Page 119 of Shade
I decide to play it up and flirt with the makeup artist just to get a rise out of Scarlet. “What’s your name, honey?”
The woman’s brown eyes widen. “Are you talking to me?”
I look around her, then smile. Christ, she’s wearing so much makeup herself I can literally see the lines of her face cracking. “You’re the only one standing next to me.”
“Oh, uh, right.” She takes a brush and swipes it across my cheeks, her own blushing with embarrassment. “My name is Candi.”
“Are you sweet like candy?” I’ll admit, my game’s weak, but I’m only trying to get Scarlet’s attention, not Candi’s. Unfortunately, for me, my plan backfires. As if you expected anything less of me lately.
Candi holds the brush at bay, confusion plastered in her expression. “Are you seriously hitting on me? Or are you trying to getherattention?”
Yep, I suck at this lately. I frown, fidgeting with my sunglasses in my hand. “Am I that obvious?”
Candi laughs. “Yes.”
“Damn it. Think she knows?”
“No, doesn’t look like it, but I think I can help you out.”
I wink. “Now we’re talking.” And then I panic, hoping her idea of helping me out and mine coincide.
To my surprise, they do, and she simply does a lot of hair flips, shoulder touching and smiling. All the while, I discretely watch Scarlet’s face go from I’m kinda annoyed to I want to rip this chick’s extensions out.
When the photo shoot’s over, I’m shirtless and standing in front of Scarlet, smiling.
“Put your shirt on. Let’s go.”
I grin with defiance. “Makeme.”
The scowl returns, and she even goes as far as putting her hands on her hips. “Don’t you want to go home with her?”
“No, why?”
Scarlet slides her eyes to Candi, then back to me. “You two seemed awfully cozy. You don’t need to come back with me.”
Oh, yes I do! “I’m good.” I wrap my arm around Scarlet, my sunglasses and shirt dangling over her shoulder now. “That is if we make it back. You’re quite possibly the worst driver I’ve ever seen.”
She looks at me, shocked, damn near appalled, and then grins as if she knows but says, “I am not. There’s nothing wrong with my driving.”
“Um, yes, you are.” I motion to the car. “But I’m starving. Let’s go to In-N-Out Burger on Venice.”
“What’s In-N-Out Burger?”
My eyes light up. “Onlythe best burgeryou’ll ever have.”
“Highly doubtful.” She blows me off, twisting out from under my arm and spinning artfully toward the car. “I live next to Lil Woody’s. I’m forever biased in the ways of burgers.”
I follow her and put my shirt and sunglasses back on. “I bet I can convince you otherwise.”
“We’ll see about that.”
I have a lot of convincing to do, more than just a burger here. Regardless, Scarlet gets us to In-N-Out, a chorus of horns and people flipping us off follow her every illegal lane change.
“You just cut that guy off back there,” I point out, only to have her roll her eyes as we launch over a speed bump in the parking lot. She has absolutely no regard for the rules of the road or the shocks on the car.
“We’re here!” she announces with a smile I can’t help fall for.
I laugh and motion to the long line at the drive-thru. “Let’s do drive-thru. I’m not sure I want people seeing me in the car with such a bad driver.”
