Page 56 of Take Hold of Me

“I’ll be right behind you, Angel. We’ll get through security and into the VIP lounge in no time.”

Angel.“It is all good so long as I am with you.” I lean over and kiss his lips, taking his strength into my body. Soon, the limo stops, Wills puts on his sunglasses and slips out and holds the door open for me.Showtime.

I place my hand into his offered one, and suck in my breath at the energy transfer. His hand closes around mine as I step onto the pavement. When I stand, he releases me, whispering, “I have our luggage and I’ll be right behind you.”

I nod, don my professional smile and begin walking toward the front door. Various passengers walk in front of me, but no reporters. Yet.

“Emilie Dubois!”

And there they are. I keep my head focused ahead, on the airport doors. Let them get their photos.

“Do you have any comment about Llitzy House dumping you?”What? I must have misunderstood the question. Left, right, left, right.

“Are you jealous that Geonna is with Rinaldo?”What are they talking about? Left, right, left, right.

“Give us a smile, Emilie!”

Maybe if I stop, they will take their pictures and leave me alone. With Wills. I stop. Smiling as if I were on the catwalk, I am blinded by flashbulbs.

“Do you have any comment about this?”A photographer holds up a magazine, but spots dance in front of my eyes. Blinking, my vision clears.

My hand flies to my mouth. “Qui est-ce?”

The front page shows a photo of Rinaldo embracing Geonna. The headline screams,Geonna Broz named new face of Llitzy House.Below that, the subhead twists the knife.Emilie Dubois loses both her man and her contract to Geonna.In the upper left-hand corner, a photo is circled in red. It shows Rinaldo and me sunbathing together on the deck of his friend’s yacht off Ibiza at least two years ago.

What is going on? I do not understand. No matter what, I cannot let them see my confusion, so I maintain my smile and my silence. The paparazzi grow in numbers and surround me. Smile. Breathe. I cannot walk without going around—or through—someone.

As if sensing my distress, Wills appears at my side. In a tone I have never heard from him before, he barks, “Let her pass.”

More flashbulbs go off in my face. I remain smiling. Motionless. Someone thrusts the tabloid at me, which I tuck under my arm. Next to me, Wills uses his duffel bag to keep them from pressing in on me.

“Come on, Ems.”

He barrels forward. I walk side-by-side with him in the space he creates, my body language never changing. Not providing them with any ammunition that the cover means anything to me. Because with Wills in my life, it does not.

Once we enter the airport, paparazzi in tow, Wills calls over a representative. She escorts us over to a counter on the far end of the hallway. Soon, we are through ticketing, security and sitting in the VIP Lounge, away from prying eyes.

“Wait here. I’ll get us drinks. Lord knows, we need them.”

While Wills gets our beverages, I look at the tabloid the photographer gave me. Rinaldo holds Geonna, his lips on her neck. Her casual outfit of skinny jeans and crop top mirrors mine, although she is wearing Jimmy Choo sandals rather than Louboutin stilettos. Her bag is Llitzy House.

The photo of Rinaldo and me is years old. Right after it was taken, our schedules sent us off in different directions for months. Whenever we got to see each other afterwards, we were sent out to do publicity. He loved the cameras and all the attention. When I tried to get him to go different places, like a museum or hiking, he balked. Not because he did not like the venue, but rather he knew the paparazzi would not be there. Even on the yacht, we knew the photographers were watching. He lives for them, unlike me.

I trace his profile. He is handsome,oui. That is what first drew my attention to him. But Wills is gorgeous, and so much more. Until Wills, I did not know what I was missing.

He returns and hands me a vodka tonic and takes a big gulp out of his martini. With one more swallow, he slams it back and places the empty glass on the floor. His hand rakes though his hair, which has grown out quite a bit.

“That was a shitshow.”

“They were doing their jobs. It was much more intense this time, though. Because of this.” I hold up the tabloid.

He rips it out of my hands and stares at it, his cheek moving from the inside. He crumples it up and throws it on the seat next to him, his hands balled into fists. I place my hand on his thigh.

My phone pings with an incoming text and I fish my cell phone out of my Kate Spade bag. “Lloyd Price” is the sender. I take a deep breath.

Llitzy House decided not to renew your contract. They’ve signed Geonna. When you land, come right in to the office and we’ll discuss next moves.

I lob my phone back into my purse. “The tabloid is right. I lost another contract to Geonna.”

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