Power

by Jillian Dodd

  “Then we got politely asked to leave the Forum shops and to never return,” Dawson says. “After that, we took the party bus to strip club number two. We did shots on the way there.”

  “This must be at strip club number two,” Knox says, holding up a photo of a topless Jennifer giving him a lap dance. And another one of them making out.

  Jennifer holds up another photo, comparing them. “This one looks like it was taken at the same place, but because we’re both shirtless, it gives the impression that we’re naked and having sex. My parents are going to fucking kill me. Not to mention my agent. And I don’t even want to talk to my publicist. Remind me to never go to Vegas with you all again.”

  “That goes for me too,” Dawson says. “Although, I do remember having fun.”

  “I remember having fun too,” Jennifer says, holding up a photo of her surrounded by barely dressed waitresses. “But I just don’t understand. Where did the press get all these photos?”

  “You took a lot of photos,” Knox says. “I do remember that. You were obsessed with it. You said an epic night needs a record. So you could remember everything you'd probably forget.”

  “And you gave me your phone and made me video you on the stripper pole,” Dawson admits.

  “Well, here’s a fun photo,” Tyler interrupts with a smirk on his face, holding a stack of photos out for all of us to see. “Jennifer, you were a lovely drunken bride. Which one of you was the lucky groom?”

  Jennifer’s face goes white.

  “What?!” Jennifer screeches as she grabs the photos out of Tyler's hand. Looking at the first one, she says, “Oh! Look at me with Elvis! Ohmigawd that photo is priceless! But I was probably just dressing up like the pirate thing. No way we got married.”

  Knox holds out a manila envelope. As he dumps the contents of it, I notice little beads of sweat have formed on his forehead. Knox rarely sweats.

  Two shiny silver wedding bands clang onto the table.

  “Oh fuck!” Jennifer groans. “Knox? What the fuck? Did we get married? I was joking when I said let’s get married in Vegas. Oh my god.” She flips to the next photo. “Look at me in this one. I’m in a veil. I have that silver ring on my finger and the other in my hand! I’m giving Elvis a thumbs-up! And, ohmigawd, look at this one. Knox, we’re at the altar, kissing!”

  “I remember going to a wedding,” Dawson admits. “And, Jennifer, I remember you throwing a bouquet.”

  “Did you sign anything?” Knox asks Dawson, clearly shaken by this. “If you were our witness, you would have signed something. Now that I think about it, I do remember being at a chapel. I was on the steps and worried I was going to puke and ruin the wedding. But I think it was someone else’s wedding.”

  “I remember crashing a wedding,” I interject. I haven’t said a word this whole time. I’m afraid to open my mouth, but Knox’s face is getting so red, I’m worried he might have a stroke.

  “Oh, me too, now that you say that,” Dawson confirms. “I think you and Jennifer stood up for someone. They said it would be an honor. Then, I think later, Jennifer took her veil.”

  Knox lets out a big breath of air. “Dodged that bullet,” he says, obviously relieved.

  “Wasn’t there a wedding party on our party bus?” Dawson asks. “Didn’t we invite them back to the suite?”

  “Yes! I remember that!” Jennifer says. “I puked in the party bus, and the bride told me that was the best way to cure a hangover. That I should just stay drunk. So I started drinking again.”

  Tyler hands her another photo.

  She studies it and then turns it toward us. “Okay, so I know I was drunk, but how in the fuck could the press have gotten this? It’s a selfie. See my arm?”

  “You probably used the bride’s phone and she sent it in,” Keatyn states. “I mean if Knox Daniels and Jennifer Edwards were at my wedding, I’d post about it.”

  “Where is your phone?” Vanessa asks Jennifer.

  “I think I lost it,” she says.

  “Or maybe that’s our answer. Maybe someone found it,” Vanessa suggests.

  “I did take the passcode off last night because I kept screwing it up. Shit. I’m an idiot.”

  “Did you get an envelope at the police station like Knox did?” Keatyn asks her.

  “Oh, yeah! I did. Let me see what’s in there. Everyone should look. Maybe there are more clues.”

