Jack looks at her with raised eyebrows. “Her absence is noticeable” is all he says.
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” gushes Ali, leaning over to rub Jack’s arm. “I’m pleased that I’m missed.”
Rachel squirms on his behalf.
“So, you’re working for David Friedman’s company now?” asks Noah, no doubt feeling the chill in the atmosphere.
Ali nods animatedly.
“Have you met him yet?”
“Yes,” says Ali, smiling broadly.
Paige throws a scathing glance in Rachel’s direction that says, “She’s probably sleeping with him.”
“That must be pretty exciting,” Noah goes on. “Is he just like we see him on TV?”
“Nicer,” says Ali. “He used to have a reputation as being a bit mean when he first started on the judging panel of Star Maker…”
“Yes, I remember,” says Rachel. “But he’s a bit more chilled out now.”
“Well, he’s even more so behind the scenes,” says Ali. “I really like him.”
“You’d think that someone like him would be able to spot them a mile off, wouldn’t you?” says Paige, almost to herself.
“Them?” questions Ali.
“The kind of women we’re talking about,” says Paige, proving her reputation that once she’s got the bit between her teeth, she doesn’t let go.
“The women you’re referring to don’t all wear short skirts and have a sign over their heads,” says Ali.
“True enough,” says Paige.
“If you’re implying…？” Ali starts, before stopping herself.
“I’m not implying anything,” says Paige.
“Wearing the clothes I want makes me feel empowered,” says Ali, sounding a little more authoritative than Rachel has heard her before. “If a man happens to find that attractive or misconstrues it to mean that I’m coming on to them, then so be it, but make no mistake: I’m the one in control. Not them.”
“You sound as if you’re speaking from experience,” says Paige.
“Anyone want another drink?” blurts out Rachel, in an attempt to change the subject. She looks to Noah, wide-eyed, but he offers a reassuring wink and a nod to the almost-full bottle sitting on the table.
Ali sighs. “There was a time when I foolishly believed that sleeping with someone would further my career. But obviously it only served to cut it short.”
“So, you learned your lesson?” asks Paige, almost triumphantly.
“That wasn’t the lesson,” says Ali bluntly. “Finding out he had a wife was.”
3
The men laugh nervously, as Rachel and Paige look at each other in shock. Not because Ali had done it, Rachel supposes, but that she’d happily admit to it.
“You’re a real ad for the sisterhood, aren’t you?” says Paige sarcastically.
“P…，” cautions Noah.
“What?” she replies haughtily. “I’m just stating the facts.”
Noah looks wearily at Rachel, as if asking for an ally in the uphill struggle he finds himself in, and she finds herself torn between the two of them, not knowing who to back.
She takes a deep breath. “If Ali wasn’t aware she was breaking the code until it was too late, she can’t really be held accountable,” she offers, hoping it’s enough to appease both sides.
“Assuming she stopped it the minute she found out, you mean?” questions Paige, as if Ali isn’t there.
“Exactly,” says Rachel. “And that’s what happened, right?” She crosses everything in the hope that Ali says yes.
“Of course,” she enthuses. “What woman would sleep with a man they knew belonged to someone else?”
Noah laughs. “Depends if he’s Bradley Cooper or not.”
Rachel can’t help but love him for trying to break the vicious circle they seem trapped in.
Ali smiles. “Would you sleep with Bradley Cooper?” she asks Rachel.
“If he was married, or I was?”
They all laugh—even Paige, whose edges are being slowly softened by the alcohol. Another couple of glasses should see off all those sharp corners, and Rachel can’t get there fast enough.
She looks to Jack, as if weighing up her answer. “Mmm,” she muses. “If he was married, then definitely not. But if I was…”
“You are so cheap,” says Jack, laughing and throwing a cushion at her. “Don’t y’all be thinking that it would stop there either. Bradley is one of many on her long list of lucky men she’d get with if she had a hall pass.”