Page 35 of Token

Kennedy resumed reading.

Days after a class-action discrimination lawsuit was filed on behalf of current and former employees, and not even a day after its CEO, Nathaniel Vaughn, son of Hollywood powerhouse couple Kurt and Sylvia Vaughn, held a press conference to address the matter, an old picture has surfaced of him and beautiful Kennedy Mitchell in a clincher of an embrace. Her passionate defense of him at his press conference yesterday started intense speculation about the nature of their “so-called” friendship. Cynics concluded it wasn’t a coincidence that he was being defended by Ms. Mitchell, who just happens to be African American, from a lawsuit accusing his company of racial discrimination. In this case, however, it appears the cynics were wrong. The picture proves their relationship—whatever the nature—goes back many years...

And so on and so on.

The picture of Nate with his arm around her was posted above the story. And it was hardly aclincher of an embrace. Anyone with eyes could see that. She couldn’t even tell Aurora had been cropped out of the picture. All hail Photoshop. Cecelia was the expert, but over the years, Kennedy had gotten pretty good at it, if she said so herself.

Seriously, it was criminal how easy it was to plant stories in the papers. You just had to know the right people. In this instance, the right person had been Naomi Smith, aPage Sixreporter she’d met through Sahara.

Kennedy beamed a smile at her friend. “Wow, that was fast. Naomi said she didn’t think she’d be able to get the story out until tomorrow. Talk about service.”

Signaling her impatience, Aurora tapped the tip of a pink polished nail on her watch face. “So are you going to clue me in or what?”

“Come on. Get that pouty look off your face. I was going to tell you today. This morning, in fact. Like as soon as you got in.”

“Tell me what?”

“Nate and I have come to an arrangement. I’ll be helping him with damage control. I mean, after what happened during the presser, it’s the least I can do, right? I should have followed your lead and kept my mouth shut.”

“Well, take it from thisunbiasedobserver—” Aurora said, her tone flippant “—that reporter was a tool. I’d have said something myself if I hadn’t been the one to advise him on the dos and don’ts.”

“I have no idea what came over me. They were so obnoxious and I just kinda snapped. You know me—I’m usually pretty levelheaded. Anyway, what I realizedafter the factwas the only way for me to help repair the damage I caused—because you know nobody is going to believe the whole thing wasn’t staged—was to prove we genuinely have a relationship that predates the lawsuit, with indisputable visual evidence. Voilà.” Kennedy pointed at the picture.

They really did look cute together, both wearing sleeveless T-shirts and shorts, wide smiles on their faces. Pennywise had done a good job at capturing the moment.

“You’re okay with people believing there’s something going on between you two?” Her friend looked surprised.

“Sure. Why not?” Kennedy shrugged. “I’m not going out with Aidan anymore, and if it’ll help, it’s the least I can do.”

Aurora smiled. “You’re the best. I’ll always be grateful our paths crossed that day at nationals.”

“Okay now, don’t go getting me all weepy,” she said, handing the iPad back to her. “I would do this for any best friend of mine whose brother needed a Black female beard.”

“A Black female beard?” Aurora snorted a laugh. “Is that your new name for it?”

“If the beard fits,” Kennedy replied as she stroked her chin and then pantomimed tugging at an imaginary beard. Aurora giggled. “Oh, by the way, your brother is taking me out to dinner this weekend, so don’t be surprised if there’s something about that in the papers next week. Although, with everything else going on with our new client, I don’t think our date is going to make news unless it’s areallyslow news day.”

“Some best friendly advice when it comes to my brother—please be careful with him.”

“Please be carefulwithhim?” Kennedy repeated, utterly bemused. If Aurora had saidwatch out for him, she’d understand.

“You just got out of a relationship and...well, you know.” Aurora ended with a shrug.

Kennedy was having a hard time understanding what she was getting at. “Hold on a sec—you thinkImight do something tohim?” And not the other way around? Something like taking a meat tenderizer to her heart again?

Aurora gave her thewho do you think you’re fooling?look. “C’mon, Ken. You have to know by now that he has a thing for you. Has for a long time. Why do you think he’s always been kind of standoffish with you?”

Mind blown, Kennedy sat there, eyes wide and mouth at risk of catching flies. “I don’t understand,” she croaked once her shock wore off. Where was this coming from? Had he told his sister about them?

“He used to ask me about you all the time. Pretended it was about our parents and that he wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to use me to get to them.” Aurora huffed a laugh. “It’s a good thing he’s good at what he does, because he can’t act his way out of a paper bag.”

“I—I’m sure you’re wrong,” Kennedy protested. Not the part about him being attracted to her—maybe still was—but that she had the ability to hurt him. No way did she hold that much sway over him.

Aurora planted her hand on her hip, arm akimbo. “Believe me, I know my brother.”

Kennedy’s pulse pounded loudly in her ears. She swallowed hard before asking, “Why didn’t you say anything about it before?”

“Because you were going out with Xavier at the time. And then remember I told you about the one and only time he went out with one of my friends? Jessie and I stopped speaking after they broke up. It completely destroyed our friendship, and I didn’t want that to happen to us.”

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