Diamonds Are Forever (29 page)

As Zoe and Leah returned to flitting around the shop and trying on various pairs of Louboutins, Gemma opted to wait with Corey as the sales staff brought out his special order.

“So I heard you got into a little trouble out West,” he said, with a sympathetic smile.  Gemma frowned.  “Probably a mistake that I brought that up, huh?”

“It’s fine.  I’m used to it at this point.”

“I like telling everyone that you and I had such a bad breakup that you ran off to Vegas with an NBA player and married him, just to get over me,” Corey teased.

“Shut up, you don’t actually do that do you?”

“I do, but no one believes me so it doesn’t matter,” Corey smiled.

Gemma laughed.  “So, how have you been doing?” she asked.  “Seeing anyone?”

“Nah,” he replied.  “Just trying to focus on finding something to do.”

“No plans going back to law school?”

“No, it’s not my thing.  But I do need something more than boating.  Something more than a hobby, for sure.  Like a job.  You know, to make me feel like an adult.”

Gemma smiled.  “You don’t feel like one now?”

“Ah, well, my parents pay for my life, so, no.  Not really.”

“It’s good that you care,” Gemma said, with a faint smile.  “I’m sure your mom is proud of you for that.”

“Kind of pathetic for her to be proud of me being the bare minimum, don’t you think?” he laughed.  “Besides, I want to be like an
actual
grown-up.  Like you.”

“Corey, that’s so sad,” Gemma laughed.  “I should by no means be a marker for maturity.”

“My mom
loves
you,” he continued.  “I think she secretly wishes you were her daughter and that’s why she was so hell-bent for the two of us to be together.  And that’s why I was so completely blind to the fact that we weren’t really… working out that way.  When I heard you and Damian got hitched in Vegas, I realized I actually did see a definite spark between you guys that night at Greyta.”

“Saying something like that after the fact is pretty much cheating,” Gemma smirked.  “Besides, it’s not like he and I are together now so you’re not totally right.”

“Yeah, I figured you two weren’t together anymore.”

“Really?” Gemma crossed her arms.  “Did he say something to you?”

“No, but you know, we all hang in the same crowd.”

“And?”

“And, nothing.  I just sensed it, that’s all,” Corey shrugged, looking suddenly uncomfortable.  He didn’t have to say anything for Gemma to assume what he must have seen.  After all, she had hung out with that crowd before.

“Who was he with?” she asked.

“Hm?” Corey scratched his head.

“Was it Clara?”

“I don’t know, you know, who knows, right?” he said, barely coherent as he stood up from the white leather bench, seeming relieved as a saleswoman approached him with a crisp shopping bag.  “Hey, you know who else I’ve been seeing a lot lately?” Corey asked enthusiastically.  Gemma bit her lip, not wanting to change the subject.

“Who?” she asked reluctantly.

“Your friend, Kate,” he answered.  “She and Mitchell are inseparable so whenever he comes to my place, so does she.”  Gemma managed a smile, knowing how much Kate had always wanted a relationship like that.

“That’s nice to hear.  I sort of figured that was the case when she dropped off the face of the planet,” she said, genuine albeit hasty, hoping to steer the conversation back to Damian with her next sentence.  But Corey caught on, quickly interjecting before she could.

“Those two are awesome together,” he said quickly, nodding as he tried to think of something, anything else to say.  “It was basically love at first sight for the both of them, wasn’t it?” he chuckled.

“I guess.”

“Man.  If only all relationships could be that easy,” Corey laughed, though his smile faded as he found himself going right back to the topic of conversation that he’d been trying to avoid.  “Anyway – ”

“Corey, can you just tell me who he was with?” Gemma chewed her lip after the question came out.  She was actually too desperate for its answer to even feel ashamed about badgering Corey.  As he shifted uncomfortably, she prepared herself for the reply that she wanted to hear least – Clara.

“I have to go, Gemma.  And honestly, I don’t know how to answer your question,” Corey finally exhaled.

“What do you mean you don’t know how to answer?”

