Page 105 of Their Courtesan
Chapter 25
MIGUEL
“How the fuck did I get papped in Monaco!” Miguel roared to his publicist on the phone. He didn’t often call his Swiss publicist, but when he did, he often roared. “That’s the one place on Earth besides the inner sanctum of the Vatican where I can’t get papped!”
“Mr. Bolivar, I assure you that this is being handled…”
The little rat bastard with his Swiss-German accent could go fuck himself. Seriously fuck himself.
“They didn’t get me on the public streets! They got pictures of me in myhome!” They were some of the most flattering sex pics in the universe, but Miguel had not expected to get home after an afternoon at the marina to see a dozen pictures of his pixelated dick slamming in and out of Judith’s equally pixelated pussy. Not only were paparazzi a taboo occurrence in his homeland, but… oh, fucking technology! That was the answer, wasn’t it?
The publicist confirmed. “The street pics are one matter, but unfortunately I’m not surprised about your home photos. Your room overlooks the marina, sir. All it takes is one well-equipped paparazzi out on a boat scouting for some hot action with a high-resolution telescope. We’ve been having a rash of these problems all over the Mediterranean. Not just Monaco. France, Spain… Italy and Greece too. You’re in good company right now, Mr. Bolivar. Be grateful that you don’t have an image shattered like some of my clients right now.”
“The world may not care that a man like me is getting some action, butIcare about privacy, and not my own!”
“As far as we can tell, no one has discovered the identity of your date. She’s either turned away or too covered up in most of the pics.”
“Damn hell she is!”
“However, there is something you should know…”
Miguel had been so caught up in the pictures that would probably turn up on porn sites – not that Judith was a stranger to that, apparently – that he never saw her appearance in another single set of much, much tamer photos taken a few days before she got on a plane with Miguel.
When Miguel met Seth Christens earlier that day, he did not think much of him. That wasn’t to say he thought negative things. On the contrary, he seemed like a level-headed guy capable of intelligent conversations and cracking a good joke. That didn’t mean he was king of women’s hearts or anything. He seemed the type to have a sensible girlfriend or wife waiting for him at home. Pretty, but not gorgeous, except for in his own mind. More of a good mother or business partner before an ideal lover. Hey, Miguel didn’t have anything against such types… but this was a whole ‘nother matter!
“I’m going to kill him,” Miguel muttered, before realizing what a stupid thing that was to even think. What right did he have to go after Seth? He was playing by the same set of rules that Miguel had to adhere to. Being the other man in his battle for Judith? Preposterous! How much money did that guy have to keep bidding up, up,up?He was an artist. A retired doctor, but an art…
The painting in Judith’s room.
The one she said was a gift from her other potential patron.
That washim?
Miguel tossed his tablet onto a leather couch and yanked his phone out of his pocket. “Aimee!” The girl chirped on the other end of the line. Startled? Probably. She needed to get her ass in gear unlike ever before. “Whatever you’re doing right now, drop it. I need you to do a background check for me.”
She stuttered in French before remembered to switch to English. “Yes, sir? Anything you need…”
“Ineedyou to dig into a man named Dr. Seth Christens. Find outeverythingabout him. I want to know his grandmother’s maiden name and what he eats for breakfast. Don’t leave anything out of your report. I want it by midnight tonight. Do you understand me?”
“I will do my best,Monsieur!”
Miguel turned off his phone. He didn’t know why he was so angry, so jealous. Sure, he loved Judith… and he didn’t need her to be anything more than his beautiful girlfriend whom he saw when most convenient… he knew she had a living to make otherwise… but… but…
He went to his large living room window overlooking the river. Was there a fucking pap out there right now, canvasing his property in the hopes of spotting him withMystery Womanagain? Miguel would givehimsomething to take a picture of.
His middle finger slammed against the window. Maturity went out that window when the woman he loved was involved.
***
Miguel did not get his report that night. He got it the next afternoon, instead, when he was pacing in an office full of stuffy investors wanting to talk about casinos, not what he did with his cock in his spare time. Good thing those types of men often had sexual skeletons in their closets too. It wasn’t like Miguel was exactly known for a good-boy image in his personal life…
Regardless, he couldn’t take a look at Aimee’s report until later that evening, when he was alone in his apartment with a bottle of Jack. He didn’t need dinner. He needed a new liver.
This guy? Seriously?Seth Christens had great medical pedigree and a former practice that was nothing to make fun of, but he was far from perfect patron material. For one thing, there were lots of reports that he was conservative with his money. The man hadn’t even bought a house big enough to stuff with all his paintings! Even in Monaco, Miguel could find a penthouse good enough for showcasing half the world’s greatest art. What was this guy doing still living in some rundown townhouse barely good enough for a new millionaire who had a taste for the old and rickety?
Did Judith think this guy was hot? He was… not bad looking. Fit and clean-shaven. Classic American money. Yet the only way he would stand out in a room was if he stood up straight and lost the perpetual frown. Miguel knew all about making an impression to a group, and that meant oozing charisma. This guy, based on his profile and the one hour they hung out, did not have much charisma, if any!
“He must be really good in bed,” Miguel mumbled into his glass. “Not that I believe that.”
