“Naked. I get the point.”

“The point, Jeremiah, is that this is not how things were supposed to go tonight.”

Jeremy reached out and solemnly put his hand on the Sexiest Man Alive’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Jason. But maybe she’s just not that into you.”

It was a joke, but Jason’s face suddenly filled with worry. “Do you really think that could be it?”

Despite the fact that he generally enjoyed any fun that could be had at Jason’s expense, Jeremy felt a little bad seeing the look of concern on his friend’s face.

“No, I actually don’t think that’s it,” he said. “But I also don’t think she’s going to admit how she feels.”

The words seemed to reinvigorate Jason. “Well, too bad for her.” He ignored the look Jeremy gave him. “Hey—don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying this game of hard to get she’s playing. It’s been like three weeks of foreplay.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. The comment wasn’t even worth responding to.

“But it’s time for things to start moving along, to where she and I both know this is headed,” Jason continued.

“And I suppose, Evil Genius, that you have just the plan to accomplish this?” Jeremy paused when he saw the sly smile on Jason’s face. “You actually do have a plan, don’t you?”

“I do,” Jason said proudly.

“Do I even dare to ask what this plan might be?”

“Every woman’s weakness,” Jason told him. “Jealousy.” He folded his arms and leaned back against the balcony ledge. “Let her see me with someone else, and then we’ll see how stubborn she is.”

Jeremy waved this off. “Taylor’s hardly the type to get into some catfight for you.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for,” Jason said. Then he paused, as if suddenly getting the visual. “As hot as that might be . . .”

Jason shook this off. “Look—all I need is to see her reaction. Trust me, I know how a woman looks when she’s upset with me. And if she’s upset, that means she’s jealous, and that tells me everything I need to know.”

Jeremy shook his head. “This is not a good plan. I’ll tell you what—I’ve got a better idea for you.”

Curious, Jason leaned in as Jeremy lowered his voice conspiratorially.

“Now I know it’s a bit radical, but in desperate times—”

Jeremy paused dramatically.

“Give her . . . time to trust you.”

He glanced around furtively to make sure no one had overheard his devious plot.

Jason glared, unamused by Jeremy’s antics. “I don’t want to give her time to trust me. That’ll take too long.”

“So what if it does?” Jeremy asked. “Are you going somewhere? Dying? I better get the Aston Martin.”

“I’m just tired of waiting,” Jason said. “I want to know how she feels. I need to know how she feels.”

Jeremy glanced over, intrigued by this choice of words.

But seemingly not wanting to discuss the matter further, Jason turned away and headed back inside the house.


UNDERNEATH THE BALCONY, Scott and Rob huddled in a corner of the patio, out of view. They had just overheard everything Jason had said.

Scott grinned victoriously. “I told you they weren’t together.”

Rob nodded. “It’s the same thing I saw in Vegas—he has seriously got a thing for that girl.” He peeked around the corner, trying to get a better look at Taylor. “I wonder what her deal is? I mean, the guy could get anyone he wants.”

Scott yanked Rob back into the alcove. Perhaps a little rougher than necessary.

“Hey,” Rob complained, fixing his shirt. “I just meant, what’s so special about her?”

Scott thought about this for a moment. “You know, I think we should find out.” He moved Rob aside in order to have an unobstructed view of Taylor. “I think it’s about time that Jason Andrews’s Mystery Woman became a little less of a mystery.” With a purposeful grin, he headed back into the party.

Rob watched him go, calling after him. “Great! Sounds like a plan.” He pointed to the buffet table. “I’m just gonna grab a few snacks first.”

Sixteen

JASON FOUND NAOMI Cross out by the koi pond, chatting intimately with a group of women. He approached her with a warm smile.

“Hello, Naomi. Are you enjoying yourself?”

The actress turned when she heard Jason’s voice. She was long and blonde and tan, appearing every inch the California girl until she spoke.

“Darling, you know I always enjoy myself at your parties. I’d never miss one.” Her smooth British accent was the only indication that she was London born and bred.

“Got a second?” Jason gestured to a table off to the side. When Naomi nodded, he led her away from her girlfriends.

