also got drunk and decided to sneak out with Gabe.”
“Your cover model?”
“Yep.”
Erin has used Gabe for the covers of her latest series. The fans go crazy for him when she brings him along to the book signings. Not all events will allow cover models, but Dallas did, and this signing here in Vegas will be loaded with them as well. It’s really not my thing. Most of them are just fame whores, but Gabe is a good guy and has always been the epitome of humility.
“Anyway,” Erin continues, “I didn’t know she had left with him until I got back to our hotel room.”
“No!”
“Oh, yeah,” she says with an exaggerated nod. “He had her bent over on her knees, butt naked, pounding her from behind.”
“Holy shit!”
Brooke and I explode in laughter, and then Erin adds, “On my bed, mind you!”
“Is that the story you heard, Brooke?”
She looks at me and nods. “Mmm hmm. Apparently, Jen told someone with a blabby mouth because a group of authors were talking about it over breakfast in the hotel restaurant the next morning.”
“Where the hell was I?”
“Sleeping off your hangover.”
“Well, now she’s too mortified to see him, so she stayed home,” Erin tells us.
“Did you say anything to Gabe?”
“I asked him what happened, and he just said they were both drunk and one thing led to another. He told me he called her, but she declined the call, and he wound up apologizing to her on her voicemail.” She shrugs her shoulders and says, “I mean, they’re both single, so it’s whatever. It doesn’t bother me as long as they can still act professional. I think it’ll be fine; she’s just embarrassed. It’ll all blow over with time.”
“What does he look like naked?”
“You’ll have to excuse Brooke; she was drinking on the plane.”
“Don’t make excuses for her. We all know she would ask that same question even if she were stone sober.”
We decide to spend the rest of the day shopping, and after a good night’s rest, we are up early eating room service and getting ready for the signing. The event coordinator sent up volunteers to pick up all the boxes from our room so they can get my table set up for me. It’s always hectic getting ready for these events. I’ll be signing books for the next five hours and taking countless photos. So, I take my time applying my makeup, making sure to put on enough of it so it doesn’t wear off halfway through the day. I enjoy it though, because my life as Tori basically consists of yoga pants, no makeup, and my hair up in a knot.
“Are you ready?” Brooke asks as she applies a touch of mascara to her lashes.
“Almost.” I scramble around the room, slip on a pair of heels, and give myself one last look before grabbing my cell.
Before we can reach the ballroom where the signing is being held, we must first walk through the throng of fans that are already waiting. If only they could have a back entrance for the authors. It’s uncomfortable to watch everyone stare as I walk by. Not to mention the times when I have to use the restroom and there are fans in there who can hear me as I pee.
Maybe it’s just me, but nonetheless, it’s awkward.
Before the doors open to the readers, Gabe comes over to my table to say hello. I can’t blame Brooke for wanting to know what he looks like naked. He’s young, fit, and sexy as hell. But I’m well aware he probably just views me as a middle-aged housewife. I’m creeping close to mid-thirties, and I do what I can to stay in shape and stay young, but having kids has a way of physically—and mentally—aging you.
“How are you?” I ask after we hug.
“I’m good.”
His muscles aren’t too obscene like some of the other models here, which to me, makes him all that more attractive. He wears a slim-fitting shirt and his hair is unruly, but I know he spent a good amount of time styling it to look that way.
“You look like you’re firming up,” he says as he looks me up and down.
“I’ve been doing those new workouts you showed me.”
“It’s paying off,” he tells me and then peers over my shoulder. “What’s that shit-eating grin all about?”
“You know what it’s about,” Brooke says with mild flirtation.
“Ignore her.”
“You women gossip too much.”
“She’s just jealous it was Erin who walked in on you and not her.”