CHAPTER THIRTY ONE: WHEN THE DEVIL CALLS THE SHOTSCHRISTIAN———“What the hell are you doing here?” My voice was calm, but I made sure it carried the edge of someone who wasn’t expecting her. I stepped into my bedroom, shut the door, and stripped off my suit jacket.“That’s a stupid question, Chris.” Her laugh was soft. The bed creaked as she rose, and a heartbeat later her arms slid around me from behind. Her breasts pressed deliberately into my back. “Don’t tell me you’re not happy to see me.”I kept my face blank, my movements steady, but my jaw tightened. I loosened my tie, fingers unfastening my shirt buttons one by one.“The only reason you still have access to my house is the kids, Scarlett. You see them during the day, you leave before dark. Or they visit you at your place.” My tone sharpened. “And about the production house—set a meeting at the studio or send me an email. You don’t need to show up here, especially at this hour.”“Hmm.” She hummed like I hadn’t said a word.
CHAPTER THIRTY: A PREDATOR’S GAMECHRISTIAN———“What condition?” Sage’s stare didn’t waver. He was locked on me, waiting.I met his gaze head-on, my mind sifting for the clean, professional version of what I really wanted to say.‘Keep your hands off her.’‘Stay professional.’‘Don’t get too damn close.’Every version tasted like jealousy. Possessive. It would tip him off, and I wasn’t handing him that power.Zoey was supposed to be just an employee. Professionally, that’s all she should matter to me.“Just… don’t give her a hard time,” I said finally, forcing a polite, tight smile I didn’t mean.“I’m a nice guy, Christian. Nothing to worry about.” Sage’s mouth curved into that same smug grin before he extended his hand. “Shall we sign?”I took his hand, resisting the urge to crush his bones and wipe that grin off his face. He’d been a thorn in my side since my marriage to Scarlett. And years later, nothing had changed.Chuck, looking like he’d just swallowed broken glass, brought ov
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: TALENT MANAGER Pt IIZOEY———“Excuse me?” Chuck blinked hard at Sage like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.He and Daisy were standing in the room with us now, both looking as though Sage had just ordered a hippopotamus for lunch.“You heard me right, Mr. Gilbert,” Sage said, leaning back in his chair. His fingers were laced together over his knee. “I want Miss Anderson to be my talent manager. Pretty sure you’re not suffering from hearing problems.”Chuck’s mouth stayed open. His eyes kept bouncing from Sage to me, then back to Sage, like maybe if he looked enough times, the words would change. Daisy, meanwhile, had this desperate glint in her eyes. The kind you see in people clinging to their last thread of hope.If I didn’t know her better, I might’ve felt sorry for her. But I did know her. And what I felt instead was a deep sense of satisfaction.“M-Mr. Reginald,” Chuck said, lowering his voice as though they were about to have a heart-to-heart. He g
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT: TALENT MANAGER ZOEY———“Oh. My. God.”I caught the lips of one of the women in the lobby mouthing the words. Her eyes went wide like she’d just spotted a celebrity, or maybe a UFO, while I strutted into the production house, handbag neatly clutched in my hand.I didn’t spare her or anyone else a glance. Even Kelsey, who was mid-conversation with another woman, froze. She blinked once… twice… as though she needed to confirm I wasn’t a hallucination. Well, choke on that, sweetheart.Still ignoring them, I headed to my workspace. The reaction there was copy-paste from the lobby. Wide eyes, dropped jaws, and a few not-so-subtle whispers. That was when I spotted Chuck in the middle of the room, mid-discussion with one of my colleagues.He froze too, looking at me exactly like he had last night—shamelessly stunned.Pretending I hadn’t seen him either, I slid onto my desk and caught my reflection in the small mirror propped up there.I looked… different. As in, real
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: BETTER HURT NOW THAN LATER.ZOEY———The champagne burned down my throat as I took a slow sip, eyes glued to the entrance. Still no sign of Christian.It had been over ten minutes since I’d come back inside. He should’ve followed me ages ago, but the doorway stayed stubbornly Christian-free.I took another sip, then snagged a bite-sized canapé from a passing tray. I bit into it, letting the sweetness distract me… and trying very hard not to replay our third hookup in my head.Especially not the part where he had me bent over his car in the parking lot.Yeah, that memory wasn’t helping. My thighs pressed together instinctively, trying to soothe the faint soreness between them.“Having a great night, Miss Anderson?”I turned to see Sage Reginald beside me, champagne in hand, wearing that small, unreadable smile. His sharp, intense eyes locked onto mine like they’d been doing all night.“Yeah. Sure.” I lied with a tight smile, looking forward again.“That’s good.” H
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: UNTIL SHE FORGETS HIMCHRISTIAN———The moment Zoey’s mouth closed around me, tight and warm, it was like my soul got ripped straight out of my body.Her eyes stayed locked on mine, unblinking, daring. She started slow with just the tip, testing me, tasting me like she was deciding how much she could handle. Her tongue traced the ridge under me, then flicked over the head again slowly, like she knew exactly what that would do to me.A rough breath tore out of me, my jaw clenching. My hand found her hair, wrapping it loosely around my fist, keeping her right where I wanted her.“What?” I asked, my voice thick, swallowing hard. I smirked down at her. “Scared to take it all like last time?”She didn’t answer. Just gave me that infuriating little smirk. And then, without warning, she opened wider, pushing herself down over me. She could only take half my length, but the way she did it, so hungrily. Unafraid. It made more heat coil low in my stomach.Her head began to