Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
J ackson was waiting for me when my plane landed to escort me home. I relaxed into the leather seats before asking Jackson, "Did you take Olivia home after work?"
"No, sir. She's with Hannah this evening."
"Where?"
"I don't know. They didn't say."
My phone buzzed as we pulled away from the airport—one new message.
Justin: Heading to Lucky's for a drink. Meet us there.
Lucky's—too public, too many people. And "us"? Who was "us"?
I opened the locate iPhone app before I could talk myself out of it, telling myself I just wanted to make sure she was safe. The blue dot pulsed on my screen: Lucky's Bar he was too observant.
"It's complicated, and I don't have time to explain everything now."
Justin's fingers stilled on his glass, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "Is she in danger?"
I tracked the girls' progress through the crowd, buying time to choose my words carefully. "I thought she might be, but I don't think so now." The bass thrummed through my chest as Hannah and Olivia wove closer. "I'll explain everything later."
Justin's slight nod carried the weight of fifteen years of shared secrets.
A slower song sounded over the speakers, and Hannah grabbed Liam and led him out to the dance floor as Olivia slid in beside me.
Justin pushed back from the table, his chair scraping against the uneven floorboards. "Another round," he announced, disappearing into the press of bodies between us and the copper-topped bar. The DJ had switched to something slower. Olivia shifted closer, and I slipped my arm around her, the warmth of her skin seemed to burn through the thin fabric of her dress. Our corner of the bar felt suddenly intimate, sheltered by shadows and the drunk-loud laughter of strangers.
I leaned in close enough for my lips to brush her ear, inhaling the vanilla scent of her perfume. "I've been thinking about you all day."
The corner of Olivia's mouth curved upward, her lashes lowering to half-mast. "Good thoughts, I hope."
Heat bloomed in my chest at that look—the one she'd perfected without even knowing it. My lips grazed the shell of her ear, voice rough with promise. "You keep looking at me like that, and I'm going to fuck you right here until you can't hold your eyes open anymore."
"Is that a threat or a promise?" she asked, batting her long eyelashes at me. I smiled. She was good, and I didn't think she knew it. I wanted to touch her, but I knew we couldn't leave yet, or everyone would suspect something. Still, I didn't think I could wait until we got home, either. Our booth was tucked back in a corner, and the bar was dimly lit.
The leather booth creaked beneath us as I traced patterns on her thigh, each touch leaving trails of goosebumps in its wake. The silk of her dress whispered against my knuckles, riding up inch by inch. Her eyes, already dark in the low light, went darker still, pupils expanding until only a thin ring of blue remained. Around us, the bar's chaos faded to white noise, our private moment suspended in amber like a secret trapped in time.
She released a small gasp and gripped my leg as I began to massage between her legs slowly. With more pressure, she tilted her head back, trying hard not to make any noise, and I leaned in and let my lips graze her ear as I whispered, "You are so fucking sexy." I pulled her panties to the side as she relaxed, spreading her legs further apart. I stroked down to her opening, slowly entered her with one finger, and moved slowly in and out. She bit her bottom lip, and I so badly wanted to take it in my mouth and suck it hard, but I resisted.
She started to squirm in her seat. I knew I didn't have much longer before everyone would return to the table, so I couldn't take my time like I wanted. I exited her warmth and moved up to her clit, applying enough pressure and moving enough that I knew it wouldn't take her long to fall to pieces around me.
Hannah's phone skittered across the table, the vibration unnaturally loud in my heightened awareness. Once. Twice. Three times.
My lips found Olivia's ear, the bass concealing my whispered command. “Come for me, baby.” She bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out as she did exactly what I told her to do. She came apart quietly, beautifully, a perfect performance of composure even as her nails bit into my thigh.
She went limp against me as I slid my hand from between her thighs. "Are you alright?" I whispered as Justin appeared back at the table. I quickly and hopefully unnoticeably put distance between Olivia and me. Justin sat down with new drinks in front of us, and I took a long sip. I was so hard and horny that I wasn't sure I would be able to walk out normally. Hannah's phone began to vibrate again and again and again. She sure was popular tonight. Hannah and Liam were still on the dance floor, but I imagined they'd be headed back shortly.
"I'm looking forward to your Labor Day party," Justin stated and took a drink of his beer. "Will you be there, Olivia?"
