I'll Say Anything Read online

  “Eddie, how are you? It's been a while.” Ramsey casually clasped Eddie's hand for a brotherly shake.

  “I can't complain,” Eddie said.

  When Eddie switched his attention from Ramsey to me, I met his eyes and smiled like I met music gods every day. Not the type to swoon and fawn over men in general, my excitement to meet Eddie stemmed from my respect for his musical talent. He had one of the most raspy, alluring voices on the market and could play a variety of instruments like he was born to it.

  “This is a friend of mine,” Ramsey said, beginning official introductions. “Eddie, Finley. Finley, Eddie Bennett.”

  “Hey Eddie.” I stuck my hand out for a shake, mimicking Ramsey. Eddie enveloped my hand in his and maintained eye contact throughout the greeting.

  “Hey, Finley. You keeping Ram here in line?”

  “More like he's keeping me in line,” I retorted with a faint laugh. Retracting my fingers from his grip, I pocketed my hand and toyed with my phone. How bad would it look to ask for a picture? Jasper wouldn't ever believe I'd come face to face with Eddie unless I had proof. The rational part of my brain insisted this wasn't the time or place. Stars and high profile personalities sought refuge here from just this sort of thing.

  Eddie puffed an amused sound and looked back at Ramsey. “This your girl, then?”

  Good thing I didn't have my phone out. I might have dropped it on the floor. “No, oh no. We're acquaintances,” I hastened to say, throwing the correction in there before Eddie got the wrong impression. I wasn't anyone's anything, no matter how many times my thoughts swerved toward a one nighter with Ramsey.

  “Just acquaintances,” Ramsey said, holding my gaze for a moment.

  “Good, then you won't mind me stealing her for a dance.” Eddie tipped his head to the dance floor and strolled out amongst the dancers, as if he didn't need to know whether I would say yes or not.

  Struck speechless, I glanced between Eddie and Ramsey, then set down my drink. What was I supposed to do, tell Eddie I danced like a duck with its feet tied? I had a feeling Eddie didn't experience the word 'no' very often, either. “I'll be back.”

  “Sure. Have a good time,” Ramsey said.

  And I did have a good time, despite feeling awkward and gangly. Eddie didn't complain, which was all I could ask for. He, on the other hand, danced as well as he sang. Smooth, fluid, in time to the beat. By the fourth song, I had my hands in the air and Eddie's body pressed quite close to mine. Rather than the sparks I felt with Ramsey, this was nothing but a good time. Eddie didn't seem to care that I missed the beat more often than I made it. He was clearly out to relax this evening, and I was happy to play my part.

  As the sixth—seventh—song wound down, I glanced at Ramsey, only to see him taking a few pictures of Eddie and me on the dance floor. I could have kissed Ramsey for thinking fast on his feet. I smiled and eased to a standstill. Eddie, quick to catch up, threw an arm around my shoulders and smiled for the camera.

  “Thanks,” I said to Eddie on the way back to the bar.

  “Yeah, no problem. You cats stay out of trouble now.” Eddie flashed a lazy smile from me to Ramsey, then ambled off to some shadowy corner of the room.

  “I don't suppose you'd text me one of those pictures?” I asked Ramsey after Eddie was gone.

  “Give me your phone number and I will.”

  I did Ramsey one better; taking his cell, I entered my number myself. Handing it back, pleased at the outcome of our impromptu birthday celebration, I watched Ramsey shoot me a text, complete with photo.

  “Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said when I heard my message chime go off in my pocket.

  “You bet. How about a dr--”

  “What time is it, anyway?” All of a sudden, I realized I'd lost track of the evening. Before I could fish my phone out, Ramsey had an answer.

  “Eight forty-five.”

  “Unfortunately, I have to get back to the Olympus. My ride is there, waiting. This has been a lot of fun, though.” Fun, enticing, exciting. The latter sentiment was thanks to Eddie's appearance. “I'm really sorry. I lost track of the time.” I withdrew my phone to shoot Jasper a text. I didn't want him thinking I'd stood him up.

  “Absolutely. Thank you for giving me the time between.” Ramsey, unruffled at the abrupt switch in plans, stepped away from the bar when I did.