  “I think the internet has more than enough clues,” Vanessa deadpans.

  Jennifer dumps the contents then screeches, “My phone!” She looks at it and goes, “Ohmygawd, I’m down to one percent. I need a charger, stat!”

  Tyler runs out of the office and rushes back in with one, plugging it into the wall behind her.

  “You’re a life saver—oh shit, it just died.”

  “Plug it in, anyway,” Tyler says.

  She leans back in the chair, staring at her phone, willing it to life.

  I take another helping of chicken and pick at it. The silence in the room is freaking me out. I already looked at my phone, saw it was dead, and decided to leave it that way. Anyone who needs to reach me can call the office. I’m sure Ariela found the flowers and left me a message. I don’t want to know what she said.

  I just don’t want to know.

  “It’s awake and loading now,” Jennifer says.

  We watch her hit buttons on her phone, her eyes getting bigger by the second.

  “Um, shit . . .” she mutters.

  “What?” Vanessa prods.

  “Besides the seventeen missed calls from my parents, it appears that I sent my ex-boyfriend exactly sixty one texts last night.”

  She bangs her head on the desk and leaves it there.

  “Your ex, huh?” Knox says, “You were texting him while you were with me?”

  “I’m sorry I just—”

  “You just what?”

  “I wanted to make the jerk jealous. I wanted him to see that I could party too.”

  “Which means you still care about him,” Knox states.

  “No, I just . . .” Jennifer stutters. Then she lays her head on the desk dramatically and whispers, “I sent him all the photos.”

  “Well, that solves the mystery of how the press got them,” Knox says, fuming. “Why in the hell would you send photos like that to Parker Hudson after the way he treated you in the press?”

  “I don’t know. I was drunk, maybe?!” she says. “Jeez, can this day get any worse?”

  And it does get worse when Dallas enters the room with a sheet of paper and starts reading from it.

  “I just received the list of charges from the Vegas PD. Let’s see, we have a plethora to choose from. Public intoxication. Public lewdness. Indecent exposure.”

  “We were having a naked parade,” Jennifer admits. “It seemed like a fun idea at the time.”

  “It looked fun,” Dallas says, “based on the photos. And we have destruction of hotel property. Disorderly conduct. And my favorite, impersonating a police officer.”

  “My bad,” Knox says.

  “How did you manage to do that naked?” Dallas asks him.

  “Based on the photos, I was simply pantless. And I may have told them I was undercover and if they didn’t leave they would blow my cover.”

  “That didn’t go over so well, I’m assuming?”

  “No. Then I tried to tell them that I meant I played one on TV.”

  “Have you ever been on TV?” Dallas asks.

  “Seriously? You don’t remember the cameo I did? Everyone says I fucking stole the show. How can you not remember that?”

  “I wasn’t drunk enough to participate in the naked parade,” Dawson says, trying to suck up.

  “But, you were apparently drunk enough to bribe an officer— let’s see—to make it go away,” Dallas states.

  “I just meant we could pay extra to the hotel. He took it the wrong way.”

  Dallas shakes his head. “I’ll deal with the legal aspects of the charges. What’s more i
mportant is how we deal with the press. I’m pretty sure the whole world has seen the photos.”

  “But I think we’ve all been at this long enough to know one thing,” Keatyn says.

  “That no publicity is bad publicity,” Vanessa finishes.

  “What do you mean? There’s no way this can be turned around,” Jennifer says, facing the laptop toward everyone and allowing them to see the video of her twirling, mostly naked, around the stripper pole, only to fall flat on her face.

  “It can be if we act fast,” Vanessa disagrees, holding the mock-up of a Daddy’s Angel ad. “And this is how we’re going to do it.”

  “I don’t get it,” Jennifer says, echoing my own thoughts.

  “You don’t really have to get it,” Dallas states. “You just have to do exactly what we say. And, if you don’t, you and Knox will both be out of a contract.”

  Knox, who is shoving food in his mouth, doesn’t seem all that fazed by this. But he and Keatyn are used to being in the tabloids.

