Page 28 of Scorned Queen

“But you want to add more pressure on top of that?”

“It’s a part of loving you, Alana.And it’s a small price to pay.Keep us a mystery that drives your ratings but doesn’t destroy our privacy.”

“That’s exactly what I’d thought, too, but my producer threatened to make me join a dating site if I don’t give her more than hints about you.Or that’s the general gist of it.”

“Your producer is doing her job and acting like a ratings whore.Tell her no and mean it.”

“She said my contract requires I give them pieces of my personal life.She wants to start with my parents.I don’t think that’s a good thing for me or us, Damion.”

“If it gets your father too busy to gamble, it could be a good thing.”

“What if they find out about the gambling?”

His lips press firmly together.“It’ll only drive your ratings.”

“Do you know how much I do not like that answer?”

“You didn’t create this.He did.But stand your ground, Alana.Only give them what you want, how you want it represented.If you walk, the show ends, and so does her job.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way.I’ll be stronger, but it won’t work if you act like you did today.”

“He’s a hound dog I know a little too well.He needed to know you’remine.”I’m stunned by this proclamation, but even more so by the one that follows.“I do, too.And enough about that asshole, Dierk.I told you we need to talk, baby, and we do, now, before you go back to work.”

That is, of course, when April decides to return with our drinks.

Chapter twenty-five

IknowDamiontoldme he wants to talk, but something about the way he announces it now, right before an interruption, is just plain killing me.My heart tangos right along with my emotions.This fancy lunch, Adam, and Damion’s possessive behavior collaborate on a collective warning.

April sets the drinks in front of us and laces her fingers together over her apron.“Do we know what we want to eat?”

I sit back, forcing myself to breathe.Damion does not, his attention fixed on me as he says, “They have that strawberry salad you love, with pecan-crusted chicken.Everyone talks about it.That’s why I brought you here.”His voice is measured, his jaw tense, but there’s a sense of urgency about him, as if he’s eager to hurry her along.

“Perfect,” I say agreeably, glancing at April.“I’ll take that.”

Still driving us forward, Damion adds, “The lemon chicken for me, sides as indicated on the menu.No salad.”He hands her the menus, sending a clear message that we’re done, and ready to be alone.

April proves she’s skilled at reading a room and takes a rapid hint.“I’ll get that going.”She sets a small device on the table.“Buzz me if you need me.”She flicks a look in Damion’s direction.“Should I put the food in now or wait a few minutes?”

He glances at his watch and then back at her.“Wait ten minutes.”

“Of course,” she says, and pretty much darts for the exit.

I twist around to observe her departure, and the instant the door shuts with her on the other side, I rotate to Damion, urgency blasting through me like a shot of icy air.“Talk about what?”

“My father showed up at my attorney’s office this morning.The same attorney that handled the contracts I made every board member voting with me sign.”

On the surface, this is almost expected.It’s his father, after all, but Damion’s energy screams at me, warning there’s more coming.“What else?”

He draws in a heavy breath and exhales before throwing his dart.“Your mother was with him.”

It’s a biting revelation, as my mother has promised me over and over she was done with Damion’s father, but it’s not as horrid as I’d expected.I know they’re sleeping together.I know my parents are not happy together.My belief in fairy tale marriages and happy families ended years ago; sailed away on a ship filled with dreams and got lost one foggy Hudson Bay night years before.

And yet, I sit across from Damion, about to move in with him, with hope in my heart that we can be different.Perhaps I’m still a naïve little girl, but I’m not sure I want to become the alternative—a bitter, empty person.

“Alana?”

At Damion’s prod, I blink him back into focus.“This isn’t new.We know they’re behaving badly.I just don’t understand why she was with him there at your attorney’s office.”

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