before, and never in a helicopter. Those rotor blades looked awfully thin.
“Is this thing safe?”
“Believe me, I wouldn’t ask you to get in it if it wasn’t.”
I still had reservations, but I didn’t want to act like a coward in front of Nick. My stupid heart hammered against my ribcage as he strapped me in, although that wasn’t all because of my fear of flying.
“Ready?” the pilot asked.
Nick nodded. “Good to go.”
He settled a pair of headphones over my ears as the pilot fired up the engine, then followed suit with his own. When he spoke, his voice sounded clear but distant.
“Have you ever flown in a helicopter before?”
I quickly shook my head, desperately resisting the urge to close my eyes.
“Just relax and enjoy the ride.”
As we lurched skywards, I squeaked and grabbed Nick’s hand. He chuckled as he squeezed mine back. How could he be enjoying this?
“It’s better if you open your eyes, baby.”
“I’ll open them when we’re back on the ground.”
“You’re missing the Hollywood sign. It’s just over there.”
I cracked one lid open. “Where?”
“On the left.”
Fear momentarily forgotten, I leaned across him and stared out the window.
“Oh, wow. I need to get a picture of this.”
Tori and Missy would never believe it otherwise. I used my new phone to snap photos of everything from Universal Studios to the Sunset Strip, then the pilot turned towards the coast.
“I thought we’d watch the sun go down from the air,” Nick said.
“Sounds goo...eew!”
Wind buffeted the helicopter, and I grabbed Nick’s hand again. If I died, at least I’d do it with the man I...was developing feelings for. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. Where his palm touched mine, crackles of electricity ran through my veins, and every time he smiled at me, I went weak inside. I treasured every glance he gave me. Stop thinking about it, Lara! He was with Emmy, for goodness’ sake, and not only could I never compete, I actually liked her. There was no way I wanted to hurt anyone.
By some miracle, we survived the flight, and I was still babbling about it as Nick pushed open the door to an Italian restaurant on a quiet side street. I’d learned Italian was his favourite, and luckily, he knew all the good places to go. The food tasted divine, and I put my diet plans temporarily on hold as I worked my way through a bowl of spaghetti. I was only human, okay? We’d almost finished our main courses when Nick’s phone rang.
“What do you want?”
I tried not to eavesdrop, but I heard the high pitch of a woman’s voice on the other end. Not her words, though. I only had Nick’s side of the conversation to go on.
“No, we’ll pass... No, we’re out for dinner... Look, it’s been a long day... Okay, okay, I’ll ask her.”
He put the phone down on the table and rolled his eyes. “Dan’s asking if we want to go out to Black’s with her tonight. If you don’t, that’s fine.”
“Black’s?”
“It’s a club.”
“Like, the famous one? Where there’s one in London and another in New York?”
“Yes.”
I’d heard of Black’s. Who hadn’t? It was the nightclub of the rich and famous. All the A-listers hung out there. Tori had been to the one in London once when a friend of a friend managed to get her onto the guest list, and she’d raved about it for weeks afterwards.
“Do you reckon we’d be able to get in?”
“Trust me, getting in isn’t a problem.”
Of course it wouldn’t be. I’d forgotten who I was talking to. “I’d love to go, but I only brought jeans with me.”
Nick picked up the phone again. “Dan, can you sort out something for Lara to wear?”
The answer must have been yes, because he sighed. “Okay, we’ll see you in an hour.”
“Dan’s staying with a friend,” Nick explained, as we headed to the limousine waiting outside after dessert. “His house is in Malibu.”
House turned out to be a bit of an understatement. Mansion was more like it, complete with eight-foot-high white walls and a uniformed guard standing outside. He gave us a careful once-over before allowing us to proceed through the gates.
“A guard?” I asked.
“Armand’s had problems with people trying to get in. Mostly girls. They don’t mean any harm, but it got pretty irritating for him.”
The door swung open as we approached, and I did a double take as Dan appeared in the entrance. Gone was the biker outfit, replaced by a fuchsia-pink cocktail dress and