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She spun around, eyes burning as she glared at me. “Tell me, James. How many times did somebody call you a slut today?” she demanded. “How many total strangers have messaged you with dick pics, asking if you needed company? Because I lost track and ended up locking my social media accounts.”

She waited for a moment. “Women are judged for shit a lot differently than men. People will paint you as eccentric, and women will fantasize a little about you. I am branded as a whore and spit upon by strangers. What do you think that makes me feel like?”

She was shouting by the time she finished and sucked in a breath.

“You don’t get it,” she said, her back still to me. “Some of us worry about our reputations. An article like this won’t affect your business. It’ll barely make a ripple, as you say. But for me? I will not survive the summer. I lost the only gig I had on the horizon. With this scandal branding my reputation, who would want to hire me?”

Guilt twisted through me, twining with the rage I still hadn’t throttled. And envy.

Tina’s loyalty to her sister was a big part of why she was upset, and I wanted that loyalty, too.

Fat chance. She’d already kicked me to the curb in her mind.

Still, I would not let all of this go without a fight. Not when I could make it better for Tina. And her sister.

“You’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” I said coolly.

She turned to face me, a wary look in her eyes.

“You have one other client.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. “No. I told you, I can’t do your hotel project.”

“You don’t have a choice,” I said calmly. “I don’t give a shit about that article, and neither should you. Let’s begin as planned. I will have my office act as your intermediary since you don’t want to speak with me directly.”

Her eyes fell away, shoulders slumping.

I thought I’d find pleasure in taking out some of her anger.

I didn’t.

“Don’t worry, though,” I said. “I’ll keep my distance, just as you asked. Your reputation will be safe from me.”

Not waiting for a response, I left.

Twenty-Three

Tina

It’d hurt morethan expected to see him walk away. My head was spinning from the emotional roller coaster.

Since I saw the pictures, I never thought Maximus might hurt too. Because of me and my reaction, not the article.

It felt like I had run an emotional marathon and was dealing with the aftermath. I knew falling hard for James Maximus would come easy.

It had happened so fast I never realized he’d felt it, too. That pull. That promise that we had something special between us.

And now it was over.

It was more than just wounded pride to him.

“It’s better this way.” I made myself believe it, my head against the wall and my eyes on him as he climbed into his car. A clean break now before we get too involved.

He would never understand why I was angry on Dina’s behalf. He didn’t get how important family was to me.

He rarely talked about his family. I’ve told him pretty much everything about my family, but knew nothing about him.

We were from two completely different worlds.