Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Turning to Catie when the clapping finally died down and the cast and Leon had retreated backstage, Danny said, “I’m buzzed. You want to do something?” He didn’t want the night to end, didn’t want to stop being with Catie.
A nod, her eyes shining. “Leon said he’s having an after-party at Vertigo.” She named a fairly unknown club. “Mara butted in before he could tell you—anyway, he said he hired out a room, but he’s not expecting many people aside from the crew.”
“Oh, I think we can change that.” He grinned at Catie, delighted at being able to do something to help his friend. “Can you rope in a few of the local glitterati?”
“Maybe.” A dark scowl. “But don’t call them glitterati.” Sliding her hand down from her loose clasp at his elbow, she took his hand.
Danny closed his fingers around her palm, his heart pounding. “You okay to head home to change?” He tugged at his bowtie, suddenly too hot. “I want to get out of this thing.”
“Let’s do it.”
It took them over fifteen minutes to get outside thanks to all the people mingling around, buzzing about the play, and the media who wanted to get their reactions. The two of them made sure to give the play a glowing review, and Danny heard others around them doing the same. Leon was going to blow up.
Danny couldn’t be happier for his friend.
Once finally in the car and on their way home, they just collapsed and didn’t say much. And it was fine. With Catie, silence was as comfortable as annoying each other for no particular reason.
“Thanks,” he said to the driver when they came to a stop by the apartment. “We’re actually going back out. Are you okay to extend your hours, or shall we call a new car?” He knew all commercial drivers had to follow strict safety regs.
“No, I’m good since I was on an official break while you were in the theater,” the driver said with a grin. “I’ll just give the boss a call and let him know you guys want me to hang around.”
“We won’t be long,” Catie promised him. “Are you hungry? We can grab you food from the apartment.”
“No, I had dinner while you were watching the play. Thanks though.”
Leaving him to wait in his warm vehicle, they headed up to the apartment. Danny changed into clean blue jeans and a black tee, then pulled on the black jacket from the tux. “Does this look okay?” he asked, exiting his room. “I don’t have another formal-type jacket on me.”
She poked her head around the door of her bedroom. “Smoking,” she declared.
Ducking his head, he was glad she’d pulled back and couldn’t see his face. Because that face was hot. He raised his head back up just in time to see Catie step out. And almost swallowed his tongue. “Jesus, princess. You’re going to give some poor guy a heart attack.”
Laughing, she swiveled around to show him the back of her teeny tiny dress of glittering gold. It dipped sharply to the curve of her lower back, after which the designer had reluctantly permitted a measly few inches of glittery fabric that just covered her butt and hovered at the top edge of her thighs.
Thighs covered in creamy skin that made him want to loosen his nonexistent collar.
And the torture didn’t end there. The dress had spaghetti straps along with a slightly loose-on-purpose neckline that draped over the taut curves of her breasts. Which were braless. He knew that because his stupid brain insisted on putting two and two together and coming up with “holy hotness.”
“You’re wearing your favorite skins,” he managed to get out, only then noticing the futuristic-looking prosthetic covers she must’ve been wearing under her pants tonight; he knew she used the skins under that kind of clothing to give her calves shape.
“I decided they went with this dress,” Catie said with a grin. “Love my rods, but I wanted the gold.”
Danny had to agree on both points—bare, her legs were incredible pieces of engineering that he’d been lucky enough to be allowed to examine close up. But these skins had a kind of bionic look to them, as if Catie were half machine—they were even specially painted to appear as if the lines of gold were alive. Electronic blood.
She’d also gotten rid of her glittery sneakers in favor of a pair of short black ankle boots without a heel. The makeup, however, was the same—which wasn’t always a given with Catie.
“You got your wallet?” Catie said to him as she returned to her bedroom to grab her purse. “You had it in your pants pocket before.”
“Right, thanks.” He swung back into his room.
“Don’t forget your coat,” he said as they prepared to leave. “We’ll probably have to walk a few minutes to the bar. I looked online, and there’s no drop-off zone near there and the parking will be a circus this time of night.”