Darling

"It's going to be fun, Julia, I swear. You just need to give it a chance." Scarlet promises, her blonde hair shining in the light coming from the windows of the massive mansion. This place was honestly ridiculously extravagant.

"You say this everytime you drag me to one of his events." I remind her.

"Perry comes to everything for us. The least you could do is at least pretend to be happy for him. This is a big deal." She scolds me as we walk through the front door.

"He's just using us as free pretty woman to decorate his party." I grumble, but paste a smile on my face as people start to appear around corners. Perry really had made a name for himself, the high end celebrities were here in droves. The man of the hour walks up to us, beaming from ear to ear. He embraces Scarlet, kissing her square on the mouth. He nods to me, kissing me on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you two could make it!" He exclaims, slightly breathless from the champagne and excitement.

"We wouldn't miss it, dear." Scarlet assures him, attaching herself to his arm, where I'm sure she'll stay the rest of the night. Perry White was a music producer, and tonight was in celebration for his first big award. I wasn't entirely sure what it was for, I had zoned out when Scarlet was telling me, but it was a big deal. She was very proud of her boyfriend. I personally could have cared less, and would have much rather been home going over the shots from my last shoot.

"Yes, we're so proud of you!" I say, giving him my best winning smile. He nods, but gets distracted by another new arrival. As soon as his attention drops away from me, my smile drops twice as quickly. Scarlet snorts.

"You should've been an actress, not a model. Come on, let's get a drink." She takes my arm and we head towards the bar. The house was very open, the dance floor crowded and the music loud. I think I catch a glimpse of Frank Sinatra in the corner, and have to keep myself from gawking. Maybe Perry was a bigger deal than I thought. Scarlet squeezes my arm. "Look who it is!" She squeals. For a moment I think she's pointing out Sinatra, but then I see where her finger leads to. America's newest heartthrob was strolling right towards us, devastatingly handsome in his emerald green shirt open to reveal a chiseled chest. He was tall, and tan like he either spent a lot of time in the sun or a tanning salon. His dark hair was longer than most men in 1958 America, and pieces hang over his forehead. Jesse Nolan, the latest sensation in music. And on his arm in a matching outfit could only be his girlfriend of the week. Scarlet pulls us right in front of them.

"It's such an honor to finally meet you, Perry talks so highly of you!" She extends her hand to him. "I'm Scarlet Shane, his girlfriend." Nolan frees his arm from the blonde girl, and kisses Scarlet's hand instead of shaking it. She laughs in surprise.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Shane, Jesse Nolan. And who's your friend?" His voice is deep, with a slight southern tang to it. I extend my hand.

"Julia Carson." He kisses my hand as well. I glance at his girlfriend, but she never stops smiling.

"This is my girlfriend, Cassidy Lope." He introduces the girl, and she smiles even wider. "Hey, aren't you guys big shot models?" He asks.

"I wouldn't call us big shots." I shake my head.

"No, just successful and lucky." Scarlet agrees.

"No way, I'm a model too!" Cassidy says, her voice so high pitched I have to physically keep myself from flinching.

"Really, maybe we've seen some of your photos. What sort of work do you do?" Scarlet asks. I keep a polite smile on my face, a slight incline to my head to make it seem like I was actually interested in what she had to say.

"Nothing major, just some swimsuit catalogs here and there. I just scheduled an interview with Chanel for next week, though!" Jesse must notice my disinterest because a strangely amused smile rests on his face. "Wait, where are you from, you talk so differently?"

"I'm from London." I tell her. Scarlet is trying to choke back her laughter.

"Oh, you're the model that does all that charity work. You raise money for a ton of different causes, right?" She asks. For a moment I think she's joking, then realize she is dead serious.

"Yes, I think it's important to give back since I have the means." But someone must walk through the door because she gasps, and starts to pull Jesse away from us.

"I loved your photos in Life last month. They were beautiful." He calls over his shoulder as Cassidy drags him away. I blink in surprise. In addition to modeling, I also was a photographer and liked to take pictures when I travel for my philanthropy efforts. Last month I had published an article about the impact of logging in the Amazon rainforest, and had gotten some amazing shots of the people and wildlife there. I was shocked he had seen it.

As I had predicted, not long after we arrive Scarlet ditches me for Perry, leaving me all alone at a table, observing the dancers.

About an hour later, Scarlet and Perry come up to try and coax me out.