  I’m not.

  “Jennifer,” Keatyn says. “Hair and makeup are on their way. We’re going to shoot this ad today, with you in it. I’m sure you don’t feel great, but you’re gonna have to suck it up. Tomorrow, we’re going to leak a couple of those photos to the press, with the rumor of an announcement to come.”

  “What announcement?” Jennifer asks.

  “We’re throwing a party this weekend,” Vanessa replies. “And your attendance is mandatory.”

  “Um, not this weekend,” Keatyn says. “Tomorrow night. Riley will be busy this weekend.”

  The way Keatyn says it, makes me cringe. What is she going to make me do this weekend? Is she firing me? Will I be packing up my office this weekend?

  What would I do without this place?

  It’s my life. My love. My dream.

  Hard to believe one stupid night in Vegas could ruin everything.

  Vegas needs to change their slogan, because what happens in Vegas clearly does not stay there.

  How did my life get so out of control?

  I have a vision of Ariela kissing her husband and know exactly why.

  She’s the one who I dreamed of sharing this with. It’s a strange twist of fate to think she could also be the one who destroys it.

  “Dawson,” Vanessa says. “We’ll need your help getting this all set up. Plan on working nonstop with me.”

  Damn, if a smirk doesn’t cross my brother’s face.

  “So I hope you’re all up for another big party,” Vanessa says.

  “I can't do that again,” Knox begs. “I’m too old. I don't recover well.”

  Keatyn ignores his pleas. “So, the party is where we will officially announce the Daddy’s Angel project. The photo shoot we do today will become teasers for the series, simply branded with a tag line and the series name. Knox, you will be included in the shoot for these teasers as will Jake Worth, who we’ve signed on to play Jackson. Riley, you’ll be in on this too.”

  When she says my name, I perk up. “You want me in the photos?”

  “Yes, you have to be part of the cast now. You’re going to play Bobby, the church’s photographer, who would like to exploit Angel’s body on his secret porn site. It’s a cameo role.”

  Knox wipes his mouth with a napkin, stands up, and pulls Keatyn into a hug. “Sugar, I taught you well.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I ask. “I don’t understand how a party will help.”

  “The party will be a Purity Party,” Vanessa states. “Everyone in attendance will be required to dress in white. All the decor will be white. Drinks will be white. But Knox, Jake, and Riley will be dressed in black. Jennifer in a hot red dress.”

  “And once you throw the Purity Party,” Knox says, “it will make Vegas look like it was the hellcat party and nothing more than a publicity stunt.”

  “Exactly,” Keatyn and Vanessa say, grinning.

  And I have to hand it to them. “That’s fucking brilliant,” I mutter.

  “If you can actually pull this off,” Jennifer says to Vanessa, “I'm firing my PR firm and hiring you. I mean, if you'd have me as a client.”

  Vanessa walks over and gives Jennifer a hug in an almost motherly way, which surprises me. I’ve never seen her act that way before.

  “Alright,” Keatyn says, clapping her hands together. “Jennifer and Knox, Tyler will escort you to the photo shoot now. Dawson, do whatever Vanessa needs help with. And, Riley, I need you come to my office with me and Dallas.”

  Everyone does as they’re told.

  I’m afraid to move.

  The fact that she wouldn’t say whatever it is in front of everyone means it’s bad. I hope the cameo in Daddy’s Angel pays well. It may be my only job soon.

  I sit down on Keatyn’s couch.

  She plops down next to me. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine,” I lie.

  “No, you’re not, Riley. Last night was a disaster. We’re so freaking lucky we have this project or I don’t know how we’d get out of this mess. We need to pray this works, and we need to convince more than just the public. The board of directors wants me to fire you.”

  “We’ve just had our best quarter ever. Our best year ever,” I counter.

  “Even Grandpa is on my ass. He suggested sending you to rehab. After your behavior at the vineyard combined with this, he is afraid our friendship is going be the company’s downfall.”

  “Is it?” I ask, trying not to cry.

