Playing at Forever - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,63

very posh nightclub in the VIP section, Tommy right beside her. They had started drinking earlier, having stopped at an even swankier restaurant for dinner. And before that, they had cracked open the mini-bar.

This was not the life Penny was used to.

But, at the moment, she didn’t even really care.

She was celebrating. She was, for the first time in a very long time, a single girl.

Of course, Penny had no idea how she was supposed to feel about this.

Tommy ordered another round of shots, grinning dumbly as the bartender set the glasses in front of them. “Here is to celebrating your freedom,” he told her.

“We already drank to that!” She giggled.

“Oh, we did, didn’t we?” He paused for a moment. “Well, then, here’s to my meeting!”

“Meeting?” She questioned, not entirely sure what he was talking about. Had he mentioned anything to her about a meeting? She couldn’t remember. It may have had something to do with the number of shots she had done. “What meeting?”

“I don’t know. Something Graham called me about earlier. He said some studio wants to meet with me about my script.”

“What?” Penny slammed her glass on the countertop, leaning in closer to Tommy, suddenly filling with joy. She forgot all about Kevin and Gina. She even forgot about her business arrangement with Tommy, the news was so elevating. “Tommy, that’s amazing!”

“I don’t even know how it happened.” Penny vaguely recalled something about his script. She’d been talking to someone about it at the premiere last night, hadn’t she? Right, she’d sent them the script. And the video.

She laughed, covering her mouth. “I might have a secret, Tommy.”

“What’s that?” He rested against the bar, his eyes trained on her.

“I might have had something to do with that.”

“You what?” He laughed, leaning in closer, his eyes dancing.

“I sent your script out. With a copy of one of our performances.”

“Wait, Pen, you did what?” Alarm sounded in his tone.

“It’s okay! You got a meeting!” She waved the bartender over. “Another round for my friend and I over here!” She was eager to distract him. “We are celebrating!”

“Oh, Penny,” he reached out and took her hand. “Did I tell you how pretty you look tonight?”

“Probably not as pretty as you look.” She thought about it for a moment. “Maybe pretty isn’t the right word.”

Whatever the word was, Tommy was it. Tommy had always been it.

The round of shots came and they poured them back, neither feeling a thing anymore. “I’ll be right back, Tommy,” she told him, suddenly needing to find a ladies room. It was on her way back that she was approached by a man she didn’t know.

“You look like a girl who wants to dance.”

“Well, my—” But she stopped, not really sure what to call him. Taking this as an acceptance, the man led her toward the dance floor, holding Penny’s body close to his. She didn’t like the way his hands felt on her, or the way he stared at her. But her reactions were much slower than she thought they should be. She began to feel trapped, a panic rising up inside her.

And then, out of nowhere, Tommy took her by the hand, pulling her away from the man she didn’t know. Penny wrapped her arms around his neck, her body instantly reacting to the closeness of his. This she didn’t mind. Her heart pounded excitedly in her chest.

His eyes held hers as their bodies moved, the heat between them suddenly feeling as if it might overpower the room.

Seeking release, they came together, neither sure who started the kiss and neither caring. Tommy took control, pressing her back against a nearby wall.

This was nice, she thought. For some reason, it seemed like she wasn’t supposed to be doing this.

But the only thing she cared about was the way her skin responded wherever he touched her.

“Let’s go somewhere,” he breathed, pulling away.

Penny would go wherever he wanted her to.

Penny was very groggy when she woke, her head pounding. She risked opening one of her eyes, finding several miniature bottles of alcohol on the nightstand.

She had definitely had too much to drink last night.

Her stomach churned angrily and Penny rolled over, her arm bumping into something. Her body filled with dread as she turned to see Tommy lying, shirtless, in bed beside her.

Oh no, she thought, covering her mouth with her hand. No, she would know if something had happened last night—wouldn’t she?

Penny had never been the type of girl to drink to the point of oblivion.