Page 39 of Triggered By Love
“She set him up to sexually assault you?”
“No, but look at all the cameras pointed at us,” she whispered. “If you let it go, I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” Jason gave her a curt nod and turned to Matt. “I could book you from here to Sunday. Assaulting a police officer. Resisting arrest. You’d better be on your best behavior with my lady.”
“Your lady?” Matt growled, but Jason paid him no attention and walked away.
Avery was proud of him for defusing the confrontation. He wasn’t as out of control as he portrayed, or maybe he realized the high stakes this publicity stunt had for her business. She’d make sure to thank him later.
“Everyone, let’s start this over.” Alida cupped her hands into a megaphone and directed the camera crew. “Avery, why don’t you go back to the traffic light and start walking our direction. Actually, jog slowly like you’re finishing your workout. When you see Matt, a giant smile lights your face and you open your arms, happy to see your newest beau.”
“I don’t think this is going to work,” Avery said. “Look at me. I’m a mess.”
“It’s okay. We can splice and edit the footage. I can’t afford to reschedule, so we’ll take what we can get.” Alida tried to shoo away the bystanders. “Everyone, back up. Matt Swanson will sign autographs after the coffee shop date with his newest sweetheart, America’s hottest new fashion designer, Avery Cockburn. Look it up. Cocky Heroes for our first responders.”
Avery finger combed her hair and walked back to the corner. She spotted Jason across the street watching and gave him a thumbs-up. She could do this. It was only business, after all, and it would make a great story for the Cocky Heroes line Matt would model for her.
Unfortunately, he turned his back without returning her friendly gesture. The man was definitely difficult, but at least he backed off enough to let her playdate Matt Swanson.
She put on a smile, did some jumping jacks and running in place, then when Alida gave the signal, she bounced perkily toward The Big Bean Café. Halfway there, Matt exited a strategically placed limousine, and this time, because she was prepared, he swept her off her feet, dipping her low for an awfully aggressive and not at all romantic kiss.
Once they entered the coffee shop, the general hubbub from the camera crew and other customers prevented her from having to have meaningful conversation with Matt. Saul was behind the counter. He came around and gave her a high five.
“Hey, where’s Jason?” he asked, seemingly oblivious to the camera crew.
“I’m on a date.” Avery hooked a glance at the football player towering above her.
Saul’s eyebrows twisted, and he took their orders, then went back to make their coffee. Matt kept his hand on Avery, continuously touching some portion of her body. Every chance he got, he leaned down and whispered in her ear or gave her a kiss. It was positively gross, but Avery told herself to grin and bear it.
The buzz alone should skyrocket her brand in front of the fashion show. She’d already pledged all initial sales of her Cocky Heroes line to the Brando Bonet Firefighter’s Memorial Fund, so she was prepared to put up with a slew of boorish behavior.
“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” Matt asked once they were seated and sipping their lattes.
“Let’s discuss this with Alida,” she replied in a friendly manner. “I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
“Then we’ll have all the pleasure to ourselves and let Alida handle the business side.” He took her hand and pressed her knuckles onto his lips.
Jason’s reflection shone from the window outside, but she refused to let him know she noticed or cared. She smiled at Matt as if he were her hero and nodded, licking her lips. “It’ll be a pleasure to do only business with you.”
* * *
Damn her to pieces.
Jason’s gut ground like it was full of glass as he hovered at the window of the coffee shop. Yes, he looked like an idiot, but no, he wasn’t moving.
Publicity stunt or not, he didn’t like the way Matt Swanson treated Avery like she was one of the strippers vying for his Benjamin Franklins. Ambushing her like he was sacking a quarterback was beyond the pale wrong, and the way his fingers made slimy snail trails over her body was over the top gross.
Still, he couldn’t stand here staring at the two of them like a jealous ex, so he wandered up and down the street and observed the people coming and going.
A black limo drove slowly down the street, and he wondered if the man with the wraparound sunglasses was hidden behind the tinted windows. Or was it simply Matt’s driver circling the block waiting for him?
A delivery man walked by at least twice, and a bike courier circled the block. Two men pushing jogging strollers ran by. One had a toddler inside, and another one carried a dog. A group of young women carrying umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun strolled in front of the coffee shop and studied the menu.
A flash of light caught his eye, and he looked up at a fire escape. A man wearing a dark-colored shirt and pants stood leaning over it, smoking a cigarette. A pair of binoculars hung around his neck, and Jason wondered who he was surveilling.
He went through his list of suspects. Brando had no enemies that his friends knew of. He didn’t owe money to loan sharks, and he had no connections to organized crime. He’d saved plenty of lives, but like any fireman, there were tragic situations where he hadn’t been able to rescue the occupants.
It was possible one of the family members blamed him, but everyone he interviewed said Brando went above and beyond his own safety to rescue people. He even saved a gang member’s family when he set a fire to collect insurance money and wasn’t aware his mother and niece had returned to the apartment.
