A Los Angeles Passion
Sherelle Green
They’ve found the ultimate passion. But could her secret threaten their Hollywood ending?Award-winning screenwriter Trey Moore agrees to look after his infant nephew for two weeks, and for once he’s out of his depth. Gorgeous Kiara Woods, owner of LA’s glitziest day care, offers help.While she’s teaching Trey Babysitting 101, she’s falling hard for the sexy millionaire. But can she risk revealing a painful truth that’s already cost her so much?
They’ve found the ultimate passion
But could her secret threaten their Hollywood ending?
Award-winning screenwriter Trey Moore agrees to look after his infant nephew for two weeks, and for once he’s out of his depth. Gorgeous Kiara Woods, owner of LA’s glitziest day care, offers help. While she’s teaching Trey Babysitting 101, she’s falling hard for the sexy millionaire. But can she risk revealing a painful truth that’s already cost her so much?
SHERELLE GREEN is a Chicago native with a dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. She enjoys composing emotionally driven stories that are steamy, edgy and touch on real-life issues. Her overall goal is to create relatable and fierce heroines who are flawed, just like the strong and sexy heroes who fight so hard to win their hearts. There’s no such thing as a perfect person...but when you find that person who is perfect for you, the possibilities are endless. Nothing satisfies her more than writing stories filled with compelling love affairs, multifaceted characters and intriguing relationships.
Also By Sherelle Green (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb)
A Tempting Proposal
If Only for Tonight
Red Velvet Kisses
Beautiful Surrender
Enticing Winter
Wrapped in Red (with Nana Malone)
Falling for Autumn
Waiting for Summer
Nights of Fantasy
A Miami Affair
Her Unexpected Valentine
A Los Angeles Passion
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
A Los Angeles Passion
Sherelle Green
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08631-8
A LOS ANGELES PASSION
© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“I think we should save that story for our next date.” She briefly closed her eyes. “I mean meeting. We can save that story for our next meeting.” Kiara stood abruptly. “I think it’s time for me to go.”
“Okay,” Trey said with a laugh. “I’ll walk you out.”
They made their way down the spiral stairs.
“I had a nice time tonight,” Kiara said when she reached the door. She turned around to find him watching her intently.
“I had a nice time, as well.” Trey took a step closer to her. “I enjoyed getting to know you a little better.” He was so close, Kiara was afraid to breathe.
“Me, too,” she whispered. His eyes dropped to her lips. She forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
When his hand reached up to cup her face, Kiara completely froze. There’s no way he’s going to kiss me, right? We just met each other.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.
Say yes. Say yes. Say yes. “No,” she said, moments before his lips came crashing down onto hers.
Dear Reader (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb),
I was excited for the chance to write another novel in the Millionaire Moguls series, and writing about Trey Moore and Kiara Woods did not disappoint. Since I often write connecting stories, writing Trey and Kiara’s story gave me the opportunity to write about characters who hadn’t met prior to the novel.
I hope you also enjoy catching up with Kyra Reed, from the Bare Sophistication series, who is close friends with Kiara in A Los Angeles Passion. In true Kyra fashion, she can’t be anyone but herself.
Make sure you follow me to stay updated on my latest releases!
Much love,
Sherelle
authorsherellegreen@gmail.com
www.bit.ly/SherelleGreensCoffeeCorner (http://www.bit.ly/SherelleGreensCoffeeCorner)
@SherelleGreen (https://twitter.com/sherellegreen?lang=en)
To my in-laws, Bernadine and Isaiah, for all your support and encouragement. I feel so lucky and blessed to have each of you in my life. Mom, ever since my first book event, you have always attended and supported me. Not only am I grateful to have you present at these events, but other authors and readers alike love your enthusiasm and always look forward to seeing you. Together, we always have a good time and our closeness means the world to me. Dad, the fact that you’ve shown an interest in my work and have pushed to help me take my career even further truly warms my heart. You keep me laughing and you already know I’m always down to hear one of your stories.
Not only am I grateful to have an amazing husband, but I feel blessed to have such kindhearted, supportive and loving in-laws.
Contents
Cover (#u357c9496-7cd8-5bc9-897d-edfdb92c31fe)
Back Cover Text (#ua038ed9b-389b-5563-ad72-7acae91f6a3a)
About the Author (#u08c75cc9-3caa-50b6-a23d-13ac6ff14be0)
Booklist (#u60d34409-5649-5d53-8d70-4b7497c7f8a1)
Title Page (#ua481d372-8047-5a9f-aa87-f1bd186e79b3)
Copyright (#u2483808f-a74f-59f6-9c44-82270eb8ee49)
Introduction (#u96eb24b5-3d26-543c-8422-599b90158aae)
Dear Reader (#u621a9bac-e254-542c-b4df-71e70a876615)
Dedication (#ub2928dde-f32a-509c-8c94-c4a79f75d116)
Chapter 1 (#u757b936a-863d-53e0-9e33-7b25a805dc02)
Chapter 2 (#u0d5a4f0b-8bd2-51e7-b87e-50f32a884356)
Chapter 3 (#u6ab3911d-58ac-5212-9366-fb6c05e1d438)
Chapter 4 (#u1bd66842-073a-5dc6-a68c-718309dc1d38)
Chapter 5 (#uef4461c6-5030-5851-88f2-4e61ab2150ae)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb)
Trey Moore could barely conceal his anticipation as he ran his long fingers over the smooth, creamy piece of his latest obsession.
“That’s it,” he whispered, pinching at a couple of curled edges that were beautifully laid out on the table before him. “Come to me, baby.”
For months, he’d been preparing for this very moment. Trey reached for his scotch on the rocks before sitting on the high chair of his dining room table. He took a measured sip of the cool liquid and observed the printed cream-colored pages of his screenplay, which was currently divided into scenes.
Trey had been cooped up in his Brentwood, LA, estate for nearly seventy-two complete hours, and he was no closer to being finished with his latest screenplay than he was before he’d taken his hiatus.
For Trey, there was nothing more frustrating than having writer’s block when his agent and producers were on his back for the next Hollywood hit. He’d known, the minute he’d accepted this job, that he’d run into a few issues toward the end. He prided himself on only agreeing to write screenplays for stories that he truly believed were special in their own way. However, even he’d admit that, initially, he hadn’t seen the producer’s vision behind this particular project. As time grew and he let the story line foster in his head a bit, he’d begun to change his mind.
Every time Trey wrote a screenplay, he invariably got that feeling in the pit of his stomach that he’d figure out how to tie up every loose end in the story finally. Call it writer’s intuition or good old-fashioned luck, he always knew instinctively that he’d be able to finish things satisfactorily, and just an hour ago, he’d gotten that hunch again.
The feeling had come a little later than he’d liked, but luckily, he still had a couple of weeks to pull perfection from the last few scenes he’d written down in an effort to appease his agent and producers. It was mid-September and he hadn’t promised them anything final until mid-October.
Taking another sip of his scotch, he picked up one of the action scenes and read his handwritten sticky notes plastered across the paper. “Come on, Trey,” he said, closing his eyes. “What’s missing here?”
He kept his eyes closed as he imagined the scene playing out in his mind as it would in the movie. He was only partially into his vision when he heard keys jingling in his front door. Trey opened his eyes and glanced down at his rose gold watch.
“Carmen,” he said aloud as he shook his head and headed toward his front door. There was only one person who could be coming into his home at eleven o’clock at night.
“What do you want?” he said, crossing his arms over his chest the moment the door peeked open.
“Dang, big bro. Is that any way to greet your favorite sister?”
“You’re my only sister.”
“Precisely the reason you should be more grateful to see me.”
“You’re right,” he said with a laugh as he reached for the car seat that held his nephew, Matthew. “Hey, M-dog,” he said as he picked up the six-month-old. “How’s my boy doing?”
“Ugh.” Carmen frowned. “Why do you insist on calling him M-dog?”
