Page 4 of The Tower

A dangerous smile tugs at his mouth as he turns to Adam. “Done?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then get ready for the next set-up.”

When Adam nods, Father turns his attention back to me. “And you go change before we lose the light.”

He hurries away before I can ask another question. That’s probably for the best. I’ll confess—if only to myself and Ruby—to having lusted over Liam Grimm in the past. But that was before his whispered taunt … and nothing more than a fantasy.

In the real world, Liam Grimm is not a man I care to know. Or to know anything about.

Ruby hurries over with Mindy, the wardrobe coordinator, and despite the urge to look back, I keep my eyes forward as I follow them into the small tent that serves as a changing room. “Did you see him?”

I grimace. “Father invited him. Can you believe that?”

Ruby’s mouth twists, but since Mindy’s pulling a dress over my head, I miss the rest of her expression. The rustle of stiff material blocks out her words, too.

“… surprised.”

“What?” I say, catching only the tail end.

“I said that considering the circumstances, I’m not too surprised. That your dad invited him, I mean.”

“The circumstances?” Clearly, my bestie has lost her marbles. “He’s a competitor. Giving him early access to our ad plans? It might be a stupid campaign, but that doesn’t mean Father should⁠—”

Ruby holds up a hand. “What are you talking about?”

“Liam Grimm,” I say with a glance toward Mindy, who looks uninterested. “His father murdered my mother, remember? Their Lucent brand is Reed Cosmetic’s biggest competitor. Ringing any bells?”

She cocks her head, her forehead furrowed. “All sorts of bells. But what does that have to do with⁠—?”

“Father invited Liam Grimm to the shoot,” I snap. “How can you not think that’s insane?”

“Wait. What?” She gapes at me. “Liam Grimm? Your dad invited Liam Grimm?”

“Yes! What have we been talking about?”

She runs her fingers through her tumble of auburn curls. “I had no idea. It’s just him, right? None of his brothers?”

“Just him,” I assure her. Years ago, Ruby made the mistake of dating Leo, the youngest and wildest of the Grimm brothers. To say it hadn’t ended well would be the understatement of the century.

“But if you weren’t talking about Grimm,” I ask, “then who …”

“Desmond Bane.” The name hangs in the air like icicles as Mindy extricates me from the rest of my princess garb.

I shudder. “Why were you talking about him?”

“Duh. He’s here.”

Bile rises in my throat. Desmond Bane is a walking horror movie with the Midas touch.

Everyone in my family’s social circle knows he’s the vilest human on the planet—and that he’s had a thing for me since I was fourteen.

Seeing him here on the day of my shoot is really not a good sign.

I’m in only a bra and panties now, and I yank a robe off the rack, waving away Mindy and the hanger overflowing with the next costume.

“Back up,” I say to Ruby as I slip on the robe and tighten the belt, as if the flimsy silk could provide any real protection. “Tell me all of it.”