Page 18 of Blurred Lines

LAUREN

I hated this printer.

And I didn’t much like Theo either.

He’d left the stupid machine jammed up with paper, and now I couldn’t print the meal plan Kelli had emailed me. I’d tried unplugging it and plugging it back in again, to no avail. Hell, I was too tired for this. After last night’s shift at Nyx, Hakeem had checked the house, and the moment he’d left, I’d fallen into bed. But I couldn’t sleep. For once, Mario hadn’t been front and centre in my thoughts, which would have been a blessed relief if Cristian hadn’t taken that position.

Sexy, grouchy Cristian. You’ll have to go through me first, motherfucker.

It was him I’d imagined whispering filthy suggestions. Him I’d pictured in my mind as I slid my hand into my panties. Him whose name I’d gasped as I came.

The guilt had quickly followed.

“Work, you dumb thing!” I smacked the printer with the heel of my hand, and it coughed into life.

What was wrong with me? Why was I so unsettled? For years, dating had been easy because every man I went out with was a prick. After endless disastrous hook-ups, my expectations had been low, and when you hit rock bottom, the only way left was up. But now I had two men in my life, one sensible and decent, and the other a self-admitted asshole who twisted me up inside.

Dammit, this wasn’t my meal plan; it was Theo’s investment presentation. I was about to toss it into the recycling box because it was a bit late now, but then I caught sight of my name. Why was I in his plan? And Violet? As I scanned the page, I felt cold. A little numb. Definitely sick.

The executive summary set out Theo’s marketing plan, and Vi and I were bullet point number three. Promotion by Violet Miller (Hollywood actress) and Lauren Rossi (best-selling author). What the…? We hadn’t spoken about this. I’d never agreed to promote an app, and I didn’t even know what it did. I scanned the rest of the pages. Some sort of second-hand clothing sales? Like eBay, but for designer dresses? For every item sold, Theo would earn a commission, and he was forecasting six-figure revenues within three years.

Six figures, with help from his key influencers.

Why would he do this? Although I hadn’t yet introduced him to Violet, I had told him how I felt about people trying to take advantage of my friends. And me? I wasn’t famous. I’d spent a few weeks on the bestseller lists after one of Vi’s TikTok videos went viral and Kane shared it on Twitter, that was all.

Maybe it was just some bullshit for the presentation? Or a mock-up? Could there be an innocent explanation? I desperately wanted there to be. Needed there to be, because if there wasn’t, it meant I’d been used by yet another man. I’d have to confront him, find out exactly why he thought it was okay to name-drop my best friend, but I was just drained. The events of the past week had left me exhausted.

All I wanted was wine and sleep, but I wasn’t going to get either because my phone rang. Theo. With his as-promised morning call, the call that I’d looked forward to every day. This morning, I’d have preferred to listen to Mario breathing hard.

“How was work last night? I’m not calling too early, am I?” he asked.

“I was already awake, fighting with the printer.”

“Just hit it with the heel of your hand—it works then.”

“Thanks, I already found that out. And I also read your investor presentation. Why am I in it?”

There was a long pause. If he’d been Cristian, he probably would have shrugged.

“It’s only an idea for the future. I figured you wouldn’t mind making a couple of posts on social media after the launch. If I make money, it benefits both of us, right?”

The chills turned to ice.

“And Violet?”

“The two of you are close—surely she’d want you to be happy?”

“Your marketing plan makes it sound as if her participation is a done deal, and you’ve never even met her.”

“But she’s your best friend.”

A best friend whose surname I’d never mentioned to him, so he must have researched both of us.

“I’m not pressuring her to promote an app.”

“Do you want to see me fail?”

“Well, no, but—”

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