“Because it’s way better than you and Mom insisting on calling him Matty. There’s nothing manly about the nickname Matty. Are you trying to raise your son to permanently be in the friends zone with every girl he meets?”
“Shut up,” Carmen said, lightly slapping Trey’s shoulder. “M-dog isn’t a good nickname, either. You’re lucky I love you because had anyone else called him that, I would have nipped it in the bud right away.”
Trey smiled, knowing she meant it. Although Trey and Carmen didn’t have the same father, they were extremely close. Trey’s stepdad—who was also Carmen’s father—had been around for most of his life, and since Trey’s relationship with his own father was strained, he appreciated his stepfather.
Through his biological dad, Reginald Moore, Trey also had two half brothers, Derek and Max. Since they all had different mothers, they hadn’t been too close growing up. Like him, Derek also had an uneasy relationship with their father. Actually, Derek’s relationship with Reginald was much worse than Trey’s. Max was the only son who was close to Reginald, because he’d had the benefit of growing up with Reginald in his life and always had him around.
“Have any scotch?” Carmen stepped away from the foyer and walked into the kitchen area that was connected to the dining room and living room.
“You already know I do.” Trey handed baby Matthew back to his sister as he pulled out a glass to pour scotch. “I thought you weren’t drinking any liquor, though? When did that change?”
“Oh, it didn’t,” Carmen said with a sneaky smile. “The scotch is for you.”
Trey stopped midpour. “For me? I already have a glass I was sipping on before you arrived.”
“Great. Then maybe you should get that glass.”
Trey leaned against the counter. “Enough stalling, Carmen. I’m happy to see you and my nephew, but why are you here?”
Carmen nuzzled her nose with Matthew’s tiny button before speaking. “Well, as you know, Max has been trying to get me a few gigs, but even with his connections as my talent agent, I haven’t gotten a lot of bites.”
Trey nodded, well aware of Carmen’s frustration with her acting career. His sister was talented, and seeing that their mom was a famous actress in her day, Hollywood expected that at least one of her children would follow her path. Surprisingly, Trey had found his niche in LA as a prominent screenplay writer. However, Carmen was still trying to emulate their mother. Trey knew that all she needed was a big break to showcase her talent, and he was hoping that Max, his half brother and Carmen’s agent, could help her in any way possible.
“So, it looks like my hard work is finally paying off. I landed a minor role on a weekly television series.”
“That’s great, sis.” Trey gave her a quick hug, careful not to crush Matthew. “I knew you’d get a break soon enough.”
“I’m really excited,” Carmen said, beaming from ear to ear. “I couldn’t wait to tell you. I even wanted to tell Scott and gloat a little, but I don’t want to jinx anything.”
Scott was Carmen’s ex and Matthew’s father. Trey had always gotten along well with Scott, but Scott didn’t support Carmen’s dream of becoming a full-time actress, so the two had split right before Carmen found out she was pregnant. Trey was proud of his sister for not letting her dream of spending the rest of her life with Scott and raising a family together deter her from following her other goal of becoming an actress.
“I understand that.” Trey playfully nudged her on the head like he’d done since she was little. “When do you start filming?”
“Funny you should ask.” Carmen perked up. “I’ve been informed that it will take two weeks to film the pilot episode and I’m needed on set starting tomorrow. Which brings me to the reason I’m here.”
Trey squinted his eyes when Carmen glanced from him to Matthew, then back to him. “Oh, no, sis. You’ve got to be kidding me. You already know I’ve got this thing to finish. Hell, I haven’t even been out the house in days.”
“I know, Trey. And I wouldn’t ask if I had other options. I need someone to watch Matthew for two weeks while I film.”
“The full two weeks!” Trey didn’t mean for his voice to carry, but just the thought of him babysitting a six-month-old while trying to make this tight deadline was enough to send him into a slight panic, and Trey was not the panicky type. “Are you sure I’m the best option?”
“Best? Probably not. Only? Absolutely. You already know that Mom and Dad are on their African safari. And Scott is traveling between New York and Miami throughout the rest of this month on business, so he’s not even in LA. I would ask Scott’s parents if they weren’t in Germany for the next few weeks. And I can’t get a two-week nanny on such short notice. I know the timing isn’t ideal for you, but I could really use your help right now.”
Carmen shot him her big-puppy-dog-eyes that usually did the trick when she was trying to convince him to do something he didn’t want to do. Trey lifted Matthew’s tiny hand in his.
“Carm, I’ve never watched a child on my own for that long, let alone an infant.”
“You used to watch me when I was little and you’re only eight years older than me.”
Trey shook his head. “The first time I babysat you on my own, I was twelve and you were four. That’s hardly an infant.”
“Whatever.” Carmen shrugged. “The point is, you did fine back then and I’m sure you’ll do fine now. There will be other times you have to watch your nephew, so you might as well start now. Plus, I really need your help. I’ve been hoping to land a gig like this and it may just be the opening I’ve been waiting for.”
Trey sighed. He really did want Carmen to go for her dreams and he knew firsthand that the set wasn’t a good place for infants. He recalled a time when his stepdad had been out of town and the babysitter had gotten sick. So his mom had been forced to bring him and a colicky Carmen on set for a movie she was shooting. It hadn’t been pretty.
His eyes landed back on Matthew’s adorable brown face and chubby baby cheeks. “Okay,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll babysit M-dog for two weeks.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Carmen kissed Trey’s cheek before handing Matthew to him. “Thank you so much, big bro. I owe you big-time!”
“I plan on collecting, too,” he said with a laugh. His joke fell on deaf ears because Carmen was already halfway to the front door. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.” Ten minutes later, Trey was sorry he’d asked. It took no time for his home to go from the ultimate bachelor pad to a nursery straight out of an HGTV show.
“Carm, what is all this stuff?”
“This,” she said, waving her hands around everything she’d placed in his living room, “is everything you will need to turn Casa De Trey into Matty’s Baby Manor.”
Trey handed Matthew back to his sister as he tried not to freak out by all the paraphernalia scattered around. Baby swing. Baby mat. Baby carrier. Baby bathtub. Blankets. Stuffed animals. Pop-up crib. Diapers. Bottles. Pacifiers. His mind couldn’t even comprehend all the stuff needed to care for an infant.
“What in the world is all this?” he asked as he pointed to a mound of what appeared to be pieces of some type of toy.
Carmen smiled. “That’s Matty’s ExerSaucer.”
“His exer...what?”
“His ExerSaucer.” Carmen pulled out her phone with her free hand to show him a picture of Matthew sitting in one. “It’s like an activity center for babies. It helps keep him busy. I had to break it apart to get it in my car, but I figured you could put it back together.”
“Damn, Carmen. You might as well have brought over your entire house.”
“I tried,” she said with a laugh. “Also, even though Matty is a baby, try to limit the cursing around him. You never know what types of things babies pick up at a young age. And I also have a large tote bag that has his formula in it with instructions on scoops and how much water to add. His medicine is in there, too, as well as his Baby Bullet.”
Trey’s eyes widened. “Baby bullet? Do I even want to know what that is?”
“It’s what you will use to blend his baby food.” Carmen searched the floor until her eyes landed on a bin of baby food. “This bin should have all the food needed to blend your own recipes. Nothing too fancy. Just sweet peas. Mashed bananas. Stuff like that. It’s not enough for two weeks, but should be enough for a week. And it needs to be refrigerated.”
Trey lifted the bin and walked to the kitchen to place it in the refrigerator. He’d only agreed about twenty minutes ago, and already, he had to remind himself why he was doing this. Carmen’s phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
“Oops, I forgot I had this call. I have to take this.” She rushed to Trey and handed him Matthew. “I’m going to miss my baby boy. Mama loves you,” she said to her son as she showered him with kisses before answering her phone.
