"I think I would like to hear you get yourself off," he said with a sexy look.
And just like that the tension around her popped.
She smiled her gratitude. "With my upcoming Caribbean Adventure for the show, I'm sure we can arrange a phone call for just that purpose."
"You? Are a tease." He groaned. "We don't have time."
"We've done practically nothing but make love since the moment you spirited me away from my apartment. Don't tell me you're in the mood again."
"Fine, I will not tell you."
She was laughing when she stepped into her living room. He shut the door behind them and followed her into the bedroom.
They chatted about his family while Blythe pulled out clothes to wear that evening. Tor's phone rang and he went back into the living room to take the call. Blythe took the time to dress, then run a flat iron through her hair, creating waves with the technique her hairstylist had shown her. She made quick work of her makeup, going for the natural look she preferred.
Even so, it took her at least thirty minutes all told, and Blythe was surprised that Tor never came back into the room. After packing a case with clothes for a couple of days, she went looking for her prince to tell him she was ready to go. She found him pacing between the couch and the window, barking orders into the phone.
His gorgeous face was set in a scowl, his tone one she would not have ignored if she was on the receiving end of it.
Tor saw her and gave a clipped goodbye before hanging up and tucking his phone into his pocket.
"What is it? You sounded really mad when I came in."
"They have identified the culprit."
Just like that, all the relaxation she had achieved went up in smoke. Blythe went rigid with stress. "Who is it?"
"Your film editor." His expression said he understood just how devastating that news would be for her.
But Linda Jones had been part of her life almost as long as Janne, and Blythe had trusted the older woman almost as much as she did the sister-of-her-heart.
Blythe shook her head, unable to believe. "No." Her legs gave out and she collapsed into an armchair.
She'd worked with Linda since launching her Travel show on the cable channel. For the first couple of years, it had only been her and Linda. They were friends, not just colleagues.
"But she's a film editor." Leaking information about the Tapt Oyerian Royal family and Tapt Oyer Global wasn't going to advance her career.
"Who enjoys the finer things in life, not all of which are manageable on her income."
Which implied Linda had spied on Blythe and sold the information she got doing so for nothing more than money. How could that be possible? Even the juiciest stories wouldn't have netted her enough to risk her career and destroying Blythe's trust.
Could it?
"She spied on me. She used her friendship with me to exploit my relationship with your family." Blythe felt sick to her stomach. "She's the reason I got the show off the ground to begin with." Blythe was no film editor. "She was my friend. I thought she cared about me."
"I'm sure she does, but her own interests came first."
"But we all got a big payday moving to the streaming service."
"She got production role on the new docuseries about royalty because she brought inside information to the table."
"But…" Her show wasn't enough for Linda.
If she was honest with herself, Blythe would acknowledge she'd always known Linda wanted to do bigger things in the industry. She'd just never expected the other woman to use Blythe in this sneaky underhanded way to get them.
She could not hold back the sound of hurt.
"I am so sorry, sweetheart." Tor bent and lifted Blythe and then sat back down with her in his lap, his arms around her. "She will never be allowed near you again. I promise you."