Final Call (Call #2)(63)
Author: Emma Hart

“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you for following your heart.”

“Thank you for telling me to,” I reply, kissing her cheek.

Our time is cut short when Monique intrudes, snatching me from my aunt and hugging me just as tight. “I’ve missed your snappy, no-bullshit ways. Don’t tell me you’ve gone f**king soft on me?”

I laugh and shrug her off me. “Don’t be so stupid, Mon. If you ever needed your ass chewed out, you just have to call me.”

She winks. “You got a good one, Dayton. Don’t f**k this up.”

“When have you ever known me to f**k anything up?” I raise my eyebrows and take the glass Aaron slides in front of my face. “He’s well and truly stuck with me now.”

“Rather him than me,” she retorts with a laugh, shooting me a second wink.

I smile as Aaron whisks me away, introducing me to some of the people who work for him. My head spins with all the new names, and before I know it, I’m on my third glass of wine and Dottie is giggling alongside me at the bar.

“And then I told him, ‘Haz, you do realize all of those models have more silicone in their body than f**king Silicone Valley?’ and he told me Silicone Valley isn’t really made of silicone, and I looked like a complete and utter moron in front of everyone he works with.”

I snort into my hand. “And he still wants to marry you?”

Dottie holds up her hand. “Oh yes. For some goddamn reason, the man is crazy in love with me, and when he has abs tighter than a nun’s vagina, who am I to argue with him?”

“Who has nun’s-vagina abs?” Liv slinks in beside me, a full glass in her hand.

“Her fiancée,” I explain. “Put your tongue back in its mouth, thank you. No ab licking tonight.”

She sighs. “Damn. Here I thought I had a chance at getting some.”

“Well,” Dottie drawls, “you could always go for Daniel. He’s hot and single and a rising prospect in the company. And then there’s Paul. He’s one of Aaron’s senior staff despite barely touching thirty. And then there’s Garrett. He’s the head of advertising in Seattle, hot as f**king hell, and from what I hear, he knows his way around a bedroom and pair of handcuffs.”

I blink at her. “How do you even know that?”

Dottie looks at me blankly. “I’m Aaron’s assistant. It’s my job to know.”

“Even their sex preferences?”

“I’m an eavesdropper. So sue me.”

“Wait. Which one is Garrett?” Liv taps her shoulder, and Dottie points at a guy by my cake with a bright red tie.

Liv coughs, smoothing her dress, and stands up straight. “Excuse me, ladies. I suddenly want some cake.”

My lips quirk to one side as I watch her cross the room, swinging her hips. I shake my head. She’s hot, sexy, and irresistible. Poor Garrett. He stands no chance against her.

Dottie has the same expression on her face when my phone pings in my purse. I dig inside it, grab my phone, and unlock it before opening the message.

You were warned.

A link follows the text, and everything stops. The music and the chatter silence and my heart stops and my lungs freeze and there’s nothing. Nothing but the link staring back at me, bright blue against the white background of my phone.

“Dayton? What’s wrong?”

I ignore Dottie and click on the link. Fuck no. Please no. No. No no no no no.

The link opens to Naomi’s official website, and the first thing I see is my name and Aaron’s and a photo of me.

And then there’s the exact story she sent to The Insider and probably every press Aaron sent a precautionary lawsuit to.

But we never considered this.

We never thought of her own site, with its thousands of followers. We never dreamed she may put it up here.

I feel the color drain from my face, and I can barely imagine my expression as I turn to Dottie. I know I must look horrified. Petrified. Completely and utterly defeated.

She knows that Aaron knows.

That’s the only explanation.

And now my identity is out.

Who I am is public.

My whole life is strewn across her personal website for the world to see.

And I have no idea what I’m supposed to do now.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dottie takes my phone from my hand and her eyes flick over the screen. “Fuck!” She yells the word. A real, full-bodied yell, and it draws the attention of everyone around us.

Still I stare at her. I’m frozen, unable to move due to the unexplainable feeling spreading through me. Nothing I can say can make this better. I’m helpless.

“Aaron!” Dottie yells again, her voice louder than that of the music. She wraps an arm around my waist, guides me from the stool, and deposits me straight into his waiting arms.

“What’s wrong? What is it?” His voice is panicked, his hand rubbing my back.

Dottie shows him the phone wordlessly, and he growls. He actually f**king growls. A primal, angry, possessive growl that vibrates throughout my body.

“Fuck!”

“Son? What is it?” Brandon appears, resting a hand on his shoulder.

I bury my face in Aaron’s chest, fisting his shirt in my hands. This can and will ruin everything.

I can’t believe she’s done it.

I can’t believe she’s exposed me.

No, I can. I just can’t believe it’s happening right now.

My phone buzzes again, and I catch a glance at the screen before Aaron can turn it away.

Happy birthday.

“We’re leaving. Right f**king now. Dottie, call for two cars then follow us down. I need you to help me. Dad, can you come? Mom?” Aaron’s voice is strong, and I wonder if I’m the only person who can hear the underlying anger.

“Monique,” I whisper.

“Get Monique,” he orders Dottie. “She needs to be here.”

Aaron sweeps me from the room with the confidence of a man who is in control of the situation. In reality, he couldn’t be further from it. In reality, he has absolutely no control over it.

We travel down the elevator. Dottie has her cell attached to her ear the whole time, and I vaguely hear the words, “Mr. Carlisle… Now… Yes…” as Aaron holds me even closer.

“Dottie, you take the limo with my parents and everyone else. I need to speak with Dayton alone.”

“Of course. We’ll meet you back at your apartment.”

Aaron deposits me in a car and climbs in next to me. I feel numb. Totally numb. I didn’t need to read the whole post to know what she wrote. To know that she’s exposed everything I was.