“This is Carmen. Can you please hold for a moment?” She glanced at Trey. “Are you good? You know you can call me anytime. In the large tote, I also left detailed instructions on everything, so you should be okay. He’s already been fed tonight and I just changed him before we arrived. Tonight should be easy since he pretty much sleeps through the night. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
Carmen was already out the door before Trey could formulate a response. Once they were alone in his home, Trey glanced down at the wide-eyed baby in his arms, unsure if he should be more worried about babysitting Matthew or if Matthew should be worried about him being the babysitter.
“We’ll get through this, right, M-dog?” In response, Matthew blew a couple of spit bubbles before scrunching his forehead. “What does that face mean?” Trey asked, observing his nephew a little closer. “Are you agreeing with me?”
Matthew gurgled some more bubbles before he spit up and let out a loud wail.
“Oh, hell,” Trey yelled as the spit-up ran from Matthew’s mouth down to Trey’s hand. Acting fast, Trey grabbed one of the blankets Carmen had left and began wiping off the baby’s face.
Several minutes later, Trey still couldn’t get Matthew to stop bawling. “Could this night get any worse,” he said between the wails. On cue, his iPhone rang, displaying the last name he expected to see. Reginald Moore? What does he want?
Trey answered on the fourth ring. “Hello, this is Trey.”
“Trey, this is your father. I have both your brothers on the line as well.”
Trey pulled back to look at his phone as if it were contagious. “Max and Derek both?”
Each of his brothers greeted him. Trey rarely talked to his father and both brothers, so if they were all on the line, it had to be important.
“Trey, is that a baby in the background?” Reginald asked. Trey glanced down at Matthew, who was still crying.
“Yeah, I’m babysitting my nephew. Let me put you all on a brief hold.” Acting quickly on his feet, Trey managed to configure the pop-up crib with one hand and carefully place Matthew in the middle of the crib. As soon as he popped the pacifier into his nephew’s mouth, the crying stopped.
Thank goodness. Trey glanced back at his phone, which was still on hold. One problem down. One more left. He sat on his large plush armchair that was next to the crib before resuming the conversation. “Okay, I’m back. So, tell me...what’s the purpose of this call?”
He tried to leave the bitterness out of his voice, but it had been a long few months, and a call with his father never ended well.
Reginald cleared his throat. “Now that I have all of you on the phone, there’s something very important that I need your help with.” There was a slight pause before Reginald continued. “I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I would never do anything to hurt Prescott George, and I definitely did not do anything to the San Diego chapter. Granted, it was hard for me to accept that they would be named chapter of the year, but I would never stoop so low as to sabotage them. I gave Prescott George more than twenty-five years of my life, and as I’ve stated before, someone framed me.”
Trey squeezed the bridge of his nose as his father continued to voice his innocence. Prescott George—or the Millionaire Moguls, as they were informally known—was a prestigious, all-male national organization that was as powerful as it was discreet. Until six months ago, Reginald had been a respected board member of the LA chapter of Prescott George, where his sons were also members.
After an internal investigation that proved Reginald was guilty of trying to sabotage the Prescott George San Diego chapter to keep them from winning the annual award, Reginald had been kicked out of the organization.
Trey, along with his half brothers, was horrified by the accusations and embarrassed that their father would try to harm the chances of another chapter. All of Reginald’s sons were subjected to an internal investigation to make sure they hadn’t assisted Reginald in his activities. And even though all three of them were cleared, the damage to the Moore name had already been done.
“I never believed you could be guilty, Dad,” Max said. “I agree with you. I think you were framed.”
Trey huffed into the phone. Innocent? I doubt it.
“Max, thank you for believing me,” Reginald said. “Trey. Derek. I assume your silence means you don’t believe I’m innocent. Quite frankly, I didn’t expect either of you to believe me, but my innocence isn’t the only situation I need to discuss with my boys.”
The endearment Reginald voiced was probably the first Trey had ever heard. My boys? Max was close to Reginald, so it wasn’t strange to hear him refer to Max with affection. However, Trey couldn’t recall a time when his father had ever addressed him or Derek in any sort of way that indicated he was proud to be their father.
“Haven’t you involved us in your recent situations enough?” Trey asked, finally getting over the surprise of the call. “It wasn’t enough for our character to be questioned because of this investigation, but now you suddenly decide you want to have a heart-to-heart with all your sons when you’re at your lowest?”
“I agree,” Derek said. “Our lives were turned upside down from your mistakes. I think I’ve heard enough on this phone call.”
“Just hear me out.” Reginald cleared his throat again. “It’s a little over three months before Christmas, and although I know I’m decades too late, it’s time for me to make amends. When the investigation was going on this past spring, after a while, I became too weak and tired to continue to protest my innocence. But now I can’t imagine going into the New Year with this burden on my back.”
“What are you saying?” Max asked. “Why now, Dad?”
“Because now is all I’ve got, son.” Reginald sighed. “I’ve just been informed that I have stage four prostate cancer. The doctors don’t think I will live past the New Year, and although I know my sons don’t owe me anything, I’m innocent of these crimes I’ve been convicted of. Before I die, I’d love nothing more than to clear my name, and my hope is that my sons will help me do that and preserve the Moore legacy.”
Trey sat upright in his chair. What? He’s dying? In some ways, Trey had felt like Reginald Moore would live forever, if only to remind him that he hadn’t had the benefit of growing up with a father. Reginald didn’t make Trey’s top-one-hundred list of favorite people in the world, but even he’d admit that he’d always imagined Reginald lingering somewhere close by, hoping to appear on the list one day.
“Wow,” Trey whispered, unable to take the sudden silence that filled the line. It only took a few moments for him to feel like the breath had been sucked from his lungs. Being a screenplay writer, he loved several things about films, but one of his favorite parts of a movie was the element of surprise. It was a scene that was so perfectly written and directed you couldn’t predict what would happen next. When a surprise scene was written well, even the film crew applauded after it was acted out.
Since he was a screenwriter, he was often the one who wrote the surprises, not the one who was surprised. Even though Trey prided himself on always being able to see what would come next, he hadn’t been able to predict the direction of this phone call. Nor could he have foreseen the sudden ache he felt in his heart at the thought of losing a father he’d never even gotten the chance to truly know.
Chapter 2 (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb)
“Please tell me that is not my old college roomie, because I haven’t seen her in so long I almost forgot what she looks like,” said twenty-eight-year-old Kiara Woods as she stood from the outdoor table at a chic restaurant to give her friend a hug.
Miranda Jensen Ellicott shook her head before returning her embrace. “Girl, stop. It hasn’t been that long.”
Kiara gave her the side-eye. “Yes, it has. I haven’t seen you since you got married to Vaughn.”
“I know,” Miranda said with a smile. “The newlywed life is keeping me pretty busy these days.”
“With a husband like that, I’m sure it is.”
Miranda smiled even wider. “If it were up to Vaughn, he’d have me pregnant and barefoot before the month is over. Luckily for me, he understands the importance of my work right now.”
Kiara nodded in agreement. “And how are things going with Vaughn?”
Miranda’s eyes lit up. “Wonderfully. He’s actually a couple of blocks away, taking care of some business. We drove into LA together, so I just walked here.”
“Aren’t you guys cute,” Kiara teased. “Even riding together for meetings and whatnot so that you don’t have to be away from each other for long.”
Kiara laughed when Miranda didn’t try to deny it. “Seriously, it’s great to see you so happy. How are things at your luxury B and B?”
“Everything is wonderful,” Miranda said as the waiter approached. “Fall and winter are always busy for the B and B, so I expect to be at full capacity throughout the rest of the year. I can’t complain.” They placed their lunch order before they resumed their conversation.
“What about you?” Miranda asked. “How are things?”
Kiara grinned as she thought about the preschool and day-care center that she owned. “I’m honestly so proud of how much LA Little Ones Daycare and Preschool has grown. It’s amazing to see my vision turn into a reality.”
“Kiara, it’s not just a preschool and day-care center,” Miranda said. “It’s the Hollywood preschool and day-care center. It’s the place where LA’s rich and famous want to take their children. Hell, I’m already hoping that I can get bumped up your waiting list when Vaughn and I start popping babies. We’d drive to LA for a great center like yours.”