He looked at her, a grimace on his handsome face.  “Because I don’t know their names.  The girls.  There’ve been a lot of them.”

TICKETS FOR AZURA’S ANCIENT HISTORY TOUR NOW ON SALE

Celeb-o-Matic

December 15
^th

All those sobbing about not getting into Azura’s Vegas concert now have a second chance at seeing her perform – tickets for
Ancient History
are now officially on sale.  But those not in Europe will have to wait.  While the tour is worldwide, she will be kicking things off across the pond before she makes her return to the states.

To kick things off, Azura is set to be throwing a launch party at New York City’s famous hotel, Metropolis.  Although the guest list includes some pretty big names, it’s reported that the event is open to the public – though we suspect you’re still going to have to be somebody or know somebody to get past the tricky red ropes. 

In honor of her album title,
Ancient History,
Azura had decided to theme her launch party after her favorite ancient civilization.  She was holding the event at Metropolis, the grand hotel on the Bowery at which Gemma had attended the
Leadoff
premiere.

The invitation had asked her guests to wear costumes inspired by ancient Egypt and its mythology, but “
no mummies, please – not even sexy mummies
.”

Out of a couple spare rolls of unbleached linen and muslin gauze from her studio, Gemma had fashioned together a simple, one-shouldered sheath dress with an attached shawl.  It draped from behind her bare shoulder and attached at the wrist.  She finished off the look by ironing her hair until it was stick straight, topping it off with a gold-beaded headdress she had mindlessly woven together in her spare time.  The beading hung from the crown of her head in sparkling tendrils intertwined with her hair.

Her date for the night was Zoe, who had done her hair in dozens of tiny braids, clipping off the ends of each with gold-plated accessories that matched her short metallic dress.  Aside from the various depictions of Cleopatra that they’d observed from pop culture, neither Gemma nor Zoe could say they knew much about Ancient Egyptian history.  But if not authentic, Gemma at least knew they looked damned good.

As the hostess of the party, Azura had appropriately chosen to dress as Isis.  Gemma and Zoe had arrived to find her slinking around the mezzanine, looking down at the crowd below her.  She wore an elaborate headdress and was heavily adorned with intricate gold jewelry.  Every once in awhile, she would spread her arms out to show off the pair of “wings” that were attached to the costume.  Even from her view on the floor below, Gemma could see how meticulously made it was, cut and draped beautifully and made of a light, gossamer fabric with a flurry of large, gold-dipped feathers.

Though the air in the grand lobby was cool and crisp, the faint smell of sweet spices hung among the hundreds of people who had gathered to celebrate. The décor was ornate yet abstract with turquoise beads and gold threads hanging from the ceilings in sheets.  And true to Azura’s request, everyone had taken the opportunity to dress to the theme that she had wanted.  As Gemma and Zoe made their way through the crowd, they realized not one person had strayed from it, and if anyone had they probably already left in shame.  Every last person, male or female, was wearing light linen on their bodies and heavy coal on their eyes.  There were variations here or there with some men opting to go shirtless while others were more elaborately dressed, styling themselves after gods or royalty.

“Damn.  Azura knows how to party, huh?” Zoe murmured, aimlessly wandering the space with Gemma.  Gemma continued to watch as Azura danced around the mezzanine, moving sensually to the music as the gold fabric and feathers trailed behind her.  She smiled when she spotted Eugene sitting behind her, dressed as Osiris.

“Should we go say hi?”

“Um, yeah,” Zoe nodded.  “What’s the point of being V.I.P. if we can’t see the view from up there?”

At the base of the stairs leading up to the mezzanine were two bouncers dressed as guards, holding tall, imperial staffs.  They undid the red rope that closed the stairwell off and helped Gemma and Zoe up onto the first step.  The stairs were long, winding slightly before leading them a throne that seemed to have been set up for Azura – not that she was sitting in it.  She seemed way too excited to stay seated.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, upon seeing them.  “Ugh, you two look perfect!”

“Um, how about you?” Zoe twirled Azura’s tiny body to get a good look at her get-up.  “This whole thing is
gorgeous.
”  The gold cloth and feathers fluttered as they spun with her body.

