Just the Sexiest Man Alive

Twenty-eight

TAYLOR PRIDED HERSELF in being a virtual expert in the area of labor and employment law. She had worked hard for this distinction: she subscribed to the various labor and employment trade publications, she kept on top of the case law and legislation and studied the trends and changes in her field, she attended conferences and seminars and was even the cochairwoman of the Young Lawyers Employment Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.

In short, when it came to labor and employment law, Taylor had skills.

On the other hand, when it came to the subject of black-tie Hollywood balls, Taylor’s skills were, well . . . not so much. In this area, she needed reinforcements. She needed an expert in the subject of all things Hollywood, someone who worked hard to acquire that knowledge, someone who subscribed to the various trade publications and studied the trends and changes in that particular field.

So she called Valerie.

The woman was apoplectic.

“The Black and Pink Ball!”

Val screamed so loudly, Taylor had to hold the phone away from her ear.

“Taylor Donovan you are the luckiest goddamn woman in the world! I’d cut off my right arm to go to the Black and Pink Ball!”

“Then I’d recommend a strapless gown for you when the time comes.”

“Taylor!” Valerie yelled warningly. “You are not taking this seriously enough! Your dress, your shoes, your hair and makeup—your very existence—needs to be planned down to the absolute last detail.” Then Val began to fret, mumbling distractedly on her end of the line. “You call and give me three days’ notice? It can’t be done—there’s no time. All right, fine then—yes, I will help you, you’ll be gorgeous, and your fabulous movie star boyfriend will be unable to speak at the very sight of you.” She paused pointedly. “Wait—who is it you’re going out with this week?”

Taylor smirked. Ha ha. “Couldn’t resist throwing in that last part, could you?”

“Without the snide comments, I might have to kill you, I’m that jealous.” Then Val got down to business. “Okay—so for the Black and Pink Ball, we need to think classic Hollywood. Glamorous old-school Hollywood. Think Ava Gardner. Think Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly. You will wear black—”

“But I always wear black,” Taylor interrupted. “I was thinking—”

“Taylor! Are you trying to kill me? We don’t have time for you to run around looking for shoes that will match some peach nightmare you plucked off the clearance rack at Saks!”

Taylor was highly insulted by this. As if she would ever wear peach.

“Speaking of shoes,” Val continued, “you will go to Christian Louboutin—write this down, Taylor . . .”

And so it went.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, Taylor felt as though Valerie was shopping right alongside her when she stopped off at Rodeo Drive Thursday evening after her trial. When the salesclerks weren’t looking, she snapped photos with her cell phone of the various dress and shoe contenders and sent them to Val for immediate comment.

The two women exchanged several phone calls over the next two days. During their final conversation early Saturday evening, when Taylor was just about to start getting ready, Valerie heard the hesitation creeping into her voice and asked about it.

“I feel guilty about going to the party,” Taylor admitted. “I think I might be leading Scott on.”

“Think of it this way,” Val told her, “by going with Scott Casey to the Black and Pink Ball, you saved our friendship. Because if I had ever heard you turned down such an invitation, I never would’ve spoken to you again.”

Taylor smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Val, for that.”

Valerie sighed wistfully. “Now go to your big fancy party, and call me tomorrow and tell me every detail. And Taylor—knock him dead.”

Although it went unsaid, Taylor knew full well that the “him” Valerie had been referring to was not Scott Casey.

LATER THAT EVENING, when Taylor stepped out onto the veranda of Tony Bredstone’s mansion, she instantly saw why the Black & Pink Ball was one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood. She tried to take in every detail of the grandness of the party, thinking how she would describe it to Val in the morning.

The studio head’s home sat on a sprawling five-acre estate in Bel Air. The grounds behind the house had been elaborately transformed into an outdoor ballroom, complete with white linens and crystal-set dining tables. Low candlelight was sprinkled throughout, creating a warm glow. Twinkling lights were strung along the sculptured topiaries that surrounded the main dance floor. Waiters with bow ties carried silver platters of champagne, and a string quartet played classical music from the upstairs balcony.

To Taylor, it looked like a scene right out of a movie. Which was an appropriate thought, considering a good number of the guests mingling throughout were actors and actresses she had seen in those very movies. For a lawyer from Chicago, it was like being at the Academy Awards. Only without the whole I’m-just-honored-to-have-been-nominated rigamarole.

Scott took Taylor by the hand and led her into the party. He looked great in his tux; there certainly was no disputing that. He headed straight for one of the bars, saying something about needing a drink. Taylor balked when she spotted some photographers hanging off to the side.

