Page 226 of Duty and Desire

“Ugh. I hate you.” She winked. “I need a drink.”

“Your wish is my command.” Sam poured her a glass of champagne. “I thought it all went rather well.”

“The show was a huge success, but the open bar was crap. They didn’t even put anything decent in Adam’s dressing room for me to steal.”

“It was for charity and it was great exposure,” said Ben, taking a seat on the couch and pulling his wife down onto his lap.

“Which is why I booked it. But now I need to chill and drink Ev’s Dom Pérignon.”

Ev smiled. “That’s why I bought it for you.”

“Bon, you’re off now. Time to relax and have a drink.” Sam handed a beer to the last man to wander into the room.

He was tall and built along the same lines as Ziggy. In fact, come to think of it, they looked a hell of a lot alike. He too wore a dark suit, expertly tailored. After accepting his drink with a nod, he went to stand beside Ziggy against the wall. At the party, but not really a part of it.

“So, I had a new idea for the nursery,” said Martha, champagne in hand. “What about a black and white plaid feature wall?”

“Plaid?” asked Anne, hands smoothing over her big belly. “Hmm. Interesting.”

Lizzy frowned. “Have I got my dates wrong? Or isn’t this baby due like next week or so?”

Anne calmly nodded.

“Nursery’s finished,” said Mal. “After months of debate, you two finally decided on a buttercup yellow with Boho-Farmhouse accents. Whatever that all means.”

“And it’s beautiful. But it doesn’t mean we can’t fine tune it,” said Martha.

“Still planning on a natural delivery?” asked Lizzy.

“Absolutely.” Mal nodded. “I’ve been reading about it. What’s best for the baby is best for the momma.”

Anne cleared her throat. “Hey. Excuse me. This momma will have whatever drugs she feels necessary to push a baby out of her vagina and she isn’t waiting for your permission.”

He hung his head. “Yes, pumpkin. Whatever you say.”

Face turned away, David quietly laughed.

“Oh yeah, you think it’s funny now,” hissed Mal. “But just wait until it’s your turn to deal with psycho pregnancy hormones, man. Then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

Jimmy nodded, all wise-like. “He’s actually speaking the truth for once. This one time, Lena burst into tears and threw a spoon at me because I’d finished the last of the chocolate fudge ice cream. Then she made me go out and get some more. It was three in the morning. I had a red mark on my forehead for days.”

“I apologized for that,” said Lena. “I can’t throw for the life of me. How was I to know I’d actually manage to hit you?”

“When you’re half asleep it’s hard to duck in time when shit comes flying at your head.”

“Poor baby.” Lena drew him in, kissing his furrowed brow.

“Lizzy cried every time she saw a show or a TV ad with an animal or family in it,” added Ben, the big, bearded dude. “Made watching anything impossible.”

The blonde in his lap scowled. “I had feelings. Deal with it. We can’t all be stalwart and repressed, Benjamin.”

Ben just raised his brows. Men. So stupid.

Over by the wall, Ziggy, Sam, and Bon were chatting. On the couch, Ben and David started talking about a new producer they wanted to work with. Which left Lena making weird noises in my direction for some reason.

“Pssst. Mae, I need to speak to you in the bathroom.”

“Um, okay.” I set aside my drink and followed her into the hallway. We didn’t even make it into the bathroom before she turned on me in the doorway. Heads together, she grabbed my shoulders to ensure I had no chance of escape. Nope. I was trapped. “What are we doing?”