Kiara laughed. “You already know I’d bump you up the list.”
“I’m just saying. Back in college, you always talked about owning your own day care, but I don’t even think that you considered it would grow this much. And after the few rough patches you had a couple of years ago, you needed your business to be a success.”
The waiter returned with two glasses of water and a plate of sliced lemons. “Thanks, girl.” Kiara squeezed a lemon slice into her water before taking a sip. She thought about the words that Miranda left unspoken. Kiara had accomplished a lot before the age of thirty, but one circumstance that she’d never wanted to be a part of her journey was becoming a divorcée.
Everything had been going so well for her during the early years of her marriage. She’d thought that her unlucky days in love were finally over when she’d met Jerry. Little had she known that after two short years of marriage, she’d be getting a divorce and saying farewell to the one man who had promised to love her forever.
Diving into work had been the perfect distraction, and as the articles about her in the media put it, Kiara and her day care had become an overnight success in the childcare business. She hadn’t had time for love, and quite frankly, she hadn’t felt like anything was really missing from her life at that time.
But you feel like it is now. She briefly sighed as that little voice crept inside her thoughts, reminding her that she had once been a happy newlywed, too. She’d once worn the same smile that Miranda was wearing right now. She had once seen her future bright and clear with the man she loved before it was all taken away when he suddenly asked for a divorce.
“When was the last time you went out?” Miranda asked, breaking her thoughts.
Kiara took another sip of her water. “I go out.”
Miranda pinned her with a hard stare. “Let me repeat my question. When was the last time you went out?”
“I can’t remember,” Kiara said with a shrug. “Maybe last month?”
“Are you sure?”
“Hmm.” Kiara thought about it some more. “Maybe two months ago. Or three. I can’t really remember.”
Miranda shook her head. “Friend, the last time you told me about you going out was when a couple of your employees convinced you to check out that new jazz lounge. And that was way more than three months ago.”
Kiara rapidly blinked. “Oh my God, I think you’re right! That’s the last time I remember going out just for the sake of going out.”
“That’s sad,” Miranda said with a laugh. “The Kiara I knew back in college would never miss a party or pass up an opportunity to go out.”
Kiara downed the rest of her water, wishing it was something stiffer. “Girl, that was before being an adult happened.”
Miranda shook her head. “More like it was before life happened. Being an adult doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Trust me, I understand being all about the business, but you’ve got to have a little fun, too, or before you know it, your life would have passed you by and you’ll be wondering when was the last time you stopped to truly live in the moment.”
As their food arrived, Kiara contemplated her friend’s words, immediately realizing that Miranda was right. “I do need to learn to live a little more,” Kiara said after a few moments. “But I also plan on building a franchise, so my schedule is bound to get even crazier.”
“Building a franchise is a great idea,” Miranda said. “Just keep in mind that a busy schedule doesn’t mean you have to neglect your social life.”
“True,” Kiara said, nodding.
Miranda’s phone dinged, interrupting their conversation. She frowned as she read the text message.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Miranda shot a quick reply. “I’m just worried that Vaughn is taking on too much. You know how we always teased a couple of our girlfriends back in college who used to say their main goal was to marry a Millionaire Mogul?”
“Of course,” Kiara said with a laugh. “And then you go ahead and marry a Prescott George member despite how much we teased them.”
Kiara knew all about the Prescott George organization, also called the Millionaire Moguls. She respected what they did for the community, but she never did understand why some women made it their main goal to land an elite member. Her ex-husband had even wanted to be a member, but Prescott George was exclusive with their membership, so he hadn’t stood a chance.
Miranda grinned. “I know. I still can’t believe it, either.” She took another bite of her fruit salad before speaking again. “Well, Vaughn has been really busy with his San Diego chapter, but now he’s also helping the LA chapter get back on their feet.”
“Why? What happened?”
Miranda sighed. “I really shouldn’t be saying anything, but they were suspended for six months when one of the LA board members tried to sabotage San Diego being chosen as chapter of the year. The person responsible orchestrated several break-ins, hacking of computers and files, and even the vandalism of some of the property. It got pretty bad, but finally, they figured out the man behind everything was Reginald Moore, a high-ranking board member.”
“Wow,” Kiara said, shaking her head. “I didn’t hear anything about this.”
“That’s not surprising. Prescott George didn’t want the bad press, so the board and the national organization declined to press charges and instead expelled Reginald Moore and placed the LA chapter on a six-month suspension. And apparently, he put up quite a fuss about everything.”
“Of course he did.” Kiara rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing more annoying than a person who does something wrong, yet feels entitled and above the law. I’m sure he got what he deserved, and if you ask me, it even sounds like he got off easy. So, how was Vaughn looped into helping the LA chapter?”
Miranda opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.
“We’re a brotherhood,” a voice said behind Kiara. “I’d never turn down helping out another chapter.” She turned to see Vaughn Ellicott approaching their outdoor table.
“Well, if it isn’t Miranda’s new husband...in the flesh.” Kiara stood to hug Vaughn before he hugged his wife and sat in an empty seat.
“It’s good to see you again, Kiara,” Vaughn said with a handsome smile. “And I can answer your question more fully, since I’m sure my wife was dying to give you all the dirty details.” To this, Miranda gave Vaughn a Chuck E. Cheese grin.
“I’m just helping them by supporting some of their charity initiatives and community involvement. One man’s mistake doesn’t mean the entire chapter has to suffer.”
“That’s nice of you,” Kiara said.
Vaughn shrugged. “It’s what I do.” He looked toward his wife. “Are you ready to go shopping, baby?”
“I think so.” Miranda pulled cash out of her purse to pay for her portion of the meal.
Kiara lifted an eyebrow. “Vaughn, what in the world made you agree to go shopping with Miranda? She takes forever to make up her mind.”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “I don’t take as long as a certain brown-eyed friend of mine. Besides, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you... Vaughn is jet-setting us away for a while to Dubai for a long and much-needed vacation, so there are a few things we have to pick up first.”
Kiara smiled. “That’s wonderful, you guys. I’m sure you’ll have so much fun.” Goodness, I’d love for a man to take me away on a romantic vacation. Her eyes widened. Where did that thought come from? Kiara fidgeted in her chair. It was official. Being around Miranda and Vaughn was making her long for things she’d given up on over a year ago. She didn’t need to date. She didn’t love. All she needed was her business, and if there was anything she’d learned from her ex-husband and the man she fell for after her divorce, it was that love wasn’t forever. She had to remember that.
“I have an idea,” Vaughn said, breaking her thoughts. “You should come with Miranda and me tonight to the party we’re having to celebrate the LA chapter being back on their feet.”
Miranda clapped her hands together. “That’s a great idea, Vaughn!”
“I don’t know,” Kiara said, shaking her head. “Isn’t it an exclusive party? I’ll probably feel out of place.”
Miranda rolled her eyes. “Right, because you don’t own one of the most exclusive day cares in the city.”
“Your sarcasm isn’t needed,” Kiara said with a laugh.
“It will be fine,” Vaughn said. “There will be plenty of friends, family and supporters of the organization there. I consider you a friend and Miranda considers you family.”
Kiara glanced from Vaughn to Miranda, who both awaited her response. Oh, come on, girl. You know you need a night out. “Okay,” Kiara said. “I’ll come. If I’m being honest, I’ll admit that I’ve been dying to get dressed up.”
“So glad you’re coming.” Miranda winked at Kiara. “And you may even land a Millionaire Mogul of your own.”
“Ha! You wish.” Kiara planned on keeping the promise she made to herself to refrain from dating to focus on building her business and franchise. Besides, she was done with rich men. Been there. Done that. She doubted she’d even find a man who remotely kept her interest tonight.
