Read Online The Exposé 4 by Roxy Sloane - Free Book Online

business. It was always
about me. That newspaper has had it out for me since day one, they’re
my biggest critic. I went after the owner on some media competition
rules a few years back, and ever since, they’ve been picking me
apart every chance they got. So I’m sorry your club got dragged
into it.”
    “I’m
the one who should be apologizing.” I shake my head. “Someone
here talked. I promised you privacy, and I didn’t deliver.”
    Andrew
gives me a regretful smile. “C’mon, we both know it was a
calculated risk, me coming here at all. Nobody can guarantee secrecy,
and that was my decision to make. I guess I always knew this day
might come.”
    He
shakes my hand, then heads out.
    “If
you change your mind about running, let me know. I mean it,” I
tell him. “I want to make this right.”
    He
nods, and closes the door behind him.
    But
his words linger.
    “ It
was always about me... The newspaper has it out for me.”
    Could
he be right? Zoe said she dropped the story -- that the editor used
her notes without her knowing about it, that she had no idea the
exposé would run.
    What
if this is bigger than her? If she got caught up in someone else’s
vendetta against Andrew, then she wouldn’t have known what they
were planning.
    Is
she the traitor who destroyed my world -- or a pawn in someone else’s
power play?
    I
clench my jaw. I’m trying to make excuses for her, to find a
way that she isn’t the enemy. This is the kind of thinking that
got me in this mess to begin with.
    But
is it a sign that she matters too much to me to just walk away, or
evidence of my weakness?
    My
whiskey bottle is empty, so I head out to the bar. My buddies Cam and
Ash greet me, they’re just climbing the staircase from the
front door.
    I
sigh. “Jesus, what is this: ‘let’s go babysit Dax’
day? The club is closed. And don’t you guys have work to do?”
    “Great
to see you too, buddy.” Ash slaps me on the back.
    “Always
here to show our support,” Cam adds. He looks me up and down.
“Whiskey straight from the bottle? C’mon, show a little
dignity in your hour of need.”
    “Is
this your version of support?” I grumble, but I’m glad to
see them all the same. They’re both high-profile businessmen,
and if they were thinking smart, they’d be far away from my
doors right now.
    “You
should be careful,” I add, remembering the focus on the club
right now. “Use the back exit. There will be camera crews
outside the minute they figure out the address.”
    “Too
late,” Ash replies cheerfully. “They’re already out
there.”
    “I
made sure they got my best side,” Cam tells me. He moves behind
the bar and starts mixing a batch of martinis.
    “Guys,
you can’t be associated with this place. You need to think this
through—” I start to protest, but Ash talks over me.
    “I
don’t give a fuck who knows I’m here. You’re
forgetting, I own my company. One of the perks of being a
billionaire.”
    Cam
grins. “And who’s going to fire me? I practically run
Ashcroft Industries, and last I checked, I was pretty tight with the
CEO.”
    I
exhale. “Well.... thanks for coming. I don’t know why you
bothered. This place is as good as dead.”
    “This
location, maybe.” Cam passes the martinis out. Dry, the way I
like. “But I’ll bet you’ve got a core client list
who would follow you anywhere.”
    “You
mean start over, someplace new?” I lift my head.
    “Another
location, even more under the radar, and maybe a new concept.”
    Ash
nods. “You could branch out, maybe do weekend getaways, at
luxury properties. Smaller guest-list, only the most trusted few. You
could charge a premium for something like that, hire a planner to
handle logistics so the clients don’t have to deal with any of
the details.”
    I
nod, mulling it over.
    “And
since the location would change every time, it would be harder for
anyone to get wind of it and infiltrate,” Cam agrees. “I’d
go.”
    The
more I think