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“Do you think you’re the only one who wants to have a good time? I want to nail that influencer. And giving her this chance will land me in her bed. Tonight, to be exact.”
Pure anger pumped in Ethan’s veins. Roy was a piece of shit, and his ex wife had done well in getting rid of him. He hoped she’d get a good settlement from his sleazy ass. To compare nailing someone he barely knew—which he shouldn’t in the first place— to what Ethan and Poppy shared? “You’re fucking gross.”
Roy didn’t bat an eye. “I’m not that different from you. At least I’m not making my side piece watch my kids.”
That’s it.Ethan pulled him by his collar, and pushed him against one of the decorative columns. “Don’t you fucking dare talk about her like that. Ever.”
Roy lifted his hands. “Hey, hey. I don’t blame you. But you can’t do this.”
Ethan let go of him, his fingers tingling, the need to land a good one across Roy’s face only growing. But he had to think logically if he wanted to make this happen for Poppy. “You’re an idiot, Roy. But I’ll move forward. I’m having Poppy return and I’ll straighten out this misunderstanding. I suggest you talk to your influencer now.” If she was good, Ethan was sure Poppy could use her for a collab in the future. And this time, with no strings attached.
He shook his head. “Do you want me to tell Kyle that you’re messing up the big opening because of the woman you hired?”
“It’s the other way around.”
“But it isn’t, is it? I’m the head of marketing. I make that call. You took it away from me, to prioritize some woman you’ve been screwing. Some nobody who has no following, and no platform.”
Ethan poked him in the chest, irritation at an all-level high. “Don’t you dare—”
“Are you willing to give everything up for her? I’m sure you’ll get a fat bonus if you act right.”
“I can tell Kyle the same about you,” he said between his teeth. Cool, man. He told himself, but his fingers curled into a ball again, his fist ready to go.
A cold smile formed in Roy’s thin lips. “That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. Alina has a million followers on Instagram, and a popular YouTube account. I haven’t had sex with her—not yet, anyway— so you have nothing to tell anyone. I have a qualified woman I never banged.”
Enough.Ethan lifted his fist and punched the bastard across the face, like he’d been wanting to do during that entire conversation. His hand felt hot, the adrenaline flowing through him. Roy fell back, touching his cheek.
Soon, flashes from photographs almost blinded him. Not the ones they hired, but guests, registering the moment on social media. Even though the music continued, the vibe had shifted. Even the entertainers on stilts stopped their routine, confused.
Fuck. He looked around, to find Poppy in the crowd.
She looked terrified. Frustrated.
She took off, and he followed her, leaving a trail of whispers and questions behind.
“Poppy,” Ethan called her, as she crossed the busy street, her heart barely keeping up with her strides.
For the past five minutes, her goal had been to exit the venue, to make her way through the sea of people, and not look back. Sweat slicked her forehead, and her pulse skyrocketing.
“Poppy, stop,” he asked.
When she made it to the sidewalk, she turned to him. With a few steps, he made it over to her.
When that woman and Roy, the same guy she saw in Hawaii, hunted her down and dismissed her at her booth, she’d been livid. How dare they? But then she called Ethan obsessively, and he didn’t answer.
She’d looked for him for a long time until she found him, and caught some of the conversation he shared with Roy.
“We need to talk,” he said, catching up to her and coming in front of her.
Walking past that wall of a man was hard, so she came to a halt, her breath still labored. “Fine.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what he’d do.”
“You know what hurts? He’s right. I saw that man in Hawaii, but didn’t know he worked closely to you. Anyway… His pick has more followers than me,” she said, tears welling up inside. “She should do it,” she said like she had any say in the matter. Fuck, she was already doing it, whether she liked it or not.
“Look, we lost the battle tonight, but I’ll straighten things out. You can still podcast from the booth the other days. Just because there was this misunderstanding tonight, doesn’t mean—”
There was no misunderstanding. Roy had made it clear she wasn’t fit for the job, and she hated herself for seeing his point. “Now that you’ve been caught punching someone else in the opening night, I doubt you will have much of a say,” she said. That had been her fault too.