Chapter 3 (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb)
“Okay, so even I have to admit that this is pretty lavish for an all-male organization,” Kiara whispered to Miranda. Kiara never considered herself someone who was easily impressed, but she was in awe of the luxurious twelfth-floor penthouse suite in the downtown Los Angeles Fine Arts Building that served as the home for the LA chapter of Prescott George. The place was huge and easily accommodated a few hundred people. Given that even some of the most upscale penthouse suites in LA were smaller than the norm in other cities, this was impressive.
“The Moguls never go cheap,” Miranda whispered back. “Every party I attend with Vaughn is grander than the last.”
The Moguls’ motto, written on the wall, caught her eye. From generation to generation, lifting each other up. She’d heard their motto before, but for some reason, seeing it written in an official Prescott George chapter location felt different.
Kiara followed close behind Miranda and Vaughn as they made their rounds and greeted other Moguls and their families, respectfully introducing her as a close family friend. Kiara wore her most professional smile and tried her best not to fidget under the stare of some of the Moguls.
“Could you pretend to be a little more comfortable?” Miranda teased.
Kiara frowned. “I can’t help it. I almost feel as if I’m on display here.”
“Well, you do look fabulous, my friend. But I’m sure it’s because of the type of party this is, too. Some of the Moguls are trying to figure out if you’re going to rent them.”
Kiara lifted an eyebrow. “Rent them? Exactly what type of party is this?”
“Funny you should ask,” Miranda said with a sneaky smile. Before Miranda could explain, Kiara was tapped on her shoulder.
“Well, if it isn’t Kiara Woods of LA Little Ones.” Kiara turned to glance over her shoulder and was pleasantly surprised to see a good friend.
“Tell me it isn’t Kyra Reed of Bare Sophistication Lingerie Boutique,” Kiara said with a smile. The two women hugged before Kiara introduced Kyra to Miranda.
“Kyra, this is my friend and old college roommate, Miranda. Miranda, this is Kyra. We were on a couple of the same panels together at the women empowerment conference I was telling you about a few months ago.” Both women greeted each other.
“I’ve been dying to check out that boutique,” Miranda said. “And I know a couple women who took photos at your boudoir studio and they loved how the pictures turned out.”
“Thanks,” Kyra said with a smile. “We’re really excited about how well LA has received the boutique. We’re headquartered out of Chicago with a store in Miami as well, so we’re hoping to open more locations soon.”
“I’m looking at expanding my locations, too,” Kiara said. “And I’d love for us to get together and share business ideas, but first, Miranda was just going to explain to me what type of party this was since she knows that I’ve sworn off men right now. Yet I could have sworn that she mentioned something about renting men.”
Kyra’s mouth formed a perfect O as she looked from Kiara to Miranda.
Miranda giggled. “About that. I may or may not have left out the part about this party being the first Rent-a-Bachelor silent auction in which a woman can rent a Prescott George bachelor of her choice for up to a week or just a few days.”
Kiara’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious! Rent-a-Bachelor? This can’t be a real thing.”
“Oh, it is,” Kyra said. “Girlfriend, why do you think I’m here? My friend and her husband were invited by one of the Moguls, but of course, I’m the single friend, so they brought me along to support the cause. I have no problem with finding a date, but who can pass up the opportunity to rent a sexy piece of chocolate.”
Kiara shook her head as she and Miranda laughed at Kyra’s candor. She’d only hung out with Kyra a few times, but the girl was nothing if not honest.
Kiara glanced around, noticing for the first time just how many good-looking men filled the room. “I must admit,” she said, “there’s definitely some good eye candy here.”
Kyra nodded. “There truly is. Women are renting bachelors left and right.” Kiara and Miranda followed Kyra’s outstretched hand that pointed to a corner of the penthouse, where a herd of women stood in front of a row of Apple computers.
“I don’t see any men wearing name tags or anything, so I wonder how the women are renting the bachelors,” Kiara said.
“Right by the computers, they have an impressive black double-stitched booklet that contains a photo and bio of all single, divorced or widowed eligible Moguls who have agreed to participate,” Kyra said. She snagged a glass of wine off the tray of a waiter who passed by, before continuing.
“If you register, you can also see all their info online. Their bio includes their occupation and age, as well as other hobbies that women may want to know. Tonight is the event kickoff, so they have bid assistants to help if you don’t want to do the online registration. But going forward, online registration will be the most prominent way to rent bachelors. Since it’s a silent auction—and in true Millionaire Mogul fashion—once you make it to the front of the table, one of the bid assistants takes your written bid and contact info. I assume the bachelors predetermine how much time they can give, because some of them are only allowed to be rented for up to two weeks out of a month, while others claim to have the entire month open. Some of the bachelors are so sought-after that they have an open and close bidding time to ensure they aren’t double-booked. After you place your bid to rent your guy, for an extra fee, you can receive a small gold pamphlet on the bachelor you rented, as a keepsake. The entire process is really quite nice, because every woman who is willing to lay down some bucks feels like she’s won.” By the time Kyra was finished talking, Kiara and Miranda were looking at her with blank stares.
“What?” Kyra asked. “I thought you both wanted to know.”
Kiara laughed. “How do you know all this? Is it safe to say you rented a bachelor?”
“Girl, please.” Kyra reached into her clutch. “I promised one of the bid assistants our newest lingerie set so she could give me the inside scoop. Then I rented two bachelors and brought these sexy gold pamphlets along with them.”
“Two dates, huh,” Miranda said with a laugh. “Go big, or go home.”
Kyra shook her head. “Nope, not dates. I already have my flavor of the month. These hot cakes I just rented will be some great eye candy for a masquerade lingerie event that Bare Sophistication is planning for a women-only eightieth birthday party.”
Kyra waved the pamphlets in the air. “Our client was a famous actress back in the 1950s and 1960s and came into our shop a couple months ago saying that she heard about our parties and wanted us to plan one for her. But she didn’t just want us to showcase our women’s lingerie like we typically do at our masquerade parties. She wanted us to showcase our men’s line, equipped with enough eye candy to give her senior citizen friends whiplash. There was no way I was going to turn down this party and my only hope is that I follow in her footsteps when I’m her age. So, I plan to pimp these men out for the one day that I rented them.”
Kiara and Miranda were laughing so hard, they didn’t hear Vaughn approach. Kiara was grateful that Vaughn introduced himself to Kyra because she still hadn’t stopped laughing a few minutes later.
“I must have missed something really funny,” Vaughn said, placing a kiss on Miranda’s forehead. Kyra just smiled up at him while Kiara and Miranda’s laughter finally started to die down. Kiara had been so caught up in Kyra’s story, she hadn’t noticed the commotion happening near the entrance.
“I wonder what all the fuss is about,” Miranda said as they all glanced around the room.
Kiara rose on her tiptoes to try to see over the women in front of her. “Whatever it is, it’s clearly the object of some gossip.”
“Well, damn,” Kyra said as she lightly tapped Kiara on the arm. “I think I see what all the fuss is about.”
Kiara glanced toward the direction that Kyra was looking at and froze. Standing toward the front of the penthouse, directly under one of the crystal chandeliers, had to be one of the sexiest men she’d ever seen.
“Oh, wow,” she whispered as she soaked in the six-foot-two milk-chocolate-colored man wearing a tailored, deep gray suit with a navy blue BabyBjorn strapped to him and a baby bag hanging off his shoulder.
“You don’t see that every day,” Miranda said.
“No, you don’t.” Kiara couldn’t take her eyes off him even though he obviously had enough admirers to last a lifetime. His dark hair was closely cropped and his face was clear of any facial hair. Kiara had always been a fan of facial hair, but she had to admit that the clean-shaven look was doing crazy things to her insides.
She couldn’t see the baby inside the carrier, but the way he lightly touched the back of the infant’s head every so often to make sure the baby was okay caused her ovaries to do a backward flip.
“That’s interesting,” Miranda said. “For every lustful look he gets from a woman, he’s met with a hard and disapproving stare from the men.”
“I wonder who that is,” Kyra said. “I hope he’s a bachelor. But I didn’t flip through the bachelor book long enough to spot him.”
