Hot Pursuit

Chapter 5

[Georgina's POV]

"So..." I popped in the word, trying to sound suitably casual to hide my real intentions while I scanned the whole place with my assertive eyes. "You live by yourself?"

Obviously, I already knew that it was the case and I expected the answer to that question to be confirmed since I wanted to start this whole thing on the right track first. I waited for Kieran to speak back while I took my time trying to imprint every corner of the room in my head. There was not much furniture around but he is certainly very strict and keen on cleanliness. So far, I am quite impressed with the spotless state of his place. But where is... the cat?

"I have a cat," for some reason as if reading my mind, Kieran's answer smoothly answered my thoughts and it caught me off guard. I whipped my head around to give him a look and he just shrugged his shoulders at me.

"Really," I simply lied through my teeth, smiling innocently as I glanced around again, "What breed?"

Well, I tried to pretend I had no idea about that part of his life even when I got enough photos in my hard drive to knowingly determine the color, size, and type of pet he has in his place. But Kieran did not have to know all of that and my scheming agenda, I sealed my mouth for my own sake, just letting the conversation go on as it should. I just have to play ignorant all the way.

"Persian," he answered immediately, without missing a beat and I nodded my head at that, "Good company, though a little bit clingy. But I love her."

Those last few words instantly replayed inside my head, trying to get some subliminal context beneath those lines. Though it's doubtful he meant more something than that. But I took it as some kind of clue even when I knew he was still referring to his cat. That leaves me with the conclusion that the cat is female. But who knows? Maybe he liked the idea of concealing his secrets by hiding his true affiliation behind the disguise of other things. He could be mischievous. He has always been a mystery to a lot of people and his fans. No wonder everyone wanted to get a piece of him at every damn chance. Just like what I was doing right now.

"She's not here though."

I did not even realize how long I was studying every piece of furniture and portrait he had in the living room until his voice pulled me back to the present. I took my time processing what he just said and feeling a little quite confused after mixing it up with my malicious thoughts, I turned around and met his smiling eyes.

"You mean the cat?" I clarified. Chucking back, Kieran simply sipped more from his drink first before he spoke back to me again.

"Is there anything else that should be here?" he boldly stated. I blanched but I kept my poker face on. I knew I had been caught but I was not going to admit to it. So I went for a clever segue.

"Your place is kinda too big for one person, isn't it?"

Sounding smooth as possible, I averted my gaze and stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows across the room. The city lights glowed like stars from where we stood. It was captivating so I kept my attention focused there. I could feel Kieran moving from the distance, he chose to settle himself comfortably on the couch. I kept a wary eye at him from my peripheral vision, but I still did not dare to make a move from I was standing alone behind the seat.

"I bought this place because it's in the city," he explained after a pause, "I don't personally prefer it but my management told me it would be necessary whenever I had to do a few projects around."

That technically means this was not the only property he has and he totally has a private place where he kept himself secluded and away from the public. This has always been the case with a lot of celebrities so it no longer surprised me. But still, it had my interests peaked higher to know more about him as I moved around and chose to sit on the loveseat near the windows, all the while, smiling cheekily at Kieran as we faced each other.

"So, where do you prefer to stay if you're on vacation?"

This time, I was already subtly reaching for my recorder in the front pocket of my jacket as I waited for Kieran to answer. I did not have to hide though, that I was already starting to interview him for real and Kieran figured it instinctively as he leaned his back and just lazily smiled at me. I raised my brow, wondering when will he ever start speaking. And just when I finally pulled out my recorder to show him I meant business, he chuckled from his seat and shook his head, looking towards the windows.

"I have a place not far from here," he suddenly admitted, making me hold my breath and moving to the edge of my seat. "It's where I felt more like myself. But it's not a place you can just easily go to."

I did not completely understand what he meant after saying those last words. But as he gave me an intense searing look from his seat after uttering them through his lips, I quickly felt my stomach flipping around from the sudden attack of anxiety. I can't really explain it clearly but the way Kieran just tried to communicate with me through that hot gaze he was giving me, made me wonder if I was still confident enough to go on with this whole interview.

For some reason, it began to feel like something was totally wrong. But I still don't feel like running away. Surprisingly though... I did not feel even the slightest bit threatened.