No

"No," she matched his subdued tone, "Mokuba paid for me tonight."

Relief washed over Seto. The sensation of long-held tensions releasing its grip caused him to tremble. What was this?

Joan felt the tremors ripple through him. "Let's sit down."

She led him to an armless couch and they sunk into the light gray upholstered surface. She held him close for several moments before a knock sounded from the door. Seto took in a deep breath and got back up to answer it, peering through the peephole first. He deemed it safe and opened the door.

Mokuba stood there with two Hyatt security guards and a petite woman with olive skin and glossy black hair. She wore a midnight blue blazer and pencil skirt over a crisp white shirt. "Wait outside," Mokuba told the others before stepping inside and closing the door.

"Who the fuck is that?" Seto asked.

Mokuba ignored Seto and walked over to the couch, plopping down beside Joan. He took one of her hands between both of his. "Are you doing OK?"

"Yeah," Joan responded.

Mokuba continued, "I'm sorry all this happened, but there's no way out of the publicity at this point. The best way forward is for you to take control of how the story is told."

Joan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What have you told them so far?"

"Only the truth. I told them that we both contracted you as an escort, but Seto thinks it's funny to call you a whore."

Seto crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "It's not funny. She likes it."

"I do," Joan confirmed.

Mokuba sighed. "All right, but can you stop using that word in public, please? The last thing we need is you two getting arrested for prostitution and solicitation."

"Screw that law," Seto growled.

"If it means that much to you, you can dabble in California politics later," Mokuba said. "Right now we need to focus on damage control."

Seto scowled. "Since when did you become my PR manager?"

Mokuba ignored Seto's rhetorical question. He could only help his older brother as far as Seto accepted the aid. "Are you ready for this?" Mokuba asked Joan.