Page 94 of House of Deceit

“That was in front of at least three different cameras!” she says, slamming her hand down on her desk. Flames of anger flicker in her eyes as she stares me down, daring me to speak again. “If you wanted to keep it private, you never should have done it.” She turns back to Larry. “Do I need to fire Alec?”

Until this moment, I was more worried about what our actions would mean for Charlie, but now I go cold as if plunged into the ice-covered waters of the Arctic. Sheila says it with no emotion, yet I feel every emotion in the matter of seconds before my brain shuts down. Larry’s response sounds far away.

“We reviewed the employment contract Alec, and all the wranglers, signed at the beginning of production. While you can fire any of them for no reason at all, there is not an explicit rule stating they are not allowed to have a relationship with a contestant.”

I begin counting, something I started doing in moments of stress when I was a teenager at the suggestion of the therapist from freshman year of college.

One.

Two.

Three.

“There is a clause,” he starts. Four. Five. Six. “About professional conduct and we believe any judge would agree sexual misconduct, even consensual, would not be considered professional. It’s our opinion that legally, you can fire Mr. King and he would not be able to sue for wrongful termination.”

Sheila raises her hand as Larry goes to continue, but he quickly snaps his mouth shut.

“I’ve already heard all of that. I knew I could fire you before I called you in here. Do you know why I wanted you to hear that?”

“No,” I say, sticking with her original direction of sticking to yes or no answers.

“I wanted you to hear that so you will accept the deal I’m about to offer you.”

“Price, to the interview room,” I say over the in-house speakers.

I pace the room as I wait for her to join me. My fingers run through my hair multiple times, messing it up. Footsteps echo outside the room right before the door bursts open. Charlie smiles and launches herself in my arms. I hold her up for longer than necessary, relishing the feel of her against me.

My hands tangle in her hair as I press my lips to hers, drinking down her taste like a man in the desert getting a drink of water for the first time. Her hands fall to my hips as she pulls me flush against her. She runs her hands up my chest, warmth trailing behind her path, reaching up to unbutton my shirt.

Reluctantly, I pull away from her and stop her hands from their task.

“Charlie, wait.”

I grab her wrists and push her off me. Inside, my heart cracks open as I see the hesitation in her eyes.

“We need to talk,” I tell her.

“I assumed since you called me in here, but we can talk in a minute,” she says standing on her tiptoes, closing her eyes to kiss me again. I pull back until she opens them and looks at me.

“No, we need to talk first.”

“Is everything okay?” I can see her nerves in her movements as she goes to sit in her normal chair.

I slide into the wrangler personality I have worn every other season with every other contestant I’ve been in charge of.

“It’s time to end this. It’s not you, it’s me.” I hear the void of emotion in my voice. “It wouldn’t be beneficial if our relationship got out. There’s more at stake here. People will think we cheated, and I don’t need my reputation tarnished. Plus, brands wouldn’t want to work with someone embroiled in scandal.” Part of me prays she can read me well enough to know every piece of me is fighting to be with her even as I purposely break her heart.

She scoffs. “You did not, seriously, just say that to me. Don’t act like this is to protect me. You’ve been using me this entire time. You just wanted your shot at directing.”

“I was offered an incredible opportunity and I don’t need you anymore,” I continue.

I cross my arms over my chest, creating space between us, silently begging her to fight me. To call me on my bullshit and see I’m trying to protect her. That everything I’m doing is for her. But her face falls and I know that’s not the case.

My confrontation with Cain comes back to my mind, and I realize it now.

He was right.

Alec was hiding this from me, and I never bothered to ask him if it was true when Cain told me about it.

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