Chapter 18: Twisted Lies: Chapter 18

I spent the day reviewing the security footage from yesterday. There were hours of useless video, but I kept coming back to the same spot—a half-hour “technical glitch” which coincided with Stella’s trip to the coffee shop.

The stalker had not only broken into her apartment; they’d also hacked into the Mirage’s closed-circuit surveillance system. It should’ve been impossible, but the thirty minutes of static that’d replaced what should’ve been a crystal-clear view of the hallway outside Stella’s apartment confirmed it.

I’d already ordered a full emergency overhaul of the building’s security system. Every code changed, every nook and cranny swept for evidence of tampering. They all came back clean, which meant one thing.

It’d either been an inside job, or the stalker had inside help.

My blood iced at the prospect.

Every employee had to pass extensive screenings before I hired them, but life changed. All it took was a debt or a loved one in danger to make a person vulnerable to bribery and persuasion.

I would know; I was often the one doing the bribing and persuading.

I eased a breath through my lungs and shrugged off my fury with a subtle roll of my shoulders.

There was a time and place for business. Dinner with Stella wasn’t it.

I was already running a second round of checks on everyone who worked at the Mirage and Harper Security. I would know by tomorrow whether anyone had weaknesses outsiders could exploit.

Until then, I’d keep the ugly details of the investigation to myself.

Outwardly, Stella had bounced back from the break-in, but she was good at hiding her true emotions.

Even her closest friends thought she was unflappable when the signs of her anxiety were so clear—the way her breathing changed and her eyes darkened, the way she twisted her necklace around her finger whenever she was upset.

She didn’t show any of those signs now, but that didn’t mean she’d put what happened behind her. It’d only been twenty-four hours, for fuck’s sake.

“By the way, Luisa told me about the Delamonte deal,” I said, filling the lull in our conversation. “Congratulations.”

Since the meal started, she’d talked about everything except the break-in. She hadn’t even mentioned how her friends took the news, not that I cared. I only cared that they didn’t endanger her by doing something stupid.

But if she didn’t want to talk about what happened, I wouldn’t force her to.

Instead of sitting next to me like she’d had at breakfast, she occupied the chair at the other end of the eight-person table.

The distance irked me more than it should have, but a tiny smile touched my lips when her eyes brightened at the mention of Delamonte.

“Thank you. I can’t believe I got the deal. I still need to talk to my manager and sign the contract, but…” Her smile dimmed. “Well, you know what happened. Anyway.” She cleared her throat and took a sip of her water. “I’m excited. The campaign can open a lot of doors for me.”

“Is that what you want? To work with brands full time?”

From a logical standpoint, moving Stella into my house was one of the worst decisions I could’ve made.

She was my biggest distraction. My weakness.

That was why I’d tried to keep my distance that morning, but I didn’t fucking appreciate her telling me she didn’t care if I went out and fucked other women.

Like I’d been able to focus on any other woman since I met her.

I’d lasted less than a day trying to stay away from her.

“I think it’s good for the short term,” Stella said in response to my question. “I’m not sure it’s sustainable for the long term. I actually…”

I waited while indecision played across her features.

It was the look of someone who had a secret they were desperate but afraid to tell.

“I start my own fashion brand eventually. It’s not a sure thing,” she rushed out. “Just an idea I had. We’ll see.”

My eyebrows rose, more in intrigue than surprise.

Stella starting a fashion line made more sense than her working at a magazine.

Some people were leaders, others were followers. Stella might think she was the latter, but she was too talented and shone too brightly to be hemmed in by other people’s expectations.

“I think it’s a great idea.”

She blinked, clearly startled by my response. “Really?” She sounded doubtful.

“You’ve already built one brand with your blog and social media. Building a second shouldn’t be hard.” My mouth tilted. “Correction. It shouldn’t be hard.”

Stella’s brow furrowed. “I never thought about it that way.”

“Trust me. Even if you don’t have a physical product yet, you’re probably further along than you think.” She had the industry and marketing knowledge, which was often the hardest part. Creating the actual product was easy. “Do you have a business plan?”

My calm question betrayed the hum in my blood.

I was dragging out the conversation, but this was the first time we were talking about something real, something other than my work, her stalker, and our arrangement.

Stella shared most of her life online, but I wanted to hear about it in her words. I wanted to understand the way she thought, felt, and saw the world.

I wanted to unravel every thread that made her and lay them all bare so I could examine them. Figure out what it was about this woman, in particular, that entranced me when there were thousands who were objectively just as beautiful and who desired me more.

