It’s not porn. It’s okay. That’s what I need to tell myself.
I check another headline. Ryke Defends Lily Calloway’s Honor at Her Little Sister’s Birthday.
I hate that one. Because it’s all the truth. But it seems so wrong on the outside.
VIDEO: Loren Hale & Connor Cobalt Kiss in Mexico!
I perk up. Should I? My finger hovers over the link to the article.
“Lily,” Lo warns.
“Lo,” I say back.
“You have that look.”
I blink. “The unsatisfied look?”
“No, the one that says you’re about to do something bad.”
I shake my head. “Nope. No. Not going to…” I lick my dry lips. But it’s so tempting. I haven’t even read fan’s comments about the kiss because I’ve been avoiding the video clips for so long. Lo suddenly steals my phone…or rather his phone.
“How’d you get over here so fast?” I ask. My mouth falls and my eyes widen. “Your superpower kicked in.”
His forehead wrinkles as he stares at the phone screen in concentration. And then his eyes flit to mine. “When you imagine me kissing Connor, how long is it?” he asks.
“Thirty seconds,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat, which shows my lie too easily. “Okay, it’s actually more like a minute…and there may be some tongue involved.”
Lo groans. “Lil.”
“I have an overactive imagination. It’s not my fault. It’s my dirty brain’s fault.”
He sighs, presses his phone’s screen and then turns it to me. Oh my God. He hit play. I am watching the video. I am watching him…
I squint. “This is blurry.”
“We were in a dark nightclub. They’re all blurry.”
It’s not exactly brief, but it’s not epically long either. Connor and Lo’s lips lock, and then I have to squint to make out the rest. I can barely even see their faces. But I do spot a pair of hands—on Lo’s neck. Connor obviously guided him so it was more than just kissing a wall, but it’s too quick to really obsess over. And it’s all grainy.
My shoulders drop. But it’s okay, I think. Maybe it’s even better than okay.
“Did I destroy your fantasy?”
I nod. “It’s ruined.”
“Good,” he says, squatting down in front of me. My nerves light up just staring into those entrancing amber eyes. “How’s this reality?”
I smile wide. “Much, much better,” I realize.
{ 23 }
LILY CALLOWAY
“Hale Co. is a multi-billion dollar empire,” Daniel Perth repeats for the second time as we ride the glass elevator to the seventy-fifth floor. “If you think you’re being brought in here for shits and giggles, think again.”
He sounds so much like Lo’s dad that I honestly wonder if Jonathan Hale hires people with his personality or if his employees just pick up the lingo after a while. When Daisy and I arrived in the lobby five minutes ago, Daniel introduced himself as one of the fourteen board members. He’s in his late-thirties; has a prominent nose, fluffy brown hair and a very expensive suit. And he is not about the bullshit.
He’s told us that three times already.
“You’re both about to meet the rest of the board. Handshakes and lunch. Easy.”
Tomorrow they’re meeting with Ryke and Lo. They wanted to split us up in pairs so they’d have a better indication of how we would act on our own. So far, so good.
I nervously wipe my sweaty palms on my khaki pants, my baby bump visible underneath my silk top. Daisy towers beside me in high-waisted navy shorts and a white blouse, sans bra. She had her yellow cast cut off in March, so her wrist is decorated in gold bangles.
She’s all stylish, like she’s ready to walk the runway, and I feel matronly and ready to sink on a couch and take a luxurious nap. But I’m here on a mission: ensure Loren and Ryke are not chosen as the new CEO. They’ve both spent years dodging this life, and there’s no reason they have to fall back into it now.
I can tell Daisy is going to be tough competition, but I have to do better than her too. She just turned nineteen, and she’s already worked most of her life. The corporate world is not calling her. Nope. I won’t let it. Big sister priorities intact, I am ready to impress.
Although…I have never impressed anyone. My M.O. is to stand by the wall and blend into the paint.
This’ll be a challenge.
Daniel fixes his tie. “We have the final say-so in which one of you becomes the CEO, and we’re not going to pass the title over lightly. Whoever we choose will be the face of the company.” His eyes fall to me. “And it’s going to take a lot of convincing if you want to be that person.”