He then told them about his stats class and how Target could figure out if a woman was going to have a baby based on her buying patterns. That had turned into a project where he used data-mining techniques to help his mom’s real estate business.
“My mom now has enough buyer and seller leads that she’s going to hire several new agents to handle them,” David shared.
“What’s your business idea?” Grace asked.
“I look at what we’re doing for my mom as a proof of concept. With big data, you can mine it to find out all kinds of stuff. That information, and the means I’ve been using to get it, are in my control. Today, information is power,” David concluded.
“How would we figure this all out?” Ava asked, bringing up the obvious question.
Grace chuckled.
“I think David just threw this into my lap with the hope that I would figure it out later,” she said.
“You know people who know people who are smarter than we are about stuff like this. Heck, I hired a girl to help me with the data mining for my mom’s business. We just have to come to grips with what’s possible and how it can help us,” David said.
“More importantly, it might be how this could help others. And that leads to the question, how can we sell it to help others?” Rob added.
Frank knocked on the door and then stuck his head in.
“We have to go.”
“Want to come with?” David asked Brook.
“You’ve worked enough for one day. Go spend time with David,” Ava said.
Grace nodded her approval. David had a feeling the two of them had dreams of him and Brook being together someday.
◊◊◊
David was in the middle of his first interview of the day when he excused himself and stuck his head out the door. Brook and Frank were messing with their phones, looking bored.
“Hey, Brook, you got a second?”
She gave him a look that he knew meant he was a ‘stupid boy.’
“Maybe. Why?”
“Just come in here,” he urged.
Brook looked at Frank, and he shrugged, so she joined David in his interview.
“This is Rylie Dozier with Loud Street. She’s promised to help you get your story out there so that the paparazzi will leave you alone,” David said with an innocent smile.
“Yeah. Uh, people want to know the girl who David A. Dawson said was one of his true loves. I want to get your side of the story. Was he a great guy to date?”
Brook took a moment before she smiled at him.
“He really was. I only have good things to say about him.”
“David tells me that you’re going to Princeton and have joined a sorority,” Rylie said.
“Uh, yes.”
“I guess everyone wants to know what your sorority sisters are curious about. Is David better in bed than your current boyfriend?”
David gave Rylie high marks for asking that with a straight face. He, in turn, used his acting skills to look surprised at the question. Brook wasn’t buying it.
“Of all the controlling, master-of-the-universe, pig-headed—Argh!” she said before storming out.
“Put that down as a yes,” David said to Rylie.
“She must be a great gal to put up with you.”
“She really is. I know that before the day’s out, she’ll get even,” he predicted.
“Okay, I delivered. Now you owe me a story. Tell me something about the James Bond movie that no one else knows about,” Rylie said.
David began to tell her about some of the behind-the-scenes goings-on that reporters loved. Frank had given him a pre-approved list of what he was allowed to share. Rylie learned that David had lost his towel on set during one of the takes of his shower scene. He said that somewhere there was footage of him on full display.
By the look in Rylie’s eye, she would be hounding the studio before he was done with his next interview.
◊◊◊
“Finally!” Brook said when David was done with the reporters. “You better deliver on food, and soon.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Frank said to take his leave.
David gave him a nod and then turned his attention to his ex-girlfriend.
“The driver sent me a message that he’s out front. Let’s go eat.”
Their driver was waiting, so they were quickly on their way.
“Remind me who all will be there,” she said.
“Adrienne and her partner Tyler, along with Kara Tasman and Jill Lacier. If I know Adrienne, there will be other models who show up.”
“Does Jill still have the hots for you?” Brook asked.
Jill had dated David’s younger brother, while he’d dated her older sister. Jill had never been shy about chasing David. His problem was that she wasn’t eighteen yet. Well, that, and the whole dating your brother’s ex taboo.
The problem was that Jill was smoking hot, and Brook used to tease him about her.
Frankly, Brook should have been asking about Kara. She was a year older than David, and they’d hooked up before, and it was good. Really good. If she lived in LA, he had no doubt that they might be going out.
“If Jill gets frisky, remind her that you’re with me tonight,” David said.
“Maybe we should practice, so you’re prepared. Act like I’m Jill, and you’re seeing her for the first time,” Brook teased.
This was the Brook that David loved. She was playful and kept him on his toes.
He got into his role as an international playboy and gave her a smoldering look. He saw her bite her bottom lip as she tried to not laugh at him.
“Hey, David. It’s so good to see you,” Brook said in a whiny voice.
He almost broke character because it did remind him of Jill when she tried to weasel something out of him.
“Sup. How’ve you been?” he asked.
“Good. Good,” Brook/Jill answered and then leaned in close. “I have a little problem that I was hoping you would help me with.”
David felt Brook’s hot breath on his neck. When she squeezed his leg, Mr. Happy shot from half-mast to windblown sails.
“How can I help?” he stammered out.
“Well, you see, I’m practically swimming in my panties,” she teased and then paused for dramatic effect. “Or at least, I would be if I was wearing any …”
David had to turn away for a moment. It felt as if a giant fan had sucked all the air out of the car. He leaned his forehead against the dark car window, welcoming the feel of the cool glass against his suddenly feverish skin.
He turned back to Brook and clearly saw her desire. David tried to remember what she’d just said about not wearing panties. It was like he was unable to process her words. She was going to be his undoing. She was the one that got away. All Brook had to do was ask, and she would claim him.
When he’d said that he would break all his rules to be with her, he’d meant it. All the feelings he’d suppressed when she left came flooding back. He loved her so much that his chest actually hurt as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
David’s phone chirped. He struggled with whether to check the message or lean in and shatter his number one dating rule. The one he’d promised his mother he never would: dating a girl who was in a relationship with another man.
David had made that promise when his mother was heartbroken after she discovered that his dad had cheated on her. To this point, it had been an easy promise to keep. Even when he told Brook that he would break it for her, he only half meant it. But right now …
His phone notified him of another message.
“You should check that,” she said.
David pulled his phone out and saw the messages were from Isabel Alexandra, who played Miss Moneypenny in his latest movie. She also dated one of his acting friends, Ben Cowley.
David saw that Isabel had sent him a couple of pictures and a message with the first.
Isabeclass="underline" ‘I hired someone to follow Ben’
He tapped on the picture, and it loaded. David stiffened when he saw a couple that he assumed was Ben and Lexi. Lexi was with Ben in Paris, working as his PA while he filmed. The girl was on her knees, and it looked like she was giving the guy head.