The guy is so squeaky clean online it makes me suspicious. Obscenely wealthy old-money family from Monaco, no photos of him beyond staged social events. No women, or men, in any unseemly photos. All of his sponsors are ultra-conservative brands. He doesn’t have any personal social media accounts that I can find, but even his fan-based accounts are as dull as a doorknob.
I heard something from an NHL announcer many years ago. If something’s too good to be true, it’s probably a fraud.
Dirtbag DuPont is a fraud. I don’t know what I can possibly do about it, but I’m a fighter. If Lennox is out of fight, I’ll lend him some of mine.
My phone buzzes.
Lennox: Get your ass over here.
There’s my bossy, alpha asshole!
I don’t bother putting real clothes on and rush into the hall in my pajama pants and a tank top, grabbing just my phone and keycard. Movement way down the hallway catches my eye as Lennox’s door opens. Jack and Alessi, one of the drivers from Anora Racing, are about to head into his room. Aha!
“Mallory,” he nods.
“Jack,” I keep a straight face and nod back, both of us busted sneaking into our respective hotel rooms with our inappropriate workplace romances. Lennox pulls me into his room and shuts the door and I finally let out a grin. Good for Jack, Alessi seems like a decent person from what I’ve seen.
“Sorry about earlier,” Lennox takes me in his arms.
“You can apologize for lots of other things, but you don’t owe me an apology for today.”
“What else would I be sorry for?” He asks, dead serious.
“How about trying to get me to quit for the longest time?”
“Mmm, that,” he kisses my neck. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t quit. You’re doing a good job and I want you to stay now.”
Oh god, he’s breaking my heart. My stupid heart that has no business being in this hotel room with him. And now I’m supposed to betray him and not do my job very well.
“Movie?” He asks. He’s still not his normal self or he’d have me pinned up against the wall by now, or bent over the nearest piece of furniture. I’m almost glad, though. Not because I don’t want him, I do. But because he asked me over for company, not just sex.
“Perfect,” I say, grabbing the television remote. I hop on the bed and start scanning through channels.
“Wait, go back,” he says, joining me in bed leaning against the headboard. “That looked like Godzilla.”
Watching campy old monster movies has become a ‘thing’ we do. Godzilla is in Japanese, obviously, but I figure out how to turn subtitles on, he kills the lights and I snuggle between his legs and lean back against his chest. He runs his fingers through my hair absentmindedly and I almost forget the nightmare situation I have compounding itself: Celeritas is messing with my job and my father is trying to sue me.
“What’s wrong?” He asks.
I didn’t realize I must have tensed up. “Nothing,” I lie. I don’t want to pile onto his bad day with my dysfunctional family again.
“Tell me.” He starts kneading my shoulders with those amazing strong hands and I roll my head around moaning.
“Just family stuff.”
“What now?”
“Ugh,” I press my hands into my eyes but Lennox never stops massing my neck. “My dad apparently saw a lawyer today. To sue me for libel.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s saying by telling him off in public I was reckless and maliciously caused damage to his reputation. Cody doesn’t think he has a case, but…”
“But it’s still bullshit. What kind of parent sues their child?”
“They’re special, aren’t they? I guess this is my punishment for being such a disappointment.” Lennox pauses his magic fingers for a second then resumes, running his thumbs along my spine up and down the base of my neck. “Even if a lawsuit is unsuccessful, it’ll derail my plans for a firm. He’ll keep coming for me until my reputation is shot.”
“What do you need from me? Lawyer or,”