Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“October fifth around midnight,” Reid corrects. “For the record it was a Friday.”
I stare at him. “You are very concerned about records.”
“I’m sorry. When I get nervous I fall back on all the procedurals I’ve watched over the years. We might need a lawyer,” he says.
Patrick pales. “We do not need a lawyer. This is not freaking CSI. This is a tiny show about a home renovation. It is supposed to be easy. This is where my blood pressure is supposed to go to flatline, Dorsey. There is not supposed to be any excitement here, damn it. I am absolutely not supposed to need hacking skills to go into the production files and delete what is considered company property.”
I push the number for Ani’s cell. “I’ll get you the go ahead from the boss herself.”
“I would assume you want to hide the whole ‘I made a sex tape’ thing,” Patrick points out.
I’m about to explain when Reid waves him off. “She was always going to tell Ani, and she’ll ask Ani not to tell Ivy because Ivy will tease the hell out of her. Ani will agree to keep it quiet, but Ivy will take one look at them and know she’s been left out and they’ll tell her anyway. There’s no point. Look, I know I seem like a vault of toxic masculinity wrapped in a designer package, but I’m going to tell my brother, too, because I’m going to need someone else to know. The key is to keep it in the family, so to speak.”
I kind of want to make out with him right now. The man knows me.
“Well, I don’t want to be a part of the family, so to speak,” Patrick complains. “Tell Ani I need the editor code.”
“Hey, Harper,” Anika says. “I was about to call you.”
She sounds…concerned. I put aside my own worries because my bestie has a whole country and a brand-new production studio on her back. It’s a lot. “Everything okay?”
She pauses. “I don’t know how to tell you this. Harper, I don’t even know what happened.”
Shit. “I made a sex tape with Reid and it’s gotten out, hasn’t it?”
Reid curses beside me.
“Yes, how did you know? I got a call from the palace public relations office that one of the French gossip rags is going to run a story about it. The actual tape itself isn’t out, but they’re planning on running stills from it. Luca’s on the phone with our lawyers,” Ani says.
Patrick groans. “I’m going to go and get something to knock out Tom. Where is a drug dealer when you need one? Who thought it was a good idea to clean up Manhattan?” He starts walking toward the door. “My kingdom for a Xanax.”
“Whoa,” Jeremiah says as Patrick brushes past him. “It must be bad if we’re talking sedatives. Can I help?”
“Can you go back in time and make your brother not create a sex tape that will forever be associated with a family show?” Patrick asks with a syrupy sweet grin. “No? Then you’re useless to me. Oh, hey the gang’s all here. Ivy, you should know that Harper…”
Ivy holds up a hand. “Made a sex tape.” She gives me a thumbs-up. “Way to go, sister.”
“How?” It’s the only thing I can think to ask because this is moving way fast for me. Not five minutes ago I was a normal woman whose superhot encounter with a design star wasn’t about to be placed on the Internet for the whole world to see.
Ivy strides right to the computer. “Ani asked me to come in and fix the problem here so no one else can access it. Do you want me to put it on a thumb drive for you?”
“Yes,” Reid says.
“No,” I reply at the same time.
“Ivy’s there?” Anika asks.
“I don’t understand what happened.” Jeremiah looks around at the chaos.
“Yes, Ivy’s here, and she apparently knew before I did. I’m not sure I like that,” I complain.
“Well, Jer,” Ivy says as her fingers start to fly across the keyboard, “when two people who pretend to not like each other go at it on a kitchen island in front of a camera, the inevitable happens. I’m just saying, Harper, shouldn’t you have a copy for posterity?”
“Does she need the code? Tell her I texted it to her,” Anika says in my ear.
“Well, I thought you would be smart enough to like put a little cover on the camera.” Jeremiah sounds prim. “Like a cap or something. Maybe some tape.”
“I was not thinking about the camera at the time,” Reid admits. “They’re easy to forget. You get used to them.”
“Anika says she texted you a code,” I tell Ivy.
It’s chaotic, and I should be way more upset. I’m more irritated than truly worried. I don’t want this to upset Ani, but honestly, I’m not ashamed of anything except not covering the camera. We should have thought about that.