit, too late. Kirk was breathless and running down the corridor. ‘Wait, please, I can explain.’
I doubt that very much, Lucy thought, though her mouth was too dry to form any kind of response. The only slightly feasible explanation might be that he was actually filming a scene for his new movie, which was of the soft-porn genre.
She turned to face Kirk. He looked as mortified as she did.
A man appeared behind him.
His manager, Jed, who had a smaller suite beside Kirk’s, had heard his door slam, followed by his star client’s raised voice.
Kirk turned to Jed, his expression changing from apologetic to furious.
‘Jed, did you not tell Lucy to meet me an hour later at the bar downstairs?’
‘No.’
Kirk looked like he was going to hit his manager.
‘Why the fuck not?’
‘Because you told me not to. You said you’d rather text her yourself.’
Lucy had spoken to Jed a few hours ago. He had called to ask if she would like to join Kirk at seven in his suite for a glass of champagne before they headed out for dinner. Then they would go on to the party where Carlos would join them. Lucy could remember Jed explaining clearly that the reception had her name and would give her a room key. The suite was so large and what with Kirk’s love of rock music at full blast, it was best she let herself in.
‘Fuck. I thought you said you’d do it.’ Kirk’s head was bowed, his shoulders stooped.
‘No. You were insistent on calling Lucy yourself.’
Jed looked at Lucy, as if noticing she was there for the first time, and smiled painfully and remorsefully at her.
He lowered his voice, in an attempt to shield Lucy from what he was saying. ‘You said you wanted to look like a normal guy and text yourself,’ Jed said through gritted teeth.
‘Fuck,’ Kirk repeated. Now he remembered. He’d asked Jed to get him a girl for some quick relief and that he’d call Lucy and ask to meet an hour later. But as soon as the conversation was finished, the second part of the plan was out of his head. Kirk’s manager sorted everything for him – girls, clubs, clothes, you name it. Shit, he should have remembered to call Lucy. He was just so excited at the thought of the girl Jed had promised him.
The fact the girl had sneaked off to the toilet when Lucy came in, like she was the one who should be ashamed; the fact she looked like a thousand other girls with bad roots and long blonde hair – these were all give-aways that she was a hooker. Standing there in a pastel-pink wool wrap over a black-velvet dress, the material tight over her long thighs, Lucy looked breathtaking, as full of grace as Carli wasn’t.
‘Lucy, I’m so sorry you had to see that.’
Lucy had no desire to argue back. She wasn’t angry, just bewildered. She could hardly make a scene as the wronged girlfriend. This was supposed to be their first date, or perhaps the second if the Met Bar counted.
If it hadn’t been for the scene of genuine confusion that had just played out between him and Jed, Lucy might have assumed this was a weird sex game where Kirk liked to have his date walk in on him with someone else.
‘Listen, Kirk,’ Lucy congratulated herself inwardly for finding a voice, ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘I can explain.’
‘You can?’ Lucy was looking forward to this one.
Kirk looked at his manager, as if for inspiration, then back at Lucy. What would he explain? That he was horny and decided to pay for a hooker to satisfy him so that he could behave well with Lucy? Because she was the kind of woman he wanted to be with and not just for sex. Hell, he was Kirk Kelner and had anything he wanted on speed dial. Somehow he didn’t think the truth would go down too well.
Then again, in the absence of any other bright ideas, what did he have to lose?
‘Will you join me for a drink downstairs, Lucy? Please. We’ll have a chat and then if you want to go home, I will understand.’
Lucy considered her options. Kirk looked a little pathetic, no matter how devastatingly handsome and famous, standing there in the corridor pleading with her. Perhaps having a drink would make him feel better. She certainly needed one.
‘OK, but I deserve the finest champagne after that little scene.’
Kirk smiled ruefully. ‘Make it a magnum.’