My breakfast rose in my throat, and I had to make a
conscious effort to force it back down when I hung up Joshโs call.
I felt faker than aย Mona Lisaย print hanging in the lobby of a seedy motel.
You hire someone to break into my place, Red? Because if youโd really wanted to get rid of the art, you couldโve just asked. I wouldโve thrown it away for you.
I wiped a clammy palm against my thigh.
Stella had already left for work, so it was just me and my screaming conscience.
Youโre a liar and a terrible person. Josh was right about you all along,ย the insidious voice in my head taunted.ย Youโre the worst thing thatโs ever happened to him.
โShut up.โ
This is why everyone always leaves you. Why no one loves you. You donโt deserveโ
โShut.ย Up.โ
I paced the living room, trying to drown out the insecurities rearing their ugly heads.
Iย wasnโtย a bad person. Sometimes, I made bad decisions, but that didnโt make me a bad person. Right?
Sweat stuck my shirt to my skin.
โItโs fine. I have a plan. Iโm going to return everything to him, and Iโll get rid of Max.โ Saying the words out loud eased some of my nausea.
I didnโt have the luxury of wallowing if I wanted to carry out the rest of my plan, so I allowed myself five more seconds of self-loathing before I straightened my shoulders, exited my apartment, and took the elevator up one floor.
It was time for phase two.
As long as Max had the tape, he had leverage over me. I wasnโt naive enough to trust heโd go away no matter how much I โrepaidโ him. The only way to get rid of him for good was to get rid of the tape. I didnโt know if it was possible to destroy every copy of a digital file for good, but I was desperate enough to try.
The only reason I hadnโt tried before was because I had no clue how to go about doing it, and I didnโt want to risk failing and pissing him off.
But the other night, as I lay awake staring at the ceiling of my fancy new apartment, I realized there wasย oneย person who might have the computer skills to pull off my plan: Christian Harper, AKA my landlord, AKA Rhysโs old boss.
I remembered Bridget saying heโd tracked down the person who leaked photos of her and Rhys to the press last year. That wasnโt quite the same as deleting a video that could have dozens of copies floating around in cyberspace, but it was worth a shot.
The elevator doors pinged open.
I walked down the hall to Christianโs fortress-like front door and rang the bell, praying like hell he was home. Iโd only seen him twice since Stella and I signed the leaseโ once at Bridgetโs wedding, which heโd attended thanks to his connection with Rhys, and once in passing in the lobby.
I dropped by Pamโs office yesterday and harangued her until she confirmed he was in town. Sheโd made some snarky remark along the lines of how โMr. Harper isnโt
interested in the likes ofย you,โ but I didnโt care if she thought I wanted to seduce Christian. She was irrelevant.
I rang the doorbell again. Max left this weekend. If Christian wasnโt here, I was screwed.
I had a plan, but that didnโt mean it was aย goodย plan. It relied heavily on good luck, and I could only hope the gods took pity on me and threw a bone my way.
I even borrowed one of Stellaโs manifestation crystals, just in case it helped.
I stared at the closed door.ย Come on, come on…
Just as I was about to accept defeat, it opened, revealing glittering amber eyes and sculpted cheekbones.
It was only eight in the morning, but Christian was already dressed in an exquisitely tailored suit. Between that, his perfectly styled dark hair, and his clean-shaven face, he looked like heโd already been at work for hours and closed several multimillion-dollar deals in that time.
โMs. Ambrose.โ His smooth, decadent voice filled the air with its richness. โTo what do I owe this pleasure?โ He flicked his gaze over my shoulder like he expected to see someone behind me.
When he didnโt, a shadow of what looked like disappointment crossed his face before it disappeared as quickly as it came.
โGood morning. Iโd like to ask a favor.โ I got straight to the point. Every second counted, and Christian Harper didnโt seem like the type of man who enjoyed beating around the bush, anyway.
โA favor.โ Amusement shimmered in his eyes like whiskey shot through with firelight.
โYes.โ I lifted my chin, trying to contain my nerves. I realized the irony of asking for a favor when a favor was what landed me in my current predicament, but the universe had always had a crappy sense of humor. โYou helped Bridget and Rhys with theirโฆproblem last year, and I would be grateful if you could assist me as well. Itโs a, um,
digital problem, and youโre supposed to be the best of the best when it comes to those things.โ
A little flattery never hurt, right?
โI was returning a favor for Rhys, not granting one.โ Christian seemed unmoved by my compliment. โThe question now, of course, is why I would assist you.โ His smile, though polite, only sharpened the razor edge of his question.
I faltered. โBecauseโฆyouโre a nice person?โ
Heย hadย reduced my monthly rent to a fraction of its price with no strings attached. At least, none that we could see.
Maybe I shouldโve fleshed out my plan more.
Christianโs smile faded. โYour biggest mistake, Ms. Ambrose, would be assuming Iโm a nice person,โ he said softly.
A shiver of unease slithered down my spine. Still, I forged ahead. I had no choice. โYou donโt need to be a nice person to help me. Iโll owe you one.โ
It was a reckless promise, considering I knew next to nothing about him. I could end up as beholden to him as I was to Max. But he was friends with Rhys, and Rhys was a stand-up guy, so that had to count for something. Right?
