Page 20 of Undeniable Temptation

“The public has never seen you lusting over a woman.” A heavy swallow was her only reaction. “You always kept it private with Julie. This will be the first opportunity to give them a taste.”

“Give them more ammunition to troll me online, you mean?”

She finally met his gaze. “No. Not ammunition. Validation. Your fans are shocked. I’m sure they’ll have a change of heart once you convince them you’re happy.”

Happy? Was she kidding? He was a mess, barely able to break a smile, let alone persuade anyone he was enjoying himself. “Leah, this—”

“I’m going to make sure the driver is ready.” She began backtracking, her pantsuit tailored to cling to every curve of her body. “Club security expected you ten minutes ago.”

His world darkened, the final glimmer of light being snuffed. She kept fleeing from him. Over and over. The default setting morphing from annoying to unignorable. “Wait.”

She paused, a questioning brow rising.

He begged her with his eyes, begged for her friendship and forgiveness, begged for one glimmer of what they once had, or what could still be. “I think I need to ditch the club.”

His sense of failure intensified. He couldn’t handle a crowd right now. Not the people or the loud music. What he wanted was to tell her how this situation was tearing him apart. To explain to his best friend how much he loathed being this man—the one the world was growing to hate. And he needed, more than anything, for her to listen and say, “I know,” because she did. Shedidknow. She knew everything about him, and seeing her act like this situation was just another day and just another task was brutal.

“What?” Felicity dropped his hand and moved in front of him. “You don’t want to go out?”

He kept his focus on Leah as she approached. “I don’t think I can fake it in front of the cameras tonight.”

“But you’ve been doing a great job.” Leah slayed him with her curiosity. “I thought you were starting to enjoy this.”

Enjoy? She was definitely kidding. “I’m tired. I’m in a hell of a mood. And I don’t have the energy to play happy families.”

“Then don’t.” She hiked a thumb over her shoulder toward open glass doors. “Go to the bar and keep it real. Talk. Drink. Be yourself.”

“What about the photo op?” Felicity asked.

“I’ll speak to the limo driver and tell him his services are no longer needed. I’m sure the crowd will ask what’s going on while I’m out there. I can let them know you’ve decided to have a quiet night at the bar instead.” Leah gave a halfhearted smile. “They’ll follow. They always do. And the bar windows aren’t tinted, so if you pick a seat that isn’t entirely secluded you’ll get the publicity.”

Felicity turned to him, her gaze earnest. “Ryan?”

He could see the worry in her eyes. The concern for her career. She couldn’t lose momentum now Slicker was finally gaining attention. They both needed to keep this story moving.

“I can handle something quiet.”

Leah nodded and headed for the entrance without another word. He watched her leave, watched every single step until she was outside working her magic on the shouting crowd.

“Come on.” Felicity grabbed his hand. “This’ll be painless after you’ve got a few drinks under your belt.”

It had taken two, but that was merely to dull the edge of his self-loathing as photographers snapped pictures of them through the windows of the bar. Another two drinks in quick succession had him in a state of painless lethargy.

“I can’t handle this.”

“Huh?” He glanced up from his Scotch and didn’t like her defeated expression. “What can’t you handle?”

“This.” She waved a hand between them. “The knife’s edge. The anticipation. I think we need to expedite the journey a little.”

“Expedite?” He took a sip of his drink. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“We’re on a tight schedule. We don’t have long to build this career-saving hype that’s supposed to make Slicker a worldwide sensation.”

He narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing her. “From someone who couldn’t withhold a flinch whenever I stepped within two feet, you’ve sure changed your tune.”

“I’ve been trying to focus on what matters. Before, I thought I was hurting people unnecessarily. I’ve since realized the publicity is working, so they’ll have to deal with it. We’re finally gaining traction on our music.”

Again, it didn’t sound like her. Not when she’d been messaging him last night about her anxiety. “Who have you been talking to?”

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