Page 23 of All In

9

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“God damn it why can’t these people find something else to write about?” Memphis snarled as he tossed the tablet an assistant had handed him onto his desk.

It was the fourth ‘article’ he’d read today. The press had snapped photos of him with Kimberly, Carla, and Rylee, and everyone wanted to know which woman he was dating. There were rumors that he was sleeping with all of them and that he’d stolen his best friend’s fiancée among other things. And to top it off, everyone was wondering when the DA in Phoenix would decide if he was filing charges.

The door to his office opened and Jeremy stepped through. “I think you need to call in a favor with the governor. You two are pals right?”

Memphis stared at his lawyer. “We used to be. I’m sure I’m political poison to him now. A good number of his constituents were harmed by the scam. It won’t look good if he’s doing favors for one of the men who let it happen.”

Jeremy dropped into a chair and propped his feet on Memphis’ desk. “If you don’t do something, you’re going to be facing a trial all over again.”

“I’m doing everything I can. Starting with cleaning house. There’s no way Andrew was the only one in on this inside my company.”

Jeremy nodded. “And just what does cleaning house look like?”

“The entire executive office is taking polygraphs, and anyone who has questionable results has to go through a personal interview with me.”

“What are you offering to get people to talk? I know you’re not going to allow anyone who was involved to keep working here.”

Jeremy was right, Memphis would never keep anyone who betrayed him on board.

His phone buzzed, and he picked it up hoping for a message from Rylee.

Instead, it was a message from her security detail with a video attached. He pressed play and frowned at the screen. She was walking arm in arm down the strip with Carla, and they were both carrying large drinks and were clearly drunk.

He pressed call and waited for the security team to answer.

“Is there a reason for the video?” he asked when they did.

“Yes, Sir. We can’t talk her and Carla to get into a car instead of walking down the strip. We feel it would be safest if they let us drive them where they want to go. But they’ve both consumed a lot of alcohol."

“Put Miss Colton on the phone, please.” He put his hand over the phone while he waited for the man to hand the phone to Rylee.

“Can I get the room please?” Jeremy and his assistant stepped out.

“What do you want?” Rylee said, irritation in her voice.

“And to think I let you come just a few hours ago,” he chided. “Get your ass in the car, Rylee.”

“You’re not my father. I like walking.”

He clenched his fist. “I’m not, but you do belong to me and you will obey. It’s not safe for you to be walking up and down the strip right now. There are too many unknowns for your security to keep you safe that way. So, I’ll say it again, get your ass in the car.”

“And what happens if I don’t?”

So, she wanted to test him. He could handle that.

“You don’t want to find out. What’s gotten into you, Rylee?”

“I don’t like the things the tabloids say about you. Did you know you’re fucking three women?”

He closed his eyes. Of course, she’d seen the same stories he had.

“Ace,” he said slowly. “You know none of that is true, right? You’re the only woman I’m fucking. You’re also the only woman I’ll put over my knee so please get in a car with your security team. And I’m not going to tell you to stop drinking, but I will remind you that you have a tournament in the morning, and I know how hard it hits you when you lose.”

“Oh, that was a low blow, Foster,” she said quietly.

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