Seb followed her gaze to the gray water below. “Sucroz are the makers of a so-called sports drink. I may have publicly bad-mouthed their product a little while not being my usual sunny self during a recent visit to Vegas.”
“What did you say?”
“That their drink is poisonous crap, full of chemicals and sugar, a beeline for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Something along those lines.”
To his surprise, she laughed, but her eyes had lost their earlier sparkle. “I suppose someone had to say it.”
“Yeah, well … saying it didn’t exactly put me on Sucroz’s Christmas card list. They’ve been up in my business ever since.”
Cassie looked tired and pale—was this all because of Grice?
After taking a moment to study the heavy sky, Seb eased away from the window. “Let’s take that walk now before the rain hits.”
They headed downstairs in silence, and when they reached the lobby, halted at the buzz of activity. The bar area had gotten busy since they’d been upstairs and one glance toward the main entrance explained why. Torrential rain beat down on the sidewalk, scattering people like ants as they ran for cover.
“I guess the rain hit quicker than I thought it would,” Sebastian said.
“Welcome to England.”
“You wanna head back upstairs?”
“No!” Cassie scanned their surroundings, her head swiveling from side to side.
Was she looking for Grice?
“Hey, now.” Seb planted his hands on his hips like his old coach Frank did when he detected weakness. How was Cassie going to cope at public events if one dickhead pap reduced her to this? She had to toughen up. “Just so you know, that guy, Grice? He won’t be the only pap you meet this summer.”
Seb hadn’t anticipated a reporter sniffing around on day one, and it was uncomfortable to think that Sucroz could be breathing down his neck already, before he’d even had a chance to dazzle Strive. Now that things were moving faster than he’d expected, he had to make Cassie aware of all the pitfalls sooner rather than later. “You heard about what happened in Vegas, right?”
“I caught the headlines.” Cassie’s head swung toward the reception area, then back to the main entrance. “You got drunk, had some fun with a couple of showgirls. Big deal.”
“They weren’t showgirls. A bunch of cheap hacks saw me getting drunk and set me up to get a story. Then, my mother’s opposition jumped on board. Next thing I know, I’m caught up in a shitstorm, and so the last thing I wanna do now is give the politicians, the media, or Sucroz any more ammo to embellish and create a scandal with, especially while I’m working for Mikey.”
And especially when he had so much to prove to Strive.
“You asked me earlier why I needed you.” Seb led Cassie toward the restaurant. The bar was too busy, so they might as well talk at their table before Mikey and his family joined them. “To be frank, you’re part of my image renovation.”
Cassie turned green.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head, and when a crisply dressed waiter approached, telling them a table would be ready in a couple minutes, Seb had no choice but to put his arm around her. His reluctance to hug was often mentioned during thoseit’s not you but really it isbreakup speeches, but he had to do everything in his power to make Cassie feel better because he’d be screwed if she was having second thoughts about their arrangement. He couldn’t replace her now that she’d met Mikey—andhis whole family—not to mention Brenda and slimy Grice.
“Listen, the thing about Vegas … I haven’t told anyone this before.” Seb lowered his voice, not exactly loving how this initialget to know each othersession had become a lot more in depth than he’d planned.
But the more Cassie knew about him, the more real their fake relationship would appear and, hopefully, the more relaxed she’d be around him and the media. “Vegas was supposed to be a short break away from life after some bad news I didn’t handle too well.
“I drank too much, got a little mouthy, and the night turned sour. It could happen to anyone, but of course, not everyone has a mother who’s a cabinet minister, and not everyone manages to piss off one of the biggest companies in North America. So, if anyone asks about Vegas, simply say it’s in the past and we’ve moved on.”
Cassie blew out a breath. “What was the bad news?”
Of all the questions to ask, she’d chosen that one?But surely, Jimmy would’ve mentioned it. “My father had just died.”
“Oh, of course.” Cassie winced, like she’d just poked a bruise. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Seriously. But that’s a subject that is not to be repeated or brought up again. Understood?” She nodded and that quick acceptance of his stone walls made the risk of hiring a girlfriend all the more worth it. Hired girlfriends weren’t insulted by such blunt refusals to open up. “Now, I … um … guess we should hold hands, or something, in case Grice is watching.”
“Fire in the hole?”
