The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51: 51 | Assets and Liabilities

If Lukas’s power scaled with multiple partners, if variety increased the effect, then he’d need more. Other women. Strong women, ideally. Women with their own Aspects and connections who could elevate him further.

Diane turned off the shower and reached for a towel. Water dripped from her hair onto the bathmat as she dried herself carefully. Every movement still reminded her of last night. The ache in her muscles. The tenderness between her legs.

Whoever Lukas found, whoever caught his attention going forward, she would vet them personally. No random girls looking for a Hero boyfriend. No social climbers trying to attach themselves to potential. No one who would distract him from Halloran, from his license, from becoming everything he could be.

Only women who would help him grow.

She wrapped the towel around herself and walked back into the bedroom. Her phone buzzed again. Four more emails. Another text from her assistant, this one in all caps.

Reality crashed back down. She had work. Meetings starting at nine. A client crisis that apparently couldn’t wait. And she’d promised to be at the office by eight-thirty to deal with whatever emergency had exploded overnight.

Diane opened her closet and pulled out a charcoal pencil skirt and cream silk blouse. Professional armor. The kind of outfit that said she had her life together, that she was in complete control, that she definitely hadn’t spent last night getting railed by a teenager in her care.

She dressed mechanically, her body moving through familiar motions while her mind stayed elsewhere. The underwear drawer presented a problem. Everything felt too tight, too restrictive against her sensitive skin. She settled on the softest pair she owned and a matching bra that didn’t push or squeeze.

Makeup next. Foundation to even her skin tone. Concealer layered thick over the marks on her neck. Eyeliner and mascara to disguise how little sleep she’d gotten. Lipstick in a professional nude shade that wouldn’t draw attention.

By the time she finished, Diane Fitzgerald the CEO was staring back from the mirror. Put together. Competent. Showing no signs of the absolute debauchery that had happened in this room just hours ago.

Perfect.

Her phone rang as she was gathering her things. Her assistant, finally graduating from texts to actual calls.

"Morning, sugar," Diane answered, her drawl sliding back into place like a favorite coat. "I saw your messages. What’s on fire?"

"Sterling," her assistant said without preamble. "He posted something on social media last night that’s getting torn apart. His approval rating dropped six points overnight and his agency is threatening to drop him if we can’t fix it."

Victor Sterling. The Hero-turned-actor they’d watched in that ridiculous spy movie last night. Diane remembered his perfectly styled hair and dramatic action sequences. She also remembered Lukas’s hand on her thigh while Sterling defused a bomb on screen.

"Send me the post," Diane said, already walking toward the door. "I’ll review it on the way to the office. Schedule an emergency meeting with Sterling for ten. And get his agent on the phone, tell them we’ll have a statement ready by noon."

"Already done. Meeting’s at ten, agent’s standing by."

"You’re a treasure, honey. I’ll be there in twenty."

Diane ended the call and paused at her bedroom door. The bed behind her was still unmade, sheets tangled and stained. Evidence of what she’d done. What they’d done.

She should strip the bed. Throw everything in the wash. Remove any sign that Lukas had been there.

But she didn’t. The thought of erasing those sheets, of washing away the proof, made something twist in her chest. Possessive and irrational and completely inappropriate for a woman her age.

She left the bed as it was and headed downstairs.

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