14
Barrett
Right before I said those three little words, my world stopped. Inside her, on the edge of the pool, my head spun. Nausea flipped my stomach in two, but I couldn’t wait any longer. And what better time to tell her than when she stared into my goddamn soul, stealing the breath from my lungs.
We made love again two more times that evening, and everything was right in the world. I could die tonight and be the happiest man on the planet because of Lourde. Okay, well, maybe that wasn’t true. I’d be the happiest man on earth, then I’d be fucking pissed knowing Lourde and I were ripped apart, and I was in heaven—or hell.
But she made that hole in my heart disappear. She was the the healer of my wounds, the light to my dark soul.
Don’t fuck it up.
Don’t fuck it up
Don’t fuck it up.
“What are you thinking about?” She stroked the few hairs on my chest around her finger.
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
I trailed my gaze toward her, hovering over her swollen lips from earlier kisses.
“I’m just thinking about something Alfred said.”
“I knew you weren’t telling me something. Dad is a big scary man, but he is a soft teddy bear on the inside.”
“Ha! Sure he is,” I added.
“What did he say?” She propped her head on her hands, waiting for me to answer.
“Just to get my ducks in a row.”
“What ducks?”
“Work and whoever is after me.”
“What does he care about ZF Construction?” I watched her bow-shaped lips twist into a frown. “Oh.”
“You’re everything to him, Lourde. But you should know your family avoids drama like the plague, and if this gets out of hand…” I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“It won’t,” she said. “You’re a respectable and ethical businessman, Barrett. Dad knows that.” Still, I couldn’t help the doubt that lingered.
“It still doesn’t change the fact that my company is under attack. The fire and crane accidents aren't random events. Alfred's concern is reasonable. You're lucky you have him looking out for you.”
She pulled my face close to hers. “Hey, come on.” She scanned my face, looking for more, but I wouldn’t let her see it. I couldn’t. My love for her made me selfish.
“I’m fine, Lourde,” I said, taking her hand in mine and kissing her knuckles. “Anyway, tell me about the townhouses in Brooklyn.”
I was thankful we moved off that topic, and for the last half hour, she spoke about how much she’d enjoyed her first week working with Olivia on the project. My hand stroked her back as her head nestled onto my bare chest. Not long after, her breathing slowed, and I knew she was asleep.
But as she snored lightly, her breath a warm dusting of air on my forearm, I wondered if love conquered all, and, if so, could she look beyond my dark past to be with me forever?
* * *
Work was a perfect storm of meeting after meeting with department heads. When I informed my assistant, Aimee, I was arriving after ten, I could hear her gasp down the line in surprise. Shock, horror, the boss is coming in late.
News of Lourde and I was out. Ari had texted me photos of Lourde and me at the heliport splashed about in USA today and BuzzFeed, and I had to tell Ari to stop sending me the images. Fuck, the media was lightning fast, but with the general public carrying iPhones, making a quick buck had everyone chasing down anyone, and privacy was at an all-time low.
Fuck it, I didn’t give a fuck who knew and why. All I knew was Lourde and I were in our own little bubble of happiness, and nothing or no one could ruin that. Not even my last meeting of the day with my security duo and media director.
“Right, well, there's no guessing what's on the agenda.” I took my seat, drinking the triple espresso in front of me in one swoop. Placing it down, I caught sight of Ivy, my media Director.
“Barrett, don’t you think I should have known about Lourde? I’m already dealing with a boatload of media requests about the fire and the crane accident. Now, this?” Dark circles appeared below Ivy’s blue eyes, her foundation cracking at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Ever since ZF Construction caught the media's attention— which was after the completion of my first boutique hotel in Soho—Ivy had been on my team, but on this occasion, she wasn’t happy.
“It’s no one’s business but ours, Ivy.”
Ivy looked from me to Barton, who glared back at her. Don't expect anything from Barton, Ivy. The man was a tall glass of metal and arctic ice. That's why I hired him.
“Are you suggesting we make no comment or statement?” She lowered her gaze back to me.
I flicked through the dossier Barton and Jesse had prepared for me. Pictures of the crane accident site were enlarged and showed the damage of the snapped cable. This was more important and what I needed to focus on.
“How do you want me to handle this? I mean, Ms. Diamond is well known. She’s basically royalty in this country. We can’t stay mute on the matter with these photos of you two kissing at the helipad!”
I put the important dossier down, leveling her with one look.“Let me make this crystal clear so there is zero confusion, Ivy. There will be no comment on my relationship in the public eye.”
“But Barrett, that is impossible with…” She held her hands out, clearly exasperated.
I held my hand up, cutting her off. “It is definitely possible. I make the rules, and where Lourde is concerned, we are strictly private. No comment.”
I held my gaze like fire on hers.
“Okay,” she said, shaking her head.