AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hope he won’t mind, but there’s no way I’m putting that tight dress back on until I absolutely have to.
The floor is cold under my feet, so I quickly make my way down the hall to the sound of Asher’s voice. I can’t quite make out what he’s saying, but the tone of his voice sounds aggressive and possibly even angry.
I find him in a rather large office down the hall, facing a computer with a deep-set frown on his face. His cell phone is pressed to his ear and he’s silent, listening to the person on the other end. He looks up at me, still frowning.
“I’ll call you back later,” he says, abruptly ending the call.
“Hey you,” I say, taking a few steps forward nervously, unsure if I’m welcome. “You didn’t have to hang up the phone like that, I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just that the bed was empty when I woke up and I wanted to see where you had slipped off to. What are your thoughts on a quick store run so I can whip us up some breakfast?”
Asher looks me up and down and sighs heavily. My stomach drops with anticipation. My attempt to change the topic haven’t worked.
“What’s wrong? Did I do something? Are you upset about the shirt?” I ask, looking down.
He reclines back in the chair and shakes his head. “That’s not it,” he says. “You are more than welcome to put on anything you like. It’s just…”
The long moment of silence is killing me, and my stomach churns with anxiety. If he doesn’t hurry up, I’m going to pass out.
“What? You’re making me nervous,” I say, shifting my weight back and forth on the balls of my feet. I hate the moments that pass when I’m waiting on something to happen. It’s like my body doesn’t know how to handle the delay, so I end up feeling nauseated.
“Come here,” he says. “I want you to see something.”
I nervously close the gap between us, forcing my feet to propel me forward. Honestly, I don’t want to see whatever it is, especially since it has Asher behaving so strangely, but on the other hand I’m curious what it is and how it relates to me. What could possibly have him this upset?
Asher turns the computer screen around to face me and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. What we thought was a private moment has been captured and shared all over the world. I look at the screen for a moment and then at him, and then back to the screen. Now I understand why he’s unsettled by the image that has the potential to turn things upside down for both of us.
I exhale slowly and fold my arms across my chest. “Shit,” I say.
Chapter 24
ASHER
We stare at the photo of us locked in each other’s arms sharing a kiss outside the art gallery. I want to kick myself, because I should have known better. A major exhibit like Ta’Nelle’s would definitely bring the press out in droves. I’m usually so careful to avoid the paparazzi, but last night I wasn’t as diligent as usual.
Whoever took this picture used a wide-angle lens and made sure they stayed out of sight. This type of invasion of privacy is the main reason I avoid such public spaces. It’s also the reason I prefer my cars to have tinted windows, because these photographers have no limits. My private life shouldn’t be fair game for the public masses to scrutinize over their coffee and eggs in the morning.
Amelia’s early morning call about the photo, and the fact that the office phones have been ringing off the hook, made me sick to my stomach. The paparazzi are a headache and a major pain in my ass. The last thing I need right now is a million questions fired at me, or even worse, rumors getting started about what people think is going on.
“I’m so sorry,” I say. “I’m usually better about avoiding the cameras and I hate that I’ve put you in the middle of this. Going to that art gallery was a major mistake on my part.”
I run my fingers through my hair and try to think of ways to run damage control before this thing gets out of hand. I’ve had photos go viral before, but usually I have time to get ahead of the story and pay off the necessary people before it gets too bad, but this time social media beat me to the punch.
Jade walks over and sits on the edge of the desk, flashing a bit of thigh as she crosses her legs. “Is it really that bad?” she asks, leaning in closer to me.
I take a deep breath and click through the various tabs I have open. We are front page news on several different media outlets and there’s countless tweets and private messages.
