“I can’t go anywhere now,” Trey said. “I’ll be finished editing my screenplay by tonight, but we have the investigation going on and we all need to see this through.”
“Derek’s right,” Max said. “You shared Pete’s contact info with us when we started this investigation, but we’ve been letting you spearhead it. We can handle the investigation while you’re gone.”
“And we can take turns dropping M-dog off at LA Little Ones,” Derek added. “You’ll only be gone the weekend, so we’d only be watching him a couple nights.”
Trey looked from Derek to Max, stunned that his brothers would offer to do this for him given that they’d just started building a relationship.
“I don’t know what to say,” Trey said. “I’m grateful that you both would do this for me.”
“You can thank us by taking this woman you’re falling for someplace special this weekend,” Derek said. “Do you already have someplace in mind?”
“Hopefully someplace that will blow her mind away,” Max chimed in. “If you’re trying to win her heart, you have to really go for it. And what’s the point of having money if we can’t spoil the women we care about?”
Trey smiled slyly. He didn’t even have to give the destination a second thought. “I know exactly where to take Kiara on a weekend vacation. And if I have my way, by the end of the trip, she’ll know exactly how I feel.”
Chapter 10
“Over here, Kiara!”
Kiara looked through the crowd in the busy café and spotted her friend Kyra sitting at a table in the far corner.
“Thank you so much for meeting me for lunch,” Kiara said as she bent down to hug Kyra. “I am in desperate need of some advice.” With Miranda still in Dubai, Kiara was grateful to have a friend in Kyra.
“I figured,” Kyra said with a laugh. “I know this week was busy for you at LA Little Ones, and typically, when you’re busy I don’t even see you. But thankfully, I’m seeing you twice in one week. I ordered some soup and sandwiches for us. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfect.” Kiara placed her purse next to her on the table. “I’m freaking out a bit.”
“Oh, no. Is it about Trey?” Kyra asked. “Is everything okay?”
Kiara sighed. “Everything’s fine... Unless you take into consideration that he called me late last night and asked if I would spend a weekend away with him.”
Kyra clapped her hands. “That’s awesome.”
“We would leave tomorrow.”
Kyra’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s soon! But it’s still awesome, though. Waiting for the problem.” Kyra took a sip of her water.
Kiara crossed her arms over her chest. “Weekend vacation. Leaving tomorrow. Traveling via private jet. Headed to the French Riviera!”
Kyra almost spit her water out across the table. “Say what? He’s jet-setting you to Europe for a weekend vacation?”
“Yup.” Kiara ran her fingers down her face, careful not to mess up her makeup. “He’s waiting for my answer if I’m going or not. He needs to know soon, hence our emergency lunch date. Honestly, it was so late last night that I almost thought I’d dreamed the entire thing. Then he texted me a few hours ago about my decision and I realized it wasn’t a dream after all.”
“I beg to differ,” Kyra said, shaking her head. “A fine-ass Millionaire Mogul calls you in the middle of the night and asks if he can take you away for a weekend in one of the most romantic places in the world... I’d say that was pretty dreamy.”
“This is insane, though, right? I mean, I can’t possibly go with him on such short notice.”
Kyra squinted her eyes. “Could your business afford to have you gone?”
“Yes.” Kiara had already checked with her nursery director and activities director just in case. “They actually encouraged me to go.”
“Then could you be packed by tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to have Trey all to yourself this weekend?”
“More than anything.”
“Could you be falling for him?”
Kiara sighed. “Yeah, I think I am.”
Kyra waved her hands in the air. “Then what exactly is the problem, girlfriend? Opportunities like this don’t come around often and I saw you two together in the loft this week. He’s so into you and some of my friends were saying that you seemed like a couple that’s been together for a long time.”
“That’s how I feel when I’m with him,” Kiara said. “We just met, yet he understands me more than any man I’ve ever met. Which is so strange because there is still so much more of me that he still doesn’t know.”
“That’s why you need this weekend together.” Kyra placed her hand on Kiara’s shoulder. “We weren’t friends when you were married, and I wasn’t there for your divorce, either. But in the year I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you look as happy as you do when you’re with Trey. You’ve claimed to not want a relationship, but you have to realize that as cliché as it sounds, love finds us when we least expect it.”
Kiara leaned back in her chair, letting Kyra’s words sink in. “I know you’re right, and I think that’s part of the problem. Some of the things that Trey doesn’t know about me are definite relationship deal breakers. On one hand, I can’t believe that I’m starting to fall for him so fast. We’ve only shared a couple kisses, and yet in those kisses, I feel like he sees into my soul. Like his mouth is coaxing me to open my heart to him and bare secrets that I promised to take to my grave. My gut is telling me to accept his invitation and spend the weekend away with him. But my heart is telling me to tread carefully and keep myself guarded.”
“Psssh.” Kyra swatted her hand in the air. “I never listen to the voice that tells me to slow down. Only the one that flashes Keep moving at rapid speed in bright neon colors. I think you need to mute that indecisive voice in your head and listen to your inner daredevil.”
