The Downfall of a Good Girl

by Kimberly Lang

  After that initial awkwardness the day after, Vivi had slowly warmed to the new status quo. She wasn’t openly advertising that change, but even the bloggers had picked up on what they called an “easing of hostilities.”

  If they only knew…

  Connor felt better than he had in months. He might not be getting a lot of sleep, thanks to Vivi, but otherwise he was feeling grounded and sane and normal—and that probably had something to do with Vivi as well. It should feel stranger than it did, and that was strange in and of itself.

  He caught Vivi’s eye across the room, and she gave him a half-smile before looking at his untidy piles of unfinished work and raising her eyebrows. “How’s it going over there?” she called.

  “Perfectly.”

  She shook her head. “Doesn’t look like it.”

  “It’s like walking into the middle of major surgery. It looks like a bloody mess, but it’s all under control.”

  “Glad to hear it. I just hope you get it finished today.”

  So did he. However, it might end up like their workday in the Lower Ninth Ward where Vivi’s team had finally had to come help his under the mercy rule. He turned around and gave a few encouraging shouts to his Imps and was gratified to see them pick up the pace. Then he jumped a pile of canned green beans and walked over to her.

  “How do you manage it?”

  “They’re kids. They need clear, specific instructions.” She dropped her chin and gave him a look that would have done the nuns in high school proud. “And a good example to follow, I might add.”

  “Hey, I’m working my butt off over there.”

  Vivi just shrugged. “After we’re finished here I’ll send a few of the Cherubim over to help.”

  “Much appreciated.”

  “Well, y’all will be here until midnight if I don’t.”

  “We definitely don’t want that.” At her look, he dropped his voice and added, “I was kind of planning on taking you to dinner tonight. I got reservations at LaSalle.”

  Vivi looked suitably impressed. “LaSalle is booked out for months.”

  “Fame has its perks. Table reservations is just one of them.”

  Vivi looked uncomfortable. “Isn’t that rather public?”

  “It’s less public than this.” He pointed to the cameras and the crowds.

  “This is different.”

  “Ashamed to be seen with me or something?” he challenged.

  “No, that’s not it. I just didn’t know that we…it…that…was for public knowledge. I thought we were staying low, under the radar.”

  Ah. “You like sneaking around?” He liked her discretion. It was a nice change from the view-all, tell-all of celebrity relationships. Or maybe Vivi had a streak in her he didn’t know about that enjoyed the game. He could get behind that, too.

  “That’s not it either. It’s just…” She trailed off and frowned.

  “It’s just…?” he prompted.

  Vivi sighed and shrugged. “Dinner sounds great. What time?”

  “Seven. I’ll pick you up.”

  “No, I’ll meet you at your place.” At his look, she added, “I need to run by the gallery, so I’ll do that on my way.” She added a smile. “I’ll see you at seven.”

  She went back to work, leaving him feeling a little off-kilter. Vivi wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever met, that was for sure. He was quickly discovering, however, that that wasn’t a bad thing. It sounded cheesy, but Vivi brought out the Boy Scout in him. He found himself wanting to do the smaller things, like pick her up for dinner. It didn’t make sense. He snorted. When had Vivi ever made sense to him?

  Connor turned around, fully intending to get this job finished as soon as possible, and he saw his Imps standing idle, watching him. “Who called a union break? They’re killing us here.”

  Before he could get anything accomplished, though, his phone rang. A glance at the number had him sighing. He really didn’t want to wade back into the fray today. He was enjoying the interlude from his life.

  Balancing the phone uncomfortably on his shoulder, he closed a box and strapped tape across the top. “What’s up, Angie?”

  “I’ve got excellent news.”

  His agent wasn’t one to exaggerate, so whatever it was it had to be damn good. “I like excellent news.”

  “In light of the paternity test results, the plaintiff’s counter suit has been dismissed and we have our permanent injunction.”

  “And in simple English that means…?”

  “Katy Arras has been told to shut her lying trap.”

