Page 38 of Filthy Hot Escort
“Bullshit.” Julian gripped the edge of the table, the whites of his knuckles showing in the flickering candlelight. “You almost came the night we were together, but you wouldn’t let yourself. Why?”
His intensity was too much. Her breathing was too shallow. “So what’s the other option in your proposal?” she asked.
He stared at her, obviously unwilling to let her change the subject, but he finally relaxed and sat back. “Option Two,” he said, “is that I write an expose on your boss andhisdirty little secrets.”
“What?” She blinked. “Hardy? He’s a sexist asshole but a bore. What dirty little secrets could he possibly have?”
“Did you ever ask your fiancé why he represented Hardy Priese and Embrette last year?”
She shook her head, confused. “Rex? He didn’t. I mean . . . I—I don’t know anything about that. Rex never said anything about representing Hardy.OrEmbrette. Why would he? He’s a criminal defense attorney.”
“A criminal defense attorney specializing in financial fraud.”
She felt the color drain from her cheeks. “Oh, no. No. Please don’t tell me my company is involved in something illegal.”
“I can’t say either way. Because the case was settled and the files sealed after the plea agreement. But as an investigative journalist, I have my ways around court orders and sealed files. And I want to make it my business to know what your boss—and ergo, your company—has been up to.”
“But if the case was settled and a plea deal is in effect, doesn’t that mean there’s nothing left to investigate? Why go after Hardy now?”
He shook his head quickly, a sharp snap from side to side. “Hardy Priese is a sexist asshole who doesn’t deserve the accolades he gets, the bonuses he receives, or the position he has. I hate men like that. I’d love to take him down. And besides, I get the sense that something foul is going on at Embrette and that he’s involved. I can smell it.”
A cold chill slipped up her spine. “And you want me to choose. A boost for my charity or a take-down of my boss.”
“Exactly.”
She nibbled her lip, trying to make sense of everything he’d told her. Her boss Hardy Priese had been up to no good. And clearly, he’d given the Feds something if a plea deal had occurred in which he’d ratted someone else out. Because otherwise, wouldn’t he be in prison if he’d been the ultimate bad guy? But who? Someone else at Embrette? Or someone with one of Embrette’s holdings?
“Why are you even giving me a choice? You could just do both articles.”
He chuckled softly. “Clearly, you don’t know how much effort it takes to do a proper investigation or write an excellent article. Time won’t allow me to do both. Plus . . . ” Julian propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward, his eyes brimming with intensity and fire and . . . and something Skylar couldn’t read. “I told you, I want to know your secrets.”
“Butwhy?”
“Maybe it’s because you matter to me.”
She scoffed. “We barely know each other.”
He raised a brow. “True. But I want to get to know you better. So, if I write the story about the charity, you’ll be the one I’ll interview the most. I’d be in your pocket on a constant basis. I will get under your skin. And I have to know you’d be okay with that.Youhave to know you’ll be okay with that.”
Of all things she’d been expecting, she hadn’t expected Julian to be so upfront about his true motives. “So you’re giving me a choice as to what you investigate: the charity and, therefore me. Or my boss.”
“Precisely.”
“The first option means you’ll be with me constantly, and the second one means . . . ”
“The second choice means there’s a risk Embrette might be taken down along with Hardy Priese. You may lose your position. Your 401k investments. Your chance to realize your dream—excuse me, youraccomplishment—of becoming the president of the company.”
“Is this a threat?” she whispered.
Julian shook his head. “I don’t threaten women. I may push, but I never threaten. Never bribe, never force. This is an offer.”
“But no matter which option I choose, I’ll suffer the collateral damage. How gallant of you.”
He hesitated. “Hardy Priese deserves to be put under a microscope, and I want to be the one behind the lens. I want to take that man down, just like I’ve taken down scum in the past.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
“You. Regardless of what you think, I don’t want to hurt anyone. And I especially don’t want to hurt you, Skylar. Something tells me life has already wounded you enough. I’m offering to set you free.”