“What if the voice I mute is the voice of reason?”
Kyra shrugged. “What if the voice of reason is also the voice that will doom you to a lifetime of unhappiness, no love, terrible sex and bad hair days?”
Kiara laughed. “There’s no in-between with you, is there? It’s all or nothing.”
“Duh!” Kyra joined her in her laughter. “Kiara, you already know this about me! You didn’t ask me to lunch so that I could tell you to back away from the cliff. You wanted to talk to me so that I could drag you to the edge and throw your ass off it.”
By the time their food arrived, Kiara was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. “Okay,” Kiara said. “I’m going to tell him I can go on the trip.”
“So happy you made the right decision because you know what this means, right?”
Kiara took a sip of soup. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but I will. What does it mean?”
Kyra rubbed her hands together sneakily. “It means after we eat lunch, you’re taking another hour to come with me back to Bare Sophistication. It’s time to clear out those cobwebs and buy you some sexy lingerie that’s guaranteed to get you laid.”
Kiara frowned. “What makes you think I haven’t been laid in a while?”
“Girl, please. You’re more high-strung than a guitar that’s been wound up too tight. Don’t think I didn’t see your freaky tail lift your leg and wrap it around Trey’s waist when you were kissing on the balcony the other day.”
Kiara gasped. “You saw that? Why were you looking?”
“Um, hello! Lots of folks were looking. It’s windows everywhere in the boudoir studio to allow for good natural lighting for the photos. Y’all were having a pretty heavy make-out session and we weren’t trying to look, but it was hard not to. Our conversations were interesting, but you and Trey were way more entertaining.”
Kiara laughed. There was no point in being embarrassed. That kiss with Trey on the balcony had bee
n mouthwatering, so she could imagine they’d put on a good show.
“Let’s hurry up and eat,” Kyra said, finishing up her soup and moving on to her sandwich. “First lingerie outfit is on me.”
* * *
Kiara glanced around her bedroom, making sure she hadn’t forgotten to pack anything. Trey was picking her up in thirty minutes and she was still a nervous wreck.
The mini shopping trip with Kyra had helped calm her nerves. However, from the moment she woke up this morning, she couldn’t seem to slow down her heartbeat.
When her phone rang, she thought about ignoring the call, but noticed it was her mom.
“Hey, Mom. How are you?”
“I’m doing good, sweetie. I’m still in Seattle, but I was calling because your sister told me you were going out of town this weekend.”
Kiara had sent her siblings a message that she was going out of town in case they were looking for her. She’d known her brothers wouldn’t ask for any details, but her sister had bugged her enough until she’d finally told her about Trey. Her mom, Gina, was currently in Seattle with a guy she’d been dating. Kiara and her siblings really liked their mother’s boyfriend, Brad, and it was nice to see her happy. Kiara wasn’t originally going to tell her mom she was going away for the weekend because she wanted to avoid additional questions, but she should have known her sister would blab.
“Yes, Mom. I’m going out of town, but I won’t be gone long. I’ll be back on Monday.”
“Are you really going to the French Riviera with a man you barely know?”
Goodness, sis. Did you tell her everything? “Yes, Mom. I am. His name is Trey and his nephew goes to LA Little Ones.” She didn’t want to tell her mom how they’d actually first met just recently.
“Wow, sweetie. I am surprised to hear this. But I’m happy that you’re taking some time to enjoy life. You work too hard and I was worried that after you divorced Jerry, you’d never love another man again.”
“Mom, I didn’t say I love Trey.”
“But you didn’t not say it, either.” Leave it to her mom to never miss anything.
Kiara sighed. “Are you having fun in Seattle?”
“We’re having a fantastic time,” Gina said. “Brad’s family is so sweet, and his kids love my cooking. I’ve cooked every day since I’ve been here.”
“That’s great, Mom. I look forward to meeting his kids one day.” Kiara and her siblings had always told their mom she should open her own café one day since she was such a good cook. Now that Gina was retired, Kiara hoped her mother would follow her dream.
“They are looking forward to meeting my kids as well. But back to you and Trey. Is it serious?”
“I’m not sure yet,” she said honestly. “It feels like it is, but we still have a lot we need to discuss and learn about each other.”
“Does he know you can’t have children?”
Always so blunt. “He knows I don’t want children. That’s all. And he knows I’m divorced, but I haven’t given him any details yet.”
“I see,” Gina said. “Kiara, I want you to enjoy yourself this weekend, but I also don’t want you to ever be afraid to tell a man how you feel. Sweetie, your story is your own testimony and you wouldn’t be the fierce and fearless woman you are today had you not had to face certain obstacles. If Trey cares about you, he’ll understand and love you regardless.”
Kiara sat on her bed and blinked back tears. “I know, Mom. I know. I’m just... I don’t want... I don’t know.” She couldn’t even get the words out.
“I know, sweetie,” Gina said. “You don’t want him to walk out of your life like other men before him. You want to be honest, but you’re afraid of losing him before you’ve even really had him.”
