“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 st
ressful 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
“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 e
lse 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.
A Los Angeles Passion Page 4
