Page 18 of The Billionaire Player

“Did you figure out a friend that you could use? It would be best if it’s someone you know so it doesn’t look too obvious,” Mac said.

“I could see if Morgan knows anyone,” Walker offered.

“Bailey might. I know there were a few of her friends who would have gladly dated you when we were younger but Bailey wouldn’t let them,” Mac said.

“I don’t see her doing it now. Thanks, both of you, but I actually have a woman in mind. I wanted to see if you two would be okay with it,” I said.

“Why do you need our approval to date a woman?” Walker asked.

“Technically, I wouldn’t be dating her. Well, I would make it look like we were but we wouldn’t be together, at least not in the true sense. I don’t have time for that, nor do I have time for Lizbeth and her crap. I need someone to be my arm candy, at least for the foreseeable future. One that wouldn’t be upset that I can’t spend the time she wants or think that it’s going to be anything more than it is,” I said.

“Who is this woman and what is she getting in return? I can’t imagine the simple fact of being your pseudo-girlfriend would be enough,” Mac stated.

“It won’t be. That’s where I need you two to be okay with this. She’s a reporter. Dad asked to let her do an article on me for Uncle Charlie’s newspaper. I told him he could do it but I wouldn’t help. The woman, Alexandria, still came around asking to interview me-.”

“And she’s still in the country?” Walker asked.

He knew how much I hated reporters and my lack of trust in them. He felt the same way. Mac had to deal with them with his position as the head of the public relations department of Bennett Liquor. He used them for what he needed and only tolerated them a little bit more than I did.

“Are you ready to tell your story?” Mac asked understanding what I was getting at.

“I think it is time we tellourstory, the whole family. What happened with Bailey, why I moved to Italy with her, why we came back. What happened after, everything,” I said.

“Have you talked to Bailey about this?” Mac asked.

“She actually came to me a few months back saying she wanted to, but I told her I wasn’t ready. I think she would still be on board. I can’t explain it, but there’s something about Alexandria Ricci that I trust. I think she wants to get to the bottom of the story, whatever that is. She could have lied to me, tried to get a job at my restaurant, or done any number of dirty things to get me to talk, but she didn’t. I’m not saying I trust her completely but I don’t think she’ll fuck us over like the Agatha Monty did.”

“What do you know about this Alexandria Ricci woman?” Mac asked.

“She’s a reporter at Paps and has been working there for a few years. Her articles are solid, mainly fluff pieces, but she has potential. Her family owned a restaurant when she was a kid and she knows what it takes to run a restaurant and the hard work involved. I think she would be a good fit.”

“You think she’ll agree to be your arm candy to keep Lizbeth away?” Walker asked.

“I think she would agree to do it if it meant she would have access to me and to my family to do the article she wants.”

“A little quid pro quo, I see,” Mac said with a nod and leaned back in his chair.

“Would we have authority over what is said in the article?” Walker asked.

“I don’t know, I can try to see if she will agree to that.”

“No reporter is going to. We can get legal involved and make sure she signs something that if she says anything that is untrue, we can and will sue her and her newspaper,” Mac said.

“We would do that regardless,” Walker said.

“If we put it in writing it takes a few steps out of the way. If we do it after, it’s harder to prove and even if we do, the retraction is next to nothing. Doing it that way will put her reputation in tatters and the newspaper at risk,” Mac said.

“It would keep her in line, so to speak,” Walker said.

“I think that would make all of us feel better, me included. Do it,” I said.

“Are you going to talk to this Alexandria Ricci first? Make sure she’ll agree to it?” Mac asked.

“Oh, she’ll agree to it. I have no doubt,” I said and smiled to myself.

Chapter 8

Alexandria

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