  I liked the way he handled my sudden need to depart his company. Some men wouldn't have been so generous. But plans were plans, and I had an appointment to keep.

  Five minutes later, we were on our way back to Olympus.

  Chapter Six

  The Olympus sat across the parking lot, dominating the night with its impressive size. We parked to the side of the structure, where there was less foot traffic than the front entrance.

  “Thanks again, Ramsey. I had a good time.” Standing behind the Rolls, I said my final goodbye. I couldn't quite forget the heat Ramsey and I had generated on the dance floor, nor the glances we'd exchanged. I wasn't sure what to think about my attraction other than to let things unfold as they would. Above all, I was thankful he stepped in to make the Adrian situation better. “Also, I appreciate you giving me the job. I won't disappoint you.”

  Ramsey, hip tilted against the back of the car, inclined his head. “I'm glad I could help. If you need anything, you know where to find me. I'm here most of the time.”

  “All right. I guess maybe I'll see you tomorrow?” Focused on Ramsey as I was, I hadn't noticed a figure crossing the lot in our direction. It wasn't until Adrian's voice sliced through the night that I realized he was there.

  “What's this? Don't tell me you took this chick on a date.” Adrian sauntered closer, stopping within feet of the Rolls.

  “Adrian, stop. Not another word,” Ramsey said, straightening from his lean. His easygoing expression shifted into one of displeasure.

  “No, really. Is that what's going on here?” Adrian thrust a hand through his hair, agitating a few strands into an askew, mussed style.

  “It's none of your business what's going on here,” I said. I'd had about enough of Adrian. Even if he was technically one of my bosses, I wasn't going to let him talk to me like I was nothing more than trash. Forced to tolerate it inside, before I knew better, I let Adrian know now that he couldn't push me around.

  “What's the problem?” Jasper appeared between cars, glancing between faces.

  “Jasper. I was about to come find you,” I said, not surprised to discover he'd found me first. He was astute, ever aware of his surroundings. “This is Ramsey--”

  “The problem is, Finley here thinks she's above the same interview protocol as everyone else,” Adrian said, cutting in.

  “Jasper, it's nice to meet you. Adrian, let's go.” Ramsey stepped forward, an arm curving outward as if he meant to herd Adrian back to the hotel.

  “What's that supposed to mean?” Jasper said, frowning. In jeans and his favorite tee shirt, he stood out like a sore thumb against the cousins decked out in their fine suits.

  Adrian pushed Ramsey's arm away. The cousins traded glares, before Adrian shot Jasper a mocking glance. “It means she refused to show me her assets so I could discern whether or not she was right for a position here.”

  “That's enough,” Ramsey said, pushing Adrian's shoulder like he meant to turn him around to face the building.

  Jasper glanced my way. I knew by the gleam in his eyes that he was not happy at all with the turn of events, nor Adrian's particular phrasing.

  “It's not a big deal. Ramsey hired me anyway,” I said, thinking it might tame Jasper's rising temper.

  “Oh, so she was just picky about who she showed her tits to, I get it--”

  Adrian got no farther. Stepping into the gap that separated bodies, Jasper swung a fist, uppercutting Adrian's jaw. Built for speed, Jasper followed up with a left hook, catching Adrian's opposite cheek as the man stumbled backward from the initial impact.

  The first time I ever remember Jasper intervening
on my behalf was back in sixth grade, when little Tommy Parks wrestled me to the ground. Tommy and I had a falling out over who got the swing next, and he decided to tackle me rather than let me get to it first. I had been holding my own with Tommy Parks, giving the taller, heftier boy a taste of his own medicine. I was always strong for my age and gender, the tomboy among the group. The next thing I new, Jasper had flipped Tommy over, then over again, as if Tommy had been nothing more than a log to be rolled at whim.

  We all ended up in the principal's office, suffering stern warnings that scuffles on the playground wouldn't be tolerated. Jasper and I had sauntered home after school, arms slung around each other, proud in the aftermath of our imagined victory.

  Tonight, I relived the past as Jasper and Adrian engaged in something a bit more serious than a wrestling match. Punches flew, grunts filled the air along with a few terse curses, and neither man listened when Ramsey demanded they stop.

