and partners in numerous business ventures.
With a hard eye roll, Skye shook her head. “X, stop.”
He paused, confused by Skye’s reaction to the ring. He’d expected her to hype him up, coo over the size and shape of the diamond. “What? You don’t think she’ll like it? We talked about this. You told me marquise-cut was the way to go?”
“Will you just shut up about the ring?” Skye scanned the immediate area. “Too many people, too many ears,” she mumbled, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward an empty conference room.
Once inside the room, she closed the door and the blinds and turned to him. “X, we need to talk.”
Skye worked for Pure Talent in the public relations department. She knew how to handle all types of situations—good, bad, or catastrophic. Her specialty was putting a positive spin on everything, whether she was writing press releases, fine-tuning images, or managing crises. Right now, she was giving him “bad news” vibes. Soft voice, direct eye contact, and straight back.
He eyed her, waited for her to speak. Then he saw it. The slightest tremble in her chin. This was personal, not client related. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did someone die?”
She shook her head.
“Accident?”
“Okay, I’m going to talk now.” She sighed heavily. “And I need you to remain calm, no matter what.”
Dread knotted in his stomach. The last time Skye had told him to remain calm, she’d informed him that their uncle had passed away suddenly. “I’m good.”
Finally her shoulders relaxed. “You obviously haven’t seen Page Six.”
“No. Like I said, I’ve been busy. Why?”
She pulled out her phone. “There’s something you need to see.” Xavier took the offered device from his cousin and peered at the Page Six headline. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
The title of the article was the punch to the gut, the huge picture under the article served as the uppercut. The combination of both knocked the wind out of his lungs. He sat down on one of the empty chairs. Muttering a curse, he glared at the screen. He didn’t need to read the article to know that he was screwed, that he had been screwed.
Still, he forced himself to look at the “happy couple” on the page. The woman smiled as if she’d recently descended from cloud nine, while the man held on to her waist as if he’d never let her go. It wasn’t the type of picture taken without permission. The man and woman had posed for it, made sure the photographer caught her good side. The only problem? He was an asshole and she had recently been voted one of the “30 Hottest Women under 30” in People magazine. His woman, the woman he had planned to propose to that night. The title taunted him, and he re-read it three times in a row, just to be sure and maybe to will it away. He closed his eyes and reopened them. Shit. It was still there, still pissing him off, still taunting him: NAOMI MURPHY DUMPS XAVIER STARKS FOR PRO-BASKETBALL PLAYER ETHAN PORTER.
Chapter 2
“Damn, X. What number is this?”
Xavier glanced over at his friend Garrett Steele and watched as he ordered a cognac neat. Without answering, he turned his attention back to his own glass, half filled with the same amber liquor his friend had just requested.
“X?” Garrett called.
It wasn’t Garrett’s fault. He’d been sitting next to him for a good fifteen minutes, trying to engage. But Xavier wasn’t ready to converse with anyone. Christmas music blared through the surround-sound speakers, laughter permeated the air around him, and his parents worked the room, as they did every year at this time. The annual Starks holiday party was in full swing.
It had been two weeks since he’d been dumped via tabloid, and Xavier had finally emerged from his cocoon of work, home, and takeout. But only because his father had sent reinforcements to force him to shower and put on his best suit for the occasion. His mother and Skye had appeared on his doorstep with a brand-new suit, shoes, and a veiled threat to “get your shit together, because that woman will not get another ounce of your energy.”
Xavier finished his drink and tapped the bar counter, signaling to the bartender to refill his glass. “I’ll drink until people stop staring at me.”
Garrett snickered. “Man, this is not your first scandal, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
“If that’s your attempt at helping the situation, you failed miserably.”
“Shit, I’m done. I can’t even muster the obligatory ‘you’re better off’ speech. Because the whole thing is fucked-up.”
“Exactly.” Xavier picked up his glass and tipped it in his friend’s direction. “The silver lining will reveal itself when I get over forking over twenty thousand dollars on that damn ugly-ass ring, ordering exotic flowers, and flying Duke here for a gourmet meal, only to find out that the woman I was supposed to propose to...” He shook his head. He couldn’t say it out loud anymore.
After some prodding from Skye, he’d tossed a few glasses against his living-room wall. That shit didn’t help. The only thing it did was shine a light on how incredibly oblivious he’d been. Naomi didn’t love him, or even care that much about him. She’d used him from the beginning, and he’d helped her. His connections in the business, his father’s name... everything about him fit into her plan for her career. He’d just been so preoccupied with his own career track that he’d failed to see she was playing him all along.
Now he was embarrassed, humiliated, tormented by the gossip and vlogs devoted to his pitifulness. His saving grace was that the downfall of his relationship only cost him money, and not his heart. Oh, and a little bit of his dignity and a possible client in Ethan Porter. Because at Naomi’s encouragement, he’d approached the popular small forward about representation for the new division.
Xavier snorted. “She played me. Hell, they both did. This is some bullshit.”
“Yeah... pretty much,” Garrett agreed.
Garrett and X had attended Morehouse College together and pledged the same fraternity. X had often credited Garrett with helping him experience normal life, without cameras. He’d learned a lot about navigating the world simply by watching Garrett handle college without help from his mother or any support system capable of helping him adjust. There was only Garrett and his little sister, Maxine. So Xavier became their family.
“But you did dodge a bullet, man.” Garrett clasped X’s shoulder and squeezed. “I can’t be upset about that. Just imagine how bad this could have been.”
As usual, Garrett was right. Having this happen after he married Naomi or even proposed to her would have been so much worse. Still, it didn’t dull the sting of being labeled everything from an abusive drunk to a down-low cheater to a swinger who wanted Naomi to be a part of his harem. Yes, the bloggers and vloggers had grasped at every straw in their haste to get more likes and subscriptions.
“You’re right, bruh,” Xavier conceded.
“Are you going to speak out? Tell your side of the story? I’m available to help.”
Garrett
