Page 82 of The Christmas Wife

"You don’t think that what takes place in Vegas actually stays in Vegas."

"You recorded me?" his tone is flat

"Don’t pretend you didn’t do the same." It was a trip the two of us had taken, a few years ago. The rest of the Seven hadn’t been available that year over the Christmas break and I had flown into LA to join Damian. We’d taken his private jet to Las Vegas… And the rest, well…as they say, it’s recorded for posteriority. His, not mine.

"What do you take me for?" Damian laughs, "Of course, I have a stockpile of pics and videos on each of the Seven, including you." His voice is pleasant. "Perhaps I should upload the video of you…" his voice trails off.

"Yeah," I quip, "I jerked off to you and your three women, which face it, is nowhere as interesting as what I have on you. Not that it doesn’t make you look good… I mean, they were all over you, and your face can only be seen in one frame." Which would be more than enough for him to capture the headlines of the media that day. "It’s slow over Christmas, and you have a big single coming out. No doubt, it would ensure that happy families everywhere would want to look you up to find out what the fuss is all about." Not. It would effectively cost him his reputation… Oh, he’d recover from it all right, but not before the Christmas single tanked… Probably.

"Whose idea was it to release a Christmas song anyway, huh?" I snicker. "Isn’t that what reality show winners and washed-up rock stars go for… Oh, wait." I laugh, "That’s what you are, someone who’s yesterdays’ news."

"Fuck off," he growls.

"With pleasure, after you’ve promised to help me."

"After that incredible selling job, how can I refuse?"

"Aww," I coo, "did I hurt your itty-bitty wittle feewings, Mr. Rock Star?"

"Sometimes I am not sure why the Seven of us keep in touch," he grumbles. "It’s not like there’s much love lost between us."

"Maybe it’s something deeper," I muse, "a shared moment—a few days in time that changed the course of our future."

"There is that." He sighs, "I could, of course, release your video anyway and see how it plays with your little girlfriend, huh?"

"Not my girlfriend, and PS, I told her about the sex tape already, so?—"

"You told her?" He coughs. "Isn’t that unusual for you?"

"What?" I frown, "Just making sure she understood that she can’t underestimate my sex god status." I brush an imaginary speck from my sweater, as if he can see me.

"You being upfront with a woman?" I sense him shake his head. "So, it’s that serious, huh?"

"Of course, not."

"Just for that, I’ll do this for you."

"For what?" I crack my neck.

"To see you fall. Fuck, it must be something in the air…" He continues, "It started with Sinner, then Saint, and now you."

I move the phone away from my ear, and stare at it before switching to speakerphone, "I have no idea what you’re talking about." I frown.

"Of course, not." His voice is calm, "You have no idea, do you?"

I grit my teeth, "You’re getting on my balls, Savage." I growl, "One click and your video gets uploaded."

"No, you won’t do it," he retorts.

"Wanna test me?"

There’s silence, then he sighs, "The fuck do you want from me?"

"Listen," I speak into the phone.

20

"There is no we in chocolate."

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