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with his architect in his brand new three hundred thousand dollar kitchen.”
“What?” Carson squealed. She rushed over to the computer and her hand immediately shot up to cover her mouth. “Oh my god,” she said through her fingers, her words coming out in a mumble.
He loomed over Penn and focused on the laptop screen. A man and a woman were locked in an intimate embrace. It was him and Carson. Last night. Someone had taken a video of them having sex in the kitchen.
“Fucking hell.” It had been such a serene morning waking up with Carson beside him, but now anger simmered under his skin and he knew exactly who was going to be the recipient of his impending rage attack. The security company. No one had access to the site other than workers, his three brothers and Penn. Work had been done for the day, and his brothers and Penn would never do such a thing.
“It had to be the security guard. Who else would have access to the site at that hour and…” He looked over at Penn who was mesmerized by the action on the screen. “Christ, Penn. Will you shut that off.”
“Sorry.” She closed the laptop and turned in her seat. “Couldn’t help myself.”
Her BlackBerry dinged again. Then again. She picked it up and fear darkened her face. “More alerts.”
“What else are they saying?” Carson asked. “Any other…stories?”
Neil knew what she was referring to. The reporters flinging their accusations of street racing and outing her sordid past. But did any of that matter? A sex tape trumped everything.
“Your arrest for speeding from the other night is exposed,” Penn said as she swiped her finger across the screen. “And obviously there’s lots of speculation about your relationship.
Neil heard Carson breathe a sigh of relief beside him, no doubt happy that there wasn’t more about her being posted. “What are we going to do about this?” she asked.
“I’ll take care of it,” Penn said. “I’ll call the security company and crack some skulls. I’ll call our lawyer and give him the details. I’m sure we can have an injunction to take down the footage by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” Carson cried. “By tomorrow my father will have heard all about this. There goes any hope I had at taking over the company.”
How dare the media think they could mess with people’s lives? Just because he was a public figure of sorts didn’t mean his every move was open for public scrutiny. Not to mention how this was going to change Carson’s life.
And what about his work with the foundation? Who was going to let the new online porn star anywhere near their kids?
Her soft hand rested on his arm.
“Neil? Are you all right?”
No. He was not all right. And it wasn’t going to take much to send him over the edge.
…
Carson pulled on Neil’s arm, trying her best to calm the war that was waging inside him.
“Neil?” she repeated.
Penn shoved a few items in her bag. “I’ll get out of your hair.” She caught Carson’s stare and mouthed “I’m sorry” before she slipped out the front door.
Maybe there was a darkness to this man that even Carson couldn’t understand—something that went far beyond the urge to ride fast. She wished she knew what she could do to help. She didn’t know the right thing to do or say, she only knew what worked for her.
“Hey, hot shot.”
Neil lifted his head and focused on her face. She smiled, hoping that she could get through to him.
But with the look of sheer rage that had darkened his face, she knew that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
Neil pulled out the chair that Penn had just exited. It screeched along the tiled floor then he thrust his body onto the weak-looking wood and banged his fists on the table. She jumped at his actions. She wasn’t afraid of him. On the contrary, Neil had been surprisingly gentle with her at times. Like this morning when he caressed her face and hair in that squeaky bed.
She watched him, and even though she was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that her naked breasts were all over the internet, her heart ached for him.
Talking to himself, Neil fisted his hands, his knuckles burning white the harder he squeezed. He was trying to come to terms with whatever he was taking on. She knew he was blaming himself. She knew he was thinking this was all his fault.
A phone vibrated from the counter in the kitchen. Neil heard it too and turned his attention to the counter. She walked over and picked it up.
