The Pretend Girlfriend (A Billionaire Love Story #1)(92)

She smiled at him, and he turned his attention back to the street. Poor Aiden, he didn't understand what these people could do. There were so many stories about how the nosy press ruined people's lives, sent them on the run, destroyed their reputation, denied them their privacy. Gwen had only been a little girl when the paparazzi chased Princess Diana to her death, but she still remembered all the news stories.

And if Henry really was behind the push, which she knew he certainly was, then she knew things were probably about to get much worse. And of course Aiden wouldn't know about that sort of thing. Gwen loved reading the tabloid headlines while in the checkout line at the grocery store, or checking out TMZ online for gossip and photos.

Aiden squinted, blocking out the sun with one hand. "I think that's him down there."

Following his line of sight, Gwen saw the shiny black Town Car at the other side of the intersection, stuck behind a red light. It was pretty easy to pick out in the crowd of yellow cabs.

"Aiden Manning?" someone said behind them.

"Yes?" Aiden started, turning around to see who it was.

Gwen did likewise. As soon as they did, a camera flash went off in their eyes. Gwen threw her hands up in an instinctual shield against the sudden brightness. The purple afterimage etched onto her eyeballs kept her from seeing much. All she noticed was a baseball cap and a leather jacket. And then more flashes.

"This is great," the paparazzo said, going down on one knee to take some low-angle shots, "I thought you guys might make a run out of that fire exit. Lucky me, yeah?"

"That's enough..." Aiden said, blinking and squinting, trying to get his vision back. He made a grab for the camera, but the paparazzo jerked it away from him.

"Oh, that's good. Give me more of that angry face..." The guy danced back away from Aiden's grasp expertly, having honed his skills at taking pictures of those who didn't want them taken.

People began stopping to watch the display, pointing and talking among themselves. A few pulled out cell phones and began taking their own photos, figuring that she and Aiden must be some celebrities caught with their proverbial pants down. A couple of Chinese tourists hoisted their big DSLR cameras up, their flashes almost as bright as the paparazzo's.

Gwen looked back just in time to see the light change. The driver must have noticed what was going on, because he chirped the tires in his haste to get over to them faster.

"Hah!" Aiden said. He'd managed to grab the camera somehow. Except the paparazzo had it on a lanyard.

"Hey! You can't do that!" the paparazzo said, his arrogance somewhat deflated, "I'll sue you! This is freedom of the press, man!"

Gwen thought Aiden would smash the expensive camera against the sidewalk, but he didn't. Despite the paparazzo's attempts to get it back, Aiden found the slot for the memory card, ejected said card, and stuffed it into his pocket.

When he let the camera go, the paparazzo fell back on his butt, nearly knocking over those Chinese tourists.

"Bill me," Aiden said.

The crowd clapped. At least, the ones who weren't busy snapping photos or recording video with their cell phones.

"Come on!" Gwen said, snagging his hand and pulling him through the crowd. More and more people kept gathering around, and she found it difficult to push through with her narrow shoulders.

"Break it up! Break it up!"

A couple of beat cops, their black caps noticeable above the heads of the crowd, had noticed the gathering and had come over to see what all the commotion was about.

When he saw, the driver helped, coming over and yelling at people to get out of the way. He pulled the back door of the car open and motioned for them to climb in, nearly slamming the door on Aiden's foot.

As the car pulled out onto the street, the paparazzo jumped out behind them and started taking more pictures. The cops came after him, barely able to haul him back onto the sidewalk and out of the way of an oncoming taxi.


Aiden and Gwen watched the display through the back window. Gwen kept gulping down air, her whole body shaking. Now that it was over, she was coming down from her adrenaline rush.

"That was..." Aiden began.

"Shocking? Startling? Crazy?" Gwen said, her mind going a million miles per hour.

"Unexpected," Aiden finished, giving her knee a comforting squeeze. It didn't help. "Come on, let's get back to my place and we can figure this out."

That sounded nice. A quiet evening at his condo, high above the street and the cameras.

Except that proved no safe haven, either. As soon as the Town Car pulled up to the curb outside his building, the vultures moved in. The driver forced his way around the car to their door and hauled it open. Aiden doubled as boyfriend and bodyguard as they fought their way to the front door.

The doorman looked terrified, practically shaking in his nice cap and jacket. He opened the door just enough for the Gwen and Aiden to squeeze in through the gap, then battled against two or three other sets of hands to finally pull it closed behind them.

"Thanks," Aiden said, giving the man a pat on the shoulder.

The gesture bolstered the man's nerve. He straightened his back and said, "No problem, sir. Don't worry, none will get inside. Not on my shift, at least."

"Good man," Aiden replied, his voice tired.

When they reached his condo, they both collapsed onto his couch, neither having even bothered to kick their shoes off.