Darius
My Friday morning was bogged down by meetings on new projects. Thankfully, by noon, I return to my office, my mind circling back to Taylor’s gratitude the other day when she visited me here. I’m tense, my cock hardening, as I return to the same chair where she sucked my dick like a damn pro. Those eyes…those lips…I groan, adjusting my rock-hard dick, when I spot Ryder entering my office.
I jerk my hands up, placing them near my keyboard. One look into Ryder’s tight eyes and my dick softens, just that easily. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I’ve got an update for you, but first…” He stops in front of me and tosses the tabloid magazine Starstruck onto my desk. “This is good news.” He takes a seat in the wingback chair.
“It is,” I agree, noting the photo of Alex and me on the cover. Her twinkling eyes and sensual smile could fool anyone into believing we are lovers. “Alex should be an actress.”
“Not a chance in hell. I’d never let her go.” Ryder tugs at the collar of his black T-shirt with the Blackwood logo, getting comfortable in the chair. “Besides, she can handle the heat the paps are putting on her.”
“They’ve been following her, I assume.”
“They’ve got eyes on her at all times.” He crosses an ankle over his knee, his mouth curving. “Truthfully, I think she’s enjoying this a little too much. She’s running them around all over the city.”
I chuckle, pleased to hear that. “I’m glad she finds this amusing.” Because it keeps Taylor safe, and I’m certainly glad Alex is equipped to handle the paparazzi. “But I’m afraid she’s not taking all the heat off Taylor.” I reach into my desk drawer and grab another magazine. I show Ryder the cover of Gotcha! “I saw this on my way to work this morning.”
Ryder takes the magazine from me, examining the cover showing me and Taylor and then flipping to the article with the headline: Darius Bennett’s mystery woman is no mystery at all. Our sources tell us she’s, in fact, an ex-flame. And we’ve also learned that she’s now a Bennett employee.
Ryder sighs heavily, handing me the magazine. “If we had any doubt this was a coincidence, we would know now it’s not.”
I nod agreement, glancing toward the hallway, seeing Charlotte leave her desk before I address Ryder again. “On Wednesday, I gave them the best story they’ve gotten out of me in years.” My life just isn’t that exciting. “The paps live for very public PDA.” I point to the magazine on my desk. “But this is what the magazine focuses on? It makes absolutely no sense.”
“No, it doesn’t.” His expression pinches, eyes squinting in thought. “There’s something we’re missing here…”
“I know.” I stare at another photo of Taylor and me sitting outside of Allie’s condo. My chin is resting on Taylor’s head, my arm around her, and I like the expression on her face. It’s soft, sweet, and I can tell she’s enjoying being there in my arms. “But on top of that,” I say, lifting my eyes to Ryder, not allowing whimsical thoughts to take me away from what’s most important…keeping Taylor safe. “What troubles me more than the obvious, is they know Taylor is an ex-girlfriend, but they’re not printing her name.”
Ryder’s brows furrow over his emerald-colored eyes. “It does seem odd that they know that particular detail about the two of you, but haven’t identified her yet.”
“Precisely.” I lean back in my chair, lacing my hands behind my head. “Which means it’s because they don’t know who she is.”
Ryder hesitates. Then, “And what are you thinking that means?”
“I’m beginning to wonder if the person behind this leak is someone who works for me.” I drop my hands and run a hand across my jaw, the stubble scraping against my palm. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“What makes you think that?” Ryder asks.
I notice Charlotte striding by my office door, taking a seat at her desk before I answer Ryder. “I can think of five people who worked with me back in the day. They’re the only ones who may have seen Taylor come into the office late at night. While I kept our relationship discreet, I also didn’t hide it either.”
Ryder’s mind is working, foot tapping against the hardwood floor. “While that makes sense, the other stories that have been printed are about Micah and Allie. Do any of your employees even know them?”
“Not that I know of,” I admit, realizing a flaw in my theory. “But the only people who know about Taylor and Allie are people who have worked for me when I dated Taylor.”
“Hmm…” Ryder says, tapping his fingers against the armrest twice. “Perhaps all of this is a coincidence, and Micah and Allie’s stories are simply ones where a reporter took a wild guess and ended up being right.” He pauses. Then, “But with yours, it’s actually someone selling these private details to the tabloids?”
“It’s what I’m thinking, too,” I agree with a nod, stretching out my legs beneath my desk, feeling the tension slide through me. “T
he stories about Micah and Allie were about Allie being forbidden to Micah and my being upset. The truth is, perhaps they knew early on that Allie was my half-sister, but they held back that information to drag out that story line.”
Ryder hesitates, then nods. “That makes sense. And they could be doing that with Taylor, too?”
“But what would be the point of that?” I counter. “Especially considering I gave them one hell of a story. Their focus should only be on Alex, not on Taylor.”
“I agree,” he says, cocking his head. “So, if it’s someone who works here, what could be their motive to sell this information?”
“Money,” I offer. “Isn’t that usually the motive that feeds the tabloids?”
“It’s a good place for us to start,” Ryder replies with a frown. “Give me a list of who you suspect could be behind this, and I’ll get a team to start looking into them. I can only imagine that whoever is doing this has some sort of financial trouble that should stand out.”