“There’s a reason some of the men aren’t very happy with him,” Vaughn said. “That’s Trey Moore, oldest son of Reginald Moore.”
Kiara stole her eyes away to look at Vaughn and Miranda. “The son of the man who caused the LA chapter to be placed on the six-month suspension?”
“In the flesh,” Vaughn said. “But I’ve been working with Trey for some charity events lately, and he’s a good guy. He and his two brothers were cleared of any wrongdoings, but I guess some of the members think the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Well, I don’t know the story,” Kyra said. “But Mr. Daddy Daycare seems to be in the running for tonight’s greatest catch. Women are fawning all over him and that baby.”
“I don’t think he has any kids,” Vaughn said. “So, I’m not sure who the baby is. Trey is also the brain behind Rent-a-Bachelor. He’s involved with a lot of community outreach for the chapter.”
Kiara glanced back at Trey just as his eyes lifted from the baby and locked onto hers. She gasped, caught off guard by the intensity in his gaze. Even from across the room, she could feel the heat.
“Well, well, well.” Kyra nudged her. “Looks like our little Kiara has caught someone’s eye.”
Kiara swallowed, willing her eyes to break contact. Come on, girl. Why are you still staring at him? She vaguely heard her friends continuing to chatter around her, but she wasn’t comprehending anything they were saying. His gaze had her hypnotized and she was pretty sure she’d never stared at a stranger this long or this deeply before.
“I’m not interested,” she said as she finally looked away. She ignored the shared look between Kyra and Miranda. When no one began speaking, she realized they were waiting to call her out on her blatant lie.
“I’m seriously not,” she said again, before turning to Vaughn. “I know this isn’t your chapter, but do you think you could give us a quick tour?”
Vaughn nodded. “Sure. The LA members have opened some of the rooms for tours and such tonight anyway. We’ll start on the second level.”
“Great,” Kiara said a little too enthusiastically. When she’d finally agreed to a night out, she’d assumed she would catch up with her friends before their trip to Dubai and maybe have some good old-fashioned adult conversation since the majority of her day was spent around children and babies. What she hadn’t signed up for was the most intense eye contact she’d ever had. His eyes had seemed to penetrate right through her, and all she’d wanted to do was tell him to keep on peeling back the layers.
If he could do all that from across the room without even saying two words to her, she didn’t want to know what would happen if they actually spoke.
* * *
“Who are you looking for?”
Trey turned to face his brother Max. “No one. Just checking out the crowd and seeing who arrived.”
Even though they were members of the same chapter and were heavily involved in Prescott George, they weren’t particularly close. Their brother Derek was a member as well, but only because their father insisted on paying his membership dues. Trey had always wondered if Reginald paid Derek’s dues because he genuinely thought Derek would be a great member, or just for bragging rights to say that all three of his sons were a part of Prescott George.
“The turnout is great,” Max said. “Great idea, Trey.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” When Trey had initially presented the idea of having Rent-a-Bachelor as a fund-raising effort to support their big Christmas bash for the chapter, he hadn’t expected so many members to be on board given the crazy few months they’d had. Surprisingly, the vote had been unanimous.
Max smiled as he glanced down at Matthew. “And who is this little guy?”
“This is Matthew, Carmen’s son, and the reason I had to put you guys on hold a couple days ago when Reginald called.” Trey looked from his nephew to Max. “Actually, I was hoping I would see you tonight. I’m sorry to hear about Reginald. How are you holding up?”
Max’s smile dropped. “I’m okay given the circumstances. I know that you and Derek don’t care for him, but I can’t imagine him not being here.”
Trey clasped Max’s shoulder. “I may not like the man, but I would never wish death on anyone. After I got over the initial shock, I immediately thought about you and how hard I know this will be for you. It’s unfortunate, and if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.” As the words left his mouth, Trey realized he truly did mean every word. He wanted to be there for Max.
“Thanks, man.” Max grew quiet for a few moments before speaking. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. After the call, some things were sort of left unsaid. I know you and Derek don’t owe Reginald anything, but I want to do this for him. I want to investigate this a little more and see if he’s innocent like he claims to be, but I don’t think I can do it alone. I know we all have demanding schedules, but I can’t help but feel like this is something we should all be doing together.”
Trey had figured that Max would want to investigate the case for Reginald. He’d had a couple of days to think about the phone call, and although Trey didn’t think for one minute that Reginald deserved their help, he couldn’t deny the fact that it would weigh heavily on his heart if Reginald was telling the truth and died without them uncovering the real culprit.
“Although I’m not sure I believe that Reginald is innocent, I’d be willing to help investigate further,” Trey said. “Maybe we should talk to Derek and meet sometime this week.”
“I appreciate this,” Max said. “And I already spoke to Derek. I called him this morning. He told me he was sorry that Reginald was dying, but Reginald has never been a part of his life, so he won’t help. I know that although he is a member, he isn’t actively involved with anything for Prescott George, but I’m hoping that he attends tonight so we can talk.”
Trey nodded. “I understand where he’s coming from. I may not have the best relationship with Reginald, but Derek went through worse. I think Derek would be willing to meet with us, though. My schedule is swamped, but maybe you could swing by my place this Sunday morning. Are you free?”
Max pulled out his cell phone. “I think so. I can come by before an event I have to appear at. What about Derek?”
“He texted me that he’s supposed to be here tonight.”
Max’s eyes widened. “Really? Derek never attends anything related to Prescott George.”
“I was surprised, too,” Trey said. “But in case he doesn’t show or doesn’t stay for long, maybe we should just contact him after the event and see if he’s willing to meet with us?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Max said.
After they parted ways, Trey was still a little surprised that after all this time, he was finally going to spend some time with his half brothers. Max had once tried to get close to him and Derek, but they both had shut him down. Being the oldest, Trey knew what he had to do. Even if they discovered Reginald was lying about his innocence, it was time for the Moore brothers to finally try to forge a relationship of their own.
Chapter 4 (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb)
“Come on, beautiful,” Trey said to himself. “Where did you go?” He’d been working the room for the past thirty minutes and had already scanned some of the penthouse in search of the brown bombshell in the white dress he’d seen when he’d arrived.
He was about to head to the second level, when he heard someone call out his name. Trey turned around to greet his friend and his wife.
“Kendrick, Nicole. I’m glad you both made it.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” Kendrick said as the two dabbed fists. “It’s a great turnout.”
“Thanks, man. How long have you been here?”
“A little over an hour. We brought a friend with us, but we lost her pretty early on.”
Trey leaned in to give Nicole a hug, careful not to crush the baby against his chest. “Hey, Nicole. Beautiful as always.”
“Thank you. You look handsome yourself, but I must say that this little guy is stealing all the attention. I haven’t seen Matthew since he was two months old. How’s Carmen doing?”
“She’s good,” Trey said. “She got a gig on some new television show, so I’m watching Matthew for her.”
“I heard about that,” Kendrick said. “Congrats to her.”
Trey knew Kendrick from the Hollywood scene and had even written screenplays for a couple of movies that Kendrick had been the creative director of. Now Kendrick and his wife, Nicole, owned an up-and-coming production company.
When all the drama was going on with Reginald, Trey had been able to count on Kendrick and his wife for their support, which was more than he could say for some friends that he’d known his entire life. Kendrick wasn’t a member of Prescott George, but he understood all too well how scandals could affect your career, having dealt with his own scandal a while back.
“Are you good, man?” Kendrick asked. Trey didn’t have to wonder why he’d asked. This was the first event they’d had for the LA chapter since the suspension was lifted.
“I’m good,” Trey said. “Except for the fact that Matthew is getting a little fussy and I’ve been trying to track down this beautiful woman I saw when I arrived.”
“A woman, huh?” Nicole wiggled her eyebrows. “Was she wearing a beautiful white dress and some gorgeous red pumps?”
Trey squinted his eyes. “How did you guess that?”
