Sondra looked surprised that Bristol even knew her name. She opened her mouth and closed it several times before nodding quickly and racing off. Bristol sighed. She wished people could be comfortable around her, but she was both the star and the boss, and that was the dynamic no matter how hard she tried. She thanked the hotel bartender for the two glasses of wine and turned right as Annie walked into the room. She was wearing a light blue sundress that Bristol hadn’t seen before, and she looked incredible.

“Bristol? Did you forget something?”

Bristol turned to find Clarissa, one of Lizzy’s assistants, staring at her with concern. Yes, Bristol thought. I forgot how to breathe. “I’m fine. I just got lost in thought. Thanks for the nudge.” She had to slow her steps on her way to Annie. “You made it.” Annie looked up at her, and Bristol couldn’t tamp down all her strong feelings. She took a sip of her wine and handed Annie the other glass.

“I’m sorry I’m late, but it looks like things are just getting started.” Annie took the glass from Bristol and smiled. She was unbelievably sexy. Bristol took another sip of wine.

“You don’t really need sleep, do you?” Bristol teased.

“You look wonderful. I’d stay up all night if it meant talking to you longer than twenty minutes,” Annie said.

Bristol heard her name a few times as people from different groups were waving her over, but she just wanted to sit and flirt with Annie. “Those twenty minutes might have to wait a few more. I hope you don’t mind, but since this gathering is my idea, I need to make a quick round.” She felt the heat of Annie’s hand on hers.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll grab some snacks and hang out with anybody who’ll talk to me. See you later.”

Bristol smiled, knowing she would thank everyone here and make a beeline for Annie the second she was free. She squeezed Annie’s fingers and left her to chat with her dancers. As she moved around the room, she always knew where Annie was. She found her over at the bar talking with some of the stagehands and later laughing it up with Dom at one of the tables as they both scrolled on their phones. When she saw Annie and Lizzy together ten minutes later, she excused herself and joined them. Not that she was worried, but Lizzy was very direct, and if she offered to represent Annie, Bristol wanted to make sure it was a good fit. “Hi, ladies. What’s going on here?” She slid into the chair next to Lizzy so she could look directly at Annie.

“Tour talk, mostly. It’s been a great experience for everyone,” Lizzy said.

“If I’m not interrupting, I’m going to steal Annie away.”