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She sticks out her tongue and heads for the door, and I hear her calling to the driver before she gets too far away.
Once it’s the two of us, Elise comes over to me and I push back from the table, spreading my legs wide to let her step between them. She sits down on my left thigh, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Are we okay? I mean, really okay?”
I encircle her waist with my arms, nuzzling her neck, pressing my lips to her racing heartbeat to feel the soothing arousal she brings me before answering. “Yeah, we’re okay. At least, we’re gonna be.”
I pull back, grabbing her chin with my fingers in a firm grip so she’s forced to look into my eyes. “Elise, I love you. All of this drama, that’s outside of us. What I want is right here . . . you, me, Carsen, and Sarah. That’s all I need.”
I see her eyes soften as she sighs, letting the rest of the guilt she’s been feeling slip away from her conscience. “I love you too, Keith. I still feel so bad it’s all turned into this . . . this shitstorm,” she says, gesturing toward the world outside before laying a hand on my chest. “But I wouldn’t change this right here.”
I growl, covering her hand with mine and clasping it to my chest. “Stop worrying yourself or I’m gonna have to smack your ass for it every time.”
She grins, raising an eyebrow. “You are so bad at punishment.” She leans in, kissing me sweetly. As our lips part, I slip my tongue into her mouth, exploring and tasting. I feel her relax into me, and I rear back and smack her cheek where she’s lifted it from my lap.
“Hey!” she gasps as I grab a handful of her ass, kneading it firmly, spreading the heat from my hand and turning the outraged gasp into a deep, throaty moan. “God, yes.”
I nip at her chin, licking the spot before pulling back reluctantly. “There’s more where that came from, but while Carsen’s distracted with her friends, I really do need to call Todd. Make sure everything is okay on the professional front.”
Elise sighs in disappointment and acceptance, placing her head on my shoulder. “Do you need me to leave while you call?”
“What? No way. We’re done with secrets around here. Everything in the open, at least between us. Okay?”
She hums happily but still gets up to let me get my phone. “Okay.”
Grabbing my phone, I dial and Todd picks up on the second ring. “Hey, Keith! How are you doing?” His voice is serious, not his usually chipper clip.
“Well, all things considered, I guess I’m okay. Still, I think I’d rather be in the Yukon right now. How’s it looking on your end?”
“Good and bad, if I’m honest.”
I freeze, not liking the sound of that. “What do you mean? Tell me.”
Todd adjusts, and I can hear a tap-tap-tap sound that tells me he’s fiddling with a pen on his desk. “The media is having a goddamn orgy with the news about your ‘secret daughter,’ still-frame shots of the show are already hitting online news sites, and there’s lots of speculation about why you’ve hidden her, where her mom is, that sort of thing. We kinda expected that though, right?”
“Yeah. You got a press release ready about that, though, I assume. What else? There’s obviously more, judging by your voice.”
“Yeah, that’s the bad news. Donnie and the tabloid already lawyered up. They contacted me within minutes of your accusations on TV. They’re talking about suing you for slander.”
“It’s only slander if it’s not true. And it’s definitely true.”
“Yes, I know. But we’re going to have to fight it, since it’s your word against his. I’ve already contacted the local authorities. They’re sending out a detective this afternoon to talk to you and Elise. You’re going to have to file a report so the paper trail starts on our end. With no real evidence, there’s not much a DA can do, but at the same time, a civil suit could be a possibility.”
“A civil suit? You’ve gotta be joking.”
“Don’t sweat it, man. The lawyer from the label I talked to said that there’s no jury in the country that’d find against you for trying to protect your little girl. And if Donnie says one bad thing about Janie, about your past, any of it . . . I’ll have his ass nailed to a board so fast he’ll wonder what the fuck hit him. Just hang in there, bud. And no talking to reporters. Other than Elise, that is.”
Chapter 27
Elise
When the doorbell rings at about three in the afternoon, I jump, dropping the Ritz and cheese that I’m trying to eat to calm my nerves.
Sarah, who’s been a great calming presence since coming home, gathers up a few dishes that still have food on them. “Hey, Carsen, let’s go watch a movie upstairs while your dad talks to the police officer. ‘Kay?”
