Page 114 of Off Limits Mogul

“Sounds like a plan.” She returns her focus to her iMac screen.

I don’t bother stopping by my office, I head straight to Beckett’s.

I knock three times.

“Come in.”

I open the door and step inside.

Beckett and Arianne are sitting at the small round conference table near the large window. Her lips break into a huge smile when she sees me.

“Rhys, you’re finally here,”Arianne says.

I knit my brows together. “It’s only eight-thirty in the morning.”

“True, but I’ve been at this since five this morning. I’m so excited by this idea, I couldn’t sleep.” She claps her hands together like a kid who’s allowed to have a second cookie. “I called Beckett and dragged him out of bed and we’ve been brainstorming since seven. We even had an early morning call with our point person at the advertising agency.”

My gaze shifts to Beckett’s.

I cock an eyebrow in lieu of a question.

“Trust me, you’ll want to hear what she has to say.” He points to a chair. “Take a seat.”

I unbutton my suit jacket, sit and drop my mug on the table.

Arianne is giddy.

She does that excited clapping thing again.

I arch a brow. “Why are you bouncing off the walls?”

“Because of Keira.”

“You talked to her this morning?” No sure when that would’ve happened because I’m pretty sure I kept my girlfriend’s mouth too busy to talk this morning.

“No, I didn’t,” Arianne says. “Last night, I spoke to Phoebe. We couldn’t shut up about our fun weekend with Keira. She’s totally adorable.”

“She is.”

“Phoebe and I wanted to keep her.”

“You make her sound like a stray kitten,” I say with a laugh.

“In many ways she is. She’s a tiny thing.”

“You two are practically the same height.”

“Yeah, but she’s younger and since I don’t have a little sister, I felt a connection. After she opened up about her childhood, I felt so protective of her.” I have to man up to Noah. “And that big personality, all that talent and that voice… I’m in awe.”

“You’re such a fan girl,” I say.

“Guilty as charged, but getting to know the real Keira was so vastly different from her public image. I like her even more now I’ve met her.”

“It’s showbiz, baby,” Beckett says. “Smoke and mirrors. So much stuff on TV, online, and in the rag magazines is duplicitous and plain false.”

Like me, Beckett has firsthand experience of being in the spotlight. As the former lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Random Misconception, he was considered rock star royalty. Rehab is another thing we have in common.

“He’s right,” I say. “Publicists master the art of creating a persona to sell albums and concert tickets.” I should know.