Page 22 of A Corruption Dark & Deadly

He smiled brilliantly at this, which was enough for Annie’s heart to flutter.

When the door on Jericho’s side opened up, Jericho stepped outside. Annie had to squint; the cameras were already flashing, and when they saw him turn to look inside, they started getting excited at the prospect that Jericho was actually with someone. Which made no sense to Annie. They were going to be sorely disappointed, considering she was just some accountant. Not a movie star or a supermodel. She could sing a bit, but only in the car with the windows rolled up and she was alone.

Yet there was something in the way he looked at her, like she was the sun and the stars and the moon all wrapped into one. It made her feel confident in who she was and special. It made her feel desired and adored. And, though she didn’t exactly like Jericho, she did like the feeling he gave her. And perhaps that meant something.

When he reached for her hand, she gave it to him. Before the paparazzi could even see her, they were shouting questions at them: who was she? How old was she? Were they lovers? Were they dating? Were they together? Jericho smiled a big smile without responding as he eased Annie out of the car.

“Don’t answer if you don’t feel comfortable,” he whispered to her. “Just put a smile on your face and they’ll be more concerned about taking pictures than anything else.”

“Sit still, look pretty,” Annie murmured as she stood. Her body pressed into Jericho’s due to the fact that he didn’t step back to give her a comfortable amount of space. If he just stepped forward, he would be kissing her.

This seemed to please the photographers because they snapped their pictures furiously.

“Never,” Jericho whispered, serious. “You say whatever you want. You are not just a pretty face, Ms. Brennan. You are more than that.”

“Annie,” Annie said after swallowing. “You can call me Annie.”

His eyes sparkled at that but he made no comment. He didn’t need to. She knew he appreciated it. He kept her hand in his, and she let him. He led her to where the small red carpet began. It was no Hollywood premiere, but it was enough to make her feel like some sort of celebrity.

“They’re going to take pictures of us now,” Jericho said, leaning in and whispering in her ears. To the outside world, it seemed as though the two were sharing an intimate moment, but really, he was calling out to her practical side, which she appreciated. “We’ll pose for a moment or two, and then head inside.”

To be honest, the pictures weren't as bad as they could have been. She stood next to Jericho, who still held onto her hand and she gripped it like a vice. She put a small smile on her face and cocked her head but she had no idea what angle was best and how to hold herself the right way to make sure the photographers captured her best side. All she knew was that she had to roll her shoulders back so it didn't look like she was slouching, which required more confidence than she currently felt.

More questions were shot at Jericho about who she was. It should have bothered Annie a lot more because they completely disregarded her as unimportant and inconsequential. However, she was more than happy to field those questions to Jericho and let him handle them in the way he deemed was best. Annie had no idea what to say and considering she didn't even know what they were besides roommates, she opted to keep her mouth shut.

She hoped the cameras didn't make her out to be a frigid bitch.

After a long moment, Jericho gently tugged on her hand, indicating that they would be heading inside now. He never led her, however. Instead, he made sure that they walked side by side, equals rather than him taking over and leading her where he wanted to go. She was not an afterthought.

More cameras flashed and she blinked, not used to the overabundance of pictures. She was certain they caught her making faces and scrunching her eyes. He would definitely regret bringing her here, after the first pictures were released.

When they walked inside, Jericho was greeted politely by hotel staff. Annie's eyes were drawn to the gorgeous decorations that littered the ten-floor hotel. White lights danced across each banister and the lights were dimmed low. It was just after Christmas so wreaths and holly still hung on the banisters.

"Are you ready?" Jericho asked in a low voice.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied honestly.

He smiled in return, squeezing her hand and running his thumb across her knuckles.

--

The night was more fun than Annie ever expected it to be. Jericho was a lovely date, much better than she expected him to be. He was sweet and attentive and was always asking if she needed anything or if she was okay. More than that, it was easy to discern that he actually meant it. Like, he wasn't the sort of guy that would ask unless he cared. He always found a way to keep one hand on her body, whether he was holding her hand or placing one hand on her back or squeezing her shoulder. It surprised her how much at ease she felt with him to the point where she didn't even flinch anymore when he touched her. She was used to it and she was okay with it, which meant her guard was dropping around him and that scared her more than anything.

Because Jericho was a guy she could fall in love with and she barely knew him. She didn't understand this whatsoever. All of her previous boyfriends had been friends first. There was a comfort there. But Jericho was definitely not her friend but she had never been attracted to anyone before the way she was to Jericho.

A few hours into the night, Jericho led her up to the third floor where there was an empty conference room.

"I have a meeting with potential buyers," he told her, his palm cupping her cheek, his thumb resting just below her ear. "Would you mind waiting just outside? I shouldn't take more than a few minutes to finalize everything."

Annie nodded. "I can just wait downstairs," she told him. "I don't want to intrude."

"The last thing you're doing is intruding," he told her. "No, I want you here, close to me. I'll check on you in five minutes if things take longer than normal."

"I'm not a child, Jericho," she told him.

"I know you're not," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. "And I'm not questioning your abilities to take care of yourself. But it's important to me that you're close by because I'm a selfish man and it would make me feel better if I knew you were around. It's important that nothing happens to you."

She tilted her head to the side, looking at him with careful eyes. "What could possibly happen to me?" she asked. "We're in a public place. People know I came with you."