what Randi said or did. As Rhett’s assistant, she would keep newspapers and magazines away from him. He rarely got on the Internet so he’d miss all of the media stories there. Becky Bloss could handle the PR nightmare that would erupt. Cassie wished she could give Becky a heads up on the situation but she didn’t want to overstep her bounds. Rhett would let Becky know in his own time what he wanted done.
Cassie cleared her mind from the upcoming scandal and headed to a store she’d never heard of that Melanie swore had chic looks at great prices. Jolene rode shotgun, fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station which wasn’t playing a commercial. She finally gave up and turned it off.
“You need to get in a better mood, Cass. You haven’t said a word for ten minutes. I would think shopping for something to wear to a fancy Hollywood premiere might put most women on the happy cloud. You’re acting as if you’re headed straight to the guillotine.”
She sighed, not sure how much she could even vocalize. “It just feels weird, Jolene. I like Rhett. He’s a great boss. I know a lot of times stars take their publicist or agent or whomever to events. In a way, Rhett’s like some star quarterback dating the head cheerleader, while I’m captain of the debate team who’s his dissection partner in biology. His girlfriend’s out of town at a cheer competition, he has an extra ticket, and he’s sweet enough to drag me along so I don’t sit at home washing my hair on a Saturday night.”
Jolene asked, “Would you have frizzy hair and be wearing braces? Or is this the part where the ugly duckling gets the metal off and has her hair straightened and suddenly the world notices that she’s a gorgeous swan?”
Cassie laughed. “People in Rhett Corrigan’s league would never give me a second glance.”
“Zak Mercury did,” Jolene said. “In fact, he called again. Did you see the message? I left it by the phone.”
“No, and that’s beside the point.”
“Then what is the point? That you feel guilty going out with your boss? Or guilty that it’s to something cool and Randi will throw a shit fit when she finds out? Or that the tabloids are going to have a fucking field day when Rhett shows up with a beautiful mystery date? Or—”
“Pretty much all of the above. Except the beautiful part.”
Jolene leaned back in her seat. “I say roll with it, baby. Go have fun. Mingle. Make some contacts. Wear something new. Have a blast. Who gives a flying fuck what Randi James thinks? That bitch has serious mental problems.”
Jolene pointed to their right. “Hey, there it is.”
Cassie saw the sign for Vanity and pulled the Range Rover up to the curb. A valet met her. She handed the keys over and accompanied Jolene inside, hoping she had enough cash on her to tip the guy. She was sure Jolene wouldn’t.
They walked up a flight of stairs. A petite woman with four-inch heels and dark, shoulder-length hair stood in front of the opaque doors. She had a body that would stop traffic—male or female. When she spotted them, she broke out in a sweet smile.
“Cassie Carroll?”
“Melanie Cameron?”
The woman nodded. “It’s so good to meet you. Ken says he enjoys poker night a lot more now that you’re at the table.”
She laughed. “Ken has the best poker face in the world. He usually cleans everyone out. I’m sure he’s glad to have another sucker donating to his cause.” Cassie indicated Jolene. “Melanie, this is my friend, Jolene Farrell. She lives in Rhett’s gatehouse with me.”
“Nice to meet you, Jolene.”
“Don’t think we’re lesbians, Melanie. Cassie and I just room together. I’m one hundred percent man-loving and have the tales to prove it.”
Melanie burst out laughing. As usual, Cassie was ready to strangle Jolene.
“Ken told me some firecracker had Breck O’Dell tucked into her back pocket. It’s about time some lucky lady made an honest man of Breck. Good to meet you, Jolene.”
Jolene stared at Melanie. “I thought those bedroom eyes your husband has are sexy, but yours are even better. Plus, you have great hair and teeth. You should be the star of the family, Melanie. I’m not kidding. You should be on the cover of People’s Most Beautiful issue. I feel like I should ask you for your autograph.”
Melanie flashed a brilliant smile. “You are too sweet but from what Ken tells me, I should