"Come on, you used to love to dance!" Scarlet whines. She's had a few drinks, and I was going to have to take her home soon, if she wasn't staying with Perry tonight.

"I'm not in the mood." I tell her, trying to smile to encourage her to go out without me. "Besides, I don't have a partner."

"You haven't been in the mood since Daniel. It's been a year, it's time to move on. And there are literally dozens of men here who would be more than happy to dance with you." She insists.

"I'm really quite happy here, you go on." It doesn't take much convincing to follow Perry out into the dancing. Someone pulls a chair out at my table. I turn to say that I would prefer to sit alone, but shut my mouth when I see who it is.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Jesse asks. I shake my head.

"As long as your girlfriend doesn't." I tell him. He laughs, and nods to where she stands engrossed in a conversation with a group of other women.

"She's entertained at the moment. Sorry about her earlier, she's sort of oblivious sometimes."

"You shouldn't talk about her like she's a toddler, and degrade her for my benefit." I say flatly. This surprises him, and he leans back.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"It's not me to whom you owe an apology." This quiets him for a time, but eventually he works his nerve back up, and leans forward. I straighten, eyeing him uneasily. His eyes were a shocking blue.

"Come dance with me?" He asks. I shake my head.

"I would prefer to stay here. I'm perfectly content to watch."

"That's a lie." He teases. I frown.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because you've been tapping your foot to the music all night." He glances under the table to where my foot is indeed tapping along to the beat, betraying my inclinations. The smirk on his face prompts a curiosity in me.

"Fine, but you'd better not dance like you do in your shows." I warn him. This earns me a laugh.

"You don't like my moves, huh?"

"It's something I would rather not be associated with." I reply, but conversation becomes impossible as we are swept up in the swift dance. I had forgotten how it felt, but not the steps. They flow back to me as easily as ever, and I quickly become more comfortable. I dance two dances, then we head back off. Cassidy is waiting for us at my table, a fake smile plastered on her face. She was upset. I instantly feel bad, putting distance between Jesse and myself. She latches onto him as soon as we arrive.

"Jesse, you have to come meet some of my modeling friends. I didn't realize they were going to be here, and wouldn't have left you if I hadn't been so surprised." She says to him, totally ignoring me. He kisses her on the mouth.

"You go, I'm going to stay here, maybe dance some more. I'll meet them later." He assures her, and without giving her time to argue, seats himself next to me again. There is a panic in her eyes that makes me uncomfortable. I had no intention of stealing her boyfriend, but I suppose if I was in a relationship with a man of his reputation, I would be nervous about every girl he met too.

"Cassidy, you could have my seat if you like, I was getting ready to go." I stand, offering her the chair. Her face hardens when she looks at me, no longer the bubbly and friendly girl from earlier. I was now a threat.

"No thanks. I'd rather stand. Sitting bores me." To emphasize her point, she wraps her arms around Jesse's neck from behind. He gives me a strange look, but I just snort.

"Right. Have a great night, you two." I call over my shoulder and stride away. I get my coat at the door.

"Jules, where are you going?" Scarlet catches me as I'm about to leave.

"I'm ready to go home. I can call a cab for you later if you need me to, or if you stay here just call me in the morning and I'll pick you up."

"Honey, what happened? It looked like you were actually having fun." She pushes, laying a hand on my arm.

"Nothing happened. Go enjoy your party, get lots of gossip for me to hear tomorrow." I kiss her cheek and walk out into the warm Los Angeles night.

A couple weeks go by, and one morning I wake up to head to a shoot and find something slipped under my door. It's an envelope with my name on it. I throw it onto the kitchen table and head out of the luxury apartment that Scarlet and I share. I'm getting dressed when I get a phone call from home.

"Were you going to tell me that you got two tickets to Jesse Nolan's show tonight?" Scarlet demands as soon as I pick up.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"That envelope you left on the table? I opened in and inside are two tickets, and a handwritten note from him." She pauses. "Yes, I am aware I shouldn't have opened it, however I was curious. And you left it out. You know I'm nosy."

"I didn't even open it before I left. What does the note say?"

"It says, 'Hope to see you there, J.' What happened at Perry's party?"

"Nothing. I gotta go, Scar, I'll talk to you tonight." I say, hanging up on her as she protests. That cheeky bastard had invited me personally to his show, all while having a girlfriend.