Nicole tilted her head to the side. “Because Kendrick and I brought my girl Kyra with us to this event, and right now, Kyra is wearing her Million-Dollar-Matchmaker smile and dragging a woman in a white dress this way.”
Trey glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on the tall, curvy woman he’d been searching for. Nicole wasn’t lying. The other woman did appear to be dragging her his way, but he didn’t care as long as he got a closer look.
The white dress she wore fitted her hips and thighs perfectly, but it was her red heels with a strap that wrapped around the ankle that was doing wild things to his imagination. Top that with her silver raindrop necklace that dipped in between her cleavage, and he was sure he’d forget everyone at the party and leave with her if she asked him to.
Her shoulder-length dark brown hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and now that he could see her more closely, he noticed that her cat-shaped eyes seemed to be taking him in just as much as he was.
When they reached them, his throat tightened when he noticed just how plush her red-colored lips were. He could stand there and look at her lips all day. Had Kendrick not nudged him, he probably would have.
“Sorry—what happened?” he asked.
Kendrick shook his head. “Trey, this is our friend Kyra.”
“Nice to meet you,” Trey said, forcing himself to focus on the introduction. Kyra was definitely an attractive woman, but Trey couldn’t take his eyes off her friend.
“Nice to meet you, too, lover boy,” Kyra said with a laugh. “But I’m sure you want to meet my friend Kiara. So—” Kyra lifted Kiara’s hand in the air “—Trey, meet Kiara.”
Trey wasted no time lifting his hand and enclosing hers in his. When he did, Kiara’s eyes shot down to their hands before meeting his gaze again. That’s interesting,Trey thought. He’d heard about people meeting and feeling sparks when their hands touched, but he’d always thought it was a myth. Looking down at his hand and Kiara’s hand, he knew now what those folks had meant. When Kiara removed her hand, he had to refrain from lifting it again.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kiara,” Trey said.
Kiara smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Trey.” Even her voice is sexy. Kiara’s voice was sultry, yet subtle. A combination he’d never really heard before. Had they not been surrounded by their friends, Trey would have bit down on his fist to contain his excitement from hearing his name leave her lips. Instead, he returned her smile, oblivious to the fact that their friends had excused themselves, leaving him alone with Kiara.
“Where did they go?” he asked, looking behind him.
“Kyra pulled them away a few seconds ago as she muttered some inappropriate things,” Kiara said. “Therefore, I won’t dare repeat them.”
Trey laughed, remembering how Kyra had introduced them. “I’m guessing subtlety isn’t her strong suit.”
Kiara shook her head. “Not at all. I doubt subtlety is even in her vocabulary.”
“We all need at least one friend like that,” Trey said. “And I’m glad she introduced us. I’ve been trying to find you all night.”
“I doubt that,” she said.
“I was. Ever since I walked in and spotted you from across the room.”
Kiara glanced away. “I’m not interested.”
Okay, maybe that last line was a little cheesy. But it’s true. “You’re not?”
“No,” she said, meeting him with a cold stare. “It may have seemed like I was staring, but it was only because I was trying to figure out who you were.”
Trey studied her eyes for any sign that she wasn’t being honest. Ever since Reginald had been expelled from Prescott George, he’d run into a few women who knew the story and treated him as if he were his father. It only took one look into Kiara’s eyes to realize she’d heard the story and was also passing judgment.
But she genuinely looked interested earlier tonight,he thought. No way I imagined the look she had in her eye. Trey could admit that he’d once misjudged a woman’s interest in him, but that was way back in college and it had only happened that one time. Tonight, he’d felt the way Kiara had been staring at him all the way to his bones.
“He’s adorable,” Kiara said as she looked down at Matthew. “And he’s getting fussy.”
Trey bounced a little in place to try to calm down Matthew. “Yeah, I think it’s past his bedtime, but I can’t get him to fall asleep. He’s my nephew and I’m babysitting him for a couple weeks, but I have no idea what I’m doing.”
On cue, Matthew started wailing, gaining attention from people standing near them. Trey tried to remain calm, but he couldn’t figure out how to console him. Finally getting an idea, Trey reached in his pocket to pull out a pacifier, but Kiara swooped in, pulled Matthew out of the carrier and was already calming him down.
“Do you have a blanket or anything for me to cover my dress?” she asked.
Trey fumbled with the baby bag and pulled out a blanket. “Here you go.” He draped the blanket over her shoulder. “It took me over an hour to put that carrier together, and you unsnap him from it like it’s a piece of cake. You’re really great with babies.”
“I should be,” Kiara said with a laugh. “I own LA Little Ones Daycare and Preschool, so I’m around babies all day.”
“I’ve heard of LA Little Ones,” Trey said. “Quite a few folks in the film industry take their kids to your day care.”
Kiara looked up from Matthew. “You work in television?”
“I’m a screenwriter,” Trey said, as a thought came to mind. “And you may be the answer to my prayers. I only have a couple weeks to finish my screenplay, and it’s hard to do that with an infant. Placing him in a day care for the daytime would help me tremendously.”
“I would love to help you out, but I can’t. The current wait for an open slot in my day care is twelve months.”
“You’re kidding me,” Trey said. “A twelve-month wait? Any chance you can make an exception? I know we just met, but you’d be doing me a huge favor.”
Kiara was shaking her head before Trey finished his plea. “Sorry—wish I could. But if I make an exception for you, I’d have to make an exception for others.” Once Matthew was completely calm, Kiara placed him back in the carrier.
“I understand,” Trey said, deflated. “I apologize for asking for special treatment. That usually isn’t like me. It’s just been a stressful few months, so I’m not completely myself.”
Kiara’s eyes softened. “I know it’s not my place to ask, but is your stress because of what your father did?”
Trey frowned. He’d suspected her hot-and-cold behavior toward him was because she’d heard about the suspension and knew Reginald was his father, but it didn’t make having her ask any easier. “Unfortunately, yes, Reginald is my father, but we aren’t that close.”
Trey blinked, surprised that he’d shared that fact. He usually kept any thoughts about Reginald to himself.
“It must be even harder since you aren’t that close,” Kiara said. “I assume that if you were, you’d expect for people to associate you with your father. But since you aren’t, you’re guilty by association with a man you don’t have a close relationship with.”
Trey nodded. “I’ve never heard someone put it so clearly. Yes, that’s exactly it. And honestly, I don’t care for the man. To be investigated and have my character questioned was embarrassing and infuriating. To top it off, Reginald called all his sons to claim his innocence and asked us for our help to prove it. Why he feels privileged enough to even contact us is beyond my understanding. But of course, I will probably agree to help because what type of son would I be if I refuse to help him and prove that I’m no better than he is?”
The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to reel them back in. Trey’s frustrated eyes caught Kiara’s understanding ones. Why the hell did I just tell her all that? He really needed to take a vacation after he turned in his screenplay because he had no doubt he was slowly losing his mind and, apparently, losing his filter, too.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m usually a more private person, but like I said, it’s been a stressful few months.”
Kiara reached out her hand to touch Trey’s. “It’s okay. I’m glad you told me.” Her fingers began moving in small circles over his skin, the heat from her touch making him wish he could keep her hands right where they were, all night.
“Tell you what,” she said. “This one time, I’ll make an exception and accept Matthew into LA Little Ones for the next two weeks.”
“Thank you,” Trey said with a grateful smile. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
Kiara laughed. “Don’t thank me yet. You don’t know how much it costs. LA Little Ones isn’t cheap.”
“I had a feeling it wasn’t.” Trey leaned closer to Kiara, immediately soaking in the sweet scent of her perfume. “I’m willing to pay whatever it costs because I’m grateful for your help.”
“You’re welcome, but I’m not only doing this for you.” Kiara looked at Matthew, who was now sleeping soundly. “I’m doing this for Matthew’s sake.” She tugged at the contraption holding up the infant. “The BabyBjorn is inside out and a couple clips are configured wrong. At this rate, there’s no way you can babysit by yourself.”
