Page 12 of One Time in Paris
Shite.Having someone like Lola be in possession of this information was so explosively dangerous. Callum would kill him. He’d never explicitly banned Aiden or his brothers from pursuing Isla, but he hadn’t needed to. Some rules didn’t need to be spoken—a rule he’d never intended to break. Especially since he and Callum had grown so much closer in the past several years after Quinn had moved to Nashville.
He and Callum saw each other nearly every day because they lived a few blocks away from each other and went to the same gym. They ran together five days a week. Got together for drinks and dinner.
Fuck.
“Ah, Lola, it’s not what you think.” He was acutely aware of his lack of a shirt right now, and the searing look from Lola told him she was too.
“Oh, really? I’m not an idiot, Aiden. Please don’t sink to that level.”
“I’m serious.” He fought for absolute deadly composure. “We had some business to discuss this morning, but she was out late. I think she has food poisoning.”
“Business?” Lola gave a sharp laugh, cutting and cold. “Oh my God, you really do think I’m stupid, don’t you? I know what the walk of shame looks like. Look, I get it. You’re in deep shit. She’s Callum’s little sister. I saw the way he doted on her at Christmas when she was in London. I wonder what he’ll say when he learns?—”
“You’re jumping to conclusions,” Aiden said cooly, though his gut churned with something disturbingly protective. He hated that Lola’s family ran in the same circles as his did. It meant that she not only knew exactly who Isla was, but that Lola also had access to Callum.
“Like I said, she was here for a business-related thing,” he added.
“Dressed in last night’s clothes? While you’re shirtless? Right.” She set her hands on her hips. “Are you going to invite me in at least or do I have to stand here at the door covered in your girlfriend’s vomit?”
Aiden ground his teeth. He hadn’t even surveyed the room yet. What if there were. ..signs? Condoms? Clothing.Christ.
The idea that they might’ve done something he couldn’t remember—something Isla might regret—made him feel physically ill.
“She’s working on a project and needed my input,” Aiden said, feeling downright pathetic. Hopefully, he didn’t sound it. As long as he stuck to the story, she couldn’t know what she didn’t know.
Lola poked him in the ribs as she pushed past him, dragging her suitcase. “Yes, and I know the sort ofinputyou love to give.” She smirked grimly, hurt flashing in her features as she turned to look at him.
She couldn’t stay here long. He had to get rid of her.Carefully.
He couldn’t afford to piss her off further, though, because he needed Ipolymer. And he sure as hell didn’t trust her not to do something unhinged, like call Callum out of spite. She might not have Callum’s number, but he wouldn’t put it past her to get it.
“What are you doing here?” he asked at last, crossing his arms. He had the odd sensation of wanting to find a shirt, but if he was going to pretend that he’d been fine hanging out here with Isla half-dressed under so-called “normal” circumstances, then he needed to play it cool. “How did you know where I was staying?”
Lola surveyed the room, her gaze sharp. Penetrating. As though laying his secrets bare.
“I asked around,” she said with a disaffected shrug. “I’m going back to New York this morning. My father’s given me oversight of the acquisition—the one you’ve been fumbling. I would have told you yesterday, but you refused to talk?—”
“What?” Aiden restrained the flare of ugly anger that shot through him.
But seriously. What. The. Fuck.
Lola held his gaze. “I can do more than hang off your arm like candy, you know. I went to Harvard Business.”
“I don’t know what you or your father are playing at, Lo, but this is absurd. Given our background and the trouble we’ve had with this acquisition?—”
“We’re notplayingat anything.” Lola pursed her lips. “Letting you know is a courtesy. I don’t have to talk to you directly, you know. Neither does my father. That was a courtesy, too. You seem to forget who we are and what we do in Salas Group, and it’s high time you had a reminder. We won’t be having any further meetings about the acquisition in Vegas. I’ll set something up for the next round of talks once I’m back in New York. Probably next month.”
Bollocks.
Another month of waiting toattemptto close this deal?The board at Camden will be furious.
Visceral pain shot through him, his stomach cramping harder. He flinched, trying not to let it show.
“Why, Lola?”
Lola gave him a hard stare. “This is just business. And, honestly, I’m glad I came this morning. This was enlightening. Told me everything I needed to know.”
He wanted so badly to just toss her out.