โRhys was my top employee, a former Navy SEAL, and the future Prince Consort of Eldorra,โ Christian said. โWhat can you offer me?โ
โProfessional legal advice?โ
โI have a team of lawyers on retainer.โ
โA custom-made thank you cake from Crumble & Bake?โ โI donโt eat dessert.โ
That was just wrong. What kind of monster didnโt eat dessert?
I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to think of something else. โMy eternal gratitude? Iโll sing your praises to all my friends.โ
Christian tipped his head to the side, his gaze assessing.
Youโve got to be kidding me.ย Iโd meant that as aย joke.
โOne favor from you in exchange for a favor from me,โ he said. โTo be decided upon on a future date of my choosing.โ
Wariness crawled into my stomach. It sounded suspiciously like what Max had asked of me, minus the whole creep factor. โWhat kind of favor?โ
I swear to God, if Christian asked me to sleep with himโ โNothing sexual or illegal.โ His reassurance didnโt ease
my anxiety. I had a shitty history with theย Fย word. โThatโs my offer. Take it or leave it.โ
Agreeing to an open-ended favor was a dumb idea, but I didnโt have the luxury of long-term planning when faced with a short-term emergency. Besides, Christian was the CEO of a reputable organization, not some low-life criminal like Max.
I hope I donโt regret this.
โIโll take it.โ
A satisfied gleam entered Christianโs eyes.
I couldnโt shake the eerie sense Iโd just struck a deal with the devil. But whatever favor he wanted in the future would be worth dispelling the black cloud of the sex tapes once and for all.
Right?
โExcellent.โ He opened the door wider. โMy next meeting isnโt until eight-thirty. You have eleven minutes.โ
I followed him through his penthouse and explained my situationโthe tapes, Maxโs blackmail threats, my desire to erase the recordings once and for all. I omitted the part where I used to steal for money; Christian didnโt need to know, and I didnโt have time to get into it anyway.
โI see.โ He sounded almost bored by my dilemma.
I was half annoyed that he didnโt appreciate the gravity of the situation and half hopeful that his calm response meant he had a solution.
Christian didnโt speak again until we reached his private library. Colorful books filled two walls of floor-to-ceiling shelves, and windows carved massive nooks on the remaining walls and bathed the room in piercing morning light.
A man stood in the middle of the room, dressed in a suit as expensive-looking as Christianโs. Annoyance etched deep lines in his face as he spoke rapid-fire Italian into his phone, but he hung up abruptly when he saw us.
โDante, I trust everything is all right,โ Christian said, like the other man hadnโt sounded like he was ready to murder someone in broad daylight.
Dante flashed a tight smile. โYes, of course.โ He slid his eyes toward me, his curiosity a warm weight against my skin.
He looked a little older than Christian, maybe mid to late thirties, but that only added to his physical appeal. He wasnโt as classically good-looking as Christian, but he exuded a rugged masculinity that would make most women swoon. The thick dark hair and muscled frame didnโt hurt, either.
โI didnโt realize you had company,โ I said to Christian. It seemed too early for a business meeting, but what did I know? I wasnโt a CEO.
โI was just leaving.โ Dante held out his hand. Silver cu๏ฌinks engraved with tinyย Vโsย glinted on his shirtsleeves. โDante Russo.โ
โJules Ambrose.โ
He gave me a curt nod and slid an indecipherable look at Christian. โWeโll finish our conversation later. My grandfather just died.โ He delivered the news like he was announcing a trip to the grocery store.
My eyes rounded with shock, but Christian didnโt even blink. โOf course.โ
After Dante left, Christian walked to the computer in the corner and typed something. A minute later, the printer spit
out a sheet of paper, which he handed to me along with a pen.
His cu๏ฌinks flashed in the light, and I realized they were engraved with the sameย Vโsย as the ones Dante wore.
โSign this, and Iโll take care of the tape.โ
I scanned the text. โYou have a contract forย favors?โ It was a standard agreement listing the terms of our deal, but if I reneged on it, I would be held liable for…I blinked to make sure I read it correctly. โTwoย millionย dollars? Youโve got to be joking.โ
โI donโt joke about business, and anything that involves my time and skills is business.โ Christian nodded at the paper. โAs Iโm sure youโre aware, Ms. Ambrose, contracts protect both parties. If Iโm unable to fulfill my end of the agreement, the contract is void. If I renege on the deal, I am also liable for two million dollars. Itโs only fair.โ
Yeah, except two mil was a drop in the bucket for him whereas it was an impossibility for me.
โThose are my terms. We havenโt signed anything yet, so you can still walk away.โ He gave an elegant shrug. โYour choice.โ
A favor of his choosing or I would owe him two million dollarsโฆ
My head pounded with indecision.
What were the chances he would ask me to do somethingย reallyย awful? He said anything sexual or illegal was off the table.
There was a fifty-fifty percent chance I would regret this, but my desire to get rid of Max overrode everything else.
I scribbled my signature on the designated line and handed it back to him. Christian signed after me, and that was that.
We were officially in business.
โItโs quite difficult to erase something forever once itโs in the digital realm, but itโs not impossible,โ Christian said.
Not for me.
I heard his implication loud and clear.
Some of the anxiety in my stomach loosened. I didnโt know him well, but I knew Christian Harper was damn good at what he did. He hadnโt built the worldโs most elite security company from the ground up by slacking.
โI will, however, require your assistance with one part of the plan. I can have my men do it, but itโs much easier this way.โ Christian smiled. โHereโs what you need to doโฆโ
