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Chapter Thirteen
“Paxton, open up! C’mon, man!”
Pax rolled over in bed and frowned at the clock. Five am, and he had taken the day off. The pounding on his door was loud and incessant, and he recognized the voice as Jason’s.
Not wanting to wake Diamond, who was sleeping soundly beside him, he rolled out of bed with a groan, and strode quickly to the door, grabbing his robe off the hook, and shrugging it on.
He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. It was a private floor, which only he, Jase, and the staff had access to. Jase was standing there pacing, looking more agitated than Pax had ever seen him, and clutching what looked to be a rolled up newspaper in his hand.
When he came out, Jase stopped in his tracks and stared at him annoyed. “Really, dude? Can’t we have this conversation somewhere other than the hallway?”
Pax stalled. The suite was large, and the bedroom door was closed, but he didn’t want to risk Diamond waking up to the surprise of finding Jase in there. What if she came out naked?
“Dude, I know Diamond’s in there. The entire world knows Diamond’s in there, and odds are, you’ve got a money hungry BDSM loving paparazzo staying in the hotel right now. So unless you want him to stay here, and continue to have access and ability to ruining both your lives, you need to let me in now.”
Shocked into action by Jason’s words, and the intensity with which he delivered his speech, Pax unlocked the door, and stepped aside, following Jase in instead of the other way around.
Once they were in, Jase mellowed, taking a seat on a chair in the living area. “Dude.” Without another word or any follow up, he handed Pax the paper he had been clutching.
With a raised eyebrow, Pax began to unroll it, immediately noting that the publication was that of a global tabloid. When the headline America’s Submissive Sweetheart Takes Refuge in Las Vegas BDSM Club came into view, his stomach dropped. And then, when he flattened it on the table, and his own image came into view, a photo of him on the front porch of the guest house at Diamond’s father’s house, holding Diamond’s chin in his hand as he kissed her, the rage set in.
“Holy fuck.”
“Keep reading. That’s just the cover.”
The story spanned several pages. It rehashed the accident that killed her mother, the recently released details of the accident, and the fact that the press had been unable to locate Diamond when the story broke. It spoke of her work at Aubergine, and finally, her newly formed relationship with Pax. The article referred to him as a “BDSM club scene aficionado, club owner, and professional dom.”
“Oh hell. How bad is it? Do you think the public really cares?” Pax questioned, thinking about what Diamond’s father had said, and praying the older man had been right.
Jason didn’t even answer. He just stood, wordlessly, walked to the window, opened the blinds and pointed to the sidewalk below.
Reluctantly Pax followed, knowing that if Jason wasn’t even answering, it had to be bad. It was. Pax’s suite looked down on the sidewalk outside the casino lobby. From his seating area, he could see both the entrance to his own casino, and the entrance to Aubergine. Both were madhouses. Paparazzi toting cameras of all makes and sizes lined the streets in various attire. Some had suitcases, as if they were planning to stay while the story was hot. Others toted backpacks and water bottles. Some had video cameras. In the streets between the two casinos, there were news vans. Lots of news vans, from both the local stations and the national ones. He swore under his breath, and looked helplessly at his friend for answers. “How did this happen, and what do I do?”
Finally, Jason had an answer. He sprang into action, grabbing the open tabloid from its place on the coffee table. “Okay, so the catalyst of the story, was the picture on the cover. Whoever took it apparently is very active in the online BDSM scene, and recognized you from club publicity pics over the years. So, then, on a lark, they drove here, and snapped this picture last night.” Jase pointed to a photo Pax hadn’t noticed earlier, one that had apparently been taken as he and Diamond had entered the club just last night. “This one,” Jason pointed again, to a photo of Diamond in club attire posing with the Tanners and their submissives, “was available on the Tanner’s website. I’ve already contacted them via email and asked them to remove it as soon as possible.”
“Oh good. Thank you, Jase. You always have my back.” Pax paused for a minute, looking over all the photos, before speaking again. “So, this one, right here, the one taken in LA sparked the whole thing?”
“Yup. If we can figure out who took it, we might be able to shut this down or at least take precautionary measures to keep something like this from happening again.”
“I know who took it. Or I mean, I know someone who does. So this guy, he’s in the club scene?”
Jason nodded gravely. “Possibly. He could just be an online lurker who obsesses, but doesn’t have the guts to actually play.”
Judging by what little Pax did know of him, the second option seemed more likely. “Great. Just my luck. I insisted on going with Diamond because I was afraid of her running into over exuberant, crazed paparazzi, and instead, I only see one the entire trip. And he apparently recognized me, because he’s some sort of closeted dom wannabe freak?” Pax but his head in his hands and sighed deeply. “This is all my fault. I wanted to keep her safe, and instead I put her in danger.”
“Dude. Don’t be so hard on yourself. For real. How could you have possibly known that this would happen? I mean, what are the odds? There was a much higher chance of her being harassed by them in LA then there was of someone knowing who you were and putting together a story from that.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I know. I just can’t help but feel guilty. I led the vultures right to her doorstep. She hid out here successfully for four years. One week with me, and her cover is blown.”
“Pax, pull yourself together, man. You can’t change what already happened. You have to be proactive. We need a plan, and most of all, we need to keep Diamond safe, and out of the tabloids.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.” Grateful for his friend, he took several deep calming breaths, and tried to regulate his heart, which currently felt like it could beat out of his chest and fall on the floor at any moment. “Okay, it’s almost six. Let’s order breakfast, and make a plan. When we have one, we’ll wake up Diamond.”
* * *
The ringing of her phone woke her, and she mentally cursed the fact that she had been much too busy and distracted to mute it before she went to bed last night. Rolling over, she squinted at the screen, peering at the number in confusion until it came to focus. It was her father. Before seven on a Monday morning? What in the hell?
Praying the early hour was more an indication of her father’s absentmindedness and not an actual emergency, she answered, mumbling a garbled hello.