  “That is excellent news.”

  “Thought you might like that. In other good news, thanks to your current charity work and some internet search engine magic I don’t understand, all that dirt is now buried on page two and beyond. It’s pretty much over.”

  The dirt would never be completely washed away, but he’d settle for it being lost on the internet. He might be personally vindicated, but people would still mutter about the rumors behind his back, wondering how much was really true. Those kinds of stories stuck around forever, becoming urban legends and the butt of jokes.

  At least he wasn’t the first. He was in company with some of the greats. “You are a doll, Angie”

  “That’s why you pay me the big bucks. How are you holding up down there?”

  “I’m home, not exiled to Siberia.”

  Angie, who considered the suburbs too rustic to visit and New York the only city outside California worth acknowledging, snorted. “Well, keep hanging in there. You’re getting all kinds of good press.”

  “And I’m having a good time, too.”

  “Good for you. Just don’t have too good of a time. One Katy Arras a year is my limit.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m being a good boy.”

  That caused Angie to chuckle. “Well, don’t take that too far either,” she warned. “Remember your brand.”

  “How could I forget it?” He didn’t bother to hide his exasperation, but Angie ignored it.

  “I’ll be in touch next week. I’ve got some plans cooking for March and April. When are you planning to go back into the studio?”

  “Don’t know yet. The brain is still recovering from the tour.” Angie didn’t know about his hands, and he saw no reason to go into that now. She was still reeling from hearing about all of his plans that didn’t involve going back into the studio.

  “Keep me posted.”

  “I will. Right now I have boxes to pack.”

  “Oh, yeah, that charity stuff. Good for you. Keep it up.”

  He could almost hear the dismissive wave. Beyond the PR op, Angie didn’t have much use for this, and that irked him as well. He snorted. He really was finding his inner Boy Scout.

  “By the way, I’m coming down there for Mardi Gras,” she added.

  “Good luck finding a hotel room.”

  “I can’t just stay with you?” she teased.

  That would make things very awkward with Vivi. “In a word, no. In two words, hell no. I like my privacy.”

  “That’s typical of you. Fine,” she huffed. “I’ll make some calls. I do know other people.”

  “I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction for whatever you want to do once you’re here,” he offered.

  “That I’ll take you up on. Talk to you later. ‘Bye.”

  Connor stuck his phone back in his pocket. He didn’t really want to think about March or April or going back into the studio. He’d given Angie unfettered access to his schedule for the last six years, and while he appreciated her efforts on his behalf, he’d made them both enough money for him to take a little control back. Of his name, his time, his image and his freakin’ brand.

  He wasn’t ignorant of the fact that this new desire for control and his current frustration with the status quo were probably fueling his situation with Vivi. It wasn’t just lust—although that did help, he thought with a small smile—it was a whole new approach to his life. The so
lid confirmation of that knowledge sent a mini-shockwave through him. He hadn’t known he had it in him.

  How novel. I’m growing as a person. Vivi would have quite a bit of fun with that. In fact he might have to mention it, just to see what she’d have to say about it.

  True to her word, Vivi and her crew came over to help his team finish up—but true to her nature she waited until they’d conceded defeat and the points were added to her column before she did. And when she shot him a smile full of secret promise Connor was very glad he’d come home.

  All of his choices seemed to be working out quite well.

  Vivi slid her feet into her shoes and opened her bedroom door. Lorelei stood against the wall, facing her door, arms crossed over her chest. “Spill.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’ve kept my mouth shut all week long about your late nights and lack of details—”

  “And it’s been bliss.” Vivi stepped past her, but Lorelei ignored the hint and followed her into the living room. This wasn’t exactly how she’d planned to tell Lorelei about the rather dramatic shift in her life, but Lorelei hadn’t been home much and time had gotten away from her.

  “But now you’re all dressed up. Your new snuggle monkey is finally taking you out on the town, huh?”

  She raised an eyebrow at Lorelei. “Snuggle monkey?”

