Page 22 of Beauty and the Bosshole
It’s a photo of me and Ava. We’re walking off the jet holding hands. Her body leans into me and she’s laughing.
“I’d hate for your new assistant to have a little accident.”
Rage courses through my body, but I push it down. I can’t show Leon any of the anger that’s surging through my body right now. I take a steadying breath before speaking.
“What’s my assistant got to do with this?”
He nods at the guard and another photo falls on the table in front of me. This one’s of us inside the plane, me kissing her neck.
“Where the fuck…” Tara, it has to have been Tara. Andrew was flying the plane and she was conspicuously absent. She must have hidden somewhere or installed a camera. I’ll have to get the plane swept before we fly back.
Another photo lands on the table of Ava gripping my thigh, her head bent back in ecstasy.
My hands squeeze into fists, but I somehow manage to keep my cool. I can’t show Leon how much Ava means to me. The man’s unhinged, and his love for his daughter is clouding any semblance of reasonableness he might have left.
I breathe deeply twice, and when I look up, my expression is blank.
“You know how easy assistants are.”Forgive me, Ava, I offer up silently,but the only way to protect you is to pretend I don’t care. “Nothing wrong with a little fun when you can get it.”
I’ll fucking kill him when I’m done. I’ll turn him into a pair of boots and get my mother to wear them for her part in this.
Leon’s watching me closely, and I’m thankful for the thumping music from the club or he’d be able to hear my heart hammering in my chest.
“It’s just marriage,” Leon croons. “Your mother wants grandchildren, I want a cut of your business, and you want your assistant to leave Las Vegas with all her pretty limbs.”
I’m seething so much I don’t trust myself to speak. Ava’s in danger and I need to get back to her.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I ignore it. It might be Ava, and the last thing I want is to have a conversation with her now. I can’t let Leon know how much she means to me.
We face each other over the table until my phone stops ringing.
Almost as soon as it stops, it starts again.
“Aren’t you going to get that?”
Leon doesn’t take his eyes off me. Even the damn snake’s watching me.
“It’s good.” I stand up, preparing to leave, and Leon sits back on the sofa watching me.
The phone rings again, and Leon’s smirking at me in a way that makes the knot in my gut churn uneasily.
“You should take the call from your Creative Director.”
How the fuck does Leon know who’s calling me? I check my phone and, sure enough, it’s Declan.
“Take it,” Leon crows.
My heart’s racing, and I’m too damn curious as to how Leon knows Declan’s calling and what the fuck he might have to say. I have a horrible feeling I’m walking into a trap, and it’s too late to do anything about it.
“Declan,” I answer, already knowing I’m going to hate whatever news he has to tell me. If Ava’s come to any harm…
“I love her,” Declan gushes. “She’s perfect.”
I let out a deep breath. Ava’s okay. She’s got all her limbs and she’s with Declan. I’m annoyed she went to the studio without me but not entirely surprised at her independence.
“She’ll be perfect for launching into the European markets, although I thought this shoot was more internally focused.”
Leon’s grinning broadly, and I’m trying to make sense of what Declan’s saying and also wondering how quick I can push the hired car to get to Ava. But something he says snags in my mind.