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"I have no say about what you call me? That's rubbish."
She unfolds that bloody sheet of paper, smooths it out on her lap, then holds it up for me to see.
Oh, bollocks. It's a photocopy of a tabloid headline and the article beneath it—"Lord Steamy Cuckolds the Duke of Wackenbourne." Perhaps I did do that, but I don't like seeing the headline again. Why should anyone give a toss about a measly viscount accidentally sleeping with a duke's wife? Benedict Pemberton-Rice has shagged his way through most of the bedrooms in London, sleeping with the wives of far more important men than the Duke of Wackenbourne himself.
"Why did you seduce the Duke's wife?" Avery asks. "I've been led to believe you're a smart man, but you did something very, very stupid."
"Yes, I know. But I had no idea who she was." I wince because I suddenly feel as if someone has put nettles in my chair. "I met Annabelle at a pub in the middle of bloody nowhere, and she never told me her last name or that she was married. I do not seduce other men's wives."
"But you have one-nighters with strange women and don't bother to ask their full names."
"No, that's not—Honestly, this is none of your concern." I rise and point toward the door. "Thank you for coming, Ms. Hahn, but it's time you left. I do not need your help."
Still not sure what exactly Mum hired her to do, but I absolutely do not need whatever it is.
Avery wags a finger at me. "Now, now, Lord Sommerleigh. That's no way for a peer to behave."
"Are you a psychotherapist?"
"No."
"You must be a lawyer, then."
"No." She stands up and approaches my desk, then balances her lovely arse on its edge. "I'm an image consultant."
"A what? I've never heard of that." I gesture at my clothing. "And I don't need help with dressing myself."
She leans over the desk, planting one hand on the surface right over my calendar. "I'm here to repair your public image and make you respectable again."
"I'm fine the way I am."
"Maybe you don't give a damn about what people think of you, but your behavior has harmed more than your reputation. You are the CEO of Sommerleigh Sweets, an international candy manufacturer. How do you think your dispute with the Duke of Wackenbourne has affected your company? Not in a good way, that's how."
I bar my arms over my chest. "Why don't you type up a list of things you want me to do and say, and I will follow your instructions to the letter."
"Uh-uh. That won't do." She slides off my desk. "I'm under strict orders to stick to you like glue, remember? You can't scare me away. I've dealt with every kind of jackass in my profession, and you are nothing compared to the rest of them. Might as well give up and let me do my job. You don't want to disappoint your mother, do you?"
Oh, that's a dirty trick. But she's right about my image being somewhat tarnished these days. I slump down onto my chair and resign myself to the inevitable. "All right. Tell me how this is meant to work."
"You follow my orders. That's how it works."
I might like to hear a woman say that in bed, but I don't feel excited by the prospect of letting a stranger order me around while repairing my image. I blow out a sigh. "How do we start?"
"You are going to tell me everything about yourself." Avery smirks. "And I mean absolutely everything, including all your dirty little secrets."
I rest an elbow on my chair's arm, drop my face into my raised hand, and groan.
Chapter Two
Avery
Hugh Parrish is nothing like what I expected. Most of my clients are either angry or ashamed, and they always fight the process from beginning to end. Hugh is both angry and ashamed, yet he still agreed to cooperate. I also expected a viscount to be dressed just so, but his tie is slightly askew, his dark hair seems like he forgot to comb it this morning, and his eyes are faintly red. I doubt he realizes he looks that way. The man seems frazzled.
Lord Sommerleigh has several factors going for him when it comes to polishing up his image. He's attractive and sexy, but also smart and accomplished. The man runs an international corporation. By all accounts, he does an excellent job. Though I haven't experienced his infamous charisma yet, Lady Sommerleigh had informed me that her son does have a charming side. She also warned me that Hugh hasn't quite been himself lately. She couldn't explain why.
Now I need to find out the answer. Lady Sommerleigh did give me clues, though I doubt she realized that.
"How do we start?" he asks with all the enthusiasm of a man-whore about to be condemned to a life sentence in a monastery.
