Chapter 42 Chapter Forty-one
ARA
I resisted the urge to look at Thayne more than once as we stepped out of the penthouse, security trailing us as usual.
I was dressed in a red knee-length dress that hugged my curves with slits on both sides. Tana had nearly bitten my head off when I'd insisted on wearing it.
In her words, ‘No billionaire's wife would be caught dead in that dress.’
Just to rile her up, I'd said, ‘Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm just his fiancée at the moment.’
If looks could kill, Tana would have flayed me alive with just her eyes alone.
Right now, the awkwardness between Thayne and I was palpable. After kissing me senseless in the bedroom, he'd slipped back into his Mr. Hard Guy demeanor.
When we reached the red Porsche waiting for us, the loud screeching of tires in the compound rent the air. We all turned to find Sasha running our way in her tall heels.
“Mr. Slade, please hold on!" She yelled, her voice thin and breathless.
When she reached us, her face was red and she was breathing through her nose like a grampus.
“What do you want, Sasha? We're on our way to headquarters." Thayne said impatiently, placing his hand on my lower back, a silent gesture for me to get into the back seat of the Porsche.
But Sasha shook her head. “Just listen to what I have to say. I don't know why you won't check what the netizens are saying on social media. Twitter and Instagram, especially. There's a story circulating the internet that you broke up." She pursed her lips after she finished, waiting for one of us to say something.
“Now, isn't that interesting." Thayne muttered coolly, his eyes locking with mine.
"Mr. Slade, as you already know, it is in my best interest to save your public image,” she paused, then cast me a thoughtful glance. "And your due marriage. We need a public statement from the both of you, something to let people know that you are still together.”
I tensed up beside Thayne, and his hand swept up and down my back as if to ease the tension away. Thayne made it difficult to despise him.
I wanted a valid reason to stop feeling the things I felt for him, but every single time I thought of one he would do something to deflate it.
“Sasha, my love life is not food for the starving netizens.” Thayne said flatly, his fingers tracing circles up and down my back.
"Sir, you must listen to me. Madison keeps posting on and on, and at the moment, people are more inclined to accept as the new heiress of Slade Corps. Especially with the cancelled wedding. We need to roll in a PR image smooth-over to repair the damage." Though Sasha's words had a bite to it, she was making solid sense.
“Fine. What do you need?" Thayne asked her, displeased with the fact that he was forced to indulge her.
“Let's start with giving your wife-to-be a phone to post at intervals." Sasha answered.
Thayne's shoulders nearly brushed his ears. “No. That is out of the question."
I expected as much, but I tried not to feel wounded by it. He'd already taken back the phone earlier, which kept me worrying about how I would reach Madison once I was ready to deliver the signed copy of the deal.
“Why not? How can she not have a phone?! I know you're possessive and very protective of her, but she needs a phone.”
“No, and that's final. Ara is doing just fine without it." Thayne snapped, and Sasha flinched.
I tried not to grimace at the fact that they were discussing me like I wasn't standing right next to Thayne.
Thayne didn't stop tracing lines on my back, but his face carried an irritated expression, as if Sasha was necessary disturbance.
“Fine. Then we will take cozy pictures of you two in the Porsche. It will only take a few minutes, I promise." Sasha said, waving behind her for the camera crew to come over.
I swallowed, regretting why I'd chosen to wear this dress today.
Sasha made me sit on Thayne's lap, then asked him to wrap his arm around my waist with a smitten expression on his face.
Thayne balked at the idea. “No. We don't need to embarrass ourselves like teenagers just because we want to convince a bunch of idiots we are in love." He growled, heat radiating off him.
Sasha sighed. “Ara, this is up to you. Do this for yourself, if not for anything else."
Would Thayne kick me out of the car if I wrapped my fingers around his throat and forced him to lean down for a short kiss?
“Camera counting…. One…. Two…” The leader of the camera crew counted.
I gulped, then sent a quick prayer to heavens that I wouldn't regret what I was about to do.
I arched my back against Thayne's solid chest and wrapped my fingers around his throat, forcing him to lean down as I turned my head at the last moment.
“What are you doing?” He bit out the question, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
I ignored him, twisting myself around so I could hook my fingers around his bowtie, my left leg perched on the open door of the Porsche.
Thayne's throat bobbed up and down as I took charge of the whole thing, and in the process of twisting around like a goddamn serpent, my shoe slid out from under my foot.
Thayne immediately bent to pick it, and the cameras captured the moment.
“Oh my fucking goodness! This looks so hot!" Sasha exclaimed, bouncing on her feet.
“We are done here, Sasha." Thayne said in a strangled tone.
I shifted away from him as his escorts appeared on both sides of the Porsche to shut the doors.
The ride to Slade Corps headquarters was painfully slow. I kept going over my plan in my head, making sure there were no loopholes that would complicate things. All the while trying not to think about how Thayne had bent to pick up my shoe for me.
My plan was a messy one, but the first phase had to do with obtaining the signed deal first. That was, if I found it.
Slade Corps headquarters looked like something straight out of Hollywood. I'd heard it was the tallest skyscraper in New York, but seeing it up close felt surreal.
It sparkled and reflected off the rays of sunlight in different colors, making it seem as though the skyscraper was a shimmering mix of colors.
When we got inside, Thayne's hand tightened around my middle. His escorts were hot on our trail, and we were ushered quickly into the elevator.
Thayne was on a phonecall with someone, but from what I managed to hear, they were speaking about a possible collaboration with Balenciaga on their latest launch.
When we stepped out of the elevator, Thayne grabbed my shoulders suddenly, pressing me against the cold wall.
“You will stay in my suite while I go meet with the members of the board present. Munroe and Sylvester will be with you inside, so don't even think of trying anything funny.” He didn't even wait for my response, he was already striding away with the rest of his escorts.
Munroe and Sylvester led me to Thayne's office, stopping in front of it so the panel could scan their faces to grant them entry.
There was a slight buzz, then the door split into two and parted for us.
His office was impeccably furnished, and there was not one object out of place.
While Munroe and Sylvester went to one corner of the office to discuss in hushed tones, I snooped around like a thief.
I pretended to be fascinated by the view the floor to ceiling transparent panes provided, when in fact I was feasting my eyes on the drawers I could find.
‘Nothing of interest,’ I concluded to myself, flipping through the men's magazine on top of the pile of paperwork arranged neatly on one side.
I was just about to dump it when I noticed the short envelope tucked in the middle of the men's fashion magazine.
I stole a glance at Munroe and Sylvester who were still engrossed in their conversation before lifting the envelope.
There was nothing written on the envelope, so I lifted the seal without tearing it off.
The letterhead bore the Slade Corps logo, and right underneath it, there was a title written in a bold red ink.
SIGNED AGREEMENT BETWEEN TREVOR SLADE & THAYNE SLADE.
I gasped, momentarily stunned by what I'd just found.
The original signed copy, tucked subtly between the pages of a men's fashion magazine!