Page 94 of Plus Size Player

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Remedy?” he answered, causing me to glance at him out of the corner of my eye. “Yeah, I’ll check the email. I’m well aware. I’ll call you back.”

The call took thirty seconds, but afterward, he remained focused on his phone as he started typing and clicking. When his jaw tensed, I broke the silence.

“Everything okay?”

He cleared his throat before turning to me. “Remedy directed me to an email Lori sent on Sunday. It was an update about the brand ambassadors. When I’m off, I’m off so I”—his eyes dippedto my lips momentarily as he licked his—“enjoyed my weekend. I intended to read it this morning. But I went to go get my blood work done before heading to the office and didn’t get around to it.”

“What does the email say?”

“That they’re bringing on a fifth brand ambassador. Nina Ford. Plus size model with five hundred thousand accounts following, two million followers across all platforms, and high engagement.” He looked over at me. “I’m guessing this is a different account than the one I’m following.”

I nodded. “You have my personal account. It’s not linked to my business account.”

“Of course,” he muttered. He shook his head before tossing his phone to the couch cushion between us. “Shit.”

I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t say anything.

He exhaled roughly. “You know how this looks, right?”

“How does it look?”

“It looks like I fuck my employees. It looks like an HR embarrassment and a PR nightmare. It looks like everything I’ve worked my ass off for going down in flames and me getting roasted on social media as one of those predator bosses. It doesn’t matter what the truth is, what it looks like will cost me. The collateral damage—”

I waved my hands to stop his rant. “Russ.”

It hadn’t dawned on me that his energy when he walked in was rooted in fear. The heightened emotions in his words and the look on his face when our eyes met made the connection for me. He had always seemed so fearless, and he lived in the moment. I’d never seen him spiral.

It was fascinating.

And humanizing.

And real.

“What it looks like will cost usboth,” I uttered. “You’re not in this alone. Webothhave to figure this out.”

He shook his head. “You won’t lose everything.”

“I’d lose money. I’d lose my integrity. I’d lose my reputation.” I counted each loss with my fingers. “It’s not just you who has something to lose.”

“I’m not going to let that happen to you. I’ll make sure of that.”

A slow smile pulled at the corners of my mouth.

Even with the cracks in his perfection, he still managed to be perfect.

Ignoring the flutter in my belly, I nodded slightly. “Okay.”

Looking at me with fierce intensity, he turned his body slightly to face me. “But I need you to understand I spent the last fifteen years building my business. The next few weeks are the most important for my company. There’s too much money and too many people tied to these next few moves.” He rose to his feet. “So, it doesn’t matter what the truth is, as soon as the public finds out I’m involved with an employee, it won’t be long before they say it was sexual harassment—or worse. There’s no coming back from that. I’d lose everything.”

Staring up at him, I stood.

His expression conveyed the same apprehension and worry that coated his words. And I wished there was something I could say to ease the creases from his forehead, the frown from his lips, and the tension in his jaw. But I couldn’t deny that he’d lose more than me. I couldn’t argue that the impropriety could possibly destroy him, his company, and all the opportunities.

My fingers tingled as I itched to reach out for him. But he was staring straight ahead at the artwork on the wall, avoiding eye contact.

He cleared his throat. “We can’t do this anymore.”

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