The Price Of Scandal(89)

And yet I felt that niggling of doubt. Something was off. Wrong.

Had I made a mistake? Another misstep?

I wished Derek were here. His trademark bluntness would snap me out of this funk. No one felt sorry for an empire-building CEO who was about to add more zeros to her portfolio.

I peered into the educational lab again. It was a picture of chaotic energy. Interest.

But it felt like there was more than just a wall and window standing between me and that vibe. Because my two greatest assets right now were my brand and my bank account. Not my brain. Not my ideas. Not my leadership. Not my contributions to fucking science. Not my ability to maneuver around a lab and wade through data.

There was no one to blame but me.

But this was necessary. This was the cost of business, of progress, of growth. Sometimes you had to take a step back from what you loved so you could do what needed to be done.

My phone rang again. It was my mother. I sent the call straight to voicemail. There were only so many confrontations I could handle in a morning.

“Ms. Stanton, we’re ready for you,” the assistant called from the doorway.

They were going to have to redo the lipstick since I’d eaten half of it off.





Emily, it’s your mother. I was in an appointment with a tarot reader and had a message from Trey. The poor thing’s gotten himself into a bit of trouble. I need you to reach out to him and make arrangements with your legal team. Your father is being ridiculously stubborn and pretending like he’s not going to pay. So of course, you’ll need to cover the cost until he sees the error in his ways. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into that man. He acts like family doesn’t deserve—Hang on. Trey is calling me back.





Emily! How could you turn your back on your brother like that? I’m appalled. He needs our help. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but it isn’t attractive. You cut off all your beautiful hair, start dating a questionable man, and suddenly decide that you’re too busy to help your family? Call your brother and fix this. Immediately. You know he’d be there for you in a heartbeat if you ever needed anything. I’m just sick over this. You need to fix this.





41





Derek





Ducking out of the briefing with Flawless’s publicist and the legal team, I dialed Emily’s number to check in. The IPO was officially back on track. As long as nothing else went catastrophically wrong.

Given my profession, I was acutely aware of the hundreds of disasters that could still befall Emily, and I vowed to do whatever it took to protect her.

The call went straight to voicemail. She was probably fake smiling her way through what she’d see as an unnecessarily time-consuming photo shoot.

It was quite ironic that I’d fallen for a woman who couldn’t be bothered to care enough about image.

“Just calling to tell you not to add yourself to Alpha Group’s letterhead yet. It sounds like the IPO is officially a go,” I said into the phone. “I’m thinking about you. Dinner tonight?”

I hung up and started to dial the office.

“What’s a handsome man like you doing wandering these halls?” Lita’s smokey voice caught me off guard. She wore white flared trousers and a cunning, curve-hugging cashmere shell. I wondered if she’d purposely appropriated an iconic Emily Stanton look in a bid to wear it better.

I made a quick decision. “I’m escaping yet another meeting. I don’t know how you and Emily can spend so much time in conference rooms.”

She sauntered closer and tucked her arm through mine. “I’ll tell you our secret,” she said coyly. “Very long lunches. With very dry martinis.”

“Tell me more about this secret coping mechanism,” I mused, turning up the charm.

“I’d rather show you.”

Valerie, Emily’s second assistant, skirted past us in the hallway. The look she shot me was straight up “Do not fuck with my boss.”

“Are you free for lunch now?” I asked Lita after Valerie disappeared down the hallway. No point in pissing off the boss unnecessarily.

I was doing this for her.





Flirtation was a weapon that Lita and I took turns wielding. I had to admit, she was winning. I was bound, metaphorically, from unleashing my full powers. Every time I searched for something to say to Lita, Emily’s face appeared in my head.

Be worthy of me, Price.

Lita stirred her second martini with her skewer of olives and eyed me expectantly. “It looks like you’ve got the magic touch. You’ve put Lady Stanton back on her pedestal.” She raised her glass in a salute that felt mocking.

I lifted my own glass. “Now you two are back on course. The IPO can proceed, and Flawless can grow,” I said.

Her dark nails danced against the stem of the glass. “Yet another win.”

“You should be used to it by now,” I pointed out. “Flawless is unstoppable.”

“Mmm,” Lita mused. She took a sip of her drink and waited until I was watching before slowly licking her top lip.

Unbidden, I recalled that praying mantis females decapitated their male lovers.

I knew I was walking a fine line here between getting the information that I needed and not upsetting a woman who had quite literally swept my legs out from under me.