Page 59 of Irresistible Temptation
“Of course.” Gabriella nodded, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.
“We are yours for as long as you need us. To talk. To not talk. We’re here for you,” said Sadie before texting her husband to let her know she was having a girls’ day and that she’d be home late. Gabriella did the same.
“Want to watch a movie?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Only if there’s ice cream,” said Gabriella, heading toward the kitchen.
“And PJs,” said Sadie, heading toward my bedroom.
“Second drawer from the top,” I called after her as I pulled a blanket over me and snuggled into the couch with a smile. It was the first genuine smile I’d had in a while.
Chapter 24
Chester
“Tell me why we are awake at seven a.m. in Las Vegas?” asked Will groggily as we rode in the back of a blacked-out town car to the airport. He held his head in his hand as he leaned his elbow against the windowsill, the Vegas strip flashing by in a blur of color and neon lights. He wore the same jeans and black tee as the night before, while I wore a fresh suit straight from the shower.
I had barely slept last night, tossing and turning in the California king of my hotel suite. I kept looking at the text message. Staring at the photo of Juliet and me. Waiting for another message to come through. I was exhausted, but I was in better shape than Will. After he played his gig, he had an open tab at the bar, courtesy of the venue. He drank his way into the early morning with the main band. I could still smell the liquor on his breath, oozing from his pores.
“Emergency at work,” I said, thinking again about the text I had received the night before. The picture burned in my memory. The threatening message etched in my brain. The meeting tomorrow morning in red on my phone’s calendar.
“Is that why you left another one of my shows early?” he asked, raising a brow as he looked out at me from under the crook of his arm.
He really did look miserable. I would remind him that he’s not twenty-one years old anymore, but he was hurting enough. I didn’t need to rub it in that he was getting old.
“I’m sorry.” I sighed. Leaving his first show had been a hell of a lot more fun because it was with Juliet. Last night it was in a red, angry haze.
“It could be your last one of a while too…” I murmured regretfully.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked, struggling to sit up straight against the black leather seat.
“I’m being blackmailed. At least, I think so.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged.
“Okay…” he said hesitantly. “But you’ve gone through this before and it was all bullshit. They had nothing to hold over your head.”
“They do this time,” I said sheepishly.
“What exactly do they have on you, Chester?”
“Remember how you told me to be careful with Juliet being my assistant?”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah…”
“You didn’t let her go, did you?” he asked, more of a statement than a question.
“Not exactly.”
Will put his fingertips to his temples and closed his eyes. I probably wasn’t making his hangover any better.
“What the hell happened?” he asked after several moments.
“We may have crossed the line again. In my office. Twice.”