Azura beamed her thanks before nodding towards the bar.  “Go drink!” she said, like a dutiful host.  “Open bar, all top shelf up here.  Go!” She gave them a gentle push towards the winding counter at one end of the mezzanine.  Behind it were two shirtless bartenders, nearly identical with their shaved heads, thick beards, and lined eyes.

“Oh my God,” Zoe exhaled, eyes glittering.  “And the girl knows who to hire too.”

“Bet you’re glad Gavin’s not here,” Gemma laughed, watching as Zoe’s gaze shamelessly wandered about the two bartenders as she ordered their drinks.

“So, I know you don’t want me to ask but do you know if
you know who
will be here?” Zoe pursed her lips, tapping her fingers on the bar as the bartenders prepared their drinks.

“No, I don’t.”

“Azura didn’t mention it?”

“Nope.”

“Do you
care
if he’s here or not?” Zoe asked.  She always got persistent when Gemma was doing a bad job of hiding something and tonight, she was doing a bad job of hiding the fact that she cared
very much
whether or not Damian would be at the party.  Her stomach had been knotting up since they’d begun getting ready to go out but she simply hadn’t said anything, hoping her anxiety would just remedy itself.  But it didn’t, of course.  Probably because this was her last opportunity to run into Damian before she headed back to Los Angeles to work on Burke Faust’s production.  She had checked the Knicks game schedule repeatedly since the day she received the invite, as if the information would for some reason change.  They had a home game that started a couple hours before the party.  She wasn’t sure how that played into the probability of Damian showing up at Metropolis.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to go look at the view?” Gemma asked Zoe, nodding toward the edge of the mezzanine.  Rolling her eyes, Zoe gave up on her prodding.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”

And so they did.  From her new vantage point, Gemma could appreciate the space below her in a way that she hadn’t while standing at ground level.  The vast, marble floor was almost completely covered now by dancing bodies.  It was mesmerizing to see everyone so uniformly dressed, moving together almost as if they were dancing as a whole.  There was a lot more exposed skin that she had previously noticed and the crowd was delighting in it.  The large, circular fountain that sat near the entrance was now littered with wet bodies, splashing each other, linen clinging to the curves and ridges of their bodies.

She was even privy to corners that probably felt intimate down on the floor, where some couples had gathered for some time alone.  But she looked away the moment she realized what she was observing, feeling voyeuristic and slightly envious.  Suddenly, Gemma found it incredibly appropriate that Azura and her crew were dressed like gods.  With their view from so high up, it certainly felt fitting.

As she leaned over the ledge with Zoe, studying the crowd as they drank, Gemma wondered if she would even notice if Damian walked in.  From the top, everyone looked the same in their linen clothing and headdresses.  She wondered if he was even perhaps there already.  Perhaps Azura had simply opted not to mention it.

“God, old me would’ve had too much fun at a place like this,” Zoe said, frowning slightly as she surveyed the increasingly sexual crowd.  “Too bad I had to go and fall in love with your stupid brother.”

Gemma laughed.  “I’m sorry I dragged you from his arms, then.”

“He’d look so hot in one of those little belted skirt things all the guys are wearing.”

“Please stop.”

“Sorry.  It’s just, who knew men in skirts could look so hot?”

“Well, our family’s Scottish,” Gemma offered.  “If you marry Gavin, he’ll be wearing a kilt at your wedding.”

“Oh my God.  I kind of always imagined Gavin insisting on wearing a kilt when we got married, Scottish or not,” Zoe said, deadpan.  Gemma burst out laughing, imagining the scene.  Her heart warmed at the thought of her best friend marrying her brother. 
How did I never realize it right from the start? Those two are stupid perfect for each other
, Gemma snorted to herself.  It felt crazy now to think about how she’d once assumed that they wouldn’t make it – mostly because of the time when Zoe started to travel more for work and Gavin started to worry about finding work at all.  They had loved each other then but at the core, they were two party-loving goofballs whom Gemma didn’t trust to work hard on love.