Olivia looked up at me, confused.
"Yes, she'll be there. I've been so busy lately, I kind of forgot about it." Hannah's phone vibrated again. "What the hell is up with her phone?"
Justin shrugged. "I don't know. It's been quiet all night."
Hannah and Liam slid back into their seats, laughing like star-struck teenagers. I wasn't sure it was evident to the two of them yet, but they were both head over heels for each other.
"Hannah, your phone has been vibrating," I said once the two secret love birds calmed down.
"Oh, thanks." Hannah reached for her phone with the casual grace. Her smile faded. Her free hand, usually steady, began to fidget with her pendant. When she looked up at me, the panic in her eyes made my chest tighten.
My spine stiffened. "What?" I snapped harsher than I meant to, getting everyone else's attention.
Hannah's face drained of color as she stared at her phone, the blue light making her look almost ghostly. The transformation from carefree to crisis mode happened in microseconds—a tell I'd seen too many times before.
"They know you're here." Her voice barely carried over the music, but it hit like a thunderclap. The alert system we'd set up after the last scandal was lighting up her screen like a Christmas tree.
I snatched her phone, but the damage was already spreading across social media like wildfire. The first picture loaded, then another, then another—a digital cascade of intimate moments transformed into ammunition. Each swipe revealed a new angle, a new moment stolen. Someone had been watching. Waiting. Planning.
The crowd at the door was thickening. Phones rising like periscopes above the sea of bodies. The exits were disappearing one by one. "We need to get out of here," I snapped as I noticed the crowd piling in the door. "Fuck. Justin, get her out of here. Jackson's parked outback. Liam took Hannah, and I'll follow."
Justin's hand shot out, closing around Olivia's wrist. "Let's go." He pulled her from the booth, already moving toward the back exit with the single-minded focus of a man who'd done this too many times before.
Olivia stumbled, her heels catching on the uneven floor. Her shorter legs couldn't match Justin's escape route. One misstep sent her lurching forward—but Justin was already there, scooping her up without breaking stride, her surprised gasp lost in the chaos.
Camera flashes erupted like artillery fire, each burst painting stark shadows against the exposed brick walls. Questions flew like shrapnel—"Nick, over here!" "Who's the girl?" "How long have you been seeing her?"—their voices competing with the throbbing bass line. I shouldered through the industrial kitchen, past startled line cooks and steaming pots that filled the air with competing aromas of garlic and grilled meat. Steam from the dishwasher created a momentary curtain of cover, beads of moisture clinging to my thousand-dollar jacket. The back door's emergency bar was sticky with years of use, its metallic clang setting off car alarms in the rain-slicked alley beyond.
I rushed forward toward my SUV, glancing over my shoulder. They weren’t far behind me. Reaching for the door handle, I jerked it open before sliding in and slamming the door shut. The media were relentless and now Olivia would be a target because she was tied to me.
Justin sank back into the leather seat, his tie loosened. "That was fun." His trademark smirk didn't quite reach his eyes. "We should do that again soon."
My jaw clenched so tight I could hear my teeth grinding. "Shut up, Justin."
I caught Jackson's eye in the rearview mirror, where concern creased the corners of his usually stoic expression. "Jackson, take us to my house, please." The words came out exhausted, all the fight draining from my voice.
The house's security lights cast sharp shadows across the manicured lawn as Jackson pulled through the gates. Inside, my footsteps echoed off marble floors, the sound hitting different in the pre-dawn quiet. I flipped on the television for the late-night news.
"What was on the phone, Nick?" Justin asked again. I looked over to Olivia, who hadn't said a word. I handed him the phone, but it appeared on the television before he could look at the pictures. There was more than one, and they all seemed highly intimate. They were dark, but you could tell it was Olivia and me leaning into each other. Olivia's eyes were wide as she watched the pictures flip on the screen.
The news cycle churned on, our intimate moment already dissolving into the next celebrity scandal. But the damage lingered in the room like smoke. Justin's jaw worked silently—running scenarios, calculating fallout. Liam's fingers never stopped moving across his phone, digital walls being built in real-time. Hannah's eyes darted between her social media feeds and Olivia.
Olivia hadn't moved, hadn't looked up. Her stillness was worse than tears or accusations. The flush of pleasure from earlier had been replaced by something else—the first taste of what loving me really meant. The cost of it.
