The Downfall of a Good Girl. Kimberly Lang

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СКАЧАТЬ have been a little right, but other than the occasional unpleasant run through the tabloids and the time away from home she really couldn’t complain. Well, she was still pushing the nice-girl-big-house-some-grandkids agenda…

      Which, oddly, brought him back to Vivi.

      If he was serious about spending more time here at home he’d have to call some kind of truce with Vivi. Come to some kind of understanding. The circles they ran in overlapped occasionally, thanks to their parents and shared friends. They wouldn’t be able to completely avoid or ignore each other.

      Fame had its privileges, but Vivi had clout. People respected her, and her opinions went a long way. It would be hard to claim he was trying to do something good if Vivi objected. Hell, you couldn’t even claim to be a decent human being in this town if Vivi hated you. People might like him for various reasons, but everyone loved Vivi and courted her approval. As long as she hated him, folks would wonder why. And they’d assume it was all his fault.

      God, it was annoying.

      And while Vivi had miraculously become the most gracious and polite dinner partner he’d ever had Friday night, he doubted that graciousness would continue once she found out he was planning a return to what she no doubt considered her turf now.

      Vivi would be fit to be tied, and he almost looked forward to telling her. No, he thought, walking that thought back in light of his earlier conclusions. He didn’t need her approval—though it would help—but he did need her tolerance. Egging her on wouldn’t help his cause.

      He hadn’t fully realized that he’d been staring at the door to Vivi’s gallery until the door opened and Vivi stepped outside. He started to slide back, but then realized she had no reason to look up, and probably wouldn’t see him even if she happened to do so. She paused mid-step, digging through her bag and pulling out a phone.

      Two men standing next to a car gawked openly at Vivi, and realistically he couldn’t blame them. The black pencil skirt emphasized her legs and tiny waist, and the upswept hair showcased the line of her neck and high cheekbones. One of the men seemed to be encouraging the other to go over and speak to her. She is way out of your league, buddy, Connor thought. Vivi was, to quote his departed grandmother, “a prime example of good breeding and a proper upbringing.”

      She finished her call and set a pair of sunglasses on her face before walking briskly toward the corner and turning on to St. Ann’s Street toward Jackson Square. Connor—and most of the other men on the street—watched her until she was out of sight.

      Tomorrow he and Vivi would start the morning show media blitz, hitting all the local TV stations and kicking off the fundraising in earnest. After that, it was breakfast with some big donors and organization heads and a photo call. Most of his day would be spent in Vivi’s company.

      While she’d been polite and gracious the other night, Connor didn’t believe for a second that it wasn’t an act. He knew her too well to fall for that. She was out to prove something by not sniping at him. He wouldn’t try to guess what her overall goal was—beyond not making herself look bad in the press—but he would not help her achieve it by attacking first. It played right into his plans to have her publically playing nice. It gave him her stamp of approval without her actually giving it. She probably hadn’t thought that part through. Talk about steaming her oysters.

      He might be the Sinner—and it might be a well-deserved title—but Vivi wasn’t the only one who knew how to behave.

      It would be interesting to see who broke first.

      CHAPTER THREE

      THE reporter with the plastic smile thought she was being very clever, but Vivi knew what was coming. Intentionally trying to fluster a guest with “gotcha” questions was unbelievably rude, in her opinion, but it was standard fare and just part of the game.

      If Chatty Cathy here thinks she can fluster me, though, that girl is in for a big surprise.

      She’d had every derogatory stereotype about pageants thrown in her face by reporters with more gravitas and bigger audiences and hadn’t broken. It might have been a few years, but she hadn’t forgotten how this was done. A couple of comments and questions about Connor weren’t going to tie her tongue and cause her to say something stupid. Or scandalously quotable out of context.

      The smile grew wider. Bring it, Vivi thought, and let her own smile widen a bit, too.

      “So, Vivienne, how did you feel when Connor’s name was announced Friday night? Were you very shocked?”

      Vivi nodded, and the reporter brightened a bit, obviously figuring she’d hit the mark. Amateur. “Just as much as everyone else, I imagine. With Connor’s career taking off like it has, I never dreamed his schedule would allow him to come back and do something like Saints and Sinners.”

      “So no problems, then, with this matchup?”

      “Sort of.” She waited just long enough to tease that there might be a sound bite forthcoming. “I am quite competitive, and I wish they’d chosen someone who’d be easier to beat. But then I remind myself that, while this is a competition, there are no real losers in it. The money raised through Saints and Sinners does so much good for the community, and everyone involved is a winner.”

      Answer the question, but deflect the intent and bring the interview back to the proper topic.

      “And what about you, Connor?”

      Vivi kept her face neutral as she turned toward him and thought, Don’t screw this up now. Surely Connor’s fame meant he had the experience to answer this? She thought of a dozen good answers and tried to think them hard enough that Connor might pick one up through ESP.

      “I was pretty shocked myself to be chosen this year, but it’s an honor that actually brings with it the chance to do something good for a lot of people. So, like Vivi said, we all win—although I do hope to put on a good show at least.” He shot the lady-killer grin at the reporter, and now that he’d shaved off the goatee, his dimple was clearly visible. When he added a wink, the reporter blushed slightly and fumbled over her next words.

      Oh, good Lord. Spare me the simpering females. Women had been falling all over themselves since Connor hit puberty, but the maturation of his features and body combined with his fame and charm…Vivi might understand the reaction, but she was still ashamed of her entire gender.

      But she had to admit that Connor had done well dodging the impertinent question.

      Unable to get a good answer out of Connor, the reporter had no choice but to cut to the graphic listing the upcoming events and direct people to the Saints and Sinners website.

      The camera turned to the station’s meteorologist for the weather report and Vivi unhooked her mic.

      Making all four local morning shows in two hours meant that their schedule was very tight, and there was no time to waste in idle chitchat. Connor, however, had decided to stop to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Vivi bit her tongue and waited with what she hoped looked like patience.

      Finally, though, she had to step in and break up the love-fest. “I’m so sorry, y’all, but we’re going to be late for our next interview if we don’t leave right now.”

      Connor fell into step beside her as they exited the building. СКАЧАТЬ