Page 23 of Bite Me
The couple entered the sprawling hotel suite accompanied by three bodyguards, two of whom were vampires. The men in black suits walked through all the rooms, checking closets and bathrooms, before they excused themselves to wait in the living-room area by the door.
Then it was just Eddie, me, and the clients in the suite’s dedicated study. While Eddie and I were in strict business attire, Helen and Pierce exuded posh casual in soft cotton and linen. Pierce didn’t remove his black ball cap even though we’d drawn the curtains to shield him from the sharp daylight.
I greeted Helen first. “Russel Greenwood. I lead the personal brand team at Fowles & Tito. And this is Benedict Perkins, our creative strategist.”
“Call me Eddie, please. Happy to meet you.”
They shook hands. Helen was smiling pleasantly, but I could see Pierce judging Eddie already. It wasn’t easy for Eddie to gain respect with how young and innocent he looked.
“Anthony didn’t provide us with any details,” I said. “I’m afraid we’ll have to start from the beginning.”
“He doesn’t have any details,” Pierce said. “The fewer people who know about this, the better.”
“I understand. As you know, we are bound by the toughest NDAs in the business. You can give us only the information you deem absolutely necessary, but leaving something out might lead to us recommending less-than-ideal strategies.”
They exchanged a look, and Pierce leaned against the chair’s tall backrest with a sigh. Helen gave us an insecure smile. She looked far removed from the confident persona I knew from interviews and award ceremonies.
“I’m pregnant.”
Silence followed.Well, shit. It was impossible for Pierce to be the father. I kept my expression neutral as different scenarios unfolded in my head. Infidelity was a PR nightmare, especially for married women. The public forgave promiscuous men for fucking around sooner than their wives for being cheated on. If the woman was the cheater? Unsalvageable. We’d need to lie and make sure the lies stuck.
Eddie broke the silence with a cheerful: “Congratulations.”
Pierce threw Eddie a disdainful look.
“I hope you’re feeling well,” Eddie continued toward Helen, ignoring Pierce’s glare.
“I am, thank you. It’s early days, week eleven, but everything seems to be going well.” Helen went slightly pink on her face. She was obviously happy about the pregnancy.
“Eddie, is it?” Pierce said. “You do know a human woman can’t get pregnant with a vampire, don’t you?”
“I’m aware,” Eddie said breezily. “I assume that’s why you need our help.”
The couple exchanged glances, and Pierce’s annoyance briefly clashed with Helen’s cautionary stare. Helen spoke next. “As soon as my body starts changing, everybody will assume I’ve been cheating on my husband. What we think infidelity is or isn’t won’t matter. Pierce will be publicly humiliated, and I’ll be labeled a whore. The media shitstorm will forever damage our careers.”
“There are several entirely legitimate ways for a couple like you to have children,” I said. “IVF is one of them.”
“Except we didn’t go to a clinic, Mr. Greenwood,” Helen said.
I gave her what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “You could have.”
“If we say we went to a clinic for IVF treatment, is there a way for the tabloids to find out we didn’t?” Pierce asked.
“That depends. Does the biological father know?”
“Yes,” Pierce said. “He would like to be involved.”
“Then his presence in the child’s life might raise suspicion later.”
“Besides, it could make it challenging for you to talk with your child about their parentage,” Eddie added.
“If we don’t claim IVF, what can we say?” Helen asked.
Before I could list the number of options from the top of my head, Eddie stepped in. “Imagine for a moment there is no judgment whatsoever. You are free to live your life in whatever way you want, and nobody will ever criticize your choices. What would you say then?”
I blinked. That was uncommon. Anthony hadn’t said anything about Eddie being a loose cannon in meetings. I sincerely hoped he had a point.
Pierce let out an incredulous laugh, but Helen put a hand on his arm.
