“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kerri snapped.
“And then there’s you,” I continued, as though she hadn’t spoken. “You’re sitting here spouting bullshit like a volcano even though you haven’t got a leg to stand on. You haven’t earned any of the roles you’ve been given and everyone in this room knows it. There’s zero chance of ever earning an award because that’s one string your uncle can’t pull for you, no matter how powerful he is. You’re sitting at this table because he made it happen. On your own merits, you’d be sitting a few blocks away in a bar watching this on TV.”
“How dare you,” she gasped as Jasper reached over and patted my back.
“I dare because you’re sitting here making a fool of yourself, and I don’t feel like putting up with it. Get ahold of yourself or find another table. Your uncle might have pull, but I guarantee the producers of the Globes care more about having Jasper and me here than they do you. One word from either of us and you'll be sitting in Siberia."
She started to respond until she looked at my face. Realizing that I was serious, she shut her mouth and looked away.
“That was an epic put-down. Remind me to buy you a drink later,” Jasper chuckled.
A drink sounded damn good right about then. Something stronger than the champagne that was flowing so freely.
“I know she’s awful but you need to keep your cool,” Mario said quietly. “It’s the start of a commercial break, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t catch you guys arguing and film it from their phone.”
“Good point.” I pushed away from the table and stalked away. I wasn’t fast enough to miss my agent’s whisper, telling me that I’d better be back before the show was on air again. Since the Golden Globes didn’t use seat fillers, it would be a major faux pas if I weren’t in my seat for the bigger awards.
I headed for the bathroom and just about groaned aloud when I was zipping up and noticed my tablemate out of the corner of my eye. I gave him a chin lift as I walked past him to the sinks.
“Thanks for the help back there,” Jasper said after he finished up and washed his hands.
I glanced at his reflection in the mirror and offered him a forced smile. “It really wasn’t a big deal.”
“No, man. It was. If you hadn’t stepped in and shut her down the way you did, I might have done something stupid.” He shook his head as he tossed the paper towel he’d used to dry his hands in the trash can. “I’m not sure I could have held myself back much longer.”
“I get it.” I held the door open for him when he followed me out. “You’ve got to defend your girlfriend, even if it’s in a ridiculous argument with someone like Kerri.”
“Friend,” he said. I gave him an odd look because I didn’t understand what he meant. “Morgan isn’t my girlfriend, not in real life anyway.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “You and Morgan aren’t a couple?”
He shrugged. “You know how it can be in Hollywood. We’re close friends who played a couple for so long that no one ever believes we were only romantically involved in front of the camera. Eventually, we gave up trying and just went with it. They can write whatever hell they want, both of us know the truth.”
And now I did, too. I forgot my plan to stop at the bar as I walked back into the ballroom. Instead, my focus centered on the table where Morgan sat. Now that I knew she was single, I didn’t bother to look away when her bright blue eyes locked with mine. They widened in surprise when I flashed her a wink, and I chuckled to myself at the way she blushed and jerked forward so I couldn’t see her face.
Nobody seemed to catch our little interaction, which was probably for the best. If they had, people would have had a field day with it since Jasper and I were seated together. I’d probably wake up to rumors about me stealing his girl, along with questions about if she’d be the one to get me to change my mind about love, marriage, and babies. Like it was with the rumors about her and Jasper, the truth wouldn’t matter—only the fact that she had a good girl reputation and they’d be curious to see if that would be enough to bring me to my knees.
With Jasper’s connection to her no longer an issue I fully intended to explore the explosive chemistry between us. Still, I had no plans for any woman to have that much power over me. I didn’t even think it was a remote possibility that I could ever be that invested in one woman.