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Lawrence shot me a “Where the hell is she going with this?” look, and I shrugged.
Every now and then, an inexperienced journalist would ask me some form of that question, but once they tied our connection to “Travis Carter: The Punisher,” they let it go. A guy hanging out with his best friend’s younger sister was a non-story for them.
“Penelope and I are strictly platonic,” I said. “We always have been, and we always will be.”
“I’m sure that all of my readers will be happy to hear that.” She batted her eyes at me, and Lawrence glared at her from across the room. “Speaking of romance—”
“You are here to write up a short piece called, Hayden Hunter’s Top Lessons in Life.” Lawrence interrupted, crossing his arms. “That’s literally the entire reason why we shut down this coffee shop, since your editor demanded that we have the photoshoot someplace ‘down to earth and real.’ The photogs have taken their pictures and left, so you need to hurry up and get to the point.”
“Yes, of course.” Her cheeks reddened. “What’s your favorite color, Mr. Hunter?”
“Oh, wow.” Lawrence rolled his eyes. “What a thought provoking question.”
“Ignore him.” I smiled at her. “He doesn’t get laid much. I like sky blue.”
“Okay.” She scribbled a few notes on her pad. “I’ve heard that you’re also a huge fan of candy, so do you like pineapple?”
“I do.”
“There’s a myth that if a woman eats pineapple, her ‘down there’ will taste better when a guy uses his mouth on her. Seeing as though you’ve mentioned loving pineapples several times, do you think that’s true? Do you have any experience in that area?”
I smiled as Lawrence looked like he was seconds away from losing his shit. “Next question.”
“Okay, then.” She shrugged. “When you first built your company here in New York—I’m twenty-four years old, no kids, tons of ambition, and I can suck your cock like you wouldn’t believe.” The words rushed out of her mouth as she jumped the shark. “I can make you forget all about your latest scandal, if you give me three hours.”
What the fuck?
“You can take me up to your penthouse suite.” She leaned forward. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Security!” Lawrence held his cell phone up to his ear. “Security, come in from the outside, now. We have a certified psychopath on our hands.”
“I wanted this interview to see if I felt a vibe with you.” She clasped my hand atop the table. “I felt it the moment I came in and you pulled out my chair. From the way you looked at me, I can tell that you care about me. You complete me.”
I raised my eyebrow, wondering if a prankster TV host was seconds away from making an appearance.
“I run the Hayden Hunter Wears Sexy Suits blog and I’ve followed you for years. I think we belong together.”
I had no idea how to respond to that.
My security guards, Henry and Taylor, moved in front of her.
“Come on, Miss.” They helped her up, but she pushed back.
“I’m not done talking to him!” She tried to move around them, but Henry looped his arms under hers—pulling her away.
“I wrote my number in lipstick at the bottom of that gift box!” She shouted as they carried her to the door. “I’ll be waiting for your call!”
I shook my head once the door shut. “Well, that won’t be helping me anytime soon.”
“I’ll have Sarah do a better job screening the next interviewer,” he said. “I’m not sure how she managed to slip through the cracks.”
“It’s fine.” I stood to my feet. “I’ll be ready for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker on Friday.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Out. I have plans with Penelope.”
“No, you don’t.” He crossed his arms. “Unless she’s dying. Is she dying?”
“She wants to introduce me to her new boyfriend,” I said. “He’s making us dinner at her place. Italian, I believe.”
“And?” He looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Does he have some type of clout with the press that we can use to better your fuckups?”
“The ‘meet the family’ thing is a very important part in being her best friend, Lawrence.” I smiled. “She doesn’t have her parents, as you know. And she hardly ever gets to the six-month mark in any of her relationships.”
“Gee, I wonder why that is … ”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that your reputation—what’s left of it anyway, is in tatters and we can’t rely on your upcoming charity ball to help with your image this time. We need a hardcore plan with weeks of strategic moves, and you need to be there for every step of the way.”
“I will be.” I slid a pair of shades over my eyes. “After I get done meeting with Penelope and her boyfriend.”
