Love Through LimeLight Read Online Free PDF Page A

my attention.
    As we move through the crowd, I signal to Arianna, who is
busy stuffing her face with hors d’oeuvres instead of mingling with the guests.
When she sees me, she busily shoves a plate of crab cakes into her bag and
gives me a thumbs up. It’s hard not to roll my eyes but I manage. Barely.
    Johnni pulls me to the side in the crowded room, his dark
skin gleaming in the low light. I had been smiling, happy to see him but the
moment I hear that serious tone of his, the grin drops from my face.
    “What’s going on?”
    He doesn’t answer me immediately. We move through the
expansive gardens and I congratulate myself again for a job well done on
picking this venue. Parties like this are for networking and bragging. They
aren’t what I’m used to and they’re decisively less fun, but from a business
standpoint, they’re a great opportunity.
    “Let me get right to the nit and grit of the situation…eventually.” Johnni sits me down next to the lavish pool. It’s
mostly for show but right now it’s too cold to swim in even if the guests
wanted to. Still, it would be a nice backdrop to some of the evening activities
Arianna should be preparing for now.
    The plastic furniture creaks as it
adjusts to my weight. The sound grates against my eardrums, just as painfully
as the silence that follows. I’ve known Johnni for years. He’s been with me through
some of my darkest times. He is the one person I trust more than anyone.
    “Look, honey. You know how I feel
about this. We both benefit by these. But sometimes the things they say are
true.”
    I sit up a little straighter,
patting his dark-skinned hand with mine. I get the feeling that whatever he’s
trying to tell me is hurting him as much as it hurts me. In this moment, all I
want to do with comfort my friend, who is obviously struggling with some kind
of secret. “Whatever it is, whatever you’ve learned, don’t worry about the
consequences. I trust you. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted another
person.”
    Johnni runs his hands through his
hair, letting out an exasperated breath. “I know you won’t lie to me or
anything; we learned that lesson the hard way. It’s just…I know that this is
going to be…difficult for you to hear.”
    This time I roll my eyes. I’ve
heard so many negative things throughout the years and had so much mud slung my
way that I can’t really think of anything that would shatter me the way Johnni
seems to think his news will. I flash him my brightest smile, really mean it
this time. “Just give it to me straight. I’ll work it out once I know what’s
what.”
    Johnni looks down at his hand where
mine is still resting on top of his. Some of the worry melts away from his
face, but his dark eyes are still cloudy with concern. That’s one of my
favorite things about Johnni. He’s always looking out for me, always worried
about my well-being and mental state. It’s one of the reasons he is someone I
can always count on.
    “About a week ago, I heard through
the grapevine that there was a biker guy hanging around my sets.”
    At the mention of a biker, I perk
up knowing he must be talking about Barry. Johnni is no great fan of Barry. He
thinks Barry is beneath me. But unlike Giulia, he supports my decision to keep
Barry around. “All right, and?”
    “Rumor has it, he’s been hanging
around trying to get some action.”
    I feel a frown crease my mouth
involuntarily. At first I don’t understand. The way Johnni winced as he choked
out the sentence him confuses me. “Are you talking about drugs? Because I know
for a fact, Barry is not interested in things like that. I don’t date druggies,
and I wouldn’t be with him if he were doing anything like that.”
    Johnni’s face twists as if the
next words are painful for him to say. “No, Fallon. I mean that he’s looking
for action . Sex.”
    I sit back against the chair and
try to keep my breathing even, forcing myself to take the news gracefully. So
there is