Page 87 of Forty, Flirty & F*cked

"The choreography could use work though..."

"Goodbye, Yasmin." I glance up again. “And not a word of this, you hear?”

She leaves, but not before I catch her grinning.

I turn back to my spreadsheet, trying to focus on product liability law instead of how empty my private floor feels without Ariana in it. Without her laugh echoing off the windows, her vanilla scent lingering in my sheets, her...

My phone buzzes again:

ALEX: So

ALEX: About the wedding next weekend

ALEX: You're still my best man, right?

ALEX: Even though you married my cousin's ex?

Right. The wedding. Where I'll have to watch another perfect couple pledge their lives to each other while I have no idea what the hell I’m doing with the woman in my life.

The woman who's hiding something.

Because she is hiding something. I'm not stupid. I see the way she tenses when Vegas comes up. The way she deflects questions about the chapel. The way she looked at her phone yesterday like it was about to explode.

And with more of family and friends sniffing around what happened in Vegas, it’s only a matter of time before the news gets out.

Before word about what actually happened in that little Graceland chapel reaches my father’s ears.

That’s the one thing that can’t happen.

My office door opens again.

"I said no meetings—" I look up to find a familiar toupee in my doorway. "Dad."

"Son." He eyes my desk. "Are those protein powder regulations?"

"Market research."

"For what market?" He moves closer. "Because last I checked, Clearwater Tech doesn't manufacture nutritional supplements."

"It's a potential investment opportunity."

"In your PR executive's father's pyramid scheme?"

I straighten. "Did you need something?"

"The investors are asking questions." He adjusts his cuffs. "About you. About your sudden disappearances, your lack of engagement. About why my son, two weeks from the biggest IPO of his career, is spending more time dodging meetings than securing investors."

"The IPO is under control."

"Is it? Because from where I'm standing, you’re one distraction away from making a very expensive mistake."

I force my expression into something neutral. "Since when do you care about my distractions?"

"Since the office was full of doves for an entire day. Since board members are whispering about erratic behavior. Since my son, who built an empire on discipline, is suddenly—" He gestures at my screen. "—spending his time on protein powder patents."

"Diversifying revenue streams is a valid strategy."

"So is staying focused." He picks up a paper. "This isn't like you, Connor. The disappearances, the secrecy. You’re putting th company in a difficult position. A company you seem determined to risk for some…”

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