  Yes, big, tough Riley feels like he could cry. I don’t want to let Keatyn down. Captive Films started with the three of us: Dallas, Keatyn, and me. We’ve been best friends since Eastbrooke.

  There’s nothing better than working with the people you love.

  And I let them both down.

  Fuck.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, hanging my head.

  Keatyn puts her hand on my leg. “Riley, there’s something I need you to do with me.”

  “With us,” Dallas adds.

  “What?”

  “We're going to Eastbrooke’s homecoming this weekend.”

  “But I thought you had to work and couldn't go this year?”

  “I begged the director to do some rescheduling.”

  “And if I can’t?” I ask tentatively.

  “If you don't go, nothing will happen,” Dallas says.

  “I’m not firing you, Riley. We couldn’t do this without you,” Keatyn adds. “What you should ask is what will happen if you go.”

  “What will happen if I go?”

  She leans closer to me, tears filling her eyes. “If you do it, if you’ll go back with us and get the closure you need, at the next board meeting, I’ll be announcing that I’m stepping down and promoting you to CEO and Chairman of the Board.”

  I blink my eyes, not believing what I just heard.

  “What?” I ask, overcome with emotion.

  “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, Riley. You deserve it.”

  I reach over and pull her into a tight hug.

  She still believes in me and I’m so grateful.

  “Are you crying?” Dallas asks.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I say, wiping away a tear.

  “Pussy,” he teases then laughs. “You were really afraid she was going to fire you, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I was.” I’m still hugging Keatyn tightly.

  She whispers in my ear. “You’re Riley Johnson. The boy who wanted to protect me even though you didn’t know I needed protecting. I don’t care what happens. We’re what makes this company successful. The three of us.”

  “Shit,” Dallas drawls and joins our hug. “Now you’re gonna make me cry.”

  Asher Vineyards — Sonoma County

  ARIELA

  Based on what happened in Vegas, I’m certain Riley saw Collin kiss me. And since he’s not returning my calls, I’m going to prove to him in another way how much I still love him.

  As I look around the vineyard, I
know how I’m going to do it.

  By making Keatyn’s wedding perfection.

  So much of my future here in California feels like it’s riding on this wedding.

  If it’s perfect, maybe people here will want to hire me. If it’s perfect, maybe Keatyn won’t kick me out of her life when she hears that I kissed Collin. Maybe if it’s perfect, it will make Riley happy simply because Keatyn will be happy.

  They’ve been best friends for so long. When Riley and I first started dating, I was jealous of how close they were.

  And I’m jealous of how close they all still are. Dallas, Keatyn, Riley, Aiden, Maggie, and Logan are all still best friends.

  I missed out on so much.

  If I can pull off the perfect wedding, it will show them all how sorry I am that I walked away from our friendships.

  And I need the distraction of planning the wedding to keep me off the internet.

  Every time I checked, I found a new photo of Riley’s night in Vegas.

  The last one was a mug shot with an article that mentioned his arrest.

  After that, I shut my laptop, got ready, and headed here.

  Maggie greets me at the business office. “Have you seen all the crazy news about Riley, Knox, and Jennifer?”

  “Yeah,” I say sadly.

  “What’s the real story?”

  “I don’t know for sure. Vanessa left for Captive’s offices really early and I haven’t heard from her since.”

  “Aiden said it’s quite the publicity nightmare, but that Keatyn already has a plan to turn it around. She and Knox are brilliant when it comes to manipulating the press.”

  “Riley and I were supposed to go on a date last night,” I admit. “When he got there, I think he saw Collin kiss me.”

  “Oh my. Is that why Riley went to Vegas?”

  “I think so. Vanessa has video surveillance, so I got to see the look on Riley’s face when he left—” I hang my head.

  “What?” Maggie says.

  “It reminded me of graduation day. When I told him I wasn’t coming to California with him. We had an amazing night together and we were planning to go to Eastbrooke’s homecoming this weekend . . .”

  “I think you should still go. Without him. It’s sad. We always go, but Keatyn had to work, so Aiden booked us a Moon Wish fundraiser.”