Page 82 of Who's Saving You
“Because it's the only way to protect you, Nik! I have to know every detail in order to save what we have here.”
I sit back and stare at him.Is she playing me?“My agent told me to feed her a story, and to fuck her into forgetting why she’s writing about me.” I let out the breath I was holding and closed my eyes, knowing there was no way I was going to brush her out of my system like that. I count toten before opening them again, only to find Dante staring right at me.
Dante scoffs. “You’re a goddamn idiot if you believe that's the reason you took her to bed.”
“Then why are you trying to make me doubt it all?”
“I’m not making you doubt anything. I want to make you aware.” He stands and comes around the desk, leaning on it, giving off protective vibes. He’s only about ten years older than me, but he’s lived double my life and then some. I trust him, and I appreciate all he’s done for me. “Listen, do I believe she came here with the intent to expose you? No. But she stumbled upon something, and even though it's putting her in danger, her drive to know is outrunning that fear. Remember what we said about fear being currency?”
I nod.
“You're a smart man with good intuition. It’s why I've got you on my team, and I’ll do everything to protect you.” He stands and puts his hand on my shoulder, shaking me once before rounding his desk again. “Test her, Nik. Find out if she’s into Nik Papas or Saint. She won’t write the article if she wants Nik.”
I sit, letting his words sink in and my thoughts drift back to every night we’ve had together. The teasing banter, the sexy looks, the intimate touches, the playful words. Our first night out in Houston, our first night at Touchdown Towers. Would she have kept the key card for Nik? Or is it part of the set up for Saint?
TRICKIE NICKIES
Loving: So, Mr. She’s Not My Girl, how's your girl?
Me: Wouldn’t know. She's not my girl
Soba: You need to stop lying to us. We see her with you
Me: What are you talking about?
Soba: You're so clueless. You need to watch the rag mags to get the scoop
Me: Press is unreliable
Loving: But a pic's worth a thousand words
Loving: -sends pic of Noelle and Nik-
It’s us, the day at the coffee shop when we were flirting over the interview. I’m slouching in my chair, cheek leaning against my hand, while she sits straight in her seat across from me, pen in hand. Her brow is raised as she stares me down with a smirk across her lips. I’m watchingher with the same intensity, and if I didn’t know what was being said while we were there, I never would have recognized myself. The look is straight lust, want, need.
Love.
Soba: You ready to fess up?
Loving: Stop this double-life nonsense. We know you're not a saint
I close my eyes and turn off my phone, the lies weighing heavily on me.
34
Noelle
“That was some game.”
“Mm.”
“What are the standings now?”
He looks up at me, still fiddling with his phone. “We’re behind by a game,” he says quickly before grabbing a chair from the desk and plopping it right in front of the television. I don’t know what's going on, but flying to Arizona for another away game and spending the night trapped in a hotel room wasn’t on my radar for this weekend. It’s week fourteen of the season, and standings are close, so everything is getting more intense.
I need to do more research. I had a plan to go to Club Trick and speak with Dante. I want him to set up a meeting with Rhett. I know Nik will never let me speak to him alone, but I think the only way to get to the bottom of all of this isto bring everyone who was there that night into one room. Ghost needs to be exposed.
But something else is going on. Nik was keeping track of my every move and asking a ton of questions about the article. I tried to assure him I wasn’t writing anything and until I have something solid, I wouldn’t be. But he kept pressing.
