The Mogul and the Muscle - Claire Kingsley Page 0,99
Luna said, raising her glass. We all raised ours and drank to that.
“Oh, and thanks to a certain someone,” I said, winking at Jude and squeezing his thick bicep, “I no longer have to worry about that stupid sex tape, and I got to tell Aldrich that he’s an asshole to his face.”
“Yes, girl,” Daisy said, reaching across the table to give me a high five.
“His life has certainly taken a turn for the worse,” Derek said.
The others nodded and I felt like I was missing something.
“What do you mean?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “You haven’t heard?”
I glanced at Jude and he gave me a subtle shrug. “I wanted to let them tell you.”
“Apparently he has a thing for recording his sexual activities,” Emily said. “A video of him with a foreign model who’s barely legal got out. And from what I hear, it’s not flattering.”
“Not only that,” Emily continued, “When Reese Howard found out, they immediately fired him from their board of directors. He’s on so-called personal leave from his own company, and word on the street is they’re forcing him to resign.”
I gaped at her. “You’re kidding. No wonder he looked like shit this morning.”
“Indeed,” Derek said, idly stirring his drink with a straw. “He contacted my firm to help him sort out the crisis, but I’m afraid I had to tell him we’re far too busy to take on any new clients right now.”
“Oh, speaking of,” Daisy said, “I have an acquaintance who’s in a bit of trouble and she could really use Alpha Group’s help.”
“Of course. Have her give my office a call, I’m sure we can fit her in.”
I zeroed in on Daisy. “D. Why did you say the video isn’t flattering?”
Her mouth curled in a wicked grin. “I have a copy.”
Everyone leaned forward.
“Obviously you have to show us,” Luna said.
Daisy brought out her phone, housed in a gem-encrusted case. “You’re going to love this.”
She queued up the video and we all squeezed together so we could see. It opened in an expensive hotel suite. Aldrich lying on his back. He was undressed, but thankfully we couldn’t see too much. A young woman with a deep tan and porn-star-sized fake boobs started to climb on top of him.
She glanced down and her eyebrows drew together. “Is something wrong?”
Aldrich lifted his head. “No. Fuck, I don’t know what’s going on. That never happens to me.”
We watched with morbid curiosity and a healthy dose of horror as the woman tried to help Aldrich achieve an erection. She tried. He tried. But no matter what they did, he couldn’t get it up.
Finally, she got frustrated and told him off in a language that might have been Portuguese. She grabbed her clothes, and the phone doing the recording, and the screen went dark.
“Can you even?” Daisy asked, laughing so hard she had to swipe a few tears from beneath her eyes.
“I almost feel bad for him,” Luna said. “Almost.”
“Karma indeed,” I said. “That was an absolute train wreck.”
Jude sat back and stretched his arm behind me. He had that smug look in his eyes again.
Not that I blamed him.
We spent the rest of brunch chatting. Our wins and losses. Plans, ideas, and the exciting things we had coming. The food was wonderful, the drinks were great, and the company was the best part.
I was feeling a bit tipsy when we finally got up to leave. Jude led me toward the front with his large hand on the small of my back. Maybe it was the drinks, or maybe I was just that happy, but I couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
“Um, excuse me,” a woman said behind us.
Jude and I turned, and my breath caught. It was one of the romance novelists. I’d seen them sitting in the booth next to us, but they’d been quiet today, all four of them wearing headphones and typing furiously. She had long brown hair and her teal blue shirt said I turn coffee into love stories.
“Hi,” she said. “Sorry, I know this is so weird, but let’s be honest, I have kind of a weird job, so why not, right?”
Jude and I shared a glance. I was too giddy to reply. I’d never spoken to one of the romance novelists before.
She had to look up at Jude, who was well over a foot taller than her. “I was just wondering if you’ve ever done any modeling, or thought about doing any modeling, or would maybe consider doing some