“They did take pictures,” Kallie said with a whisper.
“What did you say?” Eris asked. “Kallie, are you at your office?”
“Eris ... I ... I ... I—”
“Start at the beginning. What the hell am I actually looking at?” she asked.
But Kallie didn’t know how to answer her. What was she doing, being plastered all over the gossip magazines? And the Daily News wasn’t the only one reporting it. They were simply the first. Article after article, dragging her name through the mud and calling her things she could’ve never dreamed in her wildest imaginations were actual phrases people called other people. Her hand began to tremble and tears brewed behind her eyes. It was hard to breathe. Hard to speak.
“Ash,” she said breathlessly.
“Kallie, you have to talk to me. What’s going on?” Eris asked.
This would be her life with Ash. People would be constantly following him and taking pictures of their time together. Even when she didn’t realize it. Kallie’s life was now news, especially when she was wrapped up in the wealthiest man on the East Coast.
At least, the article called Ash that.
When had that picture been taken? Of her and Ash? And how in the world did she stop it from happening again?
“Kallie!”
“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed. “It’s just ... I didn’t know people were—”
“The picture of Ash. Where were you?”
“It was the day after the club. We spent the day together walking in Central Park and getting food.”
“So when the hell was this picture of James taken? Please tell me that’s from before you guys split up,” Eris said.
“No, it’s not,” Kallie said with a sigh.
“So you’re just serial-dating rich men now?”
“What? You know me better than that. No,” Kallie said. “Look, James sent me a necklace at work, and I told him I couldn't accept the gift. He said if I returned it to him, he had the receipt and he would take it back for me. I returned the gift. I didn’t even stay to eat dinner with him. He followed me out of the restaurant and tried to keep me from getting away, and then he just kissed me.”
“So he set you up.”
“I don’t know. I know there was a possibility photos were taken. Some idiot guys standing in the parking lot,” Kallie said. “But I didn’t think they’d gotten anything because it happened so quickly. I mean, I shoved him away, Eris. He grabbed my wrist so hard and wouldn’t let me leave and then he followed me all the way out to the sidewalk and he almost didn’t let me get into the cab.”
“That son of a bitch. If the tabloids come at you, that's exactly what you tell them, okay?” Eris asked. “You paint that son of a bitch in the limelight he fucking deserves.”
“They’ll come after me?” she asked.
“They’ll want a quote or something. That’s why I asked you where you were. For all I know, they’re at your office or something.”
Kallie slammed her chair back and got up before peering out the window. It didn’t look like a
nyone was outside, but her window was on the side of the building. Not at the front. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing.
Dinner.
She had to cancel her dinner plans with Ash.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Kallie, wait—”
But she hung up on Eris before she could get in another word.