Page 26 of Keeping Zita

“Hi!” she said perkily. “Looks like we both had the idea of checking out the local nightlife. This place is so…quaint. Is there room for me at the table?”

No one moved for a moment. No one said a word. It was obvious there wasn’t room. The tables that had been pushed together weren’t huge to begin with, and everyone was crowded around in the chairs they’d pulled up, so they could all talk without having to yell at each other.

“Silas? Will you find me a chair?” Carmen ordered, as she turned to the hulking, muscular man next to her.

To Zita’s shock, he stalked up to the table next to theirs and growled, “Move,” as he put his hand on the back of a chair where a young woman was already sitting. She was obviously out with a group of girlfriends, and they were laughing and giggling and having a good time in each other’s company.

Without waiting for her to do as he said, Silas basically pulled the chair out from under her, forcing the woman to either stand and give up her chair or fall to the floor. He walked back over to Carmen and set the chair down with a nod.

“What the absolute fuck?” Sage growled, as he surged to his feet. The rest of the guys around the table did the same, everyone looking pissed beyond belief.

Sage glared at Silas, then picked up his own chair and carried it over to the other table, apologizing to the woman before returning to his friends and Zita. While he was gone, Casper had walked over to an empty table not that far away to get a replacement chair.

“Sorry, this is a private party,” Sage told Carmen, not sounding sorry in the least. He gave Casper a nod in thanks and sat down.

Carmen simply pretended like she hadn’t heard him, smiled, then pulled up the chair her bodyguard had stolen, trying to wedge it between Sage and Zita. She sat daintily, her knees to one side—which didn’t keep her from almost exposing her underwear…if she was wearing any—and shot Sage a seductive grin.

“Hi,” she repeated.

Zita was pissed. But she wasn’t the kind of woman to make a scene. Though, she also wasn’t about to move from her spot next to Sage. Their knees were almost touching, and Carmen trying to shove herself between them was annoying at best.

Rude, presumptuous, and fucking bitchy as hell, at worst.

To her surprise, Sage reached out and grabbed Zita’s hand, which had been on his knee a moment ago, and brought it back to his leg, placing it on his thigh this time. He kept his hand over hers. She wasn’t sure if he was telling her nonverbally not to leave him with Carmen or if he was staking a claim.

It didn’t really matter, Zita had no intention of letting the bitch who’d crashed their date have her way.

“What are you doing here?” Sage asked between clenched teeth.

The rest of his friends were silent, watching the scene play out. Probably trying to figure out what was happening. They were also probably a little in awe that Carmen St. James was sitting at their table. Was right there within touching distance. That happened a lot with the actors and actresses Zita worked with. People tended to be dazzled by them whenever they were in close proximity. Outside of Hollywood, it wasn’t often people had the chance to be up close and personal with someone famous.

“I heard you were going to be here, and I wanted to see if you’d like some company. It’s kind of…lame, don’t you think?”

“Who told you I was going to be here? And no, it’s not lame. It’s laid-back. Relaxing. Which is what most people need after a long day’s work.”

“It’s more fun to blow off steam by dancing to techno music at a club until you’re so tired, you fall asleep the second your head hits the pillow. Then again, there are other ways to exhaust yourself that are much more…satisfying.” She winked when she said it, and leaned forward, running a hand down Sage’s arm.

The same arm that was attached to the hand covering Zita’s own, on his thigh.

The nerve of this woman was off the charts.

“How did you know I’d be here?” Sage asked again.

Carmen sat back in her chair with a small smile. “Oh, you know how film sets are…Actually, you probably don’t. Nothing is private. Everyone knows everything. Who’s sleeping with who, who’s allergic to what. Who has the hots for who.”

“How?” Sage bit out, obviously at the edge of his control.

“My hairdresser’s dating one of the set directors, who knows one of the boom operators who was taking a smoke break when you were talking about coming here tonight.”

“Ears everywhere,” Chaos muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Sage’s lips pressed together. He wasn’t happy that his conversation with Zita had been passed on to Carmen, that was for sure.

Without warning, he stood, still holding Zita’s hand, giving her no choice but to stand with him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and sidled away from where Carmen was sitting. He didn’t say a word as he led her away from the table…away from Carmen.

“Sage?”

“Give me a minute,” he said between clenched teeth.