Page 23 of Torrid Passion
“You of all people should know you can’t trust the press, Kyla.”Ouch.“The very tall, very slim and very blonde whatever it is she does has a name and a profession…” he allows for a pregnant pause.
Okay, I got it wrong. No need to rub it in.
“Sylvia Gilchrist is a talented singer,” he continues. “She’s a British crossover artist on Holt Christensen’s label. You remember him?”
“I do. He’s still in London, though?”
“For now, but his label is on fire. He keeps breaking records. Who knows how long he’ll stay in London. Not to mention, he has a lot of British artists hitting it big over here. I’m sure Sylvia will soon be part of that list.”
“Oh.”Talk about being way off base.
“In any case, Sylvia was in town because we were shooting videos for her upcoming American album release,” he continues. “Rod has been on the list of invited guests of the Billboard Music Awards since his days as a rock god. I never was as a roadie, but with our business partnership and our little studio, that’s changed.” He’s being modest. Loki and Rod own Pending Inference Productions—one of the most cutting-edge video production companies in LA. Loki is only twenty-nine, but you wouldn’t believe his success.
“I guess I jumped to conclusions.”
“You did.” I may be completely delusional here, but there seems to be much more behind those words. “Since I didn’t have a date for the evening, I invited Sylvia. It was purely platonic and business related. The press got it wrong. What’s new?”
“Oh.”I feel like a complete idiot.
“I didn’t realize you were so fascinated with my private life.” He pauses. “Did the photos bother you, Kyla?”
Honestly, they irked the hell out of me.
It’s been like that since Paris.
Every time I see Loki in the media with a woman hanging from his arm, my stomach turns. Jealous? Maybe a little. Okay, a lot. I know, I know it’s irrational. He’s no choirboy and he isn’t mine. Not to mention, he has no idea how I feel about him.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?” he presses.
“Well––”
“Pardon me, Mr. Berkshire, Miss O’Keeffe,” Laurent interrupts. “Are you ready to order or should I give you a few more minutes?”
Saved by the waiter.
