Conflict of Interest - By Allyson Lindt Page 0,36
our public image?”
She glared at him. “Of course. Stop trying to change the subject.”
A growl slipped out before he could stop it, and he clenched his jaw, forcing his temper back under control. “I’m giving you answers. Consider listening. Bad press almost destroyed us when we started out, and we learned from that. We’ve used every public moment since as publicity—if it’s going to happen anyway, we’re going to control it. Besides, keeping our antics exposed to the public eye reminds the fans we’re just like them. A side effect is we have a handful of obsessive fans who like to post pictures of us on their Tumblrs. Do I get to know where the third degree is coming from?”
She pulled something from the folder and slid it across his desk. It came to a stop at the edge. He glanced at the printed photos, meaning to dismiss them. He bit back a curse when he saw what they were, not wanting to show how much this was getting under his skin. It was the two of them from dinner, tucked in the back corner of the restaurant looking very cozy right before Cartee interrupted them. How the hell had those gone public? No, better question, why did they exist?
“Explain again.” Her icy tone cut through his shock. “Why you have paparazzi-like stalkers posting things like this to gaming forums.”
He fumbled for a response, knowing she expected a good one. He couldn’t find anything but the truth. “I don’t know. This has never happened outside of things like conventions, magazine interviews, stuff like that.”
She gritted her teeth, eyes hard. “That’s not good enough. Maybe you could have been a little more up front with me about just how deep and fucked up this fan obsession was. It might have been nice to know before my boss found these pictures. I told you when you hired me it had to be clear you had done so because of my professional skills. Now I have to reassure my employer that I’m actually doing my job instead of playing some executive’s afternoon distraction.”
He didn’t like the baseless accusations, but he’d also never meant to get her in trouble. His tone was as solid and emotionless as hers. “It’s never happened before, I swear to you. And it won’t happen again.”
“Good.” Her angry mask didn’t budge. “Because it can’t. Whatever fucked-up game we’re playing has to stop. It doesn’t matter how good you may or not be with your fingers. We’re not a couple, this is a professional relationship, and anything else ends now.”
A new wave of anger and hurt surged through him. “I’m sorry, Miss Carter. I have always been under the impression you were a willing participant.”
She flinched, but didn’t look away. “That’s not my point.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. If we’re done, then I assume you have some new hoops for me to jump through? Things to make you and your career look good?”
She opened her folder, and scanned the papers still inside. “You’ve got a DECA meeting tomorrow at a local high school. Should be simple enough. Even you should be able to avoid compromising pictures.”
He clenched his fist, resisting the urge to slam it into his desk. Instead, he stood and moved to crouch in front of her. He stopped when they were at eye level, never touching her. His voice was low. It was the only way he could control his tone. “Be honest. Is this whole pictures thing really such a big deal that you have to storm into my office like the entire world is coming to an end? That you have to insult me?”
Her brows knit together. “This isn’t just about what the public may or may not think of you anymore. This puts my entire job at risk. People can’t start thinking I sleep with clients.”
Every word devoured him more. He stared at her, keeping his gaze locked on hers. Why couldn’t he drop this? He felt terrible that it might have gotten her in trouble, but his ego wouldn’t let him just walk away. “Did you enjoy it? Any of that horrific intimacy that you think is going to crush your soul? Did you get to prove to yourself that you’re not frigid?”
Her expression wavered again, uncertainty slipping in. She leaned toward him, and then her back went rigid again. “It doesn’t matter.”
His head swam at the light flower of her perfume. This was about proving a point. He wasn’t going to get