Page 25 of Yorkie to My Heart (Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue #6)

Jeremy

I paced the length of Shayna’s office.

“You’re going to wear a hole in my carpet.” The woman herself sat at her desk and scrolled through her phone.

Andreas had excused himself to go to the men’s room. Fortunately the sprawling agency office had its own bathrooms so I didn’t need to worry about him running into anyone…untoward.

“This is a nightmare.” I snagged my phone, started scrolling, and put the damn thing away.

“Alerts going off like crazy?” Shayna gazed at me over her reading glasses.

Glasses that made her look sexy as fuck.

Not my type, obviously, but I could identify an attractive woman when I saw one.

Her legs rested on her desk, showing an obscene amount of thigh.

Only Andreas and I were going to see her and, apparently, neither one of us was interested.

Her office phone buzzed.

She swung her legs off the desk, righted herself, then hit the intercom button. “Yes Cherise?”

“Valentino Langston and Norah O’Shay to see you.”

My eyes widened as I met Shayna’s panicked expression. “Uh, give us two?”

Because one did not make a high-powered executive from a studio and an up-and-coming starlet wait. That just wasn’t a thing.

“Hey, so have y’all…” Andreas trailed off. “Okay, what happened? You look?—”

I grabbed him, yanked him fully into the room and then shut the door. “Valentino and Norah are here.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yes, shit.” Shayna shoved her feet into her stiletto heels, smoothed her skirt, then marched over to us.

She pointed her finger at Andreas’s chest. “Not a word unless you’re directly spoken to.

No joking around and being funny . Sometimes I wonder if you understand the seriousness of what’s happened. ”

“My dick is all over the internet.” Andreas scowled. “I think I know how fucked-up this is.”

My sentiments ran parallel to Shayna’s. Andreas just didn’t appear to understand the gravity. People’s careers could be lost over a scandal. Not everyone’s sex tapes nabbed them multi-million-dollar endorsement deals.

Because Omar, Andreas’s ex, hadn’t just released the photographs. Nope. He and Tommy had arranged to release several videos as well.

When the lawyer we’d hired threatened to sue Tommy and the owner, Karen Mixer, she’d received a just go ahead and try. Along with a your guy was a willing participant.

I worried Andreas might’ve signed a waiver or something.

He admitted Omar had given him some paperwork but that, in the end, he hadn’t signed.

Shayna returned to her desk. She hit the intercom.

“Show them in, Cherise. Maybe coffees for everyone?” She paused.

“Yes, except Andreas. He’ll thank you for making him a tea.

” She rolled her eyes. Whether because she thought the twit didn’t deserve the special treatment, or because she was irritated her admin remembered his preferences, I wasn’t certain.

I knew the drink preferences of all my clients. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Cherise kept a running list.

After a quick rap on the door, it opened.

Norah O’Shay swept into the room. No other word existed for her entrance.

Her knee-length white dress with huge black-and-red flowers flapped with her motion.

Her flaming-red hair fluttered, almost as if she stood before a wind machine.

Black stiletto pumps matched the metal bracelets around her wrist. Those bangles drew one’s eye to her bare arms—all creamy skin with a hint of freckles.

Her green eyes scanned the room before settling on Andreas. She held out her hands.

He grasped them.

“Oh, my dear sweet young man. How are you?”

I held in the laugh, but barely. Norah was twenty-two. Which meant Andreas was older by three years.

Valentino surveyed the room as well. His blond hair was longer than I remembered. A bit roguish. His blue eyes were as incisive as ever. His height gave him an advantage as well. At six-one, I wasn’t a pipsqueak.

Val, however, had several inches on me. His charcoal power suit spoke of seriousness. His blue silk tie connoted elegance.

The red stain on it didn’t.

I cocked my head. Is that part of a pattern I’m not seeing? Or…

Val gazed down to his tie and groaned.

Shayna caught my gaze. Clearly she hadn’t seen the stain.

I certainly wasn’t going to say anything.

Val unknotted the tie and yanked it off. Then he shoved it into his pocket. Finally, he met my gaze. “My foster son loves juice boxes. I checked my shirt which somehow escaped the damage.” He rolled his eyes. “I missed the tie.”

“Oh, Jason is with you in LA?” Shayne stepped from around her desk. “Hello, Valentino. Hello, Norah. An unexpected pleasure.”

“Nice to see you too.” Norah nearly vibrated with excitement. “I saw Jason and Seamus this morning. Family trip to LA. Seamus is taking Jason to the zoo.”

I was able to keep up. Seamus was Valentino’s Canadian husband.

They lived in Vancouver most of the time.

Jason was their foster son. Okay, that all seemed simple enough.

And somehow the stain on the tie humanized Valentino in a way nothing else could.

I indicated my tie. “Would you like mine?” It might’ve been my favorite, but I’d have happily given it to the man.

He waved me off, then undid the top two buttons of his shirt. “Seamus claims I look sexier without it and yet still command attention.”

Well over six feet? Piercing blue eyes? A mane of golden-blond hair? The guy could’ve been an actor or a model. Instead, he’d chosen the business side of the movie industry.

