Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 97

“I…

I didn’t want to talk to Chloe about Natalie. I didn’t want to confide in her about any of the women in my life. It felt weird after what happened between us… like talking to an ex about my love life.

She looked me up and down, and one corner of her mouth quirked in some hidden thought I couldn’t decipher. “Actually, don’t answer that. I just came over here to let you know I found Charity.” She nodded toward a table in the back corner of the shop where my director of public relations sat drinking from a glass filled with a purple smoothie.

She was in a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans, and had a cardigan draped across her shoulders. Her jet black hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and she was staring intently at her phone.

“Thanks,” I said. “You gonna be around?”

“I’ll be over there,” Chloe said, nodding to another table where a lean, handsome man sat. I didn’t recognize him.

“A date?” I asked before I could stop myself.

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “One of yours. A new guy. He came here early to make sure everything looked good for you.”

“Oh.”

I studied him, taking in his perfect, chiseled jawline.

“I can’t fraternize with them,” Chloe said.

“I didn’t say anything,” I snapped.

Even I wanted to cringe at how defensive I sounded.

“You didn’t have to,” Chloe said and then left me to join a table with the new guy.

I watched her walk away and mentally flogged myself. If I wasn’t careful, I could push Chloe right out the door, and I’d have no one to blame but myself.

I also wasn’t being fair. Here I was sleeping with more women than I had fingers but get jealous as soon as I catch sight of Captain Jawline. Chloe deserved to have someone just as much as anyone else, and while I didn’t agree with her reasons to break things off with me, she deserved to have those reasons. I’d cut things off with Danni because I could tell she was envious of some of the other girls, even if she kept it under a pretty tight lid. Chloe was being infinitely more patient with me. I needed to get my shit together.

I shook my head, vowing to talk to her later. In the meantime, I had another woman whom I’d promised my attention to. Putting Chloe out of my mind, I approached Charity, who spotted me as I approached the table.

“Mr. Upton!” She said as she stood up.

“Whoa,” I said. “That’s not happening. You can call me Marcus.”

She smiled at my response, looking particularly pleased, and I, in turn, was pleased by the cute dimples in her cheeks.

“I guess when we’re in private,” she said. “It might be weird to do it around others, though.”

“Works for me,” I said. “Is this private enough?”

She closed the distance between us, gave a furtive glance around, and then grabbed my shoulders as she stood on her toes and pulled me down for a quick kiss on the cheek, followed by a light hug.

“Close enough,” Charity said, peering up at me. She was roughly between Shea’s and Erin’s heights—on the shorter side.

We sat down, and a waitress came over to take our orders. I poured myself some coffee from the pot at the table while ordering a short stack and a couple of fried eggs. Between the workouts with Tara and living off rations in the forest, my appetite had grown considerably. Charity ordered oatmeal mixed with peanut butter and topped with chia seeds. Between that and the smoothie, I got the impression she was fastidious about what she put in her body, and it showed. She was small, with a typical influencer’s physicque—tiny waist and firm ass. Her makeup was flawless and leaned more toward Erin’s style.

I suddenly imagined the two women with their wicked, dark painted lips leaving kiss marks down my stomach, taking turns sucking on my cock. And the thing was… that was a very likely possibility in the not-too-distant future.

“So,” Charity said, leaning forward conspiratorially. Her shirt slipped just enough to suggest a cream bra—lace-trimmed, soft against skin that made me forget I hadn’t actually seen her completely naked yet. “What happened in Norway?”

“How much do you know?”

She took a sip of her juice, watching me over the rim like a cat deciding whether to pounce. I let my eyes drift—not long, but enough. She caught the glance, smiled, and sat back, cutting off the view like a curtain dropping mid-act.

“Not much. Helen said it was serious, but she held a lot back.”

“You’re going to be my spokesperson,” I said, stroking my chin. “That means you’ll need full access.”

The way she smiled at me, you’d have thought I’d given her access to state secrets.

“That will definitely make my job easier,” she said.

“Look, I need to have a conversation with you about that real quick,” I said. “I’m letting you know a lot more than most. I know you signed the NDA Helen put together, but I need to make it abundantly clear…”

“I know,” Charity said, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable.

I glanced at her phone. “Can you turn that off?”

She looked a little confused at the sudden turn the conversation was taking. She wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable. I hated that I had to have this kind of conversation with someone who hadn’t transgressed, but after Astrid…

Once the call ended, I looked back at her. “We both know what I’m about to say. But I need to say it anyway.”

I let it sit a beat, then added, “A lot’s gone sideways lately. And it’s starting to mess with who I trust—and how much.”

She didn’t flinch. Just waited.

“Charity, I need someone who knows the dirt. All of it. The skeletons, the fuckups, the stuff Helen’s still afraid to say out loud. And I need that person to know how to spin it.”

She nodded and looked like she was about to say something, but I cut her off, looking her dead in the eyes.

“You have my trust. Please don’t do anything to break it.”

She swallowed visibly, nodded, then shook her head. “I won’t.”

The words sounded so different than the flirty tone she’d adopted earlier. They were meek… fragile.

“Good. Because I’m done getting played. I need people I can trust without looking over my shoulder.”

I met her eyes. “We don’t know each other well yet. And I’ve had more than one person tell me I’m taking a risk with you. I’d like you to prove them wrong.”

“Marcus…” She looked cautious but not defensive, and I got the feeling that she wasn’t taking this as personally as many others would have. That spoke volumes. “You’ve given me more than I ever expected. My bills, this job, school… I know that’s not nothing. I don’t take it lightly. I’m not going to screw that up.”

I nodded. “Good. Because I’m not asking for blind loyalty. Just honesty. If someone tries to buy you off—I don’t care who or how much—you come to me. No games. No secrets.”

“Got it.”

“As long as you’re straight with me,” I said, “you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Charity seemed to relax a little with those words, so I decided to press on and get the rest over with.

“These skeletons… they include things that might skirt the law. If there’s anything I’ve learned over the last couple of months, it’s that you don’t get wealthy without your hands getting a little dirty.”

She began playing with her straw, as I could tell she was mulling over my words. “Have you… y’know…”

“Broken the law?” I asked.

She nodded.