“Twenty percent?” I sat up abruptly.

“You were the one who added it! It’s to earn back costs on the work we put into it, you know? I was the one who recommended fifteen, but you said⁠—”

“Whatever.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “Never mind, then.”

Just as I was about to hang up, he called out to me.

“Hey, is everything alright with Addi?”

My hand clenched the phone.

Is everything alright with Addi? She’s fucking fine, Dante, just ruining my life for the second time.

“She’s fine,” I forced out.

Another pause.

“And you, Warren?”

Dante and I weren’t friends. I didn’t truly have any that I would consider close enough to discuss whatever was happening with Addi. But somehow the sincerity in his voice had me wanting to spill everything.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking. I’ll see you soon.”

I hung up before I could act on the urge to tell him about it and lay back on the bed, looking up at the bare ceiling. Trying to think of anything that could get me out of this mess.

My phone vibrated. When I held it up to view the notification, I cursed.

Don’t forget the event. I already told the media you’d come.

Dominick fucking Astor.

It’s like he could sense that I was down for the count and primed for a kick to the ribs.

I let out a groan.

What am I even going to say when I have to face her again?

The pathetic part was that I had no answer.

All I could think about was the look on her face as she came. How beautiful she looked in the near darkness with the moonlight shining on her.

And how damn fucking perfect we felt together.

16

ADDISON

I didn’t know how a blow job made the man even more annoyed with my presence, but somehow, on the morning after I'd made the monster Warren King come undone with my mouth, he forced me out of the house with a single mission.

Get ready for the charity event.

Literally only a day away. I had the dress, but nothing else. I was woefully unprepared, and Warren was just primed and ready to throw me to the wolves.

How was I going to do my hair? My makeup?

Usually, people hired a whole fucking team for things like this, but I only had two I knew would pick up the phone, and neither of them was the full team I needed.

Why would he push me away without an explanation? Was I supposed to just figure it out myself? It wasn’t like his own reputation wasn’t on the line. Did the man forget we’d be seen together?

The worst part was that my mind wouldn’t stop playing the movie of him coming in my mouth last night.