Page 71 of Tempt Me

I didn’t trust myself to say anything to Jamila, especially with an audience.

“Winslow, a word?” I tipped my head toward the small conference room a few doors down from Jamila’s office.

He smirked. “Sure.”

Stewing over his smirk, I waited until I’d shut the conference room door to speak.

I flipped my phone around so he could see the photo. “What were you doing, talking to the competition?”

He squinted at the screen. “I’m not in that photo.”

I zoomed in on the slacks and the tops of the shoes and showed him. “You’re sure?”

“Everyone wears pants and shoes like those. Why would you think that was me?”

“It’s not a good look to be talking to a competitor when everyone knows there’s a leak.”

“I’ve been with Jamila since day one. Since before she started the company. What exactly are you saying?” He folded his arms.

A tickle of doubt started at the back of my brain. He was right that he wasn’t the only tech bro who wore ridiculous slacks and expensive shoes. There were a lot of prep-school trust funders in the Bay Area. (I should know; I’d dated my fair share.) But I couldn’t afford another slip-up like the one I’d made when I’d accused Rhiannon. Jamila would go off on me like she’d done with that journalist.

“Speaking of incriminating photos, I see you’ve been doing a stellar job of PR.” He raised his eyebrows. “This is a pretty weak attempt to deflect attention from being caught with your hand in the cookie jar.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I swiped away the screenshot.

“Look, you’re a nice girl, so I’ll give you some friendly advice,” he said. “I’ve known Jamila a long time. She gets stressed, and she blows off steam if you know what I mean. Seems like you’re her latest vent.”

I plucked a bit of lint from my jacket sleeve. “I don’t know why you’re telling me this.”

“You seem like the kind of girl who takes things to heart. Jamila doesn’t. Her little dalliances mean nothing. Ask Cooper Fallon.”

I couldn’t help it. I stared at him, open-mouthed.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve been around that long. I saw the fallout. Jamila’s all about casual. She’ll never trust anyone enough to let it get any more serious than that.”

How many times had she reminded me she didn’t do serious? More than I cared to recall.

He brushed past me and set his hand on the doorknob. But before he turned it, he glanced back at me. “I’ll give you this advice: keep your focus on your own responsibilities. And don’t bother thinking Jamila will ever be anything but a hookup. She’s not that kind of woman.”

He opened the door and left, leaving me standing in the conference room, deflated.

He was right. She’d warned me herself. Why had I let myself hope that she’d fall for me? I was just Jackson’s cute but annoying little sister. I’d never be the one for her.

Not the way she was for me.

21

“You leaving soon?”Hannah asked as she slung her laptop bag over her shoulder Tuesday evening.

Blinking, I turned my gaze from the open door of our office to her face. “Yeah. I just want five minutes with Jamila first.”

It was the evening of the dinner with Kenneth Royal, the CEO of First Arbiter, and I was nervous for her. We hadn’t spoken since the photos hit the media yesterday. Hannah and I had done all we could to flood the socials with photos of Jamila’s camp, video snips from Nita’s interview, and anything we could find to distract, but the story kept spiraling.

Everyone wanted to know the identity of Jamila’s mystery girlfriend. I’d stalked Jamila on social media long enough to know that these things followed a pattern: once they identified her, they’d dig up her background, follow her for a few days, post a few unflattering photos of her eating or sweating after a workout, then drop her as quickly as Jamila did. Outing myself as Jamila’s girlfriend wouldn’t help her a bit. Not to mention what Mother would say.

No, thanks.

I’d spent more time on social media than I should have, even as a PR consultant, scanning the comments for a hint that Jamila’s beach babe was me. So far, nothing. But every ping, every red number ticking up, twisted my stomach tighter.

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