Her eyes were teasing, but Trey also knew there was some truth to what she was saying. He hoped that she realized he didn’t care if Matthew was the real reason she’d agreed to help him out, because accepting Matthew into her day care meant that she would be seeing a lot more of him whether she wanted to or not.
Chapter 5 (#uf9c0a983-393c-5dd2-b842-63ef6184ecbb)
“Here we are, M-dog,” Trey said as he pulled into the parking lot of LA Little Ones. Trey wasn’t sure what he suspected, but the upscale day care was a lot larger than he’d thought it would be.
When Trey walked through the doors of the place, he smiled as he was immediately greeted by the sweet smell of baby lotion. The lobby was painted in soft pastels, and although he couldn’t really see past the front desk, he could tell the colors and design were constant throughout.
“Welcome to LA Little Ones,” the receptionist said. “Do you have an appointment?”
“Yes,” he said. “My name is Trey Moore. Kiara Woods is expecting me at this time.”
The receptionist typed a few keys. “I see your appointment, sir. If you wait here, I’ll call Ms. Woods for you.”
Trey only had to wait a couple of minutes before Kiara arrived. “Hello, Mr. Moore. You can follow me to my office.”
“Of course,” he said, trying to maintain his composure. Trey wasn’t sure what it was about this woman, but Kiara’s beauty kicked him in the gut in a way a woman never had before.
Today, she was wearing a flowy peach dress and brown sandals, giving him the first peek of her French-tip-painted toenails. Matthew made a gurgling noise, reminding him that he was here for his nephew and not to soak in Kiara’s beauty.
“On our way to my office, I’ll give you a quick tour,” Kiara said as she glanced over her shoulder. The move instantly made Trey envision her spread on all fours, glancing over her shoulder in the same way. Okay, so maybe I’m here to soak in her beauty as well.
“Here’s the main room for our newborns and infants.” Kiara pointed to a room with crisp white cribs all lined in two rows and a cream-colored wall. In one corner were several rocking chairs, and in the other, a plush rug and huge stuffed animals. “Through those double doors are two additional rooms for infants and it’s equipped with its own large bathroom.”
Trey peeked into the room, noticing that almost all the cribs were full.
“And this is our main toddler room and activity center,” Kiara said as she walked down the hall. “This space also has two additional rooms and its own private bathroom. Infants and toddlers react best to any semblance of familiarity, so the warm colors and the type of cognitive and visual activities we provide at LA Little Ones will follow the child throughout their time in our program.”
As they walked through the day care and preschool, Kiara explained their nutritional program and showed him the preschool area in the second wing of the building. As she’d stated, he noticed consistency throughout the tour.
“Trey, I’d like for you to meet Monica,” Kiara said when they made their way back to the infant room. “Monica is the nursery director and my eyes and ears when I’m not here.”
Trey extended a hand. “Nice to meet you, Monica.”
“You as well,” she said, accepting his handshake.
Kiara waved over another woman. “Trey, I’d like for you to meet Penny. She’ll be the nurse assigned to Matthew during his time with us. We will be sending you live updates on Matthew throughout the day. At the end of the week, you’ll receive a detailed report on Matthew’s diet, health, sleeping patterns during naps and any additional findings we see fit to share.”
Trey greeted Penny as well, impressed by the professionalism of the staff and the entire operation.
“You can leave Matthew with Penny,” Kiara said. “And then we’ll head back to my office and discuss additional details.”
Trey did as Kiara suggested. Once they were in Kiara’s office, Trey finally let out an appreciative whistle.
“Wow. This is more like a luxury hotel for kids than a day-care center and preschool. I am thoroughly impressed and I can see why the wait to be a part of LA Little Ones is twelve months long.”
“Thank you.” Kiara smiled and motioned for Trey to take a seat, while she sat behind her desk. “I’ll admit that I was hoping the day care would be in high demand when I started the business, but I had no idea to what lengths some people would go to get their child placed here.”
“What do you mean?”
Kiara pointed to a locked file cabinet in the corner of her office. “That cabinet is filled with couples who are currently trying to conceive or have plans to try soon and want to leave deposits one to three years out for their future child to be accepted into our program.”
“Get out of here,” Trey said. “Although that’s surprising, you should be extremely proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”
Kiara glanced around her office. “I am, but it’s not just me. I have an amazing staff who believed in my vision and saw the potential before anyone else did. A lot of my staff have been with me since the beginning. Without them, I’m not sure I would have reached this level of success so soon.”
Trey observed Kiara as she went into more detail about how certain staff members contributed to the vision. She’d been such a maddening mix of friendly and aloof last night at the auction, he hadn’t been sure if he’d imagined her initial interest, or if she was just trying to appear to be indifferent.
“Have dinner with me at my place tonight,” he said, cutting her off.
Kiara’s eyes widened. “What? You want me to come by your place? But we just met last night.”
Okay, she has a point there. Trey wasn’t really the type to invite a woman whom he’d only just met to his house, but he wanted to get to know Kiara more. “I wouldn’t originally suggest my place so soon, but I have to babysit Matthew, so I can’t leave my home tonight. Plus, I could use your baby whisperer insight.”
“Oh,” she said, perking up in her chair. “So, you want me to come over to act as some sort of nanny informant for Matthew?”
“No, not at all. I just wanted to get to know you and figured learning more about how to care for my nephew would be a bonus.” Trey’s eyes briefly dropped to her lips. He had every intention of taking a quick peek, but noticed, for the first time since he’d arrived, that she was wearing light pink lipstick. By the time his eyes had ventured back to hers, he was sure she could feel the heat reflected in his gaze.
Just like last night, he couldn’t look away from her no matter how hard he tried. Kiara broke eye contact first. “I told you last night that I wasn’t interested.”
Trey chuckled. “I remember what you said. But there’s no harm in us getting to know one another better as friends, is there?” The last thing he wanted was to be Kiara’s friend. He had enough of those. However, he was willing to keep things PG if it meant she’d stop by his place tonight.
“You won’t try any funny business?” Kiara asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Nope.” Trey lifted his hand. “Scout’s honor.”
Kiara leaned a little closer, studying his eyes. He let her look her fill and tried his best to mask the real reason he wanted her to stop by his place. He’d known her less than twenty-four hours, and already, he feared he was slightly addicted to her company.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stop by tonight for dinner.”
A grin crept onto Trey’s lips. “Perfect. I look forward to it.”
* * *
Girl, what are you doing? Don’t get out of your car! Kiara’s thoughts had been racksacking her brain for the past twenty minutes, reminding her that having dinner with Trey Moore was a very bad idea.
Even worse, she was randomly moving her lips to appear to be talking on the phone just in case Trey glanced outside his window and spotted her.
“It’s official,” she said to herself. “You’ve officially gone off the deep end.” It was one thing to avoid relationships based off the heartbreak she’d already experienced. However, she’d hit a new low by pretending to be on the phone to avoid going into a man’s home for dinner.
He’s not just any man,she thought. He’s a sexy man who spends more time looking deeply into your eyes than he actually spends talking to you. Kiara had never dated a man like Trey before. Granted, she didn’t really know what type of man he was, but she had a feeling that he was the type a girl could get addicted to. The type who noticed little things about you that others failed to see.
Dating Trey would consume me. Kiara sat upright in her seat as the thought crossed her mind. “Date him?” He’d invited her to one dinner, and already, she was thinking about dating him.
“This is crazy,” she said, getting out of her car. “You’re a smart and successful woman, so surely you can handle dinner with a man and not think it means you’re headed down the relationship road.”
Kiara rang the doorbell, mentally giving herself one more pep talk before Trey answered the door in black sweats and a white T-shirt. He had a screaming infant cradled in his arms.
“Come on in,” Trey said, stepping aside from the door. “M-dog was fine, and then ten minutes ago, he just started crying and hasn’t stopped since.”
Kiara briefly looked Trey up and down. Even in the chaos with his nephew, the man looked delicious. “When was the last time his diaper was changed?”
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