Claim Me: A Novel

Internet?
Oh, dear God …
    “It’s not like they’ve stepped it up a notch, right? I mean, it’s not like someone’s been aiming a long lens at the balcony. Have they?”
    “Good God, no.” His response is so fast and full of such astonishment that I know my guess completely missed the mark.
    I relax, the feeling returning to my body. “Good,” I say. “I thought—” I break off, because I need to take another deep breath. I realize my fingernails are digging into the flesh above my knees, and I release my grip and force myself to relax. I don’t need the pain to get through this; there’s nothing to get through except fear. And besides, I have Damien to hang on to.
    “Nikki?”
    When I speak, my voice actually sounds normal. “I just thought that since you brought up the paparazzi, that maybe that was what the call was about.”
    “Call?”
    “Earlier,” I say. “At the house. You looked so upset.”
    His eyes widen with what I recognize as genuine surprise. “Did I?”
    I lift a shoulder in concession. “I doubt Blaine noticed. But I know you.”
    “Yes,” he says. “Apparently you do. But no, that call had nothing to do with those vultures.”
    I can almost see a red haze of anger surrounding Damien, but I don’t know if he’s angry at the original caller or with me.
    I clear my throat and continue the conversation as if I’d never even mentioned it. “Besides,” I say, “the paparazzi are not one of your acquisitions. More like an infestation. I don’t like them, but I’m learning to live with them.”
    He glances at me, and I catch his worried expression. It had been too much to hope that Damien missed my minor freak-out moment a second ago. Damien, I’ve learned, misses nothing.
    “Really,” I say, and I mean it, too. So long as no one has taken a nudie picture of me with a long lens, I am just fine. “They’re like fire ants in Texas. They swarm, but the trick is to just not get in the middle of them. And if you do get bit, the sting fades soon enough.” I am so firm that I almost convince myself. “Besides,” I add with a wicked grin, “your Santa Barbara hotel and your penthouse apartment make it all worthwhile.”
    He remains silent for so long that I feel sure my ploy to change the subject has failed.
    “Don’t forget the house in Hawaii,” he finally says.
    I release a happy sigh. “You have a house in Hawaii?”
    “And an apartment in Paris.”
    “Oh, now you’re just trying to make me drool.”
    “Have I mentioned that Stark International has several divisions in the food industry, as well as a significant share of a company that produces high-end Swiss chocolates?”
    I cross my arms. If we’re playing Itemize Stark’s Assets, this game will go on forever. “You realize that the fact that you have never once offered me one of those Swiss chocolates is grounds for me to hold a grudge for at least two weeks.”
    “Two weeks?” His hand hovers over the button on the steeringwheel that operates the speakerphone. “And would you be withholding sex during that time, Ms. Fairchild?”
    I manage a very unladylike snort. “Hardly. The idea is to punish you, not me.”
    “I see.” He moves his hand away from the button. “No need to bother Sylvia this late, then. I’ll have her order your chocolates in the morning.”
    I laugh. “So far the chocolates are in the lead in my assessment of your assets. But I’m also impressed by your fabulous taste in restaurants. That’s a hint, by the way.”
    “I applaud your subtlety.”
    “I try.”
    “And I’ll reward you with the news that we’re almost there.”
    “Really?” I’ve been ignoring the world outside the car, but now I look through the passenger side window. We’ve been on the road almost half an hour, the dark Pacific with the moon-crested waves rippling to my right as we head south. Now I see that we’ve arrived in Santa Monica, and after a few turns and stops at traffic lights, we are on Ocean Avenue between Santa Monica and Arizona.
    Damien pulls up in front of a sleek white building that, as far as I can tell, has no hard angles, only sweeping curves. It’s several stories tall and mostly dark, but when I press my nose to the window and look up, I can see that the top floor is brightly lit.
    There is a valet stand a few feet away, and a guy not much younger than Damien hurries to my door. Just as quickly, Damien presses the button that locks the car. I look at him curiously, but he