Off the Record Read Online Free

he wanted to slip out back and forget the commotion going on in the lobby.
    With another sigh he put a couple of fingers to his lips and whistled. That got the attention of every damn soul in the hotel. The dog peed. Everyone saw. Oh man! Paul thrust the dog at his owner, grabbed Kate by the arm, and headed out the door like the hounds of hell were after them.
    ‘Will you please slow down?’ Kate pulled on his sleeve. ‘I don’t know where you’re going, but I need to go in the opposite direction!’
    He’d dragged her a couple of blocks before he noticed her struggles. His head had been full of tabloid headlines and lawsuits. Damn!
    ‘Mr Brand, will you stop right now!’ Kate dug her heels in and pulled him to a halt. ‘It’s all right, I think we lost them.’
    He let go of her arm and she folded over at the waist, her chestnut hair flowing around her head as she braced her hands on her knees. Her leather purse slid from her shoulder down her arm and landed with a thud on the sidewalk. She seemed to be real short of breath. Please God, don’t tell me I’ve hauled an asthmatic on an Olympic speed sprint through London town!
    ‘Are you OK?’ he asked, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder. She was shaking and pulling in great gulps of air. Damn!
    She held up a hand, keeping her head down.
    ‘G … Give me a minute.’
    ‘Kate, do you need a doctor?’
    She shook her head and flapped her hand again before slowly straightening up.
    He was reaching for his cell phone to call for medical help when he saw her face.
    ‘Ms Armstrong, are you laughing at me?’ he asked quietly, eyes narrowed.
    She shook her head vigorously as she took a deep breath, blinking away the moisture threatening to escape from her beautiful eyes.
    ‘Absolutely not, Mr Brand,’ she assured him in her prim little English voice. ‘I appreciate that you acted in order to save me from a serious injury.’ A giggle escaped, and an amused tear took flight down her flushed cheek. ‘But you’ve got to admit it was bloody funny!’
    ‘Ah, hell!’ He gave up, letting his own laughter join hers.
    A couple of hours later he managed to sneak back into the hotel without being spotted. OK, so Kate Armstrong was a looker, and she had a killer sense of humour, but she definitely wasn’t his usual type. Remembering Pookie’s mistress made him seriously doubt if he could ever go near another of his usual type again. He’d sure as hell ask if they had any pets first. He couldn’t figure out what was going on in his head with Kate Armstrong.
    He’d be damned if he could understand why he’d asked for her number today. Even more surprising was the fact that she’d given it to him, even if it was only her office number. Hell, it couldn’t be because she liked him. 
    She’d made it obvious she’d found him annoying, so why else would she want to see him again? It was the Brand name, of course. He had yet to meet a female who wasn’t turned on by the thought of being seen around with the son and heir of America’s number one rock legend. He’d even seen it in her eyes when they’d met. He didn’t kid himself women lusted after him like he was a regular guy. They weren’t interested in what was inside. They looked at him and saw his dad and dollar signs. The fact he’d also made a few million from his own writing, managing, and producing some of the world’s top bands and solo artists over the past few years was an added bonus. Man, was he ever sick of women on the make!
    No, the delectable Miss Armstrong had proved to be just like every other female and plenty of journalists he’d come across – so in awe of the Brand name she was willing to overcome her natural dislike for the chance of being seen with him, or for another story – ‘Paul Brand, Playboy’, or ‘Paul Brand, Lover’. Not very original these days. He wondered how she could find a new angle to those stories – or maybe she was a hack who would just rehash old news