Page 122 of Forty, Flirty & F*cked

I growl against her skin. "Is that why you married me? My money?"

"Obviously." But her smile is soft. "Though the pancake perfectionism didn't hurt."

"I'm never living down that PowerPoint presentation, am I?"

"Never." She pulls back slightly. "Though speaking of presentations..."

She shows me her phone screen and my stomach drops. "Ariana..."

“I don’t know how the Vegas wedding video got out! And we are in the clear with the IPO, so technically, if we still wanted to do that reality show with Graceland chapel, I’m just saying…that we could.”

“Fuck, I thought you took care of that.”

“How was I supposed to know that some rogue TikTok influencer would get her hands on, and I quote, 'Seattle's hottest tech CEO doing the Macarena in a sequined cape’?”

I close my eyes. "Please tell me you're joking." I open them again. Nope. It’s real. “The video has thirty thousand likes."

"Fifty thousand now.” Her smile falls as I stare. “But don't worry, I'm handling it."

"Handling it how?" I take in her determined expression, the phone she's clutching like a weapon. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not. Though I should warn you that the comment section is very interested in your... hip mobility."

"My what?"

"Apparently your Elvis impression was very..."

"Very?"

"Inspiring." Her lips purse together. "The Gen Z crowd is particularly impressed."

"Please tell me you have a plan that doesn't involve me trending on social media."

"Several, actually." She perches on the edge of the kitchen counter, close enough that I catch another whiff of vanilla. "Though option three might require you to learn the 'Cupid Shuffle.'"

"You're enjoying this."

"Professionally speaking? Of course not." But her eyes dance. “And look. Everyone is saying your rhythm is surprisingly?—"

"If you say 'good for your age,' I'm firing you."

“I own my PR firm now. I don’t need your patronage, Mr. Reeves.” She kisses me. “And I was going to say 'enthusiastic.'"

"That's worse."

"The hashtag seems to agree." She shows me her screen. "#SilverFoxShakedown is trending."

"Kill me now."

"Can't. You have a full week of board meetings. It would be irresponsible." She scrolls through comments. "Though your mother called. She wants to know if this means you're finally embracing crystal healing through movement."

"I hate everything about this conversation."

"Even the part where I tell you I’m already in the process of paying off the influencer, scrubbing the video, and starting a counter-trend about tech CEOs doing charity work?"

I pause. "How are you managing that?”

"I'm very good at my job." She stands, smoothing her skirt. "Also, I may have implied you're building a sanctuary for displaced show ponies."

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