Page 101 of A Very Happy Easter

“Why don’t you take Damon out and show him the sights?” I suggested. “It’s been a while since he spent time in London.”

“I have a bunch of VIP passes,” Marc offered. “People send me stuff all the time. Use whatever you want, and just tell them you brought a different movie star.”

“How did you get into making porn?” Polly asked, not very tactfully. “Did you have to audition? How does that even work?”

Damon turned slightly red. “So it was basically an accident. I hooked up with a woman who worked in the industry, and she thought I had the right, uh, attributes, then things happened from there.”

“So the casting couch is a real thing?”

“It was more of a Tinder date that took a wild turn at the end.”

Polly turned to Marc. “So, how about in Hollywood? Do people sleep their way to the top?”

Everybody groaned, but Marc just shrugged. “Probably, but I don’t partake. And for clarification, neither does Serena.”

Polly clapped both hands over her mouth. “Oh, crap! I didn’t mean… Sorry.”

“Why don’t we head out?” Vic suggested. “My car’s outside. I have an early start tomorrow, and you can stop putting your foot in your mouth and make use of Marc’s freebies.”

“Do you have passes for the VIP list at Black’s?”

Heath raised a hand. “If Marc doesn’t, I can get those.”

“Oh?”

“A perk through work.”

“Ooh, I like you.”

I put a hand on his arm. “Very much taken.”

Polly looked to Damon. “So, how about it? A night on the town?”

“Sure, why not?”

Salma raised her hand. “Can we get a ride home too?”

After Vic, Polly, Damon, Salma, and Robyn departed in David Short’s chauffeur-driven SUV, which luckily seated seven, I apologised to Serena.

“Sorry about that. Polly’s heart is in the right place, but she doesn’t always think before she speaks.”

Fortunately, Serena didn’t take it personally. “Can you imagine the scandal if the BBC got caught using casting couch tactics? My auditions happened the old-fashioned way.” She swallowed a mouthful of gin and tonic and grinned. “Plus I managed to resist the charms of Hollywood’s number-one lothario.”

I choked on my juice and looked between Serena and Marc. “Are you serious?”

Marc shrugged. “Can you blame me?”

“It was all a bit half-hearted. Mainly because Marc’s still in love with the one who got away, but he doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Marissa leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Really? Tell me more.”

Janie rolled her eyes. “Serena said he doesn’t like to talk about it, dumbass.”

“But this is just us. Like, friends, right? We’re not going to blab to the papers.”

For a long moment, I thought Marc was going to keep schtum about his past, but he gave the longest sigh.

“Her name is Phaedra. We grew up together in Nebraska. And it’s her birthday tomorrow, so forgive me if I drink a lot tonight.”