Page 139 of Dirty Like Seth
“Forwhat?”
“For getting me the directing gig on the Underlayercampaign.”
I shrugged. I’d been working with Underlayer for a while now as one of their “celebrity” underwear models. We were shooting a commercial in a couple of weeks, and Underlayer had been good enough to work around my schedule with the band, which meant we were shooting it here, in Vancouver. I’d gotten Liv in the door, sure; they needed a Canadian director on board anyway. But she’d gotten the gigherself.
“You’re the only one I’d want filming me in my underwear,” I told her, flirting, but not seriouslyflirting.
Liv knew it wasn’t serious and ignored it. “I’m still not sure I love the creative direction of the whole thing. Doesn’t seem like I have much of a say,though.”
I shrugged again, swigging my beer. “They just want me onstage doing mything.”
“In your underwear?” She raised a skinny eyebrow behind her glasses. “When do you ever play drums in yourunderwear?”
“I play in a kilt,” I said, which she knew as well as anyone. “That’s what they’re playing off of. It’s the whole ‘What’s under the kilt?’thing.”
“Ah, yes,” she said. “The age-old question. Look, I get that’s the hook of the ad, but then they want you stripped down to your underwear—their underwear—in the commercial. Nokilt.”
“You don’t likeit?”
“It could be better,” shesaid.
“That’s why Dirty hires you, Liv,” I told her, “and we always will. ’Cause you tell it to us straight. I doubt they’re gonna change the direction of the commercial,though.”
“I know they’re not,” shesaid.
Someone dropped onto the couch, on Liv’s other side, and I glanced over to find my best friend. Ash had been a big shake-up in my life lately, second only to all the bullshit going on with Dirty. I knew without him spelling it out for me how unhappy he was about what went down between him and Elle. He was kinda hung up on her, more than he’dadmit.
We used to party together, pick up girls together. The last seven months, I’d been pretty much flyingsolo.
But now, Ash gave me a look right back. A look I knew well. He looked Liv over, casually. Then he raised a dark eyebrow atme.
My arm was on the couch, behind Liv, and I flipped him the finger behind her back. Ash just grinned and drank hisbeer.
No way was I tag-teaming Liv, even for Ash’s benefit, to get him back in the game. For one thing, she’d never go for it. Besides that, she wasn’t really my type. She had a tight little bod, but even though we were close in age, Liv was kinda like an auntie to me orsomething.
I perused her blouse, buttoned up to herthroat.
She eyed me sharply. “What?”
“Nothing.”
Ash cackled and Liv rolled her eyes. “I’ll leave you kids to it,” she said, as she got up and walkedaway.
I watched Ash; from the way his eyes were scoping the room—with hunger—I could see that it was finally backon.
Ash was on theprowl.
“You know she’s a lesbian, right?” Ioffered.
“Who?” Ash looked at me, allinnocence.
“Liv.”
“So?” He cupped his junk, adjusting himself, as he eased back, reclining on the couch. “Maybe all she really needs is a big,fat—”
“Don’t say it.” I cut him off, but I had to chuckle. Ash was bi, and for some reason that gave him the hope that everyone else on Earth just might be,too.
“I dig her little librarian glasses,” hesaid.
