"Ohhh. I like extra fudge." A smile moved over her face, and she squeezed the doll in her arms, wiggling in her car seat. "She said she likes you very much."
"Is that right?"
She gave me a big nod. "And she wishes you would be her friend already."
"She said that, huh?"
She yawned, resting her chin on the doll's head. "Uncle D, what in the world are you waiting for?"
I laughed, shaking my head.
TWENTY-ONE
KENDALL
"W
ho is that?" I whispered to Delilah as we sat on one of the couches in the VIP area of the club, the cameras pointed directly at us.
With the microphone taped to the inside of my dress, catching every word I said, there was no reason to keep my voice so low. Undoubtedly, this conversation would air on the show.
"Girl, you don't watch Sky House?" She waited for me to shake my head before continuing, "That's Presley Jordan, the lead in that show. Isn't he positively delicious?"
I hadn't asked because of his looks; I had asked because every girl in this club was gawking at him.
Presley Jordan.
That name did sound familiar.
The more I thought about it, I realized that it was because of Daisy; she had mentioned him in the past, saying how sexy he was. At one point, I could even recall Googling him just to see who she was talking about.
Presley didn't have that super-manly, husky handsomeness like Dominick. But he was certainly cute in that boy-next-door kind of way, and the women in here were gushing over his smile, a set of white pearls that glowed, even in this dim room.
"Oh, honey, you're interested, aren't you?"
I looked at Delilah. "Me? No."
"Riiight." She rolled her eyes. "Do you see all those girls flocking around him? They're not interested either."
"Why aren't you part of that group?"
She put her hand on my shoulder. "I don't like my boys clean; I like them bad. And Presley is so far out of that category."
I laughed as he happened to glance away from the girl he was speaking to, slowly looking around the room until his eyes landed on mine. His gaze was so intense, so heated, that I had to look away.
"My God, he can't take his eyes off you. Daaamn, that's a fuck-me stare if I've ever seen one."
"Don't be silly." A quick peek in his direction showed he was still studying me. "I'm sure he just recognizes me from somewhere-that's all."
But that wasn't the truth because I was positive we had never met before.
"I don't think so, babe. That man is practically stripping off your dress with his eyes."
"I'm definitely not interested in that."
"Show me who you would be interested in. Who in this club revs you up?"
I did a quick scan of the space around us. There were several celebrities, each of them so done up. Like Presley, every strand of hair had been perfectly placed, every accessory on point, as though their stylist were on standby, prettying them up between conversations.
That wasn't my style.
I wanted someone who could throw on a baseball hat and sweatpants and have breakfast with a little girl who was covered in chocolate chip pancakes. Someone who was as real on the outside as he was on the inside, who could be sensitive when it was required and rough when I demanded him to be.
Only one man fit that description.
"Not a single one," I finally replied.
"Whaaat?" She shook my shoulders. "Come on, girl. There has to be someone in here you find hot as hell."
"What can I say? I'm picky as fuck."
She was silent for a few moments before she said, "How about him?" and nodded toward the guy who had just walked into the VIP area. "I get the sense he'd be your type."
That man was Jenner.
"No." I laughed as I shook my head. "I know him, and he's not my type at all."
"Who is he? 'Cause, girl, maybe I need to know him."
"Remember my attorney, Dominick? That's his brother Jenner. He's a lawyer too. They're partners at their family law firm."
She was ready to pounce, especially when she said, "He's everything-provocative, sexy, and full of dick."
I tucked my clutch under my arm. "Go talk to him."
"You don't have to tell me twice." She pushed herself to the edge of the couch. "Do you want to come and introduce us?"
I smiled. "I don't think you need me to break the ice." I got to my feet, my ankles wobbling from the combination of sky-high heels and skinny margaritas. "Besides, I'm going to run off to the ladies' room before I hit up the dance floor."
"I'll meet you out there."
I nodded, and we parted ways. Delilah headed for the bar, where Jenner was sitting, and I went to the back, where I'd seen the sign for the restroom. As I was nearing the entrance, I felt a hand on my lower back, and I turned around.
A gasp left my lips when I saw who it was.
"Hi," Presley said. "Finally … it's you."
I smiled at his weird choice of words. "Me?"
He reached for my hand, holding it between his. "You, the girl I've been staring at since I got here. In my head, that's what I was calling you until I found out your name."
"I'm Kendall."
"I know. I asked around." His smile grew. "You're even more gorgeous than I thought."
He still hadn't released me, so I turned my fingers, quickly shaking his, and pulled them back. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Presley."
His smile was certainly charming. The guy could probably teach a course on how to entice women. It just wasn't what I was looking for.
He glanced to his right, where a cameraman stood halfway between the couch and restroom, his lens aimed at us. "I was wondering if we could talk when the cameras weren't filming."
"Sure. Do you want to take down my number? We can chat-"
"Kendall, I'd like to talk to you now."
Now?
Without cameras?
I couldn't think of a single reason why he would want to have a conversation with me, but I was semi-curious, even more so because I hoped it had something to do with work.
"Were you about to go into the ladies' room?" he asked.
I nodded.