Page 24 of Interview with the Billionaire

“You’re still in the spotlight.”

“Yes, but instead of a harsh and uncomfortable light, it’s more like the low glow that theaters use to line auditorium stairs. It’s there, but it’s almost under the surface. I can live with it.” She brushed a kiss over his lips. “Besides, that painting brought us together.”

“All right, Ms. Fairchild,” he said, sliding into the endearment. “The painting is on the table.”

“I’ll take it off if she gets weird about it. But considering the ground rules you laid down and the fact that you did that after talking to Ash, I have a feeling she’s going to play by the rules.”

“With us, anyway. Who knows what she’ll try to pry out of the others.”

“She’s going to want to bend the rules, you know,” Nikki said. “No abuse? No kidnapping? She’ll want to edge around those.”

He nodded. “There’s leeway. But I’m not going to talk graphically. And I’m going to make her work for it.”

“All’s fair in love and the press?”

“Something like that.” He poured three coffees and put them on a service tray. Gregory had offered to attend to tasks like that, but Damien had feared that Maggie would want to interview him as well, and that wasn’t something he wanted to put Gregory through.

He picked up the tray. “Shall we?”

“Once more unto the breach,” Nikki quipped.

“It’s not like we haven’t been there before.

There is no one else who has the power to tear me apart the way you do, Nikki. No one else who can reach in and squeeze my heart. You are my world, Ms. Fairchild, and I love you desperately.

- Take Me

Transcript: Stark-1

Day 1, Session 2, 1:17 pm

Audio Transcription by All Access Enterprises

Annotations added by client: Spicer, Magdalena

Location: Stark Home, Malibu, CA, 3rd floor living area

Subject(s): Damien Stark, Nichole Fairchild Stark (Nikki)

Interview conducted by Maggie Bridge

Begin Interview

[They are seated on a sofa holding hands, entirely at ease with each other. I am facing them in a plush chair. I need only turn slightly to see the painting.]

Bridge: Again, I appreciate you both doing this. What I’d like to do today and tomorrow is break our conversation down into a few sessions. That will keep us all fresh and also give me the opportunity to follow up with you two about anything that might be addressed by one of the other interview subjects. Would that be okay?

N. Stark: That’s fine by me. Damien?

D. Stark: I think that’s perfectly reasonable.

Bridge: Terrific. You’ve been interviewed so many times on the subject of your meteoric climb in the business world, so I’d like to dig into the man more than the business, at least initially. Specifically, I’d like to spend most of our time together talking about your relationship.

D. Stark: One of my favorite topics.

[Nikki laughs, and Damien leans over to casually kiss her on the cheek. Some early press suggested that their relationship was staged. In just the short time I’ve been in this house, I am sure that it is not.]

Bridge: Damien, most of our readers will be aware of the fact that you paid one-million dollars for a nude portrait of Nikki painted by Blaine. I’m assuming you two were already seeing each other?