the party. Not only had the cast been invited, but also other stars from the network, as well as some big-name friends. Three Wishes was going out with a bang.
As she got into the car, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Bryce's number. The phone kept ringing. Four, five, six. Why isn't he picking up? she wondered. The phone went to voicemail. Scowling, she hung up and tried again. Once more, it only kept ringing, but this time he answered before the automated voice message did.
“Hello?” he drawled out, speech obviously slurred.
Arial closed her eyes, shaking her head. “You're drunk.”
“I'm having fun,” he stated. In the background she could hear loud music and lots of chatter.
Patience, she willed herself. Taking in a deep breath, she spoke with more calm than she felt. “Are you at the party?”
“Yes.”
She sighed with relief. At least he was somewhere relatively safe. Why in his right mind did he think getting drunk at the after-party would be a good idea? Anger boiled up inside her. This wasn't like Bryce at all. She only knew of two other times she'd seen him drunk out of his mind. One being his twenty-first birthday party where he was introduced to alcohol for the first time. The second was after his mother passed away later that same year. Dread replaced the anger when she heard a new voice on his phone — a female one.
“Has anyone ever told you how hot you are?” the woman asked him. Arial didn't recognize to whom it belonged, which worried her even more.
“Bryce,” Arial said. “Listen to me carefully. I will be there soon. Stay where you are. Don't go anywhere with anyone. Just enjoy your drink. Try to eat something, too.”
He laughed. “Sure thing, Ari. I won't move a muscle, promise. See you soon.” He hung up before she could say goodbye.
A small growl escaped her lips. “Try to step on it, please,” she told her driver.
The producers had picked a new restaurant in the city to help keep the event off the radar from the adoring public. News spread fast, however, because when Arial arrived at the door some fifteen minutes later, not only was she bombarded by cameras but shouts of praise from fans. She stopped to sign a handful of autographs and to shake hands with a few lucky people before making her way to the door. One goal was in her mind: get to Bryce.
Inside, the party was hopping. Loud dance music thumped out of the stereos, giving the restaurant more of a club feel than a dining place. The entrance was elevated over a large room. White twinkling lights wrapped around the stairwell that led down, giving the whole place a classic, fancy appeal. Tables lined the edges of the room, with the bar in the center and a dance floor toward the back where a DJ played. Arial's focus remained on the bar as she searched for Bryce.
“Please be there,” she whispered. Her eyes spotted him at the far corner, and she watched him sip on a drink. Every so often his head would nod as he listened to a tall, blonde woman with the body of a supermodel. This woman put a hand on his chest, slipping her hand under the coat of his suit jacket to do so. Arial gripped the hand railing on the stairs with such strength, her knuckles were turning white. She growled as she stalked her way across the room to the bar.
****
Bryce sat at the bar listening to the blonde woman blabber on about some big underwear campaign she was modeling for, like that was supposed to impress him or something. Where was Arial? He was getting bored waiting for her to arrive. He sipped at his rum and Coke, knowing full well he probably should have switched to water a long time ago. The goal had been to take the edge off all the emotions cycling through his mind, not to get plastered and feel nothing at all. Forgetting to have a snack before arriving hadn't helped his low tolerance level much.
“It's a little loud here. I don't suppose you'd want to go some place more quiet so we could get to know each other better?” the blonde asked. He'd missed her name, but he had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn't mind too much. Her hand snaked across his chest and into his suit jacket. It trailed down his side, and he pulled