Page 11 of Reputation (Tempt)

He huffed. “You don’t have to stop posting. Can you please just…tone it down some? Less…” He cleared his throat. “Sexualized.”

My eyebrows rose so high I could only assume they’d disappeared into my forehead. Was he serious? The man who had shirtless photos in his boxers on his own feed was telling me to post less sexualized content?What a hypocrite!

“No,” I said, standing my ground. He could take it or leave it, but this was nonnegotiable. “I shouldn’t have to explain to you that my social media is tied to my career. My livelihood.”

“You’re right,” he sighed, and I was shocked he’d caved so quickly. “I’ll talk to my team. What else?”

I blinked a few times. He really must be desperate.

“I’ll need time to train while we’re in Abu Dhabi. I have a competition in late February, and I need to be prepared.”

“We’ll make it work. I’ll have some free time. And if it’s too much, we can arrange for an additional nanny from Hartwell.”

I nodded. I had faith he’d make that happen. Nate was a man of his word.

“No more emails, unless it’s about Brooklyn’s schedule. If you have something you want to discuss, you talk to me. Face-to-face.”

He dragged a hand down his face. “Yeah. I know that was a little ridiculous, but I didn’t have the best experience with the two nannies I tried before you.”

Wait. What? I couldn’t believe he’d actually admitted that. What the hell was going on?

Instead of questioning it, I decided to question him. “Were they irresponsible or something?”

“That would’ve almost been preferable.”

I waited for him to elaborate, surprised when he finally said, “One was so starstruck, she couldn’t seem to speak in my presence. Definitely not something you struggle with.”

I barked out a laugh, still trying to grapple with the fact that I’d come here pissed. And now Nate was revealing things about himself. Putting me at ease. “No.” In fact, I seemed to have the opposite problem. I said too much. I was too honest. It got me into trouble most of the time.

“And the second tried to seduce me and sell my underwear on the internet.”

I started laughing, but when Nate didn’t join in, my eyes went wide. “You’re serious?”

“Oh yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw.

“That’s horrible.”

He lifted a shoulder, as if that type of thing was a regular occurrence. “Welcome to my life.”

I seethed, a fire burning inside me. “No one deserves that.”

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, evaluating me. “Most people think it comes with the territory. If you’re famous, you’re fair game. They feel entitled to a piece of you.”

“Well, I think that’s bullshit,” I said, feeling as if I understood him better now. As if I…sympathized with him. “And I would never violate your trust like that, even if I hadn’t signed an NDA. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Thanks.” He blew out a breath. “So, will you stay?” There was hesitancy in his tone, vulnerability too.

I considered it a moment before answering. “Only if you’ll agree to my terms. You’ll stop with the emails and the micromanaging,” I said, leaving no room for confusion. “You’ll treat me with respect. You won’t pretend I don’t exist.” He opened his mouth, presumably to protest, and I held up a finger to silence him. “If you can do all that, then yes. I’ll stay.”

I adored Brooklyn. And the fact that Nate had heard my concerns and acknowledged them made me more hopeful than I’d been in a long time.

So when he said, “I will try,” with a solemn expression, I was willing to give him a chance.

“And Abu Dhabi?” he asked. “I need time to prepare for the role, and there will be studio parties and other events I need to attend before then. So you’d have to miss Christmas with your family.”

I waved a hand through the air. “It’s fine.”

Better than fine, actually. It would give me a break from my dad and all the tension simmering between us. I couldn’t imagine spending a week with him scrutinizing my every move—if I was getting enough calories, theright calories.Debating if I was building muscle fast enough. Resting adequately. It was all too much.

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