Secrets Of The Night: A Case of Kiss and Tell. Katherine Garbera

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ so don’t get mad, but just unsettled about the entire thing with Conner Macafee,” Gail said.

      “I am lost,” Nichole admitted. “But only because he’s not like other guys and I don’t know exactly what to do to handle him. I could use a sounding board.”

      “I thought so. I’m busy tonight, but I can do breakfast or lunch tomorrow,” Gail said.

      “Maybe breakfast. I’m supposed to drop by the set of the TV show tomorrow, so if you tag along maybe we can rope Willow into joining us.”

      “I’m already on it,” Gail said. “I’ll text you the details later. Bye.”

      “Gail?”

      “Yes?”

      “Thanks for calling,” Nichole said. She knew that she wasn’t comfortable reaching out to her friends because she never wanted them to think she was whiney, but she needed someone to talk to.

      “No problem. You and Willow are my soul sisters and we have to look out for each other.”

      “I know that, but it’s hard when we’re all so busy.”

      “I’m never too busy for you,” Gail said. “Take care, honey.”

      “You, too.”

      Nichole felt less alone when she hung up the phone. She left her office and hailed a cab. Traffic was heavy and she sent a text to Conner that she’d be ten minutes late. He replied right away.

      I’m running late, too.

      I’ll get a table if I’m there first.

      I have one reserved. See you soon.

      Nichole was unsure if she should answer back. She knew it would just be something like okay, but she hated to not respond to a message. When she IMed with Gail and Willow, they teased her that she had to have the last word. And she knew it was true. Finally, she just texted back Okay and put her phone away.

      The cab pulled to a stop in front of the Big Apple Kiwi Klub, which housed a hotel and nightclub in one facility. The hotel had a Michelin-starred restaurant and featured a traveling exhibit of Gustav Klimt’s work. The Klubs were an international chain, owned by Gail’s fiancé, Russell Holloway.

      Nichole exited the taxi and headed to the restaurant on the third floor. She gave Conner’s name to the maître d’ and by the time their table was ready, Conner had arrived. He put his hand on the small of her back as they followed the seating hostess to their table.

      No one looking at them would think that they weren’t involved. Nichole realized that she needed to have a chat with her editor and let him know that she was “dating” Conner before the story ran so that it didn’t look like anything inappropriate was going on.

      That was just another complication to this deal she’d made. She knew the stakes were high and she’d gambled everything on this being a story that could take her career to the next level.

      Once they were seated, she noticed that Conner had found time to shave and change his clothes after he’d left her apartment this morning.

      He ordered sparkling water for both of them and told the waiter they’d signal him when they were ready to order. “We need a few minutes to talk.”

      “No problem, sir,” the waiter said and backed away.

      “I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to talk to you before we order our food.”

      “Not at all. What’s up?” she asked.

      “I wanted to give you a chance to back out of our bargain,” he said.

      “Why now?” she asked.

      “It seems as if it’s weighing heavily on your mind and I don’t want you to feel that you have to continue on with it.”

      “Will you still sit down for an interview?” she asked.

      He shook his head. She felt angry that he might want to renege on their deal now that she’d slept with him. “I’m not going back on my word, Conner. Are you?”

Ten

      Conner immediately realized his mistake, but he had wanted to give her a chance to back out. “I didn’t mean it at all the way you’ve taken it.”

      “How did you mean it, then?”

      “Just that I can tell how much our bargain is troubling you … and I wanted to give you an out.”

      “I appreciate that, but I’d only take it if you still intended to pursue a relationship with me as well as letting me talk to you about Matchmakers, Inc.”

      “I understand. Let’s put my question behind us. Shall we order lunch and then discuss the details of our arrangement?”

      She nodded, but there was a tightness to her features that told him he wasn’t forgiven. And he couldn’t blame her. He’d worded his idea in the worst possible way.

      And he’d forgotten something extremely important: She’d slept with him last night and undoubtedly felt a little vulnerable as far as he was concerned this morning.

      They both ordered and once they were alone again, Nichole pulled a notebook from her purse and a fountain pen. “I would like to get a couple of interviews scheduled.”

      “I understand. I think for both our sakes, maybe we should draw up an agreement between the two of us.”

      “Like what?”

      “Just what I expect from you and what you expect from me,” he said.

      She wrote their names next to each other on a blank page in her notebook then drew a line down the middle. Under her name she wrote the word mistress and under his interviews.

      “That’s just the start,” she said. “We agreed last night that you would do an interview about the matchmaking service and that you would allow me to observe you with your family.”

      “Yes, we did,” he said.

      She added those to the column under his name.

      “Mistress is a vague term,” he said. “But I’d like you to live with me in my apartment for the duration of our time together.”

      “I don’t know about that. Will you allow me to check with my boss this afternoon?” she asked. “I’m going to say simply that I’ve interviewed you and we are dating. Let him know about the relationship and make sure that he’s cool with it.”

      “Shouldn’t you have already checked?” he asked. It sounded like there were details she hadn’t covered and that didn’t seem like Nichole.

      “I have to check it out. There are other reporters who have written about their significant others, but I just want СКАЧАТЬ