"Quasar, of course. Is there any other reason for visiting such a tiny and faraway country?" Laura tossed her luxurious gold hair and shone an adoring glance on Quasar.
"You flatter me, but Dani knows that Oman's charms far outshine mine."
Laura gave Dani the once-over, then looked back at Quasar. Dani became self-conscious of her Omani attire. Laura herself had on a slinky cream dress with a plunging neckline that revealed her spray-tanned boobs, gold high-heeled sandals and a necklace of what looked like gold nuggets.
"Do people here not drink alcohol?" Laura surveyed the crowd.
"Not really." Quasar winked at Dani, which gave her a pleasant conspiratorial feeling. "It's a Muslim country. It's served to guests at the hotel who want it, though. Would you like a drink?"
"Absolutely, darling. I'm parched and this Shirley Temple they gave me isn't doing anything for my jet lag. A whisky sour would be a dream."
"Dani, would you like anything?"
"I'm fine, thanks."
"I'll be right back."
Quasar headed for the bar, leaving Dani with Laura. Awkward! "Do you work at the hotel?" Laura inquired while looking over her shoulder at the crowds.
"No. I'm a friend of Quasar's." She lifted her chin as she said it. Now would be the perfect time to announce she was about to move in with him, but prudence prevented her. She knew this woman was one of his ex-lovers. And she'd come all the way to Oman to see him. They were obviously still on friendly terms.
Maybe their relationship wasn't even over.
"Are you one of the girls whose hearts he broke when he was a ridiculously dashing teen heartthrob?"
"No. We met recently." She could see Laura's curiosity growing, and decided that being mysterious was the best policy. No need to even let on that she recognized her. Which was petty, since she quite liked her movies. Oh, well, she was jealous of Laura right now and that was making her petty. At least she could acknowledge it.
But it was rather scary to see herself grow green claws over Quasar. How was she going to feel in Boston when he had business meetings with women, or even social gatherings and networking? He was an outgoing, friendly and popular guy, so she'd better get used to sharing him if their relationship was going anywhere. "How do you know him?"
"Oh, Quasar and I go way back." Laura inhaled her pink mocktail like it was a shot of rum. "He's like the brother I never had." The platonic reference was strangely reassuring. "But who I sleep with!" Laura let out a giggle. "He's irresistible. What can I say?"
Dani swallowed. What could she say? Hopefully Laura didn't intend to sleep with Quasar tonight. But if she did, what exactly could Dani do about it if Quasar were ready, willing and able?
Where was Quasar? She turned and saw him returning with three tall glasses. "Whiskey sours for everyone." He handed Laura hers, then gave one to Dani.
She looked at it suspiciously. She didn't really drink. Apart from any religious objections, she was a total lightweight.
Quasar took a sip of his and Laura took a few refreshing gulps of hers. "Quasar, darling, you should come down under for my next shoot." She grabbed Quasar's shoulder. "It's near Melbourne, which is such a fantastic city. Beaches, nightlife, fun people."
"Sounds like Salalah." Quasar winked again at Dani. The gesture warmed and relaxed her.
"Have you been to Australia, darling?" She squeezed his shoulder.
"Never have."
"Come then, you'll love it. I promise."
This is where Quasar should have protested that he couldn't because he was about to move to Boston with Dani. But he didn't.
"Maybe I will. There's an interesting biotech firm in Sydney I've been keeping tabs on. I might come down and eyeball the place."
"Wonderful." Her hand rose up to cup his cheek. Dani tried not to squirm and spill her whiskey sour. "When shooting wraps, we can take a Jeep across the outback. I've always wanted to do that!"
How could Quasar let this strange woman fondle him right in front of her after all they'd shared over the last few days? He was acting as if Laura was his girlfriend and she, Dani, was his old and platonic friend. Which is of course what he'd said he would do to protect her reputation. Was he just trying to deflect attention from her by pretending Laura was still his lover?
"Laura surprised me today," he said to Dani. "She showed up unannounced with about forty pieces of luggage."
"Oh." Dani nodded. That was not at all reassuring. He obviously wouldn't have invited her to come here tonight if he'd known Laura was arriving.
This situation was uncomfortable. Not only was he trying to convince everyone else they were "just friends," he apparently wanted Laura to think that too. Dani decided to take the hint and make her exit at the first available opportunity.
"Forty pieces of luggage! There aren't even eight. And I had no idea what the climate would be like here. Deserts can be quite freezing at night. I wonder if the outback gets cold at night. I could bring a light fox fur." She giggled again.
Dani's drink was sweating in her hand and she was tempted to drink it just for something to do, but she worried that she might cough and splutter at the disgusting taste of whiskey. She had no idea what to say and was beginning to wish that the shining marble tiles of the floor would slide apart and allow her to sink gracefully into oblivion.
Mercifully, Salim announced over the mike that it was time to sing "Happy Birthday," and the crowd moved in toward where a giant, multilayer cake, iced with rainbow-colored unicorns, stood in the middle of the courtyard.
Dani made a dive for the exit and didn't look back to see if Quasar had noticed. This was possibly the most embarrassing experience of her life. Luckily only she knew that. Laura-even Quasar himself-had no idea she'd come here to tell Quasar of her plans to go back to the States with him. To live with him and accept his generous offer to support her, which basically would have made her a kept woman.
Kept by a man for whom she was just one of many women whose company he enjoyed.
Thank goodness she'd seen Quasar's true colors and come to her senses. She put her drink down on a table as she passed out of the large courtyard, unnoticed amongst the joyous crowd singing "Happy Birthday" in several languages at the same time. She felt like a killjoy that she couldn't at least celebrate his niece's birthday, but tears were dangerously close to the surface and she needed to get out of here before they erupted.
It was over. Her exhilarating romance with Quasar. Her bold plans for starting over again in Boston. All of it. Now she was right back where she'd started except that now her father thought she was a loose woman as well as a foolish one.
She managed to keep a straight face as she hurried past the army of valets and bellhops and maintenance staff, striding along the wide driveway that led out the hotel gates. Out on the main road she kept going, walking as fast as she could. The chiffon fabric of her clothing kept catching on itself, and she cursed the fact that traditional Omani women's wear consisted of both a dress and pants. Maybe it was planned that way to make it harder for a woman to escape from her lover in a moment of crisis.
She should be glad, really. Her brain raced and her breathing got faster as she strode down the dusty sidewalk. She'd been saved from the humiliation of embarking on yet another disastrous live-in relationship with a totally unsuitable man. She'd just have to accept the truth that she had awful taste in men. She needed to find some kind of job where she could support herself, move out and get a cat for companionship.
She'd hoped the walk home would clear her head and settle her emotions; instead the first tears fell as she rounded the corner into her neighborhood. She wiped them hurriedly away with her scarf. Would her father even let her back in the house or would she be ordered to leave the way Quasar had been when he showed up?
She bit her lip and fought back the tears. The walk had flown by so quickly on her way to the party when she was filled with excitement and hope for the future. Now she prayed she wouldn't run into her neighbors out for an evening stroll. She couldn't bear to see anyone right now.
Why hadn't Quasar kissed her? If he had she'd probably have been shocked, and worried about her reputation, and scolded him. But now the fact that he hadn't made her feel like a castoff. His conspiratorial winks had suggested that they were still a team in some sense. Just not in any public sense where he'd claim her as his actual girlfriend.