  I didn't say a thing, and I didn't try to stop Jasper from delivering a dose of belated justice. Jasper wouldn't quit until he meted out what he considered a fair punishment for the infraction of insulting his best friend.

  The sound of ripping material yanked me out of my brief reverie. Adrian, a decent scrapper despite his other shortcomings, twisted out of his ruined jacket. He snapped the garment at Jasper's face, then lunged for Jasper's legs, intent on taking him down to the asphalt again. Except Jasper countered the move, snagging the edge of a sleeve to give a hard tug, throwing Adrian's balance off. Jasper ended up on top, driving his knuckles into Adrian's nose. Blood sprayed everywhere, dotting Jasper's tee shirt and Adrian's once pristine white shirt.

  Although the fight seemed to happen in slow motion, only seconds had gone by in real time. Suddenly, darting figures swarmed through the parking lot and descended on the two men, forcing the snarling pair apart.

  “Stop, or we'll call the cops!” a man shouted, pulling Jasper away from Adrian.

  With several security members holding each fighter back, Jasper and Adrian traded glares and insults, struggling to get free.

  “I think a night in jail might do him some good,” Adrian snarled, smearing blood across his upper lip when he swiped at it with the side of his wrist.

  “There's no need for authorities. Just escort Jasper and Finley to their vehicle. Adrian, shut your mouth and don't say another word,” Ramsey said, looking annoyed and displeased.

  I thought it was probably a good thing he'd already hired me. This display might have cost me the job and maybe whatever budding friendship we'd built.

  “I'll talk to you tomorrow, Ramsey,” I said, tugging on Jasper's arm.

  Ramsey met my eyes, his own curiously unreadable. He caught Adrian by an elbow and, with the help of security, strong-armed the still angry man away. Two security members stayed behind, making gestures for Jasper and I to get on with leaving.

  On the way to Jasper's beat up Camaro, I glanced sidelong, taking in the few bruises, split lip and myriad scrapes decorating Jasper's face. He walked in that stiff-spined way that meant he was mad. I'd seen it many times in the years of our friendship.

  “What an ass,” Jasper said, all but spitting the words.

  “I told you. He's got it out for me or something. I don't know why he's so nasty.” At the back of the Camaro, Jasper and I split off. He went to the driver's side and I went to the passenger's. Dropping into the seat, I fastened the seat belt and tilted my body to better see Jasper. Gripping the wheel, knuckles white, he stared out the windshield, a muscle flexing in his jaw.

  “I knew,” Jasper finally said.

  “Knew what?” I asked with a frown.

  “I knew who Tyler wanted to play a prank on. Except I didn't know he planned to use that ugly dress and I certainly didn't know you'd have to deal with that guy instead of Ramsey.”

  “It didn't seem like you and Ramsey knew each other--”

  “We don't. I'd heard about him, though, through Tyler and the guys. Heard the Olympus was hiring and figured it might give you a leg up if you attended that event with Ramsey. And it was easy money—or so I thought.”

  “Hey, don't worry about it. We prank each other all the time. You were just trying to help. Ramsey's a good guy. It's his cousin Adrian who's the problem.” I wasn't surprised to learn Jasper had tried to finagle the situation to my benefit. He was always trying to look out for me behind the scenes. Had done so since we were children.

  “Yeah. What I set you up for was harassment.” Jasper knuckled his lip then slouched back in the seat, taking up a good portion of the driver's side with his sprawling body.

  “When have you ever known me to simper and cry over a few harsh words?” I said, scoffing. “He didn't touch me--”

  “It doesn't matter.” Jasper glared through the windshield toward the casino. “If I would have left the flyer alone, and never asked Tyler the specifics, you wouldn't have gone to the party.”

  “And I might not have gotten the job. Ramsey stepped up and gave me an Usher position regardless. So it all worked out.” I wanted to ease Jasper's disturbance over the Adrian situation any way I could.

  Jasper ran his tongue over the wound in his lip, and said, “If Adrian so much as looks at you sideways again, I'll knock his teeth in.”