Fury rose in my throat like bile. At myself, for letting my guard down. At the vultures who'd turned our moment into content. But mostly at the carefully orchestrated nature of it all. The timing. The angles. The steady progression of images that told a story someone wanted to sell. This wasn't opportunistic paparazzi work. This was calculated. Personal.
"It's not that-" The words died in Liam’s throat as another photo appeared on screen. Then another. Each one more intimate than the last. The timeline showed careful calculation—someone had been documenting every touch, every whisper, every stolen moment.
"Nick." Justin's voice was steady. The voice he used when damage control was already spinning out of his reach. "We've handled worse."
"Have we?" Anger colored my tone. I couldn’t think of a time where I'd put someone I cared about in such an awkward situation.
Liam stepped closer, the usual playfulness gone from his features. "Are you okay, Nick?"
"This time, it's different." My knuckles whitened as the curled into fists. The rage that had been simmering all night finally boiled over. "They involved Olivia, and I want to know who leaked those photos."
Justin's hand settled on my shoulder, steady and grounding. "We'll take care of it."
Liam was already pulling out his phone, the blue light casting shadows across his face as his fingers danced across the screen. The intensity in his eyes was familiar—the same look he'd worn when erasing every trace of my last scandal. "I'll get them scrubbed." He was already hunched over his phone, his fingers flying across the screen with the intensity that had earned him his reputation as a digital ghost. "Within the hour, those photos won't exist anywhere but in their nightmares." The quiet confidence in his voice wasn't bravado; I'd seen him destroy bigger stories than this.
"Thank you," I said, calming down. I knew Justin and Liam would take care of it.
"I'll walk you out," I said to the three of them. "Olivia, stay here. I'll be back." Hannah, Liam, and Justin followed me out. "Jackson will take you back to your cars. It should be cleared out now. If not, he'll take you home.”
I stood silently, towering over Olivia as she sat still, staring at the ground.
The words felt hollow in my throat. "I'm sorry, Olivia."
She rose from the leather couch, tilting her head back to meet my gaze. In the dim light, her eyes held none of the accusation I deserved. "It's not your fault. It's just pictures."
A bitter laugh caught in my chest. "I wish that's all they were." My fingers brushed against her cheek, memorizing the softness there. "They're going to go crazy trying to figure out who you are." My hand dropped to my side, heavy with guilt. "And then they're going to stalk you like they stalk me. Every grocery run, every coffee stop, every moment you think you're alone—they'll be there, waiting. It's worse because of the compromising position we were in." I grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to me. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to go through this, and I am truly sorry. I will do everything I can to take care of this and ensure you are protected from them."
"I trust you." Olivia's smile held a mix of vulnerability and strength that kept catching me off guard. Her fingers intertwined with mine, steady despite everything that had happened. Exhaustion had smudged shadows beneath her eyes, but her gaze remained clear.
"Let's get some sleep." I released her hands. I lifted her into my arms and carried her upstairs. Setting her down on my bed, I removed her clothes, and she yawned. Once I had her completely naked, I guided her up to the pillows, kissed her on the forehead, and removed my clothes before climbing into the bed next to her.
Moonlight filtered through the gauzy curtains. She curled into me, her breath evening out to match the subtle tick of the antique clock down the hall. As she drifted off, her fingers slowly uncurled against my chest. In the hushed darkness, Anthony's words echoed in my mind with new weight, each syllable dropping into the quiet like stones into still water.
Watching her sleep, I caught myself categorizing the small details—the way her fingers curled against my chest, how her breathing had synchronized with mine, the familiar scent of her shampoo that had somehow become part of my home. My chest tightened with a familiar warning. I'd built my empire on control, on keeping everyone at a carefully calculated distance. But Olivia had a way of slipping past my defenses when I wasn't looking, leaving traces of herself in my space, my routine, my thoughts.
The last time I'd let someone get this close... I pushed the memory away and focused on the weight of her against me, solid and present. This was different. This was just proximity, just protective instinct. Just because I'd memorized the cadence of her laugh didn't mean anything deeper. I'd learned my lesson about love a long time ago, paid for it in ways that still showed up in my nightmares.
Gently, I kissed her on the forehead and pulled her tighter against me before dozing off myself.