“I’m not,” Aria said firmly, hoping she wasn’t blushing from the fantasies which had whirled through her mind moments earlier. “We’ve worked together a couple of times. That’s all.”

Eliza’s wizened face crinkled around the eyes. “That’s not ideal. The articles you published haven’t stopped the development from progressing. I was of the belief, Miss Simons, that you have a history of using unconventional methods to succeed.”

If she’d wanted to press the right buttons, she’d succeeded. Aria hated nothing more than remembering what so many people still thought of her. Shame clawed at her gut again, and she rubbed her temples. Could she never escape the gossip?

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Eliza. I never promised to stop this development, and I haven’t done the things people say I have. I’m not that girl.”

I never was.

Eli called Mark while he was driving back to the villa he shared with Teri. He was about to do something he wasn’t quite comfortable with, but it needed to be done, and he’d never before hesitated to do what was necessary.

“Hi, Eli,” Mark greeted him. “How are you?”

“Fine,” he answered shortly. “I need you to investigate someone for me.”

“No pleasantries?” Mark asked. “You used to call me because you liked talking to me. What happened to those days?”

“You got old and boring,” Eli replied, knowing that if either of them had become boring, it certainly wasn’t Mark, who lived a high-flying lifestyle.

“Yes, well, you could try to be social instead of only calling to order me around.”

His friend was teasing, but it struck close to home. “I’ll tell you what—I’ll call you this weekend so we can talk about our feelings. For now, I need your professional help.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“There’s a reporter,” Eli said. “I’m worried about her.”

“Of course you are.” Mark’s tone became serious. “What does she want?”

“Nothing, at the moment. But it’s best to be cautious.”

“Always. You want me to crush her?”

“No.” Eli cursed himself for being so obvious.

“Is this reporter young and pretty?” Mark asked. “Has she got you wrapped around her finger?”

“No, but we’ve got an understanding, and I don’t see any reason to mess with her livelihood.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” Mark’s confusion was evident.

“Look into her background. See if there are any secrets hiding in her dirty laundry.”

“I’m a lawyer, not a private investigator,” Mark reminded him. “That’s not my job.”

“Get one of your underlings to do it, but get it done.”

“Eli...” Mark began, then hesitated before continuing. “Are you sure this is work-related? If you’re interested in her on a personal level, this isn’t the way to go.”