The Way You Tempt Me. Elle Wright

      “Did you get a refund on the engagement ring, X?”

      “Yes,” he replied. Soon as the store reopened after the holiday, he’d sent his assistant to return the ring.

      “And then, a friend of a friend said she saw them vacationing in Fiji, all hugged up and shit. Man, that sucks.”

      It’s official. This was the longest meeting he’d ever had. Never mind they’d only been in the conference room for twenty minutes, it just felt like he’d lost two years of his life.

      “Listen, Hill, I’m going to have to cut this meeting short.” Xavier gathered the newly signed contract for a 2022 superhero movie role and slid the paperwork into a folder. “Stop by Jennifer’s desk. She’ll have a copy for you. You’ll also receive it digitally.”

      “Sounds good.” Hill gave him some dap. “Thanks, X. I appreciate the work you’ve done on this. Hopefully, this will lead to an expanded role within the comic universe.”

      “Definitely,” Xavier agreed. “I’m thinking even bigger than movies, too. We’ll talk soon. Dinner next week. I might have another opportunity for you.”

      Hill nodded rapidly. “I’ll be around. Peace.”

      Back in his office, Xavier loosened his tie and jumped right into work, returning calls, sending e-mails, and gathering intel from his contacts in L.A. It had been a couple months since the incident, and it dogged him every day, everywhere. It seemed every conversation he’d had since the holiday consisted of veiled attempts to know more about Naomi and Ethan, Ethan and Naomi, Ethan-Naomi-Xavier.

      Work kept his mind from veering to all the ways his life sucked at the moment. He’d gone from being able to eat without paparazzi snapping pics to being stalked outside of his condo and the Pure Talent building. Shit, he couldn’t even grab a coffee at the kiosk without the whispers and pitiful looks from employees. Scandal sold, and he was right smack in the middle of it.

      “X?” A knock on the door snapped him out of his pity party. When he looked up to find Andrew Weathers at his door, he waved him in.

      “What’s up, man?”

      Drew took a seat on the couch near the window. “Nothing. I figured I’d come check you out before I get on a plane.”

      Pure Talent had offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, and Miami. Drew was one of the best, working out of the L.A. office. When Xavier started at the agency, he’d started as an assistant to several agents. His father figured it would be the best way to learn the job. Drew was experienced enough to teach him the ropes, and young enough to relate to him as a colleague and not an elder.

      “I might have to head out that way in a few weeks.” Xavier finished a memo he’d been working on and saved the file. “Bishop is working on something for me.”

      “I heard,” Drew said. “Good idea. Wish I had thought of it myself.”

      Recently Xavier approached the business development team to evaluate several new ways to keep Pure Talent relevant in the ever-changing climate and generate revenue for the company. Over the past few years, commissions had decreased and marketing budgets had increased.

      Pure Talent had remained profitable, because it was considered a midsize corporate agency with a boutique feel. The company had come a long way from its print and commercial beginnings. Clients were developed, treated like a valued member of the team. Agents took chances on up-and-coming artists and maintained good relationships with powerhouse clients. But it was time to diversify.

      Xavier’s background in finance helped him identify sound investments, and he had proposed expanding their social media presence by investing in several tech companies that had proven lucrative for the company. The latest investment? A popular digital media company, with nearly 3 million subscribers.

      “I have ideas, man.” Xavier leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I just need my father to buy in.”

      “The numbers don’t lie, X. This is huge. And I think packaging it with a new audio division would make this even better.”

      “Audio, huh?” He’d been watching the popularity of podcasts rise significantly over a short period of time and thought Drew was onto something. “Let’s talk about it.”

      Drew nodded. “I’m ready when you are. But aren’t you trying to take Pure Talent into sports?”

      “I am. But I have two hands.” Xavier grinned. “Besides, I don’t need to spearhead Pure Talent Audio. You can do that.”

      “I’m actually looking to decrease my client roster.” Drew handled several of the agency’s most talented actors and actresses. “I’m ready for a change.”

      “Sounds like this is right up your alley, then.” He grabbed two bottles of water from his small refrigerator and handed one to Drew. “I’ll have Jennifer get with Gwen to carve out time in our schedules.”

      “So tell me about Naomi.”

      Xavier grumbled, but gave his friend a rundown of the latest, all the way up to the most recent headline: XAVIER STARKS HEADS TO REHAB AFTER THE DEVASTATING END TO HIS RELATIONSHIP.

      “Where do they even get this shit?” Xavier chuckled. “And who the hell are these supposed insiders?”

      Drew shook his head. “Probably one of your exes.”

      “You might be right.” Xavier had never denied being a player. He’d dated many women, coast to coast and even abroad. “Dad has been quiet lately.”

      Frowning, Drew untwisted the cap of his bottle. “Didn’t he just return from vacation?”

      Xavier’s parents went on an extended vacation to Liberia to visit Ana’s family, and then spent two weeks at a tropical island resort. He’d received a simple text letting him know they were back two days ago.

      “Today is his first day back in the office.” He hadn’t been summoned to his father’s office yet, but expected to get the call at any minute. “I hope he’ll be assured that this mess is all behind me, when I give him the rundown on what I’ve accomplished to prepare for this expansion.”

      Xavier’s client list already included heavyweight boxer Lane Wilson, so he’d already been certified with the Combative Sports League. A few weeks ago, he’d taken the sports agency exams for the National Football and Basketball leagues.

      Drew stood. “Nothing like being proactive. He’ll be impressed.” He finished off his water and tossed the empty bottle into a small recycle bin in the corner. “I better get going, I have to make a few stops before I head to the airport.”

      “All right.”

      They spent a few minutes talking about the Lakers and agreed to go to a game when Xavier went to L.A. Not long after Drew exited his office, Xavier received the call he’d been waiting for. His father had requested his presence “in five.”

      He cleared his afternoon and headed up to the top floor. But when he arrived at his father’s office, Jax wasn’t alone. No, he had company. A beautiful, poised guest, one who’d haunted his dreams several times over the past several weeks. Zara.

      Chapter 5

      Xavier couldn’t say he was surprised. No, “surprise” isn’t the word. Waylaid? Ambushed? Discarded? Because he knew why Zara was there. Because Jax Starks rarely did anything without a plan of action. Because his father had offered the lovely Zara Reid his job.

      Stepping into the office, he took the empty seat next to Zara. As annoyed as he was at the turn of events, he couldn’t help but admire her. And that was surprising, considering he’d known her practically his entire life, had seen her with pigtails and braces, had let her cry on his shoulder when she’d been snubbed by stupid Henry Farmer. Who names their son that, anyway?

      When