“Freyda Inc.” I recognized Fred’svoice.
“Dax Munro and Carter James from KlineSmart,” I announced, “the number-one media PR firm, according toBizNews.”
Fred feigned alaugh.
“Is Aydathere?”
“She is. I’ll put her on speaker. We want to congratulate you guystogether.”
“I’m sure you do,” I said, unable to cloak my sarcasm ordisdain.
After a moment of waiting, Ayda’s voice came on. “Donnie, it’s Ayda and Fred. We got your little gift basket. How generous of you to send us a framed copy of the certificateBizNewssentyou.”
Carter couldn’t stifle hissnicker.
“Oh, just returning the favor from last year, when you sent usyours.”
“We’ve been so swamped, we haven’t had a chance to send you a card yet,” Ayda added. “I guess we’ll have to try harder nextyear.”
“Speaking of effort, I have to hand it to you guys. Really impressive how you worked withGlitz & Glamto get those pictures leaked and then to try and get my mother to dish some dirt on us in aninterview.”
“I can’t imagine what you could be referring to,” Ayda said, audiblygasping.
“Oh, a little birdie told mesomething.”
“Is that birdie’s name Carter James?” Fred asked, sounding more than a littleannoyed.
“Yes, that’s his name,” Carter chimed in, taking his much-deserved credit for everything he discovered during his sexual exploits with his WMEagent.
“Nothing like a little friendly competition,” Aydaadded.
“Yeah, sure. Hey, Freyda Inc. Why don’t you guys go fuck yourselves? See you on top again nextyear.”
They started to chatter, but I hung up, feeling gratified with leaving it right there, having given them a goddamn piece of mymind.
“I think that went well,” Carter said,beaming.
“Well, couldn’t have called them on their shit if Fred hadn’t blabbed about their whole scheme to Brant, who then apparently felt the need to share it withyou.”
“Give me some credit. I’m pretty much the James Bond of PR, thank you verymuch.”
“I don’t recall James Bond sucking a lot of dick to get hisintel.”
“Sucking? I don’t take the easy way out. I have to work this ass like nobody’sbusiness.”
I grinned, enjoying his playfulness along with our victory over Freyda Inc. in more ways thanone.
We continued en route to Jace’s place, where I was picking him up to take him to the Fever Fight campus. He’d initially suggested we all meet there, but I wasn’t about to let him get a look at the place withoutme.
When we arrived at Fever Fight, I parked in the lot beside Nance’s SUV, and we headed up to their facilities, an impressive space big enough to have been aschool.
In front of the building’s entrance, Ash, Beau, Linc, and Rush were clustered in a group with Nance, Keeg, and Serena. They all seemed to be catching up but stopped as we neared, Nance turning to Jace, looking as proud of him as ever. When we reached them, we all exchanged hugs and pleasantries and waited for the president of the Fever Fight board to arrive. Once he showed, he gave us the grand tour, taking us through the gym, the rec center, the theatre, and the library. I had a hard time paying attention to any of it, because all I kept doing was checking Jace’s expression and detecting the sheer pride he had for all the changes being made due to hiscontribution.
He must’ve noticed at one point, because he turned to me, and seeing my interest in his appreciation of the spectacle, smiled that smile that left a swirling sensation filling my chest. He still had this almost mystical power over me, and I wasn’t sure that would ever goaway.
We’d been through quite a bit since our adventure began. Being with Jace had forced me to confront so many of my personal demons. They’d held such a grip on me for so long, but as I’d learned over the past three months, the slight celebrity status we enjoyed wasn’t so bad. We weren’t in Hollywood, constantly hounded by the media. We’d grab headlines every so often, and after the folks around town got their selfies, they tended to be just nice, down-to-earth people who understood we wanted to have our peace at whatever restaurants or events we attended. In some ways, the experience had been a sort of much-needed therapy forme.
After the tour finished, I headed to the restroom, and as I was heading out, Jace entered and didn’t hesitate to assault me with kisses. He pushed me back against the counter, and the way he embraced me, his lips and tongue working their magic on me effortlessly, made me feelwhole.
