What They Don't See

Chapter 2 - Business Deals

The sun had just begun to rise when Kate opened her eyes the next morning. Blinking a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes, Kate took a swat at her alarm clock before getting up from her warm bed.

She took her time getting ready for the day, beginning with a long shower and ending with a filling breakfast that consisted of granola and fruits.

She dressed simply in a black pair of yoga pants and a blush pink crop-top t-shirt. Pairing the outfit with some Nike running shoes and her usual cross-body purse. As she walked down the few steps that led up to her apartment, Kate paused to tie her waist-length raven-black hair into a high ponytail, and then she was off to the subway.

Thirty minutes later, as she stepped out of the last train, she passed the usual magazine stand, noting the crowd in front of it.

Looks like something interesting happened yesterday. I wonder which poor soul they're reading about today, she thought to herself with a small chuckle. But as she passed a second stand, she stopped in her tracks.

Because there, plastered on nearly every single magazine, was her face.

Or more accurately, her kissing the stranger from last night.

~

Thousands of thoughts were racing through her head.

Kate quickly found a stand that was less crowded and bought one of the magazines, moving on quickly just in case any of the dozens of people milling around recognized her.

Rushing into the front entrance of the community center, she stopped in the waiting area and plopped down on one of the many worn sofas there.

After reading through the long article, Kate sighed in relief. No one knew who she was. But the picture on the cover of so many magazines was a bit concerning. She would have to be careful.

Looking through the article one more time, she noted the name, Logan Shawn under the picture. Beyond his impressive accomplishments as a movie actor, the man seemed to have a reputation in the Holywood light.

Untouchable huh? She thought with a small smirk as she read the portion of the article that discussed the fact that he had never been seen with a woman in public.

With this problem more or less solved, at least for her, she placed the magazine on the coffee table in front of her and headed for her class.

~

On her way back to her apartment several hours later, Kate decided that now would be a good time to update her father on the goings-on, although she had a suspicion that he already knew.

Retrieving her phone from her purse, Kate quickly dialed Marcos, her father's personal bodyguard, knowing it would be the fastest way to reach him.

"Bonjour Marcos. J'ai besoin de parler avec mon père."

(Hello Marcos. I need to speak with my dad.)

"Oui je vais attendre."

(Yes I'll wait.)

As the phone call went on, Kate had continued walking. As she approached her apartment, Kate spotted two men standing at her front steps. One wore a charcoal-colored suit with a white tie, while the other opted for the more casual beige slacks and a white dress shirt open at the collar to help with the heat of the summer day.

Just then, her father's voice reached her ear.

"Ma chère fille, qu'as-tu fait?"

(My dear girl, what have you been up to?)

"Appelez-moi dans 15 minutes. Il semble que j'ai quelques invités indésirables à ma porte." (call me in 15 minutes. It seems I have a few unwanted guests at my door.) Kate spoke quickly into the phone before hanging up. She knew he would understand her cryptic explanation.

"Can I help you gentleman?" she asked politely. Their appearance was too much of a coincidence. Which meant it wasn't an accident. They were here because of the picture.

"Kate Delaquor?" the man in the charcoal suit asked, walking forward with his hand raised for a handshake.

"Who's asking?" she replied, not even glancing at the offered hand. Her gaze moved back and forth between the two men until the man in the suit finally cleared his throat. "Forgive me. I'm Jack Maxwell. This is my associate, Fred Jackson. Might we have a word inside?"

Kate regarded both of them. "For what purpose?"

"Well, we have a business proposal for you."

"I'm not interested in doing business with anyone at the moment."

"Oh, I think you'll want to hear this proposal Miss Delaquor. We'll be just a moment. I give you my word."

"Alright then. Please, follow me," Kate replied with a sigh. She knew they would only be back if she didn't at least listen to their proposal now. Besides, she was curious to hear what they had to say.

Kate led them up the steps and into her apartment in silence. She opened the reinforced door to reveal a spacious room with a small yellow sofa that stood about a foot from a bay window. Beside it sat a comfortable brown armchair, and a small wooden coffee table sat in front of them. On the other side of the coffee table, near the wall, was a small square dining table set, barely big enough for two people. With the plush rug and the large tv set in the corner, the apartment had a cozy feeling to it.

Once inside, Kate leaned against her little dining table, gesturing for the men to have a seat on the sofa across from her.

"Well, we'll make this quick, as promised," Fred said, rubbing his hands together.

"We represent Logan Shawn, the man you kissed last night," Jack announced, pausing like he was expecting a round of applause. His fake smile dropped a bit when Kate only stared at him blankly.

"Um, I'm sure you noticed how fast and wide the story of your kiss has spread," Fred explained, to which Kate nodded. The story was quite literally everywhere.

"Well, we would like to keep this popularity going. He's up for a big part in a new movie, and this could really help his chances. And we think the best way to do it would be with you," Jack explained

"What better way to keep that momentum going than by dating the mysterious girl who did what many believed to be the impossible?" Fred added.

This stunned Kate. Of all the proposals she had been expecting, this was one she hadn't thought of. Although as she thought about it, she realized it made perfect sense. There were rumors of other celebrities making deals like this one with one another, but she had no idea they did these even with people that didn't qualify as a celebrity.

"You want me to be his... Girlfriend?"

"Yes, that's exactly what we want."

"And why the hell would I do that? What could I possibly get out of this?"

"I find it hard to believe that you don't want those five minutes of fame. Even a little bit," Jack chuckled.

"Actually I don't," Kate replied, crossing her arms with a stern look on her face. Jack frowned at this, but he wasn't ready to back down.

"Well, we did some research on you, Kate DeLaquor, and it seems your visa has expired for a few months now. Imagine the negative effect this will have on your future company if this word gets out to Paris huh?"

Kate stilled. 

She was already being underestimated and questioned. This would just give her rivals more ammunition. But it was more than that. It also occurred to Kate that if these two men could find her and find out so much about her, it was only a matter of time before others, like the press, found her. She would rather be on the side that got to control the narrative that would inevitably begin.

And she told herself those were the only reasons she said, "Fine. I'll pretend to be his girlfriend. But it has to be over in less than six months. Otherwise, I tell the world just how untouchable their star really is."