There was only one way to find out.
Visions of a million followers, six-figure brand deals, and paying an entire year’s worth of Maura’s care in one go with savings left over danced in my head.
Maybe I’d signed a deal with the devil when I agreed to my arrangement with Christian…
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t worth it.
10
CHRISTIAN
I stared at Stella’s latest Instagram post from our ride to the fundraiser over the weekend. My hand on her bare thigh, the vivid green of her gown contrasting with the coal black sleeve of my suit.
Some photos were worth a thousand words. This photo said only one.
Mine.
A strange sensation sparked in my chest before I brushed it aside and tapped on the comments beneath the post. The reactions ranged from curiosity to joy to despair from hundreds of distraught men who bemoaned the loss of a chance with her.
Jayx098: How could you cheat on me like this? I already told my parents we were getting married :(
Brycefitness: ditch the bf and go on a date with me instead. I’ll make it worth your while ;)
Threetriscuits: i can also wear a suit and cufflinks. just sayin’
My eyes narrowed. I tapped on brycefitness’s profile and studied it. Big muscles. Small brain. Standard gym bro who thought he was God’s gift to women.
How many pounds on a barbell would it take to crush someone? Hmm…
A new text message popped up, disrupting my calculations.
Luisa: Christian Harper. You’ve been holding out on me.
Luisa: Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Stella??
A frown touched my face. I eyed brycefitness’s profile one last time before I closed out of the app. He’d gotten lucky.
Part of me, even the part that thrilled at the coppery scent of blood and fear, recognized my reaction wasn’t normal. It’d been one comment on Instagram, for fuck’s sake.
I had a business to run, yet here I was, scrolling through fucking social media on my burner account.
No profile photo, no bio, no followers. One following.
The turquoise ring burned in my pocket as I typed out a response.
Me: It was irrelevant.
Stella hadn’t shown my face in the photo, but enough people saw us together at the gala for news to spread.
Apparently, the news had since escaped the confines of D.C. society and reached New York.
Luisa: You acted like you didn’t know her at the dinner!
Me: I didn’t want to sway your decision.
There was a long pause before she replied.
Luisa: What decision?
Me: Don’t lie, Lu. I’m better at it than you are.
Luisa: You’re such an ass.
Luisa: Anyway, it wouldn’t have swayed my decision. I’m 95% set on who I want our next brand ambassador to be.
I stared at the text. My fingers drummed an absentminded rhythm on the armrest.
After another moment of deliberation, I replied.
Me: I’m glad. It’s been a long time coming.
Neutral, semi-disinterested.
She took the bait, as I knew she would.
Luisa: You’re not going to ask who it is?
Me: I was at the dinner too. The answer is obvious.
I left it at that. Luisa was smart enough to know who I meant.
A knock split the silence.
I flicked my gaze up. “Come in.”
Kage entered, so tall and broad he barely fit through my office’s door frame.
“I hear you got a girlfriend.” He wasted no time in cutting to the chase. “How did I not know about this?” An accusatory note crept into his voice.
He was my oldest and, now that Rhys was gone, my most sought-after employee by clients. He was also the only person at Harper Security who didn’t blow smoke up my ass—a liberty I granted him for saving my life in Colombia a decade ago.
“I run a security company, not a gossip magazine. My personal life is no one’s business.” An edge ran beneath my otherwise indifferent tone. His liberties only went so far.
Kage held my stare for a second before he looked away. “Understood. But the team is curious. You dating an influencer is…unexpected.”
I leaned back in my chair and steepled my hand beneath my chin. My phone had been blowing up all day with people expressing similar sentiments. Every new message and call chipped away at my patience, and Kage’s observation was no different.
“Been looking into her, have you?” I asked coolly. Stella’s social media was out there for everyone to see, but the thought of my guys poring over pictures and videos of her sent a surge of irritation through my blood.
“Uh, well…” Kage ran a sheepish hand over the back of his neck.“We looked her up during lunch.”
Christ. Every employee at Harper Security was ex-military or ex-CIA, yet they gossiped like high schoolers.
“She’s hot.” Kage sank into the chair opposite mine. “Somehow, I’m not surprised your girlfriend looks like a goddamned supermodel. It’s the charmed life of a billionaire CEO,” he added dryly.
A dark flame kindled in my chest before I smothered it.
“The only thing I’m interested in discussing right now is how we lost the Deacon and Beatrix accounts,” I said coldly. “Not my girlfriend.”
The other man instantly sobered. “I dug into it, and it looks like a classic case of price undercutting. Sentinel promised them more for less. Deacon and Beatrix were always stingy bastards. It’s no wonder they jumped ship.”
True, but I didn’t want rumors circulating that Harper Security couldn’t hold on to its clients.
“You think it’s a big deal?” Kage correctly assessed my silence. “Do we need to get them back?”
“No.” Rule number one of surviving in a cutthroat business: never show weakness, not even to one’s own team. “Let me worry about business strategy. You do what you do best.”
“Kick ass and be devastatingly handsome?”
“If that’s what you think, you need a new mirror, because it’s lying to you.”
“Not all of us can be you, Mr. Pretty Boy, but no woman has ever complained about my looks.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Speaking of, wanna wingman me later? It’s been a while since we hit the bar together. I know you’re a taken man now, but you can draw in the ladies while I close the deal.”
“Can’t.” I stood and adjusted the sleeve of my suit. “Prior engagement.”
“Why am I not surprised? We haven’t gone out together in months.” Kage unfolded himself from his chair. “You ever gonna tell me what these mysterious ‘prior engagements’ are?”
I responded with a sardonic stare.
“Fine. I can take a hint,” he grumbled. “Have fun with your engagement.”
After Kage left, I tidied my desk to its meticulous pre-work state before I exited the office.
Ten minutes later, I was speeding down Connecticut Avenue when my phone rang.
I no sooner accepted the call than an annoyed growl filled the interior.
“What the hell are you thinking?”
“Hello to you too, Larsen.” I made a smooth turn onto a private, tree-lined road. “It’s a shame you haven’t acquired more manners now that you’re royalty. The palace’s etiquette lessons are severely lacking.”