A Broken Kind of Beautiful Read Online Free PDF Page A

might.”
    He leaned closer. “Brian.”
    Ivy took another long drink. His leg brushed against hers, but she didn’t pull away. “You want to dance with me, Brian?”
    His eyelids fluttered. “Uh-huh.”
    She traced her finger around the outside of her martini glass.
    He watched her movement. “What do you say?”
    “Here’s what I have to say.” She set her hand on his knee and paused, listening to the catch in his breath. Disgust blistered beneath her skin. “Get your ring out of your pocket, and put it back on your finger.”
    He drew away, his mouth hanging open.
    “Be a man, Brian.” She picked up her drink. “Go home to your wife.” Resisting the urge to knee him where it hurt, she sauntered back to theprivate room and found one of Bruce’s assistants standing off to the side. A breath of fresh air in a room full of clichés. Maya was a perpetual wallflower, which probably explained why she tugged at Ivy’s heartstrings.
    Ivy walked over and offered a friendly smile. “Hi, Maya.”
    Maya melted with relief. “Ivy!”
    “Let me guess—Bruce asked you to make an appearance?”
    “He wanted me to keep an eye out.”
    Ivy drank the last of her martini. “For promising new clients, no doubt.”
    “I really don’t like these parties,” Maya said, fidgeting with her scarf.
    Her dislike was painfully obvious, but what Maya lacked in social acuity she more than made up for in hard work and kindness. “You know,” Ivy said out of the corner of her mouth, bending her knees a bit to compensate for their height difference, “if you decided to call it a night, I don’t think Bruce would be any wiser.”
    “Really?”
    “I wouldn’t say anything.” Ivy plucked the slice of apple from the rim of her glass. “Besides, Bruce has plenty of clients already.”
    Maya darted a few glances around the room, then hitched her purse strap over her shoulder. “I do want to catch up on some episodes of The Bachelorette .”
    “I’ll be curious to know what you think of her latest decision.”
    “Will do. Thanks, Ivy!” Maya gave her a side hug, then wove through the crowd until she fell out of sight.
    When Ivy turned around, she spotted Clara Vans at one of the purse tables. Taking a delicate bite of her apple slice, she set her martini glass on a table and made her way over, selecting a zebra-print handbag from the collection. “Ventino is a genius.”
    Clara looked up from the black clutch she held out in front of her. “Isn’t he?”
    “I did some work for one of his collections a couple years ago.”
    “Did you?”
    Ivy held out her hand. “My name’s Ivy Clark.”
    “Oh yes. You’re one of Bruce’s girls, aren’t you?”
    She nodded as a bartender entered the room, a tray full of champagne flutes balanced on the palm of his hand. Several people raised their drinks in gratitude. Ventino himself nodded his thanks at the bartender before catching Ivy’s eye, a lazy smile spreading across his face. The two of them had a fling a while back. According to Annalise, Ivy had broken Ventino’s heart. Obviously, Ventino didn’t hold a grudge. And unlike that creepazoid Brian, he wasn’t married. She smiled back before refocusing on Clara.
    “Bruce is wonderful,” Clara said.
    “He is.” She set down the zebra bag, gathering her courage. “I absolutely adore the direction you’ve taken Friction . I’ve been in several issues in the past. I’ve always admired the magazine’s vision, but even more since you came on board.”
    Clara picked up a red leather purse and held it beneath her nose. “This is exquisite.”
    “In fact, I was talking to Bruce the other day about how much I’d love to do some more work if you ever—”
    “Ms. Vans, just the woman we were looking for!”
    Ivy turned to her left, toward the voice booming over the music. Charles Creighton, another hotshot agent, escorted the most exotic-looking girl Ivy had ever seen. She couldn’t be a day over sixteen, yet she held a