Imposter Read Online Free Page B

Curt laughs. “Listen to me!One cocktail and I think I can nail an entire city with a single sentence. If I were you, I wouldn’t stick around to hear what I say after my second drink.”
    Curt takes a handful of nuts from a bowl on the table beside him—cashews and pistachios, by the look of them; no cheap peanuts here, thank you—but pauses before eating. “No,” he continues in a lower voice. “If I were you, I’d go talk to the redhead on the patio. The one who’s been eyeing you ever since you arrived.”
    I fight the urge to look straightaway. Channeling the new me, I shake his hand and give a casual salute as he raises his empty glass and moves on to the bar.
    I see her as soon as I turn around. She’s taller than the women around her. Her green dress shimmers in the light from the pool. Her dark red hair is pulled high in a sleek ponytail.
    As our eyes meet I freeze. She’s too beautiful to approach, like a painting secured behind several panes of glass. But what will she think of me if I don’t talk to her?
    In all my years of acting, I’ve never been so conscious of how I look when I move. My arms and legs feel awkward and stiff. She watches me the whole time, waiting, a faint smile teasing the corner of her mouth.
    â€œI’m Sabrina.” She offers her hand. In heels, she’s only a few inches shorter than me.
    We shake. “I’ve seen your movies,” I tell her.
    â€œAll of them?”
    â€œSome. Saw
Swan Song
last week.”
    â€œUgh.” She rolls her dark eyes. Manages to make even that look sexy.
    â€œYou don’t like it? You won an award.”
    â€œThat movie was only made to win awards. I thought it was self-indulgent and melodramatic.”
    â€œNo sequel, then, huh?”
    She smiles fully at last. “Well, as my agent reminded me: Never say never.” She narrows her eyes and leans a little closer. “But seeing as how my character died at the end, it’d be kind of difficult, don’t you think?”
    My face flushes red. I wonder how bad it would look for me to run straight out of the party.
    â€œHmm,” she murmurs, running her thumb across her lips. “You didn’t watch all of it, huh?”
    â€œNo. I-I kind of thought it was, well . . . self-indulgent and melodramatic, I guess.” She seems surprised that I actually say this out loud. She’s not the only one. “Sorry.”
    â€œNo,” she says quickly. “This is good. I like honesty. Which means we’re compatible, doesn’t it, Seth?”
    Sabrina Layton knows my name!
    â€œI didn’t think you’d know who I am,” I say.
    â€œOh, I know you, all right.” Her voice is silky smooth, every word delivered with teasing certainty. It’s impossible not to be nervous beside her. Impossible not to want to impress her.
    â€œSo tell me something about me,” I say with a confidence I don’t feel.
    â€œOkay. Let’s see . . . you’re out of your element here, and you wish it felt better than it does. You hate not knowing who most of these people are. You haven’t got a drink even though everyone else has one. And my guess is, you won’t take a cocktail becauseyou’re worried what people will think of you for it.” She tilts her head to the side. Her ponytail swings languidly in amber silhouette.
    â€œAnything else?”
    â€œYeah. You didn’t choose those clothes.”
    Somehow, my heart beats even faster. “How do you know that?”
    â€œYou’re too buttoned up.”
    She places her glass on the wall and draws closer to me. I hold my breath as she reaches up and undoes a second shirt button. As she adjusts the cloth, her finger slides underneath and brushes against my bare skin. Such a fleeting movement, but it’s electrifying.
    â€œBetter?” I croak.
    â€œBetter,” she agrees. “Sends a