Free Come Dancing by Leslie Wells Page B

more scintillating to offer.”
    “Oh, I wouldn’t put it that way.” He gave my dress-front a quick glance. “You know what, a necklace would go nice with that. Here,” he said, reaching for the thin chain with the lightning bolt. He pulled it over his head. “Put this on.”
    “Oh, no, I might lose it.”
    But Jack put the chain over my head and then reached around to lift my hair in back. His warm hand brushed the nape of my neck. A wave of heat spread from my chest up to my collarbone.
    “There. You won’t lose it. It looks good on you.” His face was so close to mine, I could see two silky eyelashes twisted together. I was suddenly aware that my lips had parted. Clamping them shut, I swallowed hard.
    Rick stopped the car in front of a brick townhouse. “Here we are.”
    Jack reached over me to open the door. “After you.”
    “I never asked whose birthday it is,” I said as we went inside. Music was booming from an upper floor.
    “Patrick’s. We’ll just make an appearance; we don’t have to stay long.”
    Oh my god, it’s Patrick’s party? Maybe I can just blend into the wallpaper .
    I followed Jack up the stairs to a spacious loft packed with people, stereo blasting. Immediately he was surrounded by a group of men and women who seemed ready to pounce on him. He shouted at them over the noise for a minute, and then looked around for me. “What would you like? There’s champagne if you want.”
    I nodded and Jack snagged a couple of flutes from a passing waiter. “Cheers,” he said as we touched glasses. I could feel people’s eyes on me from all over the room, checking out the new girl Jack had brought with him. It was a weird sensation, like one of those dreams where you’re undressed in public. A man in a suit came over, put his arm around Jack’s neck and murmured something. “I have to speak to these record company flacks for a minute,” Jack said.
    He left with the guy, and I decided to find a quiet corner to observe the scenery. I wove through a dancing group of willowy girls who had to be models. The tallest ones seemed to be with short, balding men. I parked myself by a window with a view of the winking downtown skyline. No one is noticing me now , I thought with relief. I can just hang out here and take it all in .
    Two of the model types stopped in front of me.
    “You came with Jack, didn’t you?” the first one said in an unfriendly tone.
    “Yes. I’m Julia.” I smiled, but she didn’t.
    “I see you’re wearing his necklace. He never takes that off. Remember when it broke in the pool and Nicole had to spend a half-hour diving for it?” she asked her friend. They laughed at their little in-joke.
    “Sounds like I should take a crash scuba course,” I said uneasily.
    “Good luck to you,” she said, implying I’d need it. They glared at me and continued toward the bar.
    Well, that was unpleasant. Hopefully Jack will come find me soon, so I can avoid more confrontations with his bitchy ex-girlfriends . I squeezed past an animated group sitting at a table crosshatched with lines of cocaine, and went to admire an unframed Warhol.
    Hearing a British accent, I turned to see Patrick standing nearby. My first impression was that he was a miniature version of himself; he was only about my height, with boyishly narrow hips. His fashionably feathered blond hair and turquoise shirt brought out his blue-green eyes. He and the guy next to him seemed to be scrutinizing me. Patrick gestured with his cigarette and commented, “Jack’s new piece.” His lips pressed into his signature pout. “He abandon you already?”
    I decided to ignore that. “Happy birthday. I’m Julia.”
    Patrick didn’t hold out his hand, so I didn’t extend mine. “It’s not my birthday yet, but they wanted to throw me a party ‘coz I’ll be out of the country.” He looked around the room, seeming bored.
    “Happy party, then.”
    Patrick took a long pull on his cigarette. “I hear you’re a