Page 41 of Twisted Truth

“That’s first on my list of things to discuss. You can’t stay at your friend’s apartment anymore. It’s not safe for you, her, or her boyfriend. Buildings like that aren’t made to keep out paparazzi or people who might want to try to get close to you. Now that this is official, our statement will go out this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning, and the story will explode. You have an idea of what that can do in terms of bringing the weirdos out of the woodwork, but trust me, it can be crazier than you imagine. You must live in a secure building.”

“Okay. Do you have something in mind? I could never afford anything like that, so I wouldn’t even know where to startlooking. And that takes time. So, like, what do I do today? Tonight?”

“You’ll have to come stay with me.”

I almost choke on my iced tea. “Stay with you?”

“There is nowhere else for you to go that is secure on such short notice.”

“Won’t that make things . . . awkward? Or complicated?” God, this is all moving so fast.

“It doesn’t have to. You’ve seen my apartment, it’s definitely big enough for the two of us to share. We can stay on opposite sides if that makes you more comfortable. My guest rooms are upstairs, anyway, and they all have private bathrooms, so it’s not like we’ll constantly be running into one another. Plus, it has almost anything you could need: an office you can use, a gym, an outdoor patio, a small pool. That way you’re not risking going out in public to do mundane things.”

“How long would I stay there?”

He shrugs. “You could stay the whole time or, if that’s too uncomfortable, we could get you in a separate apartment in the same building if one comes available. But I don’t want you in a separate building.”

“Why?”

“I . . . have issues with safety. Growing up in the family I did, I’ve seen and heard many, many threats. Some people would call me paranoid, but I have a very good reason for it. I won’t have you somewhere that I can’t be sure you’re safe.”

I push my pasta around again, my appetite waning quickly. This is a lot to take in. In the blink of twelve hours, so many aspects of my life have changed.

“What’s wrong?” Asher asks, clearly sensing my change in mood.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed. And it’s . . . disconcerting to not be in full control over my life.”

Asher nods thoughtfully. “I get that. I’ve spent significant amounts of time doing things I didn’t want to do, and dealing with things I didn’t choose to be a part of my life. It unfortunately comes with my family’s name. But you will be compensated for all of this.”

“Yes. I appreciate that. But it’s still kind of weird to move into your house because you’re concerned for my safety when I just met you two days ago. I would understand that concern for your mother, or a real girlfriend. I’m none of those things.”

“As far as anyone outside the board and our little team is concerned, you are my real girlfriend. And if you were my real girlfriend, this is exactly how I would act. There is a reason I haven’t done much serious dating. Part of it is because I’m a selfish asshole, as I’ve been told, but part of it is because I’m acutely aware of what it means to bring someone into my world and onto my stage. Trust me, I wouldn’t be asking this of you if I wasn’t being forced to by the board.

“With that said, I feel responsible for you and your safety. I asked this of you, so it’s the least I can do to make sure you’re protected. And I can’t do that properly if you’re living in another building. It will make me worry, and I don’t like to worry, so it’s best if I just keep you close. Plus, the media will eat that up. Us living together will sell our story that much faster.”

I chew slowly, arranging my thoughts. “This is all just so sudden.”

“I know. And I do apologize. As I said, if the board wasn’t threatening me with my shares on the line, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

“So, we live together, go to work together, go to functions together. Is that going to be overwhelming for you? Even for a real couple, that’s a lot.”

“Well, we’ll travel to work together, but once the plans and strategies are all in place for our public appearances, I won’t bemeeting with your team very often. We never saw one another at work before Monday, so I don’t think we’ll be in each other’s orbits much at the office.”

I let out a little sigh of relief. That’s something, at least.

13

ASHER

“Call the friend you’re staying with,” I say to Ella, after checking a text from Matthew. “It looks like my one o’clock meeting has been pushed back. The man I’m meeting with had his flight delayed due to weather somewhere, and he won’t be here until three. We might as well go get your things now so you don’t have to run to her place after work.”

“And when is our team meeting going to be? I have a lot to prepare.”

“Tomorrow morning; I’m sending an email to Emily as we speak.”

We pullup to the curb outside Ella’s friend’s building, and annoyance ripples through me. There’s a dozen paps sitting outside with cameras, harassing anyone who comes and goes from the building. These vultures will do anything for a story. And here we are, about to give them one.

I hate this shit.