and unfocused, but blessedly over soon.â
âOh, all right. So you wonât be appearing on an episode of I Survived to tell the tale. Good to know,â Belle joked.
âI donât want to be on television anytime soon,â I said with all earnestness.
âNo one feels bad for you, Audelia Katrina,â Jewel piped up. âYou are sitting in paradise with fine-ass Carter Parks. That is not bad living.â
âOkay?â Belle high-fived Jewel.
âWhat are you two doing noticing the fineness of Big Sexy when you are sleeping next to Roman and Beau Montgomery every night?â Yazlyn eyed them teasingly.
âA woman can look and appreciate a fine form when she sees one. Is the man not nicknamed Big Sexy, for goodness sake? I appreciate things that are beautifully designed.â Belle shrugged with a guiltless smile.
âItâs not a hardship spending time with a man who looks like that in a place like this.â I gestured to the view behind me.
âI hate you all,â Yazlyn said. âYouâre supposed to be in crisis, Kat. Instead, youâve landed on rose petals.â
âSure, if you overlook the fact that fake, naked videos of me are all over the place, life is a rosy dream.â I leaned back and crossed my arms with attitude.
âWell, there is that,â Fredrika agreed.
âAt least you look good, sugar,â Belle said. âEven the paparazzi pics have you looking right.â
âWe can always count on Belle to see the sunny side of things,â Jewel teased before turning serious. âThe guys are coming in. Is Carter there?â
âOne sec.â I paused the sound and video feed and walked to the entrance of the den. âCarter? You got a minute?â I hadnât seen or spoken to him yet this morning. By the time I got up and spoke to my mom and dad, Carter had been behind closed doors in the room he was using as an office, buying and selling stuff or whatever mogul-y stuff it was that he did these days.
âFor you, always,â he announced as he came around the corner and into the room. He was dressed casually in a T-shirt and knit shorts. Dammit, he looked good. He dropped a light kiss on my forehead as he brushed past me and sat down at the table. He patted the seat beside him.
âCoffee or vitamin water?â I offered as I walked toward him.
âVitamin water sounds good. Thanks, Kitty.â He smiled as I handed him the cold beverage, a napkin, and a coaster.
I paused and frowned. Not three days ago I wanted to slap the mess out of Kevin for inferring that I should pour his beverages and here I was fetching refreshments for Big Sexy.
âProblem, diva?â He twisted the top off and took a sip.
âI just got you a drink,â I said slowly.
âAnd I appreciate it.â He responded and raised a brow.
I laughed at myself. âItâs just irony.â When someone didnât expect things of you and was genuinely grateful for small gestures, it was a completely different thing. Carter was right; Iâd been dating the wrong damn men.
âOkay. Am I missing something?â
âJust an aha moment. Youâre welcome, Carter.â I grinned at his confused expression before sitting down next to him and taking the camera off pause. âWeâre both here. Whatâs the latest?â
âDo I even want to know what took you two so long to get to the computer?â Roman asked with a brow raised and a mock glowering expression on his face.
âDonât start with me,â I admonished, shooting him a look.
Beau snickered. âI for sure do not want to know. Letâs just move on. We have good news and bad news.â
âGive us the bad news first,â Carter said.
Danila spoke up. âFirst, there are some naked pictures floating around.â
âIâve never posed nude,â I affirmed.
âDoesnât look like you posed at all. The
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