Own Me (The Wolf Hotel, #5)(73)

“Who the fuck is Kendall McCoy?”

“An influencer,” I grumble, scrolling. “‘Bitch not happy with her fine-ass man, she gotta get herself one for every day of the week.’”

He snorts. “Okay, that one’s kind of funny.”

I scroll farther. “Oh, this is even better. This person is psychoanalyzing me. According to her, I’m clearly working through commitment issues.” I frown as I read another. “Apparently, I was handing out my soap at a party in Detroit last weekend and it gave her a terrible rash. Why would I be handing out soap at a party in Detroit?”

“People make shit up all the time. You can’t trust anything on there.”

“This one says she was in a sorority with me, and I slept with her boyfriend. Northgate doesn’t have sororities! Oh, here’s one defending me, I think? She says Henry’s the personification of the patriarchal scourge upon society. He deserves to be cheated on. But then this one—”

“Okay, bad idea.” Ronan yanks my phone out of my hand and tosses it to the opposite side of the couch. “Who has time to read a gossip article online, go search up the people, and then leave messages like that? People who have nothing good going on in their lives.” Ronan raises his voice, a rare occurrence. “These people are fucking losers.”

“Maybe, but they’re losers who are trying to tank my business before it’s even off the ground.” I pull the blanket over my head.

Light footfalls approach. “What’s going on now?” Violet asks, emerging from the bathroom.

“Abbi looked at something she shouldn’t have,” Ronan says with a sigh.

“Farm Girl,” I moan into the soft weave.

“Did you see all your new followers, though?”

“What?” I peel the blanket halfway down my face.

“Yeah, you have …” Violet holds her phone up to read. “Almost five thousand new followers since yesterday.”

“Seriously?” Maybe Zaheera was right not to lock things down. “Why?”

“No such thing as bad publicity,” Ronan says.

“They’re just coming to watch me fail.”

“Yeah, probably.” Violet shrugs. “But some are curious. They want to know if it’s true.”

“Give them something to shut them all up, then,” Ronan mutters.

“Like what?”

“You riding Wolf’s lap.”

“Eww!” Violet’s face contorts.

Ronan chuckles. “Sorry, kid. I forgot.”

“Forgot what?” Henry wanders back out.

“Nothing.” I shoot a glare at Ronan. “What did Dyson want?”

He reclaims his spot on the couch, lifting my legs to drape over his lap. “To tell me that my acquisition of Luxury Travel Magazine is underway. It’s a great marketing opportunity for Wolf Hotels.”

My jaw drops. “But that’s … You’re kidding, right?”

“Don’t worry. It’s a boutique magazine. It wasn’t that expensive.”

Ronan curses under his breath.

Henry’s plan is becoming clear to me. “You bought a whole company—today—so you can fire Roshana?”

“She couldn’t stop singing its praises while she was in Alaska. Their compensation packages are top tier. Nowhere else is as competitive.” He collects his glass and takes a sip of scotch, as if nothing about what he just did is out of the ordinary. “She loves her job and traveling. She’s been moving up in the company, making a name for herself.”

“And you’ll be able to fire her?”

“After what she’s done, I think she’ll go quietly. And if she doesn’t?” A vicious smile stretches across his lips. “Let’s just say I can use my hotel security feeds too.”

I don’t think I want to know what those may have captured.

“Savage,” Violet says, but she’s smiling at Henry.

“Sends a very clear message.” Henry sets his drink down and, grabbing hold of my ankles, drags me across to pull me into his lap. “Fuck with my loved ones, and I will come for you with everything I have.” He leans in and skates his lips against mine in a kiss that feels way too intimate to be enjoying in front of his daughter.

“Later,” I whisper, pulling away.

He frowns at Violet. “What are you doing?”

She has her phone aimed at us. “Taking a picture.”

He gives her a flat look. “Yes, I understand that. Why?”

“It’s like Ronan said. Give them something to shut them up.” She shows us the shot she captured in the seconds after our lips pulled apart, our faces inches away. Henry’s muscular arms wrapped around my curled-up body make me look so small next to him. It’s sexy, and yet sweet.

“I love this.” Henry and I have so few pictures together. At least, ones that sleazy photographers didn’t take.

“You should post it on your Farm Girl accounts so people can see that you’re together and that stupid article is all bullshit. You two wouldn’t be kissing each other if Abbi was running around, sleeping with all these guys behind your back.”

Am I supposed to scold her for cussing? Because I don’t have it in me. And besides, Violet might be on to something. I don’t need to be “riding Wolf’s lap” for the message to be effective. “Would you be okay with that?” I ask Henry.