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I was with Matt who cheated on me. Then Gregory who turned out to be a lying, despicable piece of crap. I’ve had it with the male sex – I don’t want anything to do with them any more. Not so hard to understand, right?’
    ‘Well . . .’ Denver began, but before she could say anything else Andy began to cry, and glancing at her watch she realized that if she didn’t get a move on she’d be late for work.
    ‘Then you think I should go to Vegas?’ she asked, grabbing her car keys and hurrying toward the door.
    ‘Damn right you should,’ Carolyn said, reaching down to pick up her son.
    ‘Okay, I’ll do it,’ Denver said, deciding that she definitely would. ‘And you have fun with . . . uh . . . who?’
    ‘Vanessa,’ Carolyn said, smiling. ‘And yes, I promise I will.’
    *   *   *
    Groping for her cell while still asleep was nothing new for Max. ‘What?’ she mumbled into her BlackBerry.
    ‘Guess where I am?’ came the whispered reply.
    ‘Cookie?’
    ‘Yes, it’s me,’ Cookie giggled. ‘Little ole me.’
    Max opened one eye. ‘Where are you?’ she asked, although she had a horrible suspicion that she already knew the answer.
    ‘Guess!’
    ‘Don’t wanna guess,’ Max said irritably, kicking off her duvet. ‘Where the fuck are you?’
    ‘I’m in Frankie’s bed, and it was amazing. ’ Cookie sighed. ‘Like totally random amazing sex.’
    ‘Crap!’ Max exclaimed, sitting up. ‘You didn’t screw him, did you?’
    ‘’Course I did,’ Cookie said, with a triumphant giggle.
    ‘ Oh my God! ’ Max scolded. ‘You’re not supposed to screw someone like Frankie.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘’Cause you’re just not. He’s way too sketchy, and a total druggie.’
    ‘But it was soooo great,’ Cookie enthused. ‘Wanna hear the sex-drenched details?’
    ‘No thank you,’ Max said primly. ‘I’d rather not.’
    ‘Hey – you’re no fun,’ Cookie complained. ‘I’m gonna hav’ta call Harry, he’s so into details.’
    ‘Do that.’
    Jeez! Frankie Romano, Bobby’s former drug-addict best friend, and Cookie. This was not welcome news. And it was all her fault because she should never have left Cookie at the club. Frankie was a certified low-life who’d been running call girls with his previous girlfriend, Annabelle Maestro. He’d use Cookie, cast her aside, and the fall-out would be a total pain. She’d have to listen to Cookie moan and groan for weeks on end.
    What a bummer! Why had she gone and hooked them up with Frankie simply to get into his stupid club? She should’ve known better.
    Grabbing an oversized T-shirt, she fell out of bed, wondering what she could do to rectify the situation.
    Unfortunately nothing came to mind.
    *   *   *
    Bobby was all business as he pulled into the private parking sector of The Keys. M.J., who was not only his business partner but also his closest confidant, came strolling over to greet him. They exchanged a macho hug.
    M.J. was African-American and handsome, although slightly short. He was married to Cassie, a young singer with big ambitions. They’d gotten married in Vegas on a whim, and now just under a year later, Cassie was pregnant. M.J., who’d moved to Vegas from New York to oversee the launch of Mood, was delighted. Cassie was not. At almost nineteen, she wanted a career, not a baby. M.J.’s affluent parents – his father was a renowned neurosurgeon and his mother a former opera singer – were perched on the sidelines, waiting to see what happened next. Cassie was not the girl they’d envisioned for their only son, nor was a career opening nightclubs, however successful they might be.
    M.J. didn’t care. He was crazy about his young wife, but now with a baby on the way, there was a catch, something he couldn’t wait to discuss with Bobby.
    ‘Great wheels!’ M.J. exclaimed, checking out Bobby’s Lamborghini.
    Bobby nodded. ‘Yeah – since I’ve been spending so much time on the West Coast I decided I needed to buy