couldn’t live with the fact that her parents were dead and a guy like Dean Covington was not.
Juliette pulled herself up from the couch and shuffled over to the door, still wrapped in the checkered throw from the couch. There was a chill in the air she hadn’t noticed earlier and she didn’t want to let go of the warmth of the blanket.
She pulled open the door without thinking and stared into the hallway at Tyler Chase. Ugh, she should have checked the peephole. At least then she would have been prepared for what awaited her.
“Hey, Jules.”
Of all the questions she could have asked the one that surfaced to the top would have made Jean and Mimi proud. “How the hell did you get my address?”
Ty grinned and stretched all six feet of his long, lean figure across the door frame. He tilted his head to the side. “I have super powers.”
She wanted to roll her eyes and laugh, but had a feeling that would only encourage further misbehavior. And she didn’t want Ty to think it was okay that he just showed up at her apartment. Normal people don’t do that kind of thing. Stalkers maybe. Or crooks. Or politicians who wanted to hide any evidence of a sex scandal.
Focus, Juliette. A strange man just showed up at your door.
“I’m serious,” Juliette tried again. “How did you get my address?”
Tyler gave a shrug. “Winston.”
Juliette threw her hands into the air. “Who is that guy? And don’t tell me he’s your campaign manager.”
“Is that what he told you?”
“Yes. But I don’t believe him. Nor do I believe that his real name is Winston.”
“Why, because he’s Korean? He was born and raised in Beverly Hills. He’s lucky his name is not Apple.”
L.A., huh? That explained his impeccable fashion sense. She wondered if this Boy Wonder also dressed his supposed boss. There’s no way Ty picked out the dark jeans and blazer he was now sporting. Absolutely no way.
“Is he gay?” Juliette asked without thinking.
“Not everyone in L.A. is gay.”
Juliette sighed. “That’s not what I meant. I’m not homophobic or anything. I just noticed he has amazing fashion sense.”
Ty rubbed his hands over the front of his jeans. “Yeah, he taught me everything he knows.”
“I hope not everything.” Juliette couldn’t help herself.
“Ahh, so you did have a good time last night.”
The image of the two of them together in his hotel suite, him pressed up against her in a hallway very much like the one they were standing in now, was too much to bear. She wasn’t supposed to be standing here, flirting with him. He is a U.S senator. With a girlfriend.
“I think you should leave now.”
Ty frowned at the abrupt transition. “I’d rather come in.”
“Never going to happen.”
“I just want a chance to explain what happened this morning, with Courtney.”
The name slammed into her like a defensive lineman. She cringed at the thought of what Courtney might think if she learned the truth about Juliette and Ty.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You’re dating Courtney. She seems nice. You should spend more time visiting her and less time here with me.”
“It’s not like that.”
“I don’t care,” Juliette snapped. “What happened last night was a one-time thing. I was having an off day and needed a distraction to cheer me up. Now I’m better and I can take it from here, thank you very much.”
She didn’t wait for Ty to say more. She simply stepped backward and closed the door. After it clicked shut she leaned against the cold metal and listened for Ty’s footsteps on the other side. Was he still there, or had he taken the hint and left? How long did she have to wait before she could check?
No, she told herself. There will be no checking. She had more important things to do and hooking up with a U.S. senator was not one of them.
Chapter 6: The Keating Five
Juliette studied her mark at a distance for two whole days before making her next move. Courtney, it seemed, was like