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The past twenty-four hours had really turned things around for me. I’d made up with the guys. Well, two of them anyway. The third, Trey, would take a little more convincing. He seemed to be the most hurt by what happened, and the one quickest to sever ties.
That said, I knew his feelings ran deep. Adam and Dante had more than confirmed it. I’d crack him later tonight, just as I’d already cracked them. It might even be fun…
My mind drifted back to reality, where Chloe was letting out a long, relieved breath. She settled back in her chair and considered me for a moment, before bringing her bright red fingernails together.
“I didn’t tell you this,” she said, “but Cosmo is already excited.”
I nodded perfunctorily. “Good, because I—” My brows suddenly came together. “Wait… what?”
“I gave them most of your preview,” my boss said. “Brooke… holy shit. They absolutely loved it.” She stopped herself and waved one hand. “No, wait, that’s not strong enough. They were over the fucking moon about it.”
A tingle of exhilaration raced up my spine. “Really?”
Chloe nodded excitedly. “The whole personal angle you took, with Hannah? They ate it right up. They’re even moving it up an issue. They can’t wait to get it to print.”
I clapped my hands together. I never clapped my hands together. It was a good sign.
“Wow,” my boss sighed, picking up the hard copy. “I can’t believe it’s finally done.” She was practically spinning in her chair. “You wouldn’t believe how much sleep I’ve lost over this.”
“Me too,” I muttered.
“I mean, I always knew you had it in you. That if I just gave you everything you needed, you’d come through with…”
Her voice trailed off strangely. I glanced down, to find her reading the manuscript.
“Wait… who’s Madison?”
“Madison is Hannah. I changed her name.”
Chloe’s head jerked back, like she’d received a shock. “Wait… what?”
“I changed her name,” I repeated. “I changed all the names. You know… to keep things from—”
“I thought you said Hannah was real?” Chloe asked.
“She is.”
“Exactly. She’s so real, she drives the article. She’s totally believable. The whole scenario, including her three lovers… it all works so well because it is real.”
“So what if the names are different?” I asked, not understanding. “It’s the same article. The same exact—”
“No,” said Chloe abruptly. “We’re keeping the names.”
An uneasy feeling shot through me. “What?”
“You only used first names, right? So no one’s in danger of being identified.”
I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. She was using my own logic against me.
“Yes, but—”
“The names stay,” Chloe reiterated. “Cosmo won’t like the change. It’ll only confuse them. They’ve already seen the rough outline, and they’re already working on the article’s title.”
“What’s so confusing about a few name changes?” I asked, already exasperated. “No one has even read this thing yet! They won’t even know the names were ever changed!”
“I’ll know,” my boss said abruptly. “The editors at Cosmo will know.”
“I have full creative control,” I practically shouted. “Remember? That was the agreement. Full. Creative. Control.”
