Hurt. Angry. I feel the old familiar urges bubbling up. The ones I feel whenever a woman gets too close. When I feel my walls being threatened. The urge to run away, push away, shut down. That’s what I’m feeling. As usual.
But then, I take in Georgina’s beautiful, sleeping face... and I remember the secret she shared with me tonight. The way she laid herself bare to me. And the panic inside me vanishes. The urge to run away, push her away, shut down subsides.
Okay, so she got the printout of lawsuits and noticed I’d settled a sexual harassment case. Considering what that asshole Mr. Gates did to her, it’s no wonder she was especially determined to find out everything she could about Stephanie’s claims. At least, to Georgie’s credit, she came straight to me and asked me for my side of the story, rather than jumping to conclusions and instantly believing Stephanie’s lies like they were gospel.
My heart rate is slowing again.
This is not a problem.
Georgina is simply doing her job.
And doing it well.
After what she’s been through, I can’t blame her for wanting to know what kind of man she’s been sleeping with. Good for her for following the breadcrumbs. She might be young. And she might be smoking hot. But Georgina Ricci is nobody’s fool.
I grab the blanket from the foot of the bed and gently cover her with it. I bend down and kiss her cheek gently, and turn off the light. Goodnight, Intrepid Reporter.
I stare at her for a long moment, not wanting to leave her side. But, finally, I drag my ass to my room. Which is where I brush my teeth, shower, and, finally, blessedly, crawl into my bed with an exhausted groan. But before flipping off my light, I grab my phone and send a text to Henn:
I need another favor, brother. Find out where Georgie went to high school. It’s in the Valley somewhere. A guy named Gates is the football coach. They won two championships in four years. I need you to hack into his phone and computer and dig around. See if you find a vulnerability. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. All I know is I want you to find something, anything, I can use to go Left Eye Lopes on the guy’s ass. I want to burn this motherfucker’s entire life to the ground, Henny. Just like Left Eye burned Andre’s house. No mercy.
Chapter 22
Georgina
“Good afternoon,” I chirp to CeeCee’s personal assistant, Margot. She’s seated at a desk, holding down the fort while CeeCee is still on vacation in Bali.
“Georgie!” Margot replies warmly. She hops up and gives me a hug. “How are you?”
It’s a standard question, obviously. One I’ve been asked in polite conversation countless times in my life. One that should be answered with a simple, “I’m great! And you?” And yet, today, upon hearing that simple question, every fiber of my being wants to shout maniacally, “I think I’m falling for Reed Rivers!”
It’s the same maniacal reply I wanted to shout at Amalia this morning, when she kindly asked if I’d slept well. And the same thing I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs at the barista in Starbucks, who asked if I wanted my coffee drink hot or cold. Truly, I don’t know how many more times I can be asked how I’m doing or how I slept or how I want my coffee, and be expected to not shout in reply, “I think I’m falling for Reed Rivers!”
Because... I think I am.
Hard.
Obviously, I don’t want to fall for Reed. Indeed, I’m trying very hard not to do that supremely stupid thing. But it’s a hard thing to resist doing, after the amazing conversations we had last night, followed by the magic of this morning.
This morning, after Reed woke me up (and kindly gave me a couple ibuprofen for my slight hangover), he led me into his home gym for our morning workout... and then shocked the living hell out of me by giving me yet another piece of exercise equipment. This time, a top-of-the-line Pilates reformer! Which I happen to know costs around four grand. I protested, of course. Said I couldn’t possibly accept it. But he insisted and wore me down. Obviously, I’ll never collect it from him. As far as I’m concerned, that thing will stay in Reed’s home gym forevermore. But just the thought that he bought it for me? Swoon.