“No problem. I’ll find something.” Before he left, he messaged Frog.Will ring in a few.
Nowcame Frog’s instant reply.
Josh sighed, found a quiet spot out of the way of the pedestrian traffic, and dialed his friend. No doubt, if Frog had his way, it’d be ex-friend. His own damn fault. Josh shouldn’t have crossed the line.
“What the fuck is going on over there?” Frog roared. “Sex tapes? What the fuck, man? I trusted you to protect Ashley. Instead, you think with your dick and make a sex tape.”
“You gonna let me speak?” Josh asked before Frog started again.
“Speak!” Frog roared.
“Ashley’s stalker placed a hidden camera in her bedroom.”
“Which doesn’t explain why your pasty white arse is in the movie. The thing about a fake engagement is that it remains a pretense. No sex.” Frog’s voice grew in volume. “What part ofno sexdon’t you get? If you screw Ashley’s chance to follow her dream because of sex, I’ll come home, and your problems will be worse than one stupid stalker. Where is Ashley? You tell her to call me,” Frog ordered.
“No, I won’t do that. Ashley is coping with the situation. She doesn’t need you shouting at her.”
“You slept with my sister,” Frog said, this time in a scarily quiet voice.
“It was consensual,” Josh snapped. “Ashley has enough to deal with now. I’ll tell her you’re concerned and want to lecture her. But don’t you dare upset her. If that’s all, I have to buy sandwiches, so Ashley gets to eat before her next gig.”
“Keep your hands off my sister.” Frog hung up before Josh could reply.
Josh cursed and shoved his phone in his pocket. Dammit, he hated arguing with Frog. Worse, he loathed being the meat in a sibling sandwich. No matter what he did, what he said, he’d be in the wrong. He’d thought this job would help him—give him space to make decisions.
Now, he’d fucked everything up and fallen for Ashley, a woman who was too damn good for him.
17 – Putting Out Fires
The next two days passed, and Ashley felt as if she was putting out fires in every direction. Overseas news agencies had picked up the sex tape story, although thankfully, the social media companies had hastened to remove the videos.
She couldn’t go anywhere without Nelson, Gerry, or Josh following her. Her protection squad. Although she appreciated their presence, the lack of freedom to do something as simple as visiting the restroom frustrated her.
Next up, her parents were concerned while Matt had sent a terse email demanding to know why she was putting the career she wanted above all else in jeopardy by jumping into bed with Josh.
Which led to her final problem.
Josh Williams.
Since the day of the sex tape and Matt’s call, he’d distanced himself. They’d shared a bed, but each kept to their respective sides. While in public, they were friendly and polite, but Ashley hated the widening gap between them. She couldn’t discuss this with any of her political friends since as far as they knew, the engagement was real. Summer was the next logical choice, but it didn’t seem right to discuss Josh with his sister—not with private things. Ashley scowled and twirled the engagement ring on her finger.
As she saw it, she had one final solution. She swallowed her last mouthful of tea. Ugh! Cold. She rinsed the cup and placed it in the dishwasher before turning to Josh.
“Josh, are you busy? We need to have a discussion.”
“Can it wait until I finish watching this movie?” Josh didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
“I’ll be in our bedroom,” Ashley said and stalked off. She’d do paperwork, check for correspondence from Summer, and decide what she’d wear tomorrow night to the next political debate.
Ashley picked a red pants suit, deciding to pair it with a cream blouse and black heels. Next up, she checked her email and opened one from Summer with full details of the program for the following day, and the policies she should discuss, given the opportunity.
Summer had written,you haven’t mentioned the middle New Zealander. None of your policies address this.
Ashley grinned at Summer’s extra input. It was helpful to have someone who voted for the other main party to see through flaws in her program. Summer managed it in such a way as to not cause offense. Josh’s sister was proving her worth, and Ashley had quickly come to appreciate and trust her. Summer bore the same solid honor as Josh.
Integrity was worthy in its place, but when it became a block sitting between her and Josh, their situation had to change.
When Josh didn’t arrive, Ashley prepared for bed. The man intended to wait until she’d fallen asleep. She had plenty of busywork, correspondence to write. No problem. She set her jaw with determination.
