Page 142 of The Plus One Pact

Cynthia knocks on my door a few minutes later. She’s here to break the news. She’s put it together too.

My brother’s fiancée knows what I do.

Shit.

I open the door.

There’s none of the disgust or shock I expect to see in her eyes. Only sympathy.

"I put it together yesterday," she says. "You're the guy she hired."

I start to deny it, but I see it all over her face. She won't buy it.

"It makes a lot of sense. Why you were always so defensive about work. And I haven't told anyone, but it's only a matter of time before everyone else puts it together. This is all over social media. So, you should break this to Daniel before someone else does."

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ivy

Despite the buzz outside, no one interrupts me. The Galante-Flores family is either slow on the uptake or awfully respectful of privacy. Or maybe they're a typical west coast family. The kind who would rather sweep problems under the rug.

If only I could do that now.

If only I could go back in time, before some Orange County Register reporter picked up an anonymous comment on Reddit and started digging.

The digital sleuths haven’t worked it out yet. They don’t know Doctor O is Ivy Vaughn. But they’re close. They’ve narrowed her identity down to someone in my graduating class.

Sure, it’s a school of twenty-thousand, but how many women went on to study sex? There can’t be many of us. I might be the only one.

And Romeo—

They’re not sure who he is yet, but they’re close there too. They know he’s a mixed-race business-school dropout with plans to start a local business. Even if the public doesn’t put the pieces together, someone in his family will.

My phone buzzes with another call from Meredith. She's left a dozen messages at this point.

She's the one who spilled the beans. It was an accident. Too much to drink. A guy at her meditation retreat who seemed safe. Who would have thought he would go post about us online?

Damn Reddit.

I answer the call.

"Oh my god, Ives, I'm so sorry." She launches into a long apology without waiting for a response. "I'm on the way to the airport now. I caught a ride with my roomie, then there's a train to the city. I can fly back tonight."

I look at the backyard, where Romeo is talking to Cynthia. For my personal growth, I should stay and face this. I should do the responsible thing and discuss my deception.

But for his ruse?

I have to go before I draw more attention to myself.

If I stay, they’ll ask questions, and I won’t be able to lie. If I go, they’ll know I’m a secret super freak, but they might not realize my episodes on fulfillment with a sex worker are about Romeo.

It’s possible, at least.

"Why don't I fly to New York?" I offer.

"Are you sure?" she asks.

"Positive. I'll grab a hotel. We'll figure it out." I need to get the fuck out of here.