Page 41 of A Private Affair
Twelve hours later a tired but invigorated Riley pulled into the garage and parked her car before taking the elevator up to the penthouse. Her stomach growled as she walked through the door and Riley immediately thought about ordering a pizza. It was a little after eight in the evening and she hadn’t eaten since a tuna sandwich at two in the afternoon. She knew there was something in her freezer that she could just pop into the microwave, but she wanted pizza with everything on it and fries.
She wanted that connection to Chaz.
Speaking of which, once she was in her bedroom and had kicked off her heels, Riley reached into her purse for her phone. No call or text from Chaz, not since earlier in the day when he’d checked to see if she’d eaten lunch, which she’d dutifully ordered as soon as she hung up with him. Her afternoon had been swamped and she figured his had been, too, so she sent a quick text.
Thinking about you.
It was honest and sincere and the first time she’d ever said such a thing to a man. Riley smiled with how good it made her feel. She was about to grab some pajamas and head into the bathroom for a shower when her doorbell rang. A giddy flutter whirled through her stomach as she hoped it was Chaz surprising her with dinner and company for the evening. Her penthouse suddenly seemed too big for just her and definitely too quiet. But when Riley walked back into the living room and excitedly pulled the door open, her happiness faded fast.
“Hey, Dad. RJ. Come on in.”
“We need to talk.” Her father’s tone was brisk as he removed his coat and walked into the living room.
RJ followed Ron inside. His expression was somber, his tone grave as he said, “Hey.”
She closed the door and followed them inside.
“What’s up? Did something happen during rehearsal? Is there a problem with one of the gowns?”
RGF was presenting a record forty-two designs during this show. Ten of them were from Riley’s bridal collection.
“Yes,” Ron replied tightly.
“Sort of,” RJ added.
Riley looked from her father to her brother and back to her father again. “Just tell me what happened.” Because she was certain something very bad was about to go down.
She could see it in the lines on her father’s forehead and the muscle pulsing in RJ’s jaw.
“Why don’t we start with you telling us where the hell you were this weekend?” If she hadn’t been certain before, her father’s tone conveyed every bit of the anger he was feeling.
Riley squared her shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. “I’m an adult, Dad. I don’t have to explain where I was or why without knowing the reason for the request.”
It was a bold statement to make to a man like Ron Gold but Riley didn’t care. She didn’t like her father and brother coming into her house at this time of night, questioning her and staring at her as if she’d done something wrong.
“If you would just tell me what’s going on—”
“What’s going on with you and Chaz Warren? Why were you photographed getting out of a limousine with him and going into his apartment building? And this morning you were dropped off here by a car registered to King Designs.”
The vein in her father’s head that only popped out when he was seething with rage was throbbing front and center, and Riley’s fingers clenched at her sides. RJ had folded his arms over his chest in what she knew was his authoritative stance.
“I have a right to a personal life” was all Riley would say.
“With him?” RJ asked. “You know the story and you know how this looks.”
“I know who makes me feel good,” she snapped. “And what, are you two having me followed? Is that what we do now? Follow Riley around to make sure she doesn’t mess up again?”
“But you have messed up,” Ron countered. “Because not only are you sleeping with the enemy, but the enemy is stabbing you in the back as expected.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That editor I know at that little tabloid—he called me an hour ago to give me a heads-up.”
That giddy feeling Riley had felt in her stomach just a few short moments ago was now a heated ball of dread.
“A heads-up about what?” She said the words slowly, as if she didn’t really want the answer.
“Not only are the pictures of you and Chaz going to be printed in tomorrow’s paper but they’re attached to a sneak peek at King’s new collection. A wedding gown, Riley. And it looks very similar to one of ours,” RJ said.
