Addicted After All (Addicted #3)(66)

Lo groans. “Lil.”

“I have an overactive imagination. It’s not my fault. It’s my dirty brain’s fault.”

He sighs, presses his phone’s screen and then turns it to me. Oh my God. He hit play. I am watching the video. I am watching him…

I squint. “This is blurry.”

“We were in a dark nightclub. They’re all blurry.”

It’s not exactly brief, but it’s not epically long either. Connor and Lo’s lips lock, and then I have to squint to make out the rest. I can barely even see their faces. But I do spot a pair of hands—on Lo’s neck. Connor obviously guided him so it was more than just kissing a wall, but it’s too quick to really obsess over. And it’s all grainy.

My shoulders drop. But it’s okay, I think. Maybe it’s even better than okay.

“Did I destroy your fantasy?”

I nod. “It’s ruined.”

“Good,” he says, squatting down in front of me. My nerves light up just staring into those entrancing amber eyes. “How’s this reality?”

I smile wide. “Much, much better,” I realize.





{ 23 }

LILY CALLOWAY



“Hale Co. is a multi-billion dollar empire,” Daniel Perth repeats for the second time as we ride the glass elevator to the seventy-fifth floor. “If you think you’re being brought in here for shits and giggles, think again.”

He sounds so much like Lo’s dad that I honestly wonder if Jonathan Hale hires people with his personality or if his employees just pick up the lingo after a while. When Daisy and I arrived in the lobby five minutes ago, Daniel introduced himself as one of the fourteen board members. He’s in his late-thirties; has a prominent nose, fluffy brown hair and a very expensive suit. And he is not about the bullshit.

He’s told us that three times already.

“You’re both about to meet the rest of the board. Handshakes and lunch. Easy.”

Tomorrow they’re meeting with Ryke and Lo. They wanted to split us up in pairs so they’d have a better indication of how we would act on our own. So far, so good.

I nervously wipe my sweaty palms on my khaki pants, my baby bump visible underneath my silk top. Daisy towers beside me in high-waisted navy shorts and a white blouse, sans bra. She had her yellow cast cut off in March, so her wrist is decorated in gold bangles.

She’s all stylish, like she’s ready to walk the runway, and I feel matronly and ready to sink on a couch and take a luxurious nap. But I’m here on a mission: ensure Loren and Ryke are not chosen as the new CEO. They’ve both spent years dodging this life, and there’s no reason they have to fall back into it now.

I can tell Daisy is going to be tough competition, but I have to do better than her too. She just turned nineteen, and she’s already worked most of her life. The corporate world is not calling her. Nope. I won’t let it. Big sister priorities intact, I am ready to impress.

Although…I have never impressed anyone. My M.O. is to stand by the wall and blend into the paint.

This’ll be a challenge.

Daniel fixes his tie. “We have the final say-so in which one of you becomes the CEO, and we’re not going to pass the title over lightly. Whoever we choose will be the face of the company.” His eyes fall to me. “And it’s going to take a lot of convincing if you want to be that person.”

A sex addict as the face of a baby company.

I can see why this may be a little problematic, but I have to put my best foot forward.

“She’s going to do great,” Daisy says with a bright smile. She slings her arm around my shoulders.

Daniel’s eyes finally migrate to her, and they intensify in a different way. My sisterly guards rise about a hundred feet. No. No. No.

“You’re charming,” he says like he’s filing the note in the “positives” category. Jonathan said the men thought as much about Daisy.

The ends of her blonde hair are dyed a muted orange, like the sunset, and she styled her locks so they cover the scar on her cheek. “You’re upfront,” she tells him.

“Honey,” he says, “all fourteen of us aren’t going to beat around any bush. Jonathan likes it that way.” His gaze descends down her long, long legs. “If you were ten years older, you’d be perfect.”

“Story of my life,” Daisy mutters under her breath.

I wish I was taller. Even though I stand between them, they can easily have a conversation over my head. She’s wearing high heels. He’s past six-feet. And I’m only five-five and a little bit extra. Ryke would not appreciate Daniel’s lingering gaze, and now my friend instincts take over.

I cough into my hand, disrupting his staring.

“Yes?” he asks me.

“I’d like it if you stopped ogling my sister.”

“She and you better get used to it,” Daniel says. “You’re both going to be ‘ogled’ from here on out.” He even uses air quotes, and his eyes drift to my belly. “And don’t be surprised if some of the women fawn over you. You’re not only our target audience, but you’re carrying Jonathan’s grandson. They’re all excited.”

I flinch in shock that these women would be excited to meet me. “That’s a strong adjective,” I say softly.