Page 82 of VOGUEish

“I didn’t give her a dick pic, and other than that this publicity doesn’t sound any worse than any other shit that’s been posted about me.”

“It doesn’t matter if you gave her one or not. The media believes there’s a chance you did. And that’s not everything. All of New York also now knows you’re the guy who slept with Anonymous in NYC one night and then dumped her because she wasn’t his type.”

All the fog cleared from his head. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He grabbed the remote and started flipping through the news channels. “Shit. I’ve got to go. Don’t worry. I’ll manage this.”

“I don’t know how you plan to do that. You realize this will negate your ability to be taken seriously as a fixer. Hell, as anything for the near future. Maybe forever. You’ve finally found a way to get me to stop harassing you to take over the corporation.”

“Nonna, it’s not that bad. I’ll handle it. But I need to get off the phone so I can.”

“You won’t handle a thing. I will handle this.”

“You?”

“Yes. I’ve already got someone on it. In the meantime, you stay in and don’t go anywhere. And whatever you do, don’t answer the phone from any number you don’t know.”

He hung up and called Isabella.

“Hello.” She sounded groggy.

“After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?”

“Ryder?”

He let out a long breath and struggled for calm. “It’s Chandler. Wake up. Sober up. Fess up.”

“Where are you?”

“Manhattan.”

There was a long pause. “You’re gone?” The genuine surprise in her voice cut him off at the knees.

“Fuck yes, I’m gone, and it’s a good thing.” He had left a note under her door. Did the fact she hadn’t seen it mean she hadn’t returned to her room? Had she sat on the beach and leaked her story and then gone back to Ryder’s room to celebrate? “I never pegged you for the vindictive type.”

“All I did was watch the sunrise with Ryder. You were caught with another woman in your arms.”

“And that’s all the reason you needed to spread some bullshit lie about my sending you a dick pic, sleeping with you, and then dumping you. Fuck. You took getting even to a whole new level. And here I thought Frankie was diabolical.”

“Wait. What? Your identity was leaked?”

“Not just my identity, but I’m painted as a user of women. Not just any woman. You. The golden girl that all of Manhattan loves.”

“I didn’t leak anything. You can ask Ryder. I was with him the whole night.”

He inhaled sharply, jealousy slicing at him with a keenly sharpened knife. “You spent the night with him?”

“Why are you in Manhattan?”

“Something came up that Annie and I needed to take care of.”

An off-kilter laugh came through the phone. “Of course it did.”

“You really spent the night with Ryder?” He glanced around for something to punch.

She didn’t respond.

“Did you hear me?” Why the fuck wasn’t she telling him no?

“A girl can’t help who her heart decides to love. Please don’t call me again.”

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