Chapter 47

John raised a glass in my direction. “Here’s to a successful night for Bettencourt Studios. Did you keep track of how much money we just raised?”

I collected my whiskey sour and gestured toward an empty table. “I didn’t. I was a little busy trying to keep track of those two idiots bidding on me.”

“Yeah, that was rich. Do you know the man who won?”

“Not a clue. He’s staying at the damn Redbury, so he’s either a tourist or one of those idiotic romantics.”

“For a man who peddles romance, you have a remarkable disdain for the emotion. Maybe he just likes the hotel.”

“I can’t afford romance. I’ve got a business to run.” I noticed John’s attention had wandered, and turned to see Luis at the bar. So that was how things were going.

“You know,” I said, trying not to sound sneaky, “a certain Hispanic actor just confessed an attraction for older men to me.”

John heaved a sigh. “With my luck, he was hinting about you.” He suddenly realized that he’d been staring, and his face flushed.