  *

  Jasper took the backroads through the city, using all the shortcuts we both knew. The muscle had stopped flexing in his jaw two turns ago, but his fingers spasmed in and out of a fist where his hand draped over the top of the steering wheel. I pretended like nothing had happened, slouched in the seat with one bent knee braced against the dashboard. Jasper's mood permeated the car, however, a palpable tension that had yet to ease. Tuned to a rock station, the music thumping out of the speakers had a hard, unforgiving edge.

  “So, where are we going?” I asked, wishing for the tenth time that I could have changed into something more 'me'. Like my favorite pair of busted jeans, lace up boots and a plain tee shirt like Jasper's. We were such low key, low maintenance people at heart. We didn't need fancy clothes and fancy cars to have a good time.

  Not that I'd minded riding in Ramsey's car, I reminded myself.

  “You'll see.” Jasper, like Ramsey, didn't seem inclined to give up the information beforehand. “I brought you some extra clothes. They're in the back seat.”

  “Oh thank God.” Sometimes, it was like Jasper could anticipate me better than I could anticipate myself. Unfastening the safety belt, I crawled over the seats into the back. A hastily folded pair of jeans and a tee shirt sat on the cushion, my favorite pair of Doc Martens resting on the floorboard.

  Jasper snorted. “Like you'd be comfortable wearing those clothes the rest of the night.”

  “I know. I mean, it's better than a dress,” I said of the slacks and button down, “but nothing beats my best pair of worn in jeans.” I slithered out of the top first, tossing it aside. The white bra beneath was as plain and nondescript as they came, the kind with no wires because I hated the way the wires dug into my skin.

  “You're a little more like the Finley I know in jeans and a tee shirt.”

  I met his eyes in the rearview mirror for a moment. “And I'm less so dressed up?”

  He glanced at the road, one leading out of town, the glare and glitter of Vegas receding in the tail lights, then met my eyes for a second in the mirror again. “Yes. You act different when you have to wear that kind of stuff.” He jerked his head to move the shank of hair falling across his brow, then returned his attention to the road.

  Tugging on the tee shirt, a nondescript blue that had once sported a silkscreen logo a hundred washings ago, I said, “Usually it's because there's some reason I have to dress up. Work, parties, whatever.” Switching the slacks for jeans, I breathed a little easier. Catching Jasper's glances now and then in the rearview mirror, I wondered what he was thinking. A familiar song came on the radio and Jasper reached over to turn the music up. He mouthed the words, keeping time to the beat with his thumb on the wheel.


  You're all I've ever wanted

  and you don't even know I exist

  but I'm here by your side

  day and night

  I'll be your protector, your savior

  Eddie Bennett's raspy voice filled the car, suddenly reminding me that I'd totally forgotten to tell Jasper about the meeting. Reaching over the seat, I tapped Jasper on the shoulder. “Oh my god, I forgot to tell you that I met Eddie!”

  “Eddie who?” Jasper turned the music down a notch.

  “Eddie Bennett! Singing on the radio right now. Conspiracy Rebellion? You know?”

  “What? You did not,” Jasper scoffed.

  “Seriously. I promise I met him,” I said, using the fated word that would let Jasper know I was dead serious.

  “Get out of here. Where did you meet him?”

  Tugging on socks and the boots, I hurriedly tied the laces and fished my phone, identification and money out of the other pants pocket. “At Club Constellations.”

  “What the hell is Club Constellations, and when did you go there? Wait—with Ramsey?” Jasper asked, apparently putting two and two together.

  Sliding down into the front seat, I turned my phone on and pulled up Ramsey's text. Enlarging the photo, I faced it toward Jasper. Ramsey had caught Eddie and I grinding close together, hands in the air. “Yes, Ramsey wanted to take me somewhere for my birthday. Constellations is this crazy VIP bar with constellations all over the ceiling and on the dance floor.”

  Jasper's brows crawled toward his hairline. “Holy crap, Fins. That's Eddie Bennett.”

  “I know! I almost died when he asked me to dance.” I'd had very few excitable moments like that in my short, cynical life. Stars on a whole didn't typically impress me.

  Reeling the phone in, I examined the photo. Ramsey had taken a good shot.

  “So, was that like a you're my new employee and I'm gonna take you out in a show of good faith date, or do you like him?” Jasper brushed the side of his hand across his lip and checked for blood. The trickle had coagulated, leaving no new smears on his skin.