Page 33 of Exposed

“I can’t believe you have to deal with that, Lauren. I’ll stick to my little accounting job,” Novah commented.

Emmanuel arrived at the mall a few minutes later. He pulled up in front of the main entrance and let us out.

“Let me park; you guys stay right here,” Emmanuel stated, parking near the front entrance. We stepped out, and I put my shades on and pulled my ponytail out to cover my face. A few seconds later, Emmanuel walked up and held the door open for us; we stepped inside.

“We should try the shoe store first; I need some things for the house and a few personal items,” Novah said, locking her arm with mine.

“I hope you ladies aren’t planning on being here all day,” Emmanuel retorted.

“Emmanuel, I have no credit limit, and I’m a celebrity if you haven’t noticed. I get things for free, so plan on being here for a while, buddy,” I said, moving my shades down, winking my left eye.

“Pray for me now,” Emmanuel mumbled under his breath.

“Lauren! OMG! It’s Lauren; can we have an autograph?” a group of women shouted, walking up to us.

“Yes sure, you have a pen?” I asked.

“I’m a huge fan and can’t wait to see the launch of the makeup. Will it stream on your channel?” the leader of the group asked.

“We are, and Raven Cosmetics is having a contest afterward, so you have to stay tuned,” I replied. They were taking pictures after I autographed all three of their photos.

“So excited, I loved the photoshoot you did on the beach,” she told me.

“Time for us to go. Dominic texted me to get you back home,” Emmanuel cut in and said. I nodded and waved goodbye to the girls.

Three hours later, we arrived back home with multiple bags from six different stores. I flopped down on the couch, kicking off my shoes.

“Go take a nap, now, because tomorrow you have a lot going on with trying on dresses and your family arriving,” Novah said.

“You’re right, I need to get my beauty rest. Dominic wants me to have dinner with his family, and I invited them to the party,” I said, standing up and yawning, walking off toward my bedroom, shutting the door, and falling on the bed to go to sleep.

Chapter Nineteen

Lauren

The next day, I finally finished trying on different outfits for the party tomorrow. April came over with at least twenty different gowns for us to choose from. My parents and brother were hanging with Novah at the beach. I had a prior commitment for dinner with Dominic and his family tonight. Closing my car door, I saw the front door open and a little girl with Dominic, behind him, grinning, was standing there. The place was nice, simple, and cozy, a brick one level home with a two-car garage.

“Lauren you're pretty,” the little girl said. I bent down to her level and pinched her nose. She giggled and ran back into the house. Dominic held his hand out to help me inside. I wore my favorite heels and a long wrap dress. Meeting his parents was a new level for us, and I didn’t want to come off as some big time diva.

“Thank you for coming,” Dominic told me as he bent down and buried his face in my neck. I giggled at him grabbing my ass.

“Stop, your parents are right around the corner. You're not getting me in trouble.”

He pulled back, licking his lips.

“When this is over, I'm peeling you out of this dress,” he said, placing his hand on top of mine, walking me further inside.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Loud laughter and kids screaming made me wish I was a kid again when things were simpler. Dominic cleared his throat.

“Family, I’d like you to meet someone,” Dominic started to say when a woman started to scream and jump up and down. I was a bit shocked, but I was kind of used to getting recognized when I was out.

“OMG! It’s really you. I didn’t believe him when he first told me. You never post pictures of the people you're dating. Dominic, you're dating Lauren Armstrong. Wait until I tell my friends,” she said.

“Devan, right?” I replied and she nodded. I reached out for a hug and she started screaming again.

“Devan, calm down, she’s a regular person like the rest of us,” Dominic said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in closer. Devan raised an eyebrow at him.

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