Page 13 of The Billionaire's Ride

Layla gasps, bringing her hand to her chest. “You went to a party at Nina Savoy’s house? And left early?”

“Yeah.” I shrug like it’s no big deal, then turn to Garret, snatching the phone from his hands. “And it doesn’t say that.” Instead, it’s a headline that readsKate Golden’s Comeback: This Better Be Good.

My chest gets tight, and my hands tremble. I’ll be premiering my new line at the London Intimates Fashion Show next week.This better be good?

Thanks, London. No pressure or anything.

The headline pulls at the thread that is my is my delicate ego. What if my designs lack the creativity that got me this store? I stiffen my upper lip and hand back his phone. “I didn’t know you’d be here today.”

“Of course, Danika fromLuxwill be here to interview you any moment. I think it’s good for me to hang around. This feature is a huge deal.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Layla flashes her bright teeth. “How was the photo shoot?”

My mind flashes back to the moment Drew slipped his finger over the top of my stocking, and suddenly, the memory is fresh again. My stomach tenses and tingles.

Garret shoots a knowing look. “It was hot. I can’t wait to see the pictures. Kate’s totally a model now. Aren’t you, Kate?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” I’m not a model unless it’s Drew’s photo shoot, then I’ll play model. I’ll play whatever role he wants me to play.

“Kate Golden?” A woman’s voice calls behind me, and I turn around.

“Yes?” I ask, taking in the woman casually dressed in ripped jeans, suede ankle boots, a loose top, and a light-colored blazer with the sleeves pushed up to the crooks of her elbows. Her dark-root, golden-highlighted hair’s pulled back in a messy ponytail, with strands falling around her oversized glasses.

“I’m Danika Dyer fromLux Magazine. So nice to meet you.” She offers a handshake and chomps away at her bubble gum.

“Danika!” I beam. “Welcome to my store.” We share English air kisses, then I offer her a tour of the store. We finally find ourselves on the lavishly soft, blush-pink velvet bench I found at an antique store in Kensington back before we first opened.

“I love your pieces. They’re classically erotic with a hint of an edge. Gorgeous knickers,” she says, and I sniffle a giggle at theword knickers. “What inspired you to design lingerie in the first place?”

“Well, my stepmother was a lingerie model in the ‘90s. I remember browsing the catalogs as a little girl and falling in love with teddies and garter belts. I thought she and the other models looked so powerful and sexy.”

“Who is your stepmum?” Danika asks.

“Lisa Lake.”

The fashion journalist’s jaw drops. “The Lisa Lake who’s been on the cover ofLux Magazinetwelve times?”

“That’s her.” To the rest of the world, Lisa is a supermodel. But to me, she’s the woman who dressed my scraped knees with band-aids, sliced apples at the kitchen island for me after school, and showed me how to use a pad the day I got my first period at my tennis lesson.

“How fabulous! So you always knew you wanted to design intimates?”

“No, I wanted to be like Calvin Klein. Clean. Simple. That’s why I went to FIT, but I couldn’t quite find my voice in that realm. Instead, I was encouraged to go into merchandising but I didn’t want to give up my dream of having a luxury brand that made women feel better in their own skin.

“So, during my summer break, I toured Europe with Lisa. One evening we had dinner with Lucia Delmonico, the genius behind Opal. She offered me a summer internship in her design studio and the rest is history.”

Garret hovers nearby, and I know he’s listening to every word, but surprisingly, he never interjects.

“Fabulous,” she says, scribbling notes. “And what is it that inspires you now? A man, perhaps?”

I know she’s trying to get a bigger scoop on my love life, which is nonexistent. Unless you count the two highly-charged encounters with Drew. Another flashback to the photo shoot.

Lights. Camera. Passion.

I wonder what kind of lingerie would bring Drew to his knees?

“Kate?” Danika brings me back to reality.

“Yes! I mean, no. No man currently. I’m just inspired by . . . by.” Now that I think about it. I really haven’t been inspired. But I can’t say that. Not toLux Magazine. So I pull something out of my lace-covered ass. “The women. I’m inspired by their innate sexy strength.”

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