Free Scattered Thoughts (Betrayed by Love Book 1) by HD Kelley Page B

already up and had the coffee brewed. We made small talk while I drank my standard morning cup before I headed out for a run.
    Faint shades of orange and blue slowly chased the night away as I ran along Beachview Drive. The pain in my ribs was all but gone now, so I pushed myself harder than I had in days. It felt good to work this hard. The sound of my feet hitting the pavement soothed me like nothing else could. The faster I ran, the harder I worked, the more relaxed I became.
    I sprinted up the stairs to shower as soon as I got back. There were several things left for me to do before my trip and I didn’t have all that much time. Grabbing my phone from the bedside table I glanced down at the screen to see exactly how much time I had.
    Shit. I’d already missed three calls. Quickly, I ran through caller ID: Tim, Tim, Jonathan. Given it was barely after seven o’clock in the morning I decided whatever it was they needed could wait until after my shower.
    I dried off then slipped on a pair of linen pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. I’d change for my flight later but there was no reason I couldn’t be comfortable now. Pulling my hair into a loose ponytail I headed downstairs to my office.
    My phone rang again before I could even sit down at my desk. “Good morning, Jonathan. What’s up?”
    “Have you talked to Tim today?”
    “Not yet. What’s going on?”
    “There’s a picture of you and Mr. Payne on the home page of the Daily News and he’s on the warpath about it.” We all knew the risks of taking on such a high profile client, so I couldn’t imagine what the big deal was all about, not to mention the Daily News was nothing more than a glorified gossip rag, with reporters following around high profile business professionals and local celebrities to garner higher advertising dollars. Tim should be more embarrassed to admit he actually read the trash they call news.
    “What is it, exactly, that he’s mad about?”
    “A picture is worth a thousand words, Izzy.”
    “Alright, give me a second. Let me pull it up.” I fired up my laptop and pulled up the webpage. Shit. Sure enough, right on the home page, there was a picture from Hopjacks. Alec was whispering in my ear. I was biting my lip, a wine glass in hand.
    “It’s not what it looks like.”
    “You don’t have to convince me. I know you’d never cross the line. Tim’s the one who’s freaking out.”
    “Thanks,” I said, feeling more than a little guilty, knowing how dangerously close to the line I’d been with this client. “I better give him a call.”
    I hung up the phone and stared at the picture that was splashed across the page as I waited for the article to print. Now  you’ve  done  it , my inner voice snarled.
    “Alec Payne, billionaire entrepreneur, reportedly in town to finalize the purchase of the Bayfront Stadium, spotted having a romantic lunch at a local restaurant yesterday with an unnamed female companion,” the headline read. Good, they hadn’t mentioned my name. I quickly scanned the article. “The two were later seen in what could be described as an intimate embrace outside the Theisen building,” the article said. Double Shit!
    My phone rang again. I took a deep breath then answered it. “Good morning, Tim.”
    “Have you seen the picture on the Daily News?”
    “I’m reading the article now.”
    “What the hell happened after I left you two yesterday?”
    “Nothing. I finished the glass of wine Mr. Payne ordered for me and then he walked me back to the office. End of story.”
    “Yeah, well, this picture tells a much different story.”
    “I can see that,” I snapped, annoyed by his assumptions. “Fortunately, my name isn’t mentioned and neither is Dimarco’s. And now we know to watch out for reporters when Mr. Payne is around,” I added, doing my best to minimize the issue.
    “I’m having second thoughts about you taking this trip now, Izzy. Maybe you should have Steve run point on this