  “It wasn’t my first choice of term, but the others were more vulgar and would have gotten you mad at me. I know you’re having sex, and I’m dying to know who with.”

  “Like that’s any of your business.”

  “No, I think it’s great. You’re all glowy and relaxed. Not only are you having sex, you’re having some awesome sex.”

  Vivi couldn’t stop the blush. She tried to hide it by turning away, but Lorelei saw and pounced.

  “Whoa! That good, huh? I have to know the identity of this sex god.”

  This was not exactly how she’d pictured this conversation. Vivi searched for words, but Lorelei took it as hesitation.

  “If he’s taking you out tonight, it’s not exactly a secret affair, you know.” She paused and her eyes narrowed. “Oh, God, unless…He’s not married or anything, is he?”

  “For heaven’s sake, Lorelei, of course not.”

  “Well, it would explain all the secrecy.”

  Vivi took a deep breath. “I’m going out with Connor.”

  “Connor who?”

  “Mansfield. How many other Connors do you know?”

  Lorelei looked disappointed. “Well, I read that all wrong. I didn’t realize you had a Saints and Sinners thing tonight.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then why are you going to dinner with Connor?”

  Either Lorelei was very dense, or this news really was too incredible to believe. “Because he asked me to.”

  Lorelei’s eyebrows knitted together. “This makes no sense. My world is officially askew. You’re not planning on dumping his meal in his lap, are you?”

  “It’s not on the agenda, no. And I’d never make a scene like that at LaSalle.”

  “LaSalle? Wow. Hang on. All these late nights and now…” The furrow on her brow deepened, then her eyes grew wide in shock. “Wait. Connor is your secret snuggle monkey?”

  Oh, Lord. “Lorelei…”

  Lorelei rose to her feet, blinking and shaking her head. “You’re sleeping with Connor?”

  “Lorelei…”

  Her voice rose to a shout. “You’re having sex with Connor Mansfield?”

  “Let’s not announce that to the entire neighborhood, please.”

  “Oh, my God, you are sleeping with him. Oh. My. God. When did this start? How? Why? I need lots of details.”

  Vivi didn’t feel like sharing details at the moment, and she certainly didn’t have good answers to how or why. It made her head hurt to make sense of it. This was new territory, and it kind of freaked her out when she thought about it too much.

  She made a point of looking at her watch and picking up her purse. “I’ve got to run.”

  Lorelei snatched her purse out of her hand. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not dropping a bomb like that and then prancing out of here like it’s nothing.”

  “Give me my purse.”

  “Give me some answers.”

  “This is not your business. I don’t owe you any answers about anything.”

  “I’ve spent my entire life listening to you complain about Connor and how he makes your existence miserable—so, yeah, you do owe me some answers now.”

  Oh, how she wished she had answers to give. “Connor and I have…um…resolved many of our differences—”

  “I should certainly hope so.”

  Argh. “And we are…um…moving past old grudges and…um…moving forward as adults.”

  “By knocking boots.”

  “Must you be so crude?” Lorelei made it sound tawdry. Maybe it was. Vivi just didn’t want to think so.

  “I don’t see you denying it.”

  “Fine.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, even though she was in the privacy of her own house. “Yes, I am sleeping with Connor. We are adults, and it’s nobody else’s business…”

  Lorelei stomped back to the couch, dragging Vivi with her, and forced her to sit. “First—congratulations. I mean, Connor. Yum.” She fanned her face. “But we’ll come back to that in a minute. You keep saying it’s nobody’s business—and that’s sort of true—but the minute you’re spotted with Connor at LaSalle—and you will be spotted—it will be everyone’s business.”

  “The media has left Connor alone recently.”

  “It’s not the press you need to worry about. It’s everyone with a cell phone who wants to make a quick buck. You’ll be on all the blogs before midnight, I guarantee it. Even if you weren’t sleeping together—and I do intend to come back to that, so don’t think you’re going to weasel out—the world will think you are.”

  “Well, I can’t control what people think.”

