Page 25 of Sex, Lust & Lingerie

“Tell me about it. I’ve been on rumor control all day. My phones haven’t stopped ringing. I’m sorry couldn’t I get back to you.” He paused. “I’ve got bad news.”

My eyes widened with a skip of my heartbeat. Now what?

His expression turned somber. “The New York Times is going to run a front-page story in the Business Section tomorrow about our stock sell off. The headline: Gloria’s Secret CEO Rumored to Exit as Stock Plummets.”

“Fuck!” I banged my desk with my left fist.

Looking down, Kevin glumly twisted his diamond stud earring. “I’m sorry, Glorious. I couldn’t stop them.”

“Kev, it’s not your fault. But I just don’t get it. There’s no reason for investors to be jittery. I just reviewed our sales reports and forecasts, and they’re all solid. And with our new BDSM-inspired line and the launch of our sex toys, we should be golden.”

Kevin looked up and met my eyes. “I’m as surprised as you are. But one thing’s for sure, if you’re leaving, I’m leaving with you.”

“Except we’re not going anywhere.” The fearless fighter in me rising, I ambled around my desk to give Kev another great big hug. “I love you, Kev.”

“Right back at you, Glorious.”

Then, I plopped down on my desk, crossing my legs and placing my hands under my butt. Kev and I had been through so much together. If it hadn’t been for him, there would be no Gloria’s Secret. I owed him my career and my life. There was no one I trusted more than Kevin. Or loved. Except…

Kevin cut my thoughts short. “So, tell me something good. How was Paris?”

My shoulders heaved on a loud sigh. The only good thing about the stock crisis was that it had kept my mind off Jaime. But at the mention of Paris, all the dreamy memories came racing back into my head.

“Oh, Kev, it was amazing.” I paused. “Well, parts of it.”

Kevin’s face lit up. “Don’t hold back. Tell me everything.”

Kevin was the one person I confided in completely. On command, I began with Madame Paulette’s dignified funeral, my encounter with Victor, and Jaime’s rescue.

“Victor’s a fucking douchebag,” Kevin grumbled.

“It gets worse and more complicated.” I proceeded to share Jaime’s past—that Victor was Jaime’s abusive stepfather and that Vivien had seduced him when he was a teenager.

Kevin’s eyes widened. “This is like a bad soap opera.”

Continuing, I told Kevin about the Ferris wheel ride and then about our turbulent plane ride home.

“Get out! That’s so fucking off the fuck charts. I mean like a hundred on a scale of one to ten.”

I laughed—something I so needed to do. And then my cheerful expression morphed back to gloom. Tears pricked my eyes.

“What’s the matter, Glorious? Everything with Jaime sounds so fan-fucking-tastic.”

My right hand came out from under me to wipe away a tear that had escaped. Kevin batted his eyes in shock.

“Glorious, what’s that on your middle finger?”

“It’s a toi et moi ring.” I paused, having deliberately omitted this detail, and then sighed. “Jaime gave it to me on the Ferris wheel.”

Kevin grasped my hand and examined the brilliant double diamond ring close up. “Holy shit! This man is seriously in love with you.”

The floodgates broke loose; a tsunami of tears rushed down my face. “No, Kev. He’s not. I’m just another one of his many fucks. He was really devastated by his father’s suicide after his mother left him for Victor. He has serious commitment issues.”

“I don’t believe that. No man gives a ring like this to someone he doesn’t care about.”

“Trust me, he’s not that into me. He even has a date with someone else tonight.”

Kevin furrowed his brows. “Are you sure about that?”

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