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“Thank you.” She took her things and left before anyone else questioned her. She’d planned to enjoy her latte inside the mall. Now, she carried it outside to her car.
Safely locked inside, she pulled out the magazines, leaving her other purchases on the passenger seat. As she sipped her latte, she read the article in The Star Report. While it did mention her by name, the story was centered on Gray. It discussed his reputation for attending lavish parties around the world. The article also presented a long list of women he’d dated in the past. A few more candid shots of them together were inside the magazine, as well as a few pictures of Gray at various events.
Kiera scanned all the pictures. What the magazine showed wasn’t all that bad. They hadn’t dug
into her background. There was no mention that her parents worked for Gray’s father, and from what she could tell, the author hadn’t made anything up. Everything printed was true. A rare event when the media got involved, according to Gray.
Finished with the first story, she picked up Celebrity Today. The article inside there read very similar to the one in The Star Report. If the media continued to print these kinds of things regarding her and Gray’s relationship, she’d be fine with it. She’d read articles published before about well-known individuals. Often they’d made her gasp in either horror or outrage at the over-the-top details. Details she guessed were often made up for their shock factor.
Kiera turned to the next page. Immediately, another picture of Anderson Brady greeted her. This time, he stood with actress Selena Cruise with the headline, Partying It Up For A Good Cause. The article went on to discuss Anderson’s new Clean Water Matters Project.
Everyone from Hollywood’s hottest celebrities to international business moguls attended Anderson Brady’s private fundraiser for his new project Clean Water Matters. Just a few of the guests on hand were Anderson’s girlfriend, Selena Cruise, Nikki Reese, and Mark Walden. Also spotted were Sara Sherbrooke and her finance, Christopher Hall, as well as California Governor Campbell, and Congressman Patrick Brady. Italian clothing designer, Mario Flora, Japanese business executive, Tran Lee and heiress, Nadia Danilova, were there, too.
As she finished her latte, Kiera scanned the various photos. Each photo showed beautiful, wealthy people having a good time, while at the same time, supporting a good cause. She recognized many of the people pictured. She read the captions below a few photos, especially those that featured people she didn’t recognize. Heck, she’d never even heard of Tran Lee, who, according to the caption, owned a computer software company.
She didn’t need to read the caption for the third-to-last picture on the page. Kiera recognized the gorgeous, dark-haired woman. She’d even asked Gray about her. In the picture, Nadia wore a barely-there dress and hung onto the arm of an unidentifiable guy as he helped her out of a limo. The picture didn’t show it, but Kiera imagined the man had followed Nadia into the club and then spent the night glued to her side.
Kiera put both magazines away and checked her watch. She’d spent more time shopping than she should have. When she’d left the apartment, she’d promised Gray, who had just arrived in town, that she would be back in three hours. The three hour mark had come and gone fifteen minutes ago.
Kiera sent Gray a quick message to let him know she’d be home soon. When she didn’t get a response, she started her car and headed toward her apartment.
“Have fun shopping?” Gray came into her room dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt. Ear buds dangled around his neck and sweat glistened on his face.
“No. You know I hate shopping.” She picked up the new clothes she’d purchased. “But I did find the perfect outfit.” She held the clothes against her. “What do you think?”
Gray got closer and kissed her cheek. “I think it’ll look great on you, but you didn’t need to buy something new. It’s just my family tonight.”
Maybe if his family were a normal family, she would agree.
“I’d say it’s a safe bet my dad has seen you covered in mud and grass stains.”
“Maybe when I was ten.” She placed the clothes back on the bed. “I don’t want to embarrass you tonight.”
“You could never embarrass me.” Gray put his arms around her.
Kiera took one whiff and stepped back. “How many miles did you run? You smell like a locker room, Gray. You need a shower.”
He gave her a smile before he moved away. “I don’t know. I was trying to work off all the delicious food you keep feeding me.”
Gray pulled off the sweat-soaked t-shirt and tossed it into the hamper.
If her cooking had caused any adverse effects to his waistline, she couldn’t tell. “I can start making you salads.”
“I’d rather just run more.” He added his shorts to the hamper.
“Whatever you say, dear.”
“In that case, join me for a shower.”
“As sexy as I find your body, I’m going to pass this time.” She gave him a little push toward the bathroom. “I don’t want to be late tonight, so you better shower without me. We canceled on them last weekend, and I don’t want any more black marks against me.”
Gray grabbed her hand and tried to pull her into the bathroom with him. “My dad won’t be shocked if we’re late. He expects that of me these days. Besides, last weekend I had to fly out at the last minute. He blames me not you.”
“Not tonight, buster. I don’t like being late.” She pulled her hand free. “Have a nice shower.” Kiera closed the bathroom door. She heard Gray’s grumbles through the wood and laughed. “Make sure you use a lot of soap.” She called out.
Kiera started on the new crossword puzzle book she bought. In the bathroom, the water ran and she no longer heard Gray’s complaints about how much he could use her help. She almost wavered once and went inside. Then she reminded herself where they were off to tonight. Gray might insist she didn’t need to impress his dad and stepmother, but that didn’t remove the thought from her head.
The bathroom door opened, and Gray walked into the room wearing a bath towel around his waist. “That would’ve been a lot more fun with you.”
