Double Standards // ziam

Chapter 5

Zayn's gaze strayed admiringly over the panorama of Lake Michigan's sparkling blue waves crashing with white foam on the sandy beach. "We'll be there in a few minutes," Liam told him as he turned off the highway onto a well-maintained country road that wound through towering stands of pine trees. Several minutes later he turned left onto an unmarked blacktop driveway. For at least a mile the smooth private drive wandered gracefully between stately mountain-ash trees, their branches laden with magnificent hanging clusters of bright orange fruit.

Zayn looked at the manicured landscape on both sides of the drive and realized that the ordinary lake cottage he'd originally envisioned when Liam invited him here for the weekend was not going to be what he would find. Nothing prepared him, however, for the sight that greeted him when they shot out of the dappled shadows into the golden glow of the setting sun and pulled to a stop behind a long row of expensive parked cars.

In the distance, against the backdrop of a steep bluff, sprawled an immense, modernistic three-story glass-and-stucco house. Acres of lush green lawns, dotted with colorful umbrella tables, sloped gently to a sandy beach. Waiters in light blue jackets were passing trays among what had to be at least a hundred guests, who were lounging on chaises around a gigantic kidney-shaped swimming pool, talking and laughing in animated groups on the lawn, or strolling on the beach.

Liam got out of the car and came around to open his door. With his hand at his elbow, Zayn had no choice but to walk beside him along the winding row of racy foreign sports cars and luxurious sedans toward the throngs of guests.

At the edge of the lawn he stopped and surveyed the people with whom he was about to mingle. Besides several famous movie stars, there were other vaguely familiar faces-faces he'd seen repeatedly in magazine articles about the international jet set and the fabulously rich.

He glanced at Liam, who was slowly scanning the crowd. He looked neither impressed nor intimidated by this glittering assembly of the beautiful and the rich; in fact, he looked irritated. When he spoke, his voice was tinged with the same annoyance he saw in his expression. "I'm sorry, Zayn. If I'd known Tracy's 'little gathering' was going to be like this, I'd never have brought you here. It's going to be noisy, crowded and frenetic."

Although he felt rather ill at ease surrounded by such famous people, he managed an air of nonchalance and gave him a jaunty smile. "Maybe, if we're lucky, no one will realize we're here."

"Don't count on it," he warned dryly. They strolled along the perimeter of the lawn, which was bordered by dense woods. When they came to a bar that had been set up for the use of the guests, Liam stepped behind it. Rather than staring at him like a besotted idiot while he made their drinks, Zayn forced himself to turn and observe his surroundings. As his gaze moved over to a chattering group nearby, a gorgeous brunet tall man glanced up and saw Liam.

With a smile dawning across his familiar features, the man left his friends and hurried toward Liam and Zayn. "Liam, darling!" he said, laughing, his slim hands already sliding up his arms as he leaned forward to kiss him.

Liam put the liquor bottle down and obligingly curved both his arms around him, drawing him to him to return the kiss.

Even after he released him, Zayn noted that the brunet kept his hands on Liam's arms while smiling warmly into his brown eyes. "Everyone has been wondering if you were going to disappoint us and not come," he said. "But I knew you'd be here because the phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from your office. The servants and everyone else have been taking messages for you all afternoon. And who's this?" he asked brightly, at last taking his hands from his arms and stepping back to regard Zayn with open curiosity.

"Zayn, this is Nick Grimshaw," Liam began the introductions.

"Call me Grimmy-everyone does." The man turned back to Liam and continued, almost as if Zayn wasn't there, "I thought you were bringing Niall."