  “But you’ll certainly care once it’s your name being bandied about. And after all the recent gossip about Connor’s, ahem, preferences…”

  “Which you never claimed to believe in the first place.”

  “I’m not Jane Q. Public in middle America, with no reason not to believe it.”

  “I’m not worried about middle America. Most of them think New Orleans is a den of iniquity anyway. I’m not running for political office or competing for Miss America, so I don’t care what Jane Q. Public thinks about anything. The only people whose opinions I care about know me—and Connor, too, for that matter—so it’s not likely they’ll get caught up in any gossip frenzy.”

  “Good for you, Vivi.” There was genuine pride in Lorelei’s voice. “I just hope it’s worth it.”

  “It is,” she answered without thinking, and as Lorelei’s eyes lit up Vivi desperately wanted to suck the words back in.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. Exactly how worth it is it?”

  Damn it, she could feel the heat in her face again.

  Lorelei sighed. “You are one lucky girl.”

  Silently, she agreed—and that shocked her a little.

  “So what happened? What changed?”

  “I don’t really know. We were spending all this time together, and actually talking to him kind of made me see things—him—differently, and…” She shrugged. “Carpe diem, I guess.”

  “Wow. Just wow.” Lorelei leaned forward. “So is this serious? Like going somewhere?”

  Vivi nearly choked. “Oh, no—no, no. It’s just casual.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” Lorelei was wide-eyed with shock.

  She had to think about it, and that kind of shocked her, too. “Yeah. I think I am.”

  “I gotta say, Vivi, I never would have expected this.”

  “Me neither.”

  Lorelei handed over her purse. “Then enjoy it. Every single minute of it. You deserve it.”

  “Thanks, sweetie.” The grandfather clock b
egan to bong the hour. She was late. “I’ve got to go. Don’t wait up, okay?”

  “Since I know you won’t dish the details, I guess I won’t. By the way—how does it feel?”

  Vivi was shrugging into her coat. “How does what feel?”

  “Being the bad one, for once.”

  Was she being bad? Not really. Reckless? Maybe. Less than circumspect? Definitely. But she was an adult; Connor was an adult. She might be being a little bit bad, but in comparison to others, Vivi was still on the narrow path. “I have to admit that it feels pretty darn good.”

  “Told ya so.”

  Dressed as she was, it was a little too chilly to be walking, and her shoes weren’t exactly designed for navigating the cobblestones and often ankle-twisting sidewalks of the French Quarter. It would take longer to drive than walk to Connor’s place, but that couldn’t be helped. And if she left her car on Connor’s block, he wouldn’t have to take her home in the middle of the night either. Although she’d spent her entire life in this city, and the blocks between Royal Street and Washington Square were far from deserted or particularly dangerous, Connor had developed a chivalrous streak that refused to let her walk home alone in the wee hours of the morning.

  She’d lied when she’d said she had to go by the gallery first. She’d told herself that she didn’t want to give Lorelei a chance to embarrass her in front of Connor, but that wasn’t entirely true. She needed to keep things very separate in her mind, for her sanity’s sake, and Connor picking her up like this was an actual date would blur those lines.

  But this was an actual date, her inner voice reminded her. A very public one. And the thought of “dating” Connor opened up a whole new slew of thoughts she wasn’t really willing to process. No, she told herself. Going public didn’t change the nature of this. Connor was temporary. A change from the norm. A transition from the old Vivi to the new Vivi.

  Right.

  Connor buzzed her up, and the sight that greeted her caused her to wobble on her stilettos. Mercy. She was accustomed to his bad-boy rocker look, and she’d gotten used to the more casual look he’d been sporting during Saints and Sinners, but this…Connor was downright devastating in black pants, white button-down shirt and a blazer. It was completely simple, but something about it just flipped every switch in her body. This wasn’t Connor the Rock Star, Connor the Sinner, or even Connor Her Arch Enemy; this was Connor the Man, all strength and assurance and everything the Y chromosome had to brag about.