Page 126 of Twisted Truth

“It’s beautiful.”

And it is. It looks like a more traditional watch band from a time before smartwatches existed, but it’s more than that. It almost looks like a bracelet-watchband hybrid.

“Thank you,” Mr. Covington says, flashing me another smile. “It looks even better on a beauty like you.”

I blush.

He keeps a hold of my hand and turns to the cameras. I’d noted that there were many flashing lights during our exchange, and the cameras are still snapping frantically. I cross my fingers that my press attention will help the launch and not overshadow it. You never know which way a story could go.

But Mr. Covington doesn’t seem worried. In fact, he seems elated by the attention. After a few more photos, he walks me over to stand in front of the display with the models. He motions for me to stand at the center of them, but Emily notes that my clothes don’t match theirs.

“I’ll just move out of the shot,” I say.

“Nonsense. I want you here at the main display. We’ll move the others around.”

I squirm and pretend not to notice the surprised and annoyed looks the models shoot my way as they’re dispersed away from the center display to the smaller ones.

“I don’t feel like I match the aesthetic,” I whisper to Emily while Mr. Covington is distracted.

“You look great. You’re wearing Chanel. Chanel goes with anything. And who knows, it may help sell the luxury watch band. Vericom is pushing for sales of the watch band almost as much as the smartwatch itself to set themselves apart from other tech companies with smartwatches.”

Let’s hope so.

I do my best to not look awkward, and the event passes by in a blur of video and oral presentations, flashing lights from the press, and questions for Mr. Covington and the Vericom team. I smile and pretend like I know how to model, and I let out a huge sigh of relief when the event wraps up and the models are excused.

I start to make my way over to Emily and the rest of the Langford team, but Mr. Covington catches me before I reach them.

“You were an unexpected and delightful surprise today,” he says, brushing his hand along my elbow again.Seriously, what is it with this guy and my elbow?“I’ve never seen the press so excited for a product launch before. They normally hate things like this, but your presence quickly changed their perspective.”

“Oh, no. I’m sure they were just excited about the product.”

Mr. Covington laughs. “No, no, Ms. Hale. Believe me, it wasn’t the watches that excited them. It was the woman wearing the watch. Now they’re guaranteed a lot more clicks and website traffic for writing about our product launch.”

“Then I’m glad I could be helpful.”

I remember that I’m wearing the watch and start to remove it to give it back.

“No, you keep it. You earned it.”

“I hardly earned it. I stood there and smiled.”

“Which is more than enough.”

“I can’t accept it, Mr. Covington. It’s too much.”

“No Mr. Covington; call me Blake. And trust me, you more than earned it. My team is over the moon with the launch. Three of them posted pictures on our social media accounts with you wearing the watch at the beginning of the launch, and the posts are already blowing up.”

“Wow, that was fast.”

He smirks at me. “It seems you’re still unused to your newpower. Asher is a lucky man to have a jewel like you shining for him. You certainly brighten his dreary demeanor in the media.”

I let out an unsure laugh. “Well, I do what I can. Even if it’s an impossible task.”

Now he lets out a real laugh. “I like you, Ella Hale. If Asher didn’t have you, I’d snatch you away from him.”

I blush again with no idea what to say to that. He leans down and gives me a little bit more than a business-type peck on my cheek, and then I tell him goodbye and scurry away.

What the hell was that?