Page 18 of Best Supporting Actor

Fuck it, he thought.I need a proper drink.

And maybe a few more uncomplicated smiles from Will, the cute barman. After encountering both Austin and Seb in one cursed night, Jay thought he bloody well deserved a decent Scotch and, maybe, some meaningless sex.

Avoiding the awestruck crush around Seb, who was perched artfully on the edge of the low stage with Niccolò pressed up against him, Jay escaped once more to the bar. Thankfully, it was still relatively empty.

Finding a spot, he caught Will's eye and smiled. “Told you I’d be back,” he said as Will strolled over.

“Did you win?”

“Leechesdid—for the screenplay.”

“Cool.” Will set a glass on the bar. “One for the road, is it?”

Jay nodded, but when Will slid the glass towards him, he said, “Not really for the road, though, since I’m actually staying here tonight…”

“Yeah?” Will rested his elbows on the bar, leaning closer. “Nice room?”

Will had a pleasant face and attractive hazel eyes lit by a playful gleam when he smiled, which he was doing a lot.

Jay smiled too and said, “It’s a suite.”

“Thatisnice.” Will grinned. “Are you maybe up for a little room service later?”

Jay laughed. “That depends on—”

Someone jabbed him hard on the shoulder. “Oi, what the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”

Startled, Jay turned to find Tag O’Rourke standing behind him, arms folded across his chest, glaring at him with those arresting honey-gold eyes of his.

“What the hell…?” Jay said indignantly.

Tag’s glower deepened. “I asked what you think you’re doing, skulking out here and leaving Mason…” He shot a look at Will. “—hisdate, by the way—alone all night.”

Straightening to his full height, Jay fixed Tag with his most imperious glare. Unfortunately, the movement brought them rather too close together. So close, in fact, that Jay became aware of a subtle, spicy scent on Tag’s skin that brought back visceral memories of their brief close encounter at the Hallowe’en party, months ago—when Tag had been dressed in nothing but body paint and those obscenely tight silver shorts…

Swiftly cutting off that distracting train of thought, Jay glanced over at Will, wary of being overheard. Thankfully, Will was already beating a tactful retreat, heading for the other end of the bar. Jay could hardly blame him.

Relieved and irritated in equal measure, he swung back to Tag. “I should ask whatyouthinkyou’redoing,” he hissed. “There arepresshere. How dare you make a scene—”

“HowdareI?” Tag leaned in closer, so close that Jay’s skin prickled. “Jesus Christ, you really do think you’re a cut above, don’t you?”

Scowling, Jay said, “You have no idea what I think.”

“No?” Tag scoffed. “Well, I know you have adatetonight. Remember him?Mason,who you’ve fucking abandoned with Misty—”

“Oh come on, hardlyabandoned.”

“—while you flirt with the bar staff. It’s bloody rude, is what it is.” Caustically, he added, “Besides, isn’t mingling with the help against your rules?”

“For God’s sake.” Jay ran a hand through his hair, unreasonably flustered by Tag’s sarcasm. “You know it’s not arealdate with Mason. All he’s interested in is getting the pictures he needs for his socials.”

“Are you sure? Because to me he looked—”

Out of nowhere, a wry—and slightly slurred—voice drawled, “I wondered where you two had got to.”

Jay jumped, and so did Tag, both of them turning to find Mason standing not two feet away. He swayed slightly, regarding them with sardonic amusement.

“Mason,” Jay said, taking in his inebriated state with guilty concern. “God, sorry, I—” Mortified by his own bad manners, Jay glanced at Tag, who, weirdly enough, looked as guilty as Jay felt, maybe because he’d been spending his time raging at Jay rather than paying any attention to Mason himself.