“Does sketch, sew, and pray for the best count?”

Another smile threatened to bloom at her hopeful tone. “Impressive, but I’m afraid you’ll require something more concrete.”

She sighed. “I was afraid of that. I can do the creative stuff, but I hate math. Anything more than basic accounting goes way over my head.”

“When you hit a certain level of success, you can hire someone to run the business side of things for you. Until then…” I tapped my fingers on the table. Once, twice. “I’ll help you.”

The words hovered between us, as shocked by their existence as I was.

Between the inside leak, her stalker, and Sentinel breathing down my neck, I already had a million things on my plate. I didn’t need to add a fucking fashion line to the mix.

But now that the offer was out there, I couldn’t take it back.

And, if I were being honest, I didn’t want to.

Stella’s eyes widened. “

help me. Personally?”

“I believe that’s implied by the word yes.”

“Why?”

“Does it matter?”

She hitched a stubborn brow.

I sighed. “I’m not writing the plan you, Stella. I’ll send you a template and review it as you go. It won’t take much time.”

Depending on how her draft was, it might take a whole fucking lot of time, but I kept that to myself.

“Plus, I can say I was there from the start when you become the next big thing,” I added.

“You sound so sure that’ll happen.”

“I sure.” I’d witnessed businesses come and go over the years. The ones that thrived were often led by people with the same qualities: creative, passionate, disciplined, and willing to learn.

Stella had all those qualities in spades. She just needed to discover that for herself.

Her shy, answering glance sent a strange warmth spiraling through my chest. “I, um, actually sketched out a few designs. Do you want to see?”

My smile finally blossomed in full, slow and languid. “I’d love to.”

Silence ensconced our walk to her room, where she pulled a stack of papers from her desk drawer and handed them to me.

“I wanted a line that fits the types of clothes I already cover on my account. High quality with a mix of price points for different consumers. And lots of dresses,” she added. “I love dresses.”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as I examined the sketches.

“They’re just drafts.” She twisted her necklace around her finger. “I haven’t sketched in a while, so I’m rusty—“

“They’re beautiful.”

Stella’s sketches were lush and intricately detailed, full of rich colors and perfectly cut silhouettes. They were designs that belonged on the runways of Milan and Paris, not stuffed in the corner of a room in D.C.

She faltered. “Really?”

“Yes, and I don’t lie to spare people’s feelings. If they were terrible, I’d say so. They’re not.” I handed the sketches back to her. “You’re talented. Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you otherwise.”

Stella’s lips parted a fraction at my words.

It was a tiny movement, but my eyes latched onto it like a magnet to steel.

The air thickened, suffocating us with a tension that ticked like a bomb waiting to explode.

“Do you understand?” My voice was low, but it burned between us like kindling doused with gasoline.

A visible swallow disrupted the delicate lines of her throat.

“Yes.” The soft exhale of her reply brushed my skin and tugged low on my groin.

She was so close.

I could end the game now, bend her to my will and stoke the embers of attraction between us until they ignited into flames. Give her a taste of what she could have if she succumbed to the inevitability of us.

“Good.”

I dipped my head and, in a subtle, almost unconscious movement, my lips touched hers.

Two seconds. One syllable. An electric instant that scorched every inch of my skin.

Somewhere in the distance, a sheaf of papers fluttered to the floor.

I inhaled Stella’s soft gasp like it was my last ounce of oxygen, and a groan worked its way up my throat at her sweet taste.

It was barely a kiss. We hadn’t even moved, yet our brief contact me.

The air in my lungs, the beat in my heart.

In that moment, Stella was the only thing that existed.

I breathed her in. Exhaled. And pulled back.

We stared at each other.

Our almost kiss had lasted no more than a fraction of a minute, yet we were both flushed and panting like we’d run a marathon.

Surprise and something weightier darkened her eyes into emerald pools.

“Christian…” The sound of my name on her shallow breath poured lust straight into my veins.

My groin tightened.

I couldn’t believe I had a hard-on after a few seconds of chaste contact, yet here we were.

“Our first business meeting is next week. Come prepared.” I rolled up my sleeves, my cool voice at odds with the flames licking my skin. When did it get so fucking hot in here? “Good night, Stella.”

I left before she could respond.

Every molecule of my body demanded I stay and finish what I’d started, but it was too soon. Someone broke into her house yesterday, for God’s sake.

Still, when I stepped into my bathroom and turned the water as cold as it would go, the burn in my blood remained.