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked her. Then he saw the source of her hesitation. “Oh that . . . don’t worry, those are just industry photographers. They cover these charity events for the trade papers. Nothing your trial judge would ever see.”

Taylor continued to hesitate. “I don’t know . . . why don’t you go ahead and get us drinks? I’ll just wait here.”

She could’ve sworn she saw a flicker of—disappointment? anger?—in Scott’s eyes right then. But then he smiled.

“Don’t be so paranoid, Mystery Woman.” He held up his hand in a mock-solemn vow. “Your secret identity is safe with me. I promise.”

But there was something about his smile that Taylor didn’t quite trust . . . She was trying to figure out what that something was, when someone grabbed Scott from behind.

“You wouldn’t be trying to sneak by without saying hello, would you, brother?” an Irish voice said.

Turning, Taylor saw two guys in their midtwenties who she recognized as Scott’s costars from A Viking’s Quest.

“Hey—who the hell let you scrubs in here!” Scott shouted at them. In his excitement, his Australian accent was more pronounced than ever.

Taylor had heard the tales—everyone had—about how close Scott and his A Viking’s Quest costars had grown during their grueling thirteen-month shoot. There were even rumors that the cast had gone out one night after filming and gotten “AVQ” tattoos in “secret” places. Valerie had been highly disappointed to learn that Taylor had not gotten any confirmation of this.

Taylor watched as Scott’s boys pulled him into a rough tumble of inebriated man-hugs.

“Scrubs? Ahh . . . look here at this guy, such a big shot,” said the British actor. He, like Scott, had gotten his first big break with A Viking’s Quest, and he too was doing well for himself, having landed a role as a recovering alcoholic on a new primetime television show that boasted the biggest ratings of the season.

“What the fuck is this shit?” demanded the Irish actor, the word coming out as “shite.” As far as Taylor knew, he had done absolutely nothing since A Viking’s Quest. “You got no drink—what’s up with that?” he asked Scott in his thick brogue. “We need to address that situation immediately.”

Before Taylor knew what was happening, the two actors dragged Scott off to the bar for a round of shots. Leaving her standing alone on the veranda.

Taylor looked around and recognized no one. Somehow, this kept happening to her at these Hollywood parties. Probably because she was the no one.

Not wanting to stand on the veranda forever, Taylor headed off in search of a washroom, thinking it was the only place for a girl to be alone at a party like this without looking pathetic.

WHAT TAYLOR DIDN’T realize, as she cut through the crowd, was that people at that party were paying attention to her. Very much so, in fact.

She never knew it, but the reason no one dared approach her was because they all assumed she was somebody they should know and were too embarrassed to admit they didn’t. So instead, they turned to one another in low whispers. Remind me—I know this, but the name escapes me right now—who is that woman?

And with each person that couldn’t quite place Taylor, the mystery surrounding her deepened.

She came with Scott Casey, someone said. No, no—they just happened to walk in at the same time. See—there he is, over there, laughing with the other actors from that movie. If Scott Casey was here with her, wouldn’t he at least get her a drink?

And then something magical happened.

The voices dropped to a hushed awe.

Wait—look over there, isn’t that Jason Andrews? Over by the other bar, sitting by himself. Look at how he’s watching her.

A quiet frenzy swept across the party. Do you think it could be—yes, yes, you can tell by the long, dark hair, it’s the same as the photographs in the magazines, I think you might be right . . .

It was the Mystery Woman.

In person, right there at their party. The crowd couldn’t help but stare. It was generally agreed she had been expected to be a little taller.

The whispers quickly worked their way to the photographers who hovered along the edges of the party, snapping relatively unexciting shots of Alec Baldwin sneaking another cheese puff off a passing waiter’s tray, or Salma Hayek spilling champagne on her Manolos while toasting Brad Grey.

Catching word of the whispers, paparazzi heads shot up in a state of ready alertness, like a herd of gazelle that had caught wind of a lioness lurking in the grass nearby. Their ears twitched and their eyes darted side to side as they scanned the vast Serengeti of the Bel Air mansion until they spotted her.

The Mystery Woman! Now there was the money shot—easily worth twenty times another photograph of one of them Gyllenhaal jokers. But not alone—she needed to be with him.

So now the paparazzi watched, along with the interested party guests, as the Mystery Woman made her way into the house. They stood by, ready, as Jason set down his drink and got up from the bar as if to follow her.

The crowd nudged one another. Such drama! Such excitement!

They couldn’t wait to see what was about to happen next.