She laughed sweetly before tucking her phone back in her pocket. “I’ve got to run. Big preparations tonight before tomorrow’s walk. I’ll see you here? Maybe come wish me luck before the show?”
“I’ll be here.”
Jennika hurried off, her hips swaying, and every single guy in the light and sound crew watched her go like it was the first time they’d ever seen a woman walk before.
I excused myself after I got a text message from Luke inviting me out for a beer at his parents’ restaurant. He knew tomorrow was a pivotal day for me and my business and claimed he wanted to share a beer with his buddy before I got even bigger than I already was.
I wasn’t going to turn down an offer like that.
Guillermo and Arabella welcomed me into the restaurant with their usual big smiles and booming voices. The place wasn’t all that busy, which was unfortunate for them, but it meant Luke and I got the best table by the window—which we weren’t usually allowed to sit at because we had to save it for paying guests, even though Luke and I hadn’t had a free meal here in probably a decade.
While his parents whipped up dinner for us, Luke and I nursed beers.
He dragged a chair close to the table to kick his boots up onto it. “So, tomorrow is the day, huh? Kind of crazy. It happened so quickly. How are you feeling about it?”
“I’m ready.” I tipped my head back and sipped my beer. “Laila has kind of eased my mind. I watched her walk this afternoon and she’s going to kill it. She’s all we need for tomorrow to be a success, and I have to tell you, I don’t even care as much as I used to. I just trust that it will all go well and the board will get off my back about things.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Luke had met Garrett a handful of times in the past, and I knew they clashed. Where Garrett wanted me to be more like my old man, Luke wanted me to be anything but.
“We’ll see.”
“Is the show sold out?”
“Completely. I managed to score a few extra tickets, but I’m going to offer them to Laila’s sister and father. I did a bit of my own digging. Can you believe they’ve only ever been to a handful of her shows? She’s the top model for a huge agency, and they haven’t been able to give her free tickets for family? It’s ridiculous.”
“That’s thoughtful of you.”
“I think it will mean a lot to Laila. She’s in a bit of a tight spot with some family stuff, and having them all together to support her? It will mean a lot.”
Luke smiled over his beer.
I felt suddenly like I was being examined under a microscope. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said innocently.
“Bullshit. Spit it out.”
Luke ran his finger along the edge of the table. “It’s just that every fifth word out of your mouth these days is Laila. Laila this, Laila that. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m happy for you, man.”
I blinked. Happy for me? About what? Was it that obvious that there was something going on with me and Laila? If so, why was I still pussy-footing around it and pretending like I didn’t have feelings for her? Luke was my best friend. If there was anyone worth telling, it was him.
I opened my mouth to tell him I had real feelings for Laila, but my phone went off.
And then it went off again, and again, and again, until it vibrated at a continuous hum as notification after notification rolled in.
“Fucking hell.” I silenced my phone as it continued blowing up with Instagram notifications. They were rolling in so quickly I couldn’t catch one long enough to read it. Jennika’s name came up in one and then another.
“What’s going on?” Luke kicked his feet down and sat up straight. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Luke’s phone went off. Frowning, he pulled it out of his pocket. The world seemed to stand still as I watched him like a hawk. His expression shifted from confusion to surprise, to something I couldn’t read.
His lips turned down and his brow furrowed as he handed his phone to me. “You might have a problem.”
There, on his screen, was the picture Jennika had snapped of us a mere hour ago. Our complexions had been airbrushed to perfection, and somehow she’d made it look like I was less surprised than I had been. She looked joyful with her lips pressed to my cheek and her hand holding my chin. I looked caught off guard but pleased.
“What the hell?” I breathed.
“Read the caption.”
My eyes flicked to the tiny paragraph under the picture and narrowed as I read.
Storm, I’m so proud of you for what you’ve accomplished these past couple of months. You’re a new man and I’m so honored to still have you in my life. Look at us and how far we’ve come! My loves, don’t you think he has the sweetest face?! Xoxo, Jennika.
I fell back against my chair. “Fuck.”
Luke grimaced and silenced his phone before putting it away. “Why did you let her get close enough to take a picture like that?”
“I didn’t! She came out of nowhere.”
Luke rubbed at his eyes.
My phone started ringing.
Both he and I stared at it like it was a thing possessed. It rang and rang, each vibration sending it half an inch closer to the edge of the table. For a moment, I considered letting it fall off. Maybe it would smash to pieces. Maybe the SIM card would be forever damaged. Maybe I could scrape through by the skin of my teeth without the board coming for my jugular.
That was wishful thinking.
Right before the phone went off the edge of the table, I snatched it up and answered the call. The number was from the office, but I knew before I heard his voice that it was Garrett.
“What the actual fuck, Storm? Are you kidding me?! Have you seen this shit online?”
“It’s taken out of context,” I tried to explain.
Garrett barked with furious laughter on the other end. “Out of context, my ass. All you had to do was keep it in your pants for one more day and you’d have been clear of this. But you thought it was a good idea to let a model snap a picture of the pair of you and post it like this? What the hell were you thinking?”
I knew this was exactly the kind of PR the board had been stressing about for weeks. I knew this was what threatened to ruin me and my companies.
But I couldn’t think about my own problems right now. Even as Garrett laid into me on the other end, my mind was elsewhere.
It was on Laila.
What would she think?
Minutes before this picture was taken, I’d told her I couldn’t spend time with her because of public perception. I had to walk a straight line. I had to stay in my lane. Now here Jennika was, blatantly posting a picture of her kissing me online.
Laila would be so confused.
Hell, I was confused.
Luke pinched the bridge of his nose and hung his head while Garrett continued yelling on the other end.
“Your father knew this shit would happen if he gave you the company, Storm. Did you know that? He sat me down and told me this would be my future if I didn’t get out and retire early. He even thought about giving Thornton to me. Can you imagine? He had so little faith in you that he was considering leaving his generational company to me, an outsider.” Garrett scoffed. “Maybe I should have said yes. Maybe then we’d be in a better position than we are now. The things people are saying online? And they’re right, Storm. You know that? They’re fucking right. All you can do is think with your dick. Your father might have leaned a little too heavily on the drink, but you’ve always catered to your addiction, too. Women. You can’t get enough of them, and they’re going to ruin you. Maybe they already have.”