Page 9 of Whispered Sins

“Don’t tell me you forgot about the bet. You lost, Daniel.”

“I didn’t forget.”

“Okay, good. Because I invited my friends and we are looking for some entertainment tonight.”

“It’s a charity event, Brody. Not a frat party.”

“I know that. It’s just a few buddies from college.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to be patient. My brother was my COO, and while I would think he would be able to differentiate work from his social life, it wasn’t always the case. It was probably because he didn’t always have to be on his best behavior, like I did. Even though that was seldom the case. I was just better at being private about it, except for those damn paparazzi. All eyes were on me all the time.

“Fine,” I said, walking toward the door.

“Don’t be such a sore loser, bro.” Brody patted me on the back as he followed me out into the hallway.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I said, shrugging him off and walking toward the elevator.

I was in no mood to pay my dues tonight, but he was right. I had lost the bet we made a few weeks ago. It was stupid really, but that was what happened when you’d had a few double whiskeys on the rocks.

I couldn’t remember whose idea it was, but the bet was to see who could get this particular girl in bed first. She was a smoking-hot redhead who was doing bottle service at a club in New York. We were there on business. Pleasure, too. Brody took her back to his hotel room, but I called bullshit because I was pretty sure he paid her to leave her post early. It must have been a generous sum of money because she most likely lost her job. We should have come up with better terms, but I didn’t think prostitution was on the table.

Either way, I lost. And now I was to be auctioned off at tonight’s charity function. It was one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. Turned out the rich, older women of New York threw down lots of money to have a day or night with eligible CEOs. While I wasn’t really in the mood to stand up on stage in a penguin suit waiting to see what unfortunate fate I ended up with, I knew it would look good in the press.

I needed that right now. Again, those damn paparazzi. My latest scandal was splashed all over the papers and gossip pages on Instagram. I shouldn’t be that surprised. I had been caught leaving the club with three busty blondes, and they were photographed leaving my hotel the next morning. All their eyes rimmed with mascara, like little platinum blonde raccoons squinting their eyes in the harsh reality of the morning.

As I rode the elevator down to the lobby, I smiled to myself thinking about that night. I’d been with several women before, but three at the same time was a first. I couldn’t keep their names straight, but there wasn’t much talking, anyway. I was just happy that the hotel room had a California King bed.

Despite the backlash in the press, I still thought it was worth it. But now there was damage control to do. The money we raised tonight would be a perfect Band-Aid, until some other scandal arose. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be mine.

The elevator doors opened to the lobby cast in an orange glow, as the sun was setting. I nodded to the front desk as I passed. The security guard opened the door and I stepped out onto the sidewalk where my driver waited. He opened the car door and I slid into the backseat. A glass of whiskey with a large steel ice cube sat in the cupholder. He knew me so well.

“Thank you, Armand,” I said, taking a sip as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“Of course, Mr. Daniels. Home?”

“Yes, please.”

The car slowly pulled away from the curb and began the five-minute drive to my condo, which sat high above the city. My phone pinged in my jacket pocket. I slid it out and saw it was a calendar notification Margaret forwarded me. I was surprised she even knew how to do that.

Tomorrow. 10 AM meeting at the Leading to Learn offices.

That was fast. I wasn’t expecting to see Addison so soon, but I wasn’t complaining. I wanted to know more about her. The ins and outs. I was excited just thinking about it. The effect she had on me was new. It was intoxicating. I took a sip of whiskey and leaned my head back, closing my eyes and trying to remember the lines of her, curving in all the right places.

Soon, the car pulled into the parking garage, the carriage overcome with darkness as we descended to my private level. Armand parked by the elevators and came around to open the door for me.

“Thank you, Armand. Be back here at seven. In the meantime, go grab some dinner.”

I handed him a one-hundred-dollar bill. He nodded gratefully as I strode past him. I rode up to the top floor, the elevator doors sliding open to reveal my condo. The city lights fought to compete with the sunset that was now turning to a purply dusk.

I had an hour before I had to head to the auction. It was being held at the Met. Traffic would be a bitch, and I didn’t want to be late. I walked down the dim hallway to my master bedroom and found my tux lying on the bed, freshly pressed. My housekeeper must have dropped it off earlier.

I’d rather put on a pair of sweats than this thing, but duty called. I quickly took a shower and dressed. After I made sure my bowtie was straight, I ran some gel through my damp hair, and sprayed a generous amount of cologne.

I decided to make myself another drink to calm my nerves. Whiskey neat. The usual. Before I knew it, it was time to leave. I rode the elevator down, and as the doors opened, I caught Armand tossing a bag of McDonald’s in the trash. It wouldn’t have been my first choice if I had a hundred to spend, but I knew he had mouths to feed at home. I pretended like I didn’t see and waited for him to open the car door.

Like I expected, traffic was awful, but we still managed to get to the Met in time. The red carpet was already alive with some of New York’s wealthiest businessmen and women. I never wanted to be the first one on that thing, so I was glad we were arriving when we did. As the car pulled up and Armand rounded the back to open the door, I saw the paparazzi whip their heads around.

I took a deep breath and plastered a smile on my face as the car door opened. I gave a wave and made my way up the steps toward the red carpet. The camera flashes were blinding, but I was used to it. Almost.

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