All Night Long Read Online Free

could make you a fortune.”
    Esme was not about to take Lydia up on that offer. Not long after they'd met, Lydia had come up with a brilliant can't-miss scheme to start a nanny placement business. That had turned out to be far more trouble than it was worth, and Lydia hadn't even talked about it in a long time. Of the three friends, Esme was making by far the most money. Tattoo artistry was definitely not a team sport. “I don't need anyone. In fact, before we were so rudely interrupted, we were talking about how much
you
need
me
.”
    Lydia sighed. “It's killing me, but it's true. Look around.”
    “Why?”
    “Just do it.”
    Esme did. Brentwood Hills was the most exclusive country club in Los Angeles—it regularly turned down members of Riviera—and the adult pool deck was a paparazzo's dream … as if any photographer could hope to gain admission. Surrounding the adult pool (there was a separate pool for the kids) were wicker chaise lounges and hefty sun umbrellas at discreet intervals around the white pool deck. Stretched out on those lounges was a decent cross section of Hollywood's rich and famous. Esme spotted two of the younger stars of
Heroes
and another from
The Young and the Restless
, while Tom Hanks and his wife were huddled with Martin Scorsese twenty or thirty feet away. Directly across the pool from them was a cluster of guys who had to be male models. The incredibly hot bodies and shaved chests were a dead giveaway.
    “What do you see?” Lydia demanded.
    “Same thing you see. Overprivileged buffdom.”
    “Yes, but none of the buffs are Billy Martin.”
    Esme squinted at her friend. Lydia wanted Esme to do her a favor, which had to do with Lydia winning back her boyfriend.
    “Maybe I should charge you for what you want me to do,” she teased.
    “You'll do it because you love me,” Lydia said sweetly. “And because you don't want me to suffer for one teeny tiny momentary lapse of judgment. Here. Taste the lobster. It's to die for.”
    Lydia forked a buttery chunk of lobster and popped it into Esme's mouth. It was delicious, melting in her mouth and sliding down her throat, just as advertised. The crustacean was awesome. What Lydia was asking her to do wasn't.
    The week before, Lydia had made a horrendous mistake. She'd cheated on Billy. Well, it wasn't exactly cheating, because Billy and Lydia hadn't had sex yet. Trust Lydia, who'd been dying to find the perfect boy and jettison her virginity, to fall for the only guy in Southern California who wanted a Real Relationship before sex. Lydia said many times that if the Ama tribesmen in the Amazon had been more attractive— over five feet tall, say, or with teeth that lasted past age thirty—she might well have lost said virginity in a mud hut.
    Instead, Lydia had done something supremely stupid: she'd gotten drunk and hooked up with a golf pro here at the club. His name was Luis. He was a college student at nearby Pepper-dine. Then, to make matters worse, Luis would not accept the fact that Lydia wasn't interested in a relationship with him. He was so pissed off that he'd tracked Lydia down and returned to her the T-shirt she had forgotten at his bungalow. That wouldn't have been so bad, except that Lydia had been with Billy at the time. Hello, Hanes. Bye-bye, Billy.
    Which led to the favor Lydia was now requesting. She wanted Esme to assure Billy that Lydia had never cheated on him. That Luis was just pissed at Lydia because she'd shot him down, and this was merely his petty act of revenge.
    “You could see him tonight,” Lydia coaxed. “I know where he'll be.”
    “Where?” Esme took a long swallow of Perrier.
    “He and his friend X are going to the Derby in Los Feliz. Maybe you could by-mistake-on-purpose run into them.”
    Esme noted the desperate look on Lydia's face, though Lydia never seemed to feel desperate about anything.
    “Maybe,” Esme agreed.
    Impulsively, Lydia reached across the space between them and hugged Esme hard.