Kiara sighed. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“Kiara, everyone is afraid of something, but I didn’t raise you to back away from your fears. You are a strong, successful and beautiful woman who will make a man extremely happy one day. If that man is Trey and it’s meant to be, it will.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Kiara said with a smile. “I love you and appreciate the advice. In case I haven’t said it lately, thank you for always being in my corner.”
“Oh, you never have to doubt that I’ll be in your corner, baby. And I’ll always give you advice, even if you don’t want it.” Gina’s laugh filled the line. “Now that I’ve gotten a chance to talk to you about your weekend plans, can you please explain to me what your youngest brother, Paul, meant by his message that he texted to us in the family group? He and Bianca already have two kids together out of wedlock. Are they really pregnant with a third? And did they really think it was best to tell us in a text?”
“Yes, Mom,” Kiara said with a laugh. “Paul and Bianca are pregnant again and they’ve already told you that they don’t believe in marriage, so I’m not sure you’ll ever get your wedding from those two. And in case you haven’t noticed, as sweet as you are, your sons are terrified to tell you news they think will make you unhappy. So that’s probably why Paul texted.”
“I’m excited about my grandchild,” Gina said. “However, I just don’t understand your brothers sometimes. At least Terrance was married before he and Angie had another kid together. And your sister is married now, so Monique and Jarrett are settled. Sometimes, I wonder if Paul and Bianca are refusing to get married only because they know I want them to. I’ve been gone for a month, and already, I need to come home and have a stern talk with those kids.”
Kiara and Gina talked for ten more minutes and Kiara was still laughing after she’d hung up with her mom. Her mom wasn’t strict about a lot of things, but being married before having kids was something she’d always enforced in them. She thought that her mom would have dropped that wish once she realized that three of her four kids hadn’t listened, but it didn’t matter how many kids they had before marriage—Gina was still going to push for Holy Matrimony.
When her doorbell rang, Kiara did a silent thanks to her mom for helping with her nerves. The minute Kiara opened the front door, some of her nervousness came back at the sight of Trey standing at her door casually in blue jeans and a navy blue T-shirt, but she willed the nerves away.
Coincidentally, she’d chosen to wear her blue-and-white-striped flowy dress, so their outfits matched.
“Hey, Trey. Come on in.” She moved aside to let him pass. When he turned back around to face her, she eased her hands over his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes and kissed him the way she’d been thinking about all morning. His hands immediately went around her waist, pulling her closer.
This is what I needed. This is what I’ve been waiting on. It was kind of ironic that the reason Kiara was so nervous was Trey, and yet the person she knew could ease her nerves was also Trey. After a few breathless moments, they ended the kiss.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Trey said, lightly pecking her nose. “Should I even ask what I did to deserve such a warm welcome?”
“I just needed to do that,” she said, using the same words on him that he’d used on her the night on the balcony. “Did you want a quick tour before we leave?”
“Sure,” Trey said. “It’s my jet, so they’ll wait for me to get there.”
“Come on, sugar daddy,” Kiara joked, pulling his arm. “Now it’s time for you to see my home.”
Between the call with her mom and the kiss with Trey, Kiara was finally able to ease most of her anxiety and focus on the weekend. She had no idea what was in store for her, but she was ready to take a page out of Kyra’s book and take on the weekend at full speed.
Chapter 11
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Kiara continued to chant the same words repeatedly in her head. She’d never been a good flier, but she’d always managed to get through flights without having a panic attack. Well, except for that one time in college.
; She’d taken a sleeping pill before she and Trey had left the house, so she’d slept for the first six hours of the flight. However, now that she was awake, her anxiety about flying was starting to creep back in, and she still had at least five more hours to go.
“Are you okay?” Trey asked.
Kiara glanced at him as her hands continued to clench the arms of the seat. “Is now a good time to tell you I sort of have a fear of heights? I can’t believe we still have five hours to go.”
Trey looked at her bashfully. “Is now a good time to tell you that we had to refuel, so it’s actually six hours left?”
“What? Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Wish I was, but I’m not. We actually just got back in the air twenty minutes ago. You looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you.”
Six hours? “I think I need to pop another pill to survive this flight.” She opened her purse, grabbed her bottled water and swallowed another sleeping pill.
“There’s a bedroom in the back of the plane,” Trey said. “Even though these seats recline, maybe you’ll sleep better there than in the main cabin.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “I’ll try and sleep in the bedroom.”
Trey unbuckled his seat belt and motioned for her to do the same. “I’d planned on giving you a tour before we left, but you looked sleepy, so I figured I’d let you rest.”
“Sorry about that,” she said. “I took a sleeping pill before we left my house.”
“You can get a tour after we land. I’ll just show you the bedroom.” Trey informed the flight attendant that he’d be right back and led Kiara to the back of the jet.
“I really wish I wasn’t afraid of heights,” she said, briefly glancing at the vintage wooden decor of the interior. “Your jet is beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Trey said. “After I made my first few million, it was one of my first major purchases.”
A Los Angeles Passion Page 9
