A smile touched my lips, easing my frustration over Asher.
I’m working
XAVIER
That wasn’t the question, Luna
…
No sugar today. I’ve had too much already
I blamed the doughnuts Jillian had brought for breakfast.
I didn’t get an immediate answer from him, so I turned to my group chat with the girls.
ISABELLA
Operation PW is in full swing ;)
ISABELLA
I MAY have gone to PW’s favorite cafe to write today, and I MAY have overheard him discussing an upcoming blog post
My heart skipped a beat.
Is it…
ISABELLA
Mmhmm. He didn’t name names, but I’m almost positive it’s what we planted
VIVIAN
Do you think he’ll actually run it?
VIVIAN
She’s one of the few celebs he’s been too afraid to go after
ALESSANDRA
I’m not sure “celeb” is the right term
VIVIAN
You know what I mean
ISABELLA
He might need an extra push Sloane: I’ll take care of it
My office phone rang, interrupting me from the chat. “Sloane, your next appointment is here,” Jillian said.
“Bring her in, please.”
Two minutes later, Ayana entered my office, a striking vision draped in marigold silk and shoulder-grazing earrings.
“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.” She folded herself gracefully into the chair opposite mine. Her skin glowed beneath the lights, and she had cheekbones that could slice through diamonds. No wonder she’d taken the modeling world by storm over the past year.
“You’re my client. I’m happy to help in any way I can,” I said. Ayana was my last new client for a while. My roster was technically closed, but Alessandra’s mother was Ayana’s modeling mentor. I’d met with her earlier this year as a favor, and I liked her so much I’d signed her that day.
“Good.” She hesitated, her lovely face shadowed with nerves. “Because I might be in trouble.”
For the next forty-five minutes, I listened as Ayana laid out her situation. I kept my expression neutral, but every cell in my body blanched when she reached the marriage part.
“I don’t know what to do,” she concluded. She stared at her lap, her anxiety palpable. “I owe him so much, but…”
“But nothing. It’s your life,” I said firmly. “Listen, as your publicist, I’ll tell you this would be great publicity. There’s nothing the public loves more than a celebrity wedding. But as a woman, as a human, I’ll tell you to follow your gut. Is gratitude worth five years of your life?”
When Ayana left, the question lingered.
I couldn’t answer it for her, and my job was to spin her decision into media gold, no matter what it was. I just hoped she made a choice she wouldn’t regret later.
I opened my inbox, but I didn’t get a chance to read anything before Xavier appeared at the door.
“Was that Ayana I saw coming out?” He strolled in, his hair tousled by the wind and his sweater molding to his form in a way that was positively sinful. “I didn’t realize she was still in town.”
A sizzle of awareness ran beneath my skin, chased by something darker that I ignored. It must be my lunch. Tuna salad was hit-or-miss on a good day. “Do you know her?”