As Jason was about to sit down at the table, he spotted Taylor across the pool, still talking to Hayden Stone. Deciding it was high time to put an end to that, he grabbed a bouncer who was walking by.

“Got a cell phone?”

The bouncer nodded affirmatively.

“Good.” Jason pointed. “Hayden Stone is over there, talking to a dark-haired woman. Walk up to him with the cell phone and say that his wife wants to speak with him.”

Satisfied when he saw the bouncer take off in Taylor’s direction—that should take care of that—Jason joined Naomi at the table.

“So Cindy told me that she and Marty have been talking,” Naomi said, referring to her publicist.

“The two of them seem to be quite the matchmakers these days. Marty suggested that you and I have drinks at the Peninsula.” Jason rolled his eyes at the unoriginality of the idea. “It was the same place he sent Jen and Vince before the release of The Break-Up.”

The two actors shared a grin. Although this was the first time they’d worked together, they had known each other for years and got along well.

“Drinks at the Peninsula?” Naomi laughed. “I give it three weeks before the tabloids say we’re engaged.”

“And five before you’re pregnant.”

Naomi groaned. “Another bump watch. Cindy would love it.”

Jason leaned in, peering at her across the table. It was time to get down to business. “Naomi—I need to ask you for a favor. There’s something I’d like you to help me out with tonight.”

Always one for a good intrigue, Naomi met Jason halfway across the table, tilting her head in toward his. She lowered her voice to a secretive whisper.

“What exactly did you have in mind, darling?”


TAYLOR NODDED ALONG politely as Hayden Stone rattled on about his newest project, a romantic “dramedy” about a self-centered man at a crisis point in his life who becomes a better person through the love of a quirky-but-cute woman, all set to an eclectic classic rock soundtrack. Given that Hayden was the only person at the party who had bothered to talk to her other than Jason, she resisted the urge to point out that this sounded strikingly similar to the plot of his last three films.

While Taylor was talking to the director, she couldn’t help but see Jason out of the corner of her eye, sitting at a table near the pool with Naomi Cross. She recalled the People magazine article Linda had given her a few weeks ago that suggested Naomi was Jason’s “next conquest.”

A few weeks ago, Taylor could have cared less about such gossip. But now, for some reason, seeing them together made her stomach feel as though it was tied up in knots.

She forced herself to look away from Jason and the actress, just as Hayden wrapped up his ten-minute diatribe on the protagonist’s “character arc.”

“So that’s the point where we see that the character has really come full circle,” he said. “What do you think?”

Taylor blushed at the question. This really was not her field of expertise.

“Oh, I’m not the right person to ask,” she said lightly. “I don’t see that many romantic comedies.”

“Dramedies,” Hayden corrected her. “And why is that? You don’t believe in love?”

Taylor was momentarily put off by his bluntness. But she grinned, trying to play nice. “Of course I believe in love.” She deliberately put just a tinge of mocking emphasis on the word. “Although I’m not sure I believe in love like you see in movies.”

Hayden appeared to like this challenge. In the Hollywood food chain, as Taylor quickly was about to learn, the only person more arrogant and self-assured than an Oscar-winning actor was an Oscar-winning director.

“Oh? What is it you don’t believe in?”

Under his probing gaze, Taylor suddenly felt like she was back in law school, being grilled by her torts professor over the court’s holding in Hadley v. Baxendale.

“I don’t know . . .” she said, shifting her drink to the other hand. She saw that the director was not going to let her off that easily. “I suppose it’s the idea that there’s one person out there for you. The so-called perfect match. It’s not a logical concept.”

Taylor quickly glanced around the party, looking for a way out. This whole conversation had turned a little flighty for her taste.

Hayden rocked back and forth on his heels, smug in his obvious superior knowledge on the subject.

“You know, just because love like that hasn’t happened to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

At this, Taylor tried to recall what her torts professor had said about justification being a legal defense to smacking someone upside the head. But she managed to resist the urge to find out.

“I’m sure you’re right,” she said to Hayden with a polite smile. “I suppose I’m not your target audience, that’s all.”

Hayden leaned in closer. “Let me give you a bit of friendly advice, Taylor. Life isn’t always about logic and reason—sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump. Particularly when it comes to relationships.”