And yet, in that moment, I just wanted to be at home with an adorable not-at-all-model-type man and his cuddly puppy. “Well, the offer of the tie stands.” I glanced to Shayna, but she stood like a statue. Neither commanding the room, nor ceding power. Just very still.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?” Might as well go with formal . “Both of you.”

“Oh, I was so worried about Andreas.” Norah squeezed his hands and her emerald eyes flashed. “He’s been so badly treated.” She pouted her lips. “I wanted him to know that he has my one-hundred-percent support. Our full support.” She directed her steely gaze to Valentino.

Who nodded—although perhaps with a bit less vigor.

“I think we should do a press conference.” Norah nearly vibrated. “And you can tell them how you had no idea you’d been betrayed by someone you obviously cared for. Because, of course, you’d never let anyone take pictures and videos of you like that if you didn’t love them.”

“Of course.” Andreas echoed her words.

I did my best to not roll my eyes. People shot videos like that all the time. Perhaps, in some cases, ill-advisedly. But they did it.

Valentino cleared his throat. “The studio condemns revenge porn of any kind. Your initial statement made it clear you had no knowledge the private footage would ever be released.”

Andreas winced. “Yeah. No. I still…” He swallowed. “I really thought I loved the guy. And he told me he’d left his wife. And then when I found out he hadn’t, I confronted him. Things got?—”

I cleared my throat.

Four gazes shot my way.

Valentino shook his head. “I want to hear all of it. If you think Norah should?—”

“I’m staying.” Darling woman actually stomped her foot.

Well, okay, then.

I gestured for Andreas to continue.

“We got into a fight. He threw the first punch. Or I did.” He closed his eyes. “It’s all kind of blurred.”

Norah gently passed her fingers over the yellow bruise.

“You poor dear. What a wretched man. I’m glad you’re not with him anymore.

I certainly hope you never see him again.

” Apparently she’d forgiven him for lying about the strep throat.

He’d had to come clean about that when everything had gone to shit.

Valentino nodded. “Do we know why he went public? His name thus far has been kept out of the media. Is he na?ve enough to believe that will hold? You were both brought to the police station for questioning less than seventy-two hours ago. Does he believe he’s protected somehow?”

“I have no idea.” Andreas shrugged. “Omar can be…impetuous. I’m most concerned about his wife. If what he says is true, she knows nothing?—”

“Maybe she should know.” Norah’s eyes flashed brilliant green in the morning sunlight streaming into Shayna’s office. “If my husband was cheating on me, I’d damn well want to know. If he was putting porn on the internet, I would want to know.”

She didn’t stamp her foot again, but none of us was left questioning her righteous anger.

“He…” Andreas sighed. “I honestly thought I loved him. That we’d be together forever.”

“The man’s a damn fool.” Norah placed a hand over his heart. “I can tell how sincere you are. And I’m so glad we’re making this film together.” She gazed up at him and fluttered her lashes.

Yes, fluttered her lashes.

He blinked. “You still want to star in the movie with me?”

“Of course.” She held his gaze. “I won’t let anyone bully me into dropping you as a costar.

We were meant to make this movie together.

You’re the perfect Thane. I don’t want anyone else.

I want you. You’ll do it, right? You won’t drop out because of that horrible, awful, dreadful man. May his wife spite his heart.”

I cocked my head. I wasn’t certain she had the expression correct but, again, very clearly had her temper showing. Sort of matched the high color in her cheeks and her flaming-red hair.

“We need a strategy.” Valentino made a grab for his tie.

That wasn’t there.

Despite knowing my best interests lay in not reacting, I smiled.

He caught my gaze and smiled back.

“What strategy? We leave for Vancouver in two weeks and film the most amazing movie ever.” Norah pouted. “I don’t see how we can do anything else.”

I want to live in her world. Black and white. Good and evil. Right and wrong . For some reason, I didn’t perceive her as accepting gray in this universe. The sky was either brilliant blue or black with night. I could admit, I admired her for that. Envied her a little as well.

Unfortunately, I didn’t live in that world.

I had to see shades. Omar might be a jackass in every conceivable way—but he risked discovery.

One word from Andreas, and the ex-lover would be unveiled.

Yes, Andreas wouldn’t intentionally out the man.

Concern for the man’s innocent wife would keep an honorable man like my client from speaking out. Other men might not be so scrupulous.

And what about Tommy Tucker and Karen Mixer? When one lay with dogs, they could invariably wind up with fleas.

Well, except Wally. I assumed he was up-to-date with his flea medication.

And I’d totally lie on the ground with him and cuddle.

Especially if Phillip kept us company. Like, a group activity.

A way to show we all cared about each other.

A way for Wally to bond with me the way he was clearly bonding with my nibblets?—

“Does that work for you, Jeremy?” Shayna moderated her tone, but I caught the bite in it.

Heat raced to my cheeks at having been caught not paying attention. “Uh.” I rubbed my forehead. “Sorry, it’s been a very long twelve hours. Can you top-line that again for me?”

She rolled her eyes.

Valentino arched an eyebrow.

Norah grinned.

Andreas sighed.

Yeah, whatever this is, it’s going to be a hell of a ride.