4
Barrett
Last night, I couldn’t help feeling like she rejected me, but she was so ecstatic about moving out, I didn’t question it. She didn’t want to tell Connor about us with whatever he had going on at work—that I understood—but still, was there some part of her resisting us?
The drone of the buzzer cut through my spiraling thoughts.
“I have Lourde Diamond here to see you.”
“Thanks, Aimee, send her in, and can you ask Olivia to join us in five minutes?”
“Yes, Mr. Black.”
Aimee pushed open the door, and Lourde walked through. With a soft click, Aimee closed it behind her, leaving us.
“Don’t you look gorgeous on your first day of work. I don’t know how I’m going to get any work done with your ass begging me to slap it in that tight skirt.”
“Barrett!’ she shrieked. “Well, for starters, I won’t be here. I’ll be in Brooklyn, remember?”
“You’ll be here if I want you here,” I said, dragging my gaze across the open neck of her silk blouse.
She pulled an imaginary hair and tucked it behind her ear. “I want to be professional, Barrett. It’s my first job, and I don’t want anyone here thinking, you know…”
Standing up from my desk, I walked toward her and kissed her chastely on the mouth. “Tell me again why we have to keep our relationship a secret?” I asked, already drunk on her lips.
The tops of her cheeks glowed blush pink. I inhaled her vanilla floral scent, loving how she was just as affected as me with one kiss, one look, and one touch.
“Connor’s got a lot on his plate, and my parents are bickering… I just want to enjoy our bubble as long as we can before we let the world in.”
A knock at the door startled her, and she automatically pulled away from me.
“Barrett.” Olivia’s voice echoed through the crack of the door.
“To be continued, dollface.” I winked, then returned to my desk. “Olivia, come in.”
“You called?” Olivia walked in, taking in Lourde, a pink hue still evident on her silky skin.
“Olivia, meet Lourde Diamond. She’ll be helping you on the Brooklyn townhomes for two weeks. She has a killer eye for detail and knows the wants and needs of our wealthy clientele.”
“Nice to meet you, Lourde.” Olivia shook her hand. “What a relief to have someone help us on such short notice.”
“You too, Olivia. I’ll surely try my best to help you where I can. I don’t have any formal qualifications in interior design but–”
Olivia flapped her hand in the air, cutting her off. “Whether you studied or not doesn’t really matter. I saw the spread Vogue did in your home. I loved everything about it.”
“Thank you, I actually had a bit of a say in that, much to Mom’s dismay! She hired decorators and stylists but, in the end, went for what I suggested.”
“I didn’t know that, Lourde.”
She turned and smiled, then a veil of professionalism replaced it. “I’m sure Connor must have mentioned it at some point.”
“He may have. Olivia, don’t burn out Lourde like you did Jessica, okay?”
Olivia narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t burn her out. Maybe she just didn’t have the temperament for the job.”
I couldn’t help but notice Lourde’s mouth split into a grin, disguising it momentarily by taking her hand to her mouth. Did she like it that Olivia wasn’t afraid of me? Ha.
She had noticed the fleet of staff that could double as Sports Illustrated models, but she wasn’t threatened by Olivia. Good. Olivia was attractive, but with our constant back and forth, she was more like a sister. Then there was the hardline I never ever crossed of sleeping with an employee. Connor, Ari, and Magnus thought I was crazy when they’d come to visit me for lunch, but Scout's honor, that part was true. I'd worked too damn hard to fuck it up on a one-night stand and lawsuit.
I liked to look at pretty women, or should I say, I used to. Looking didn’t make me a villain. What made me a villain was seeing my mother’s lifeless, dead body surrounded by a pool of blood with the gun still in my hands.
“Barrett, are you okay?” Olivia asked. “You’re ghost white.”
I blinked back to reality, both women staring at me with concern. “I’m fine. Give us a minute, Olivia. I will send Lourde your way in just a moment.”
“Sure. See you soon, Lourde,” Olivia said, turning to walk out. Lourde missed the side glance Olivia shot my way, but I didn’t. Fuck! Let her think whatever she wants. She shut the door behind her.
“I like her.”
I laughed. “I thought you might. Olivia has been here the longest, and I trust her implicitly. But I don’t think that’s why you're fond of her, is it?”
She smirked. “I like how she doesn’t stare at you like you’re man-candy. And she’s not afraid to speak up. I get the feeling few people do that to you.”
“Do I come across as Mr. Unapproachable?” I rounded the desk and reached for her hands, pulling her into me.
“That’s one word.”
“Oh, go on, please.”
She twisted her lips. “Mysterious.”
Unexpected but okay.