18
Barrett
Sunday morning came around, and when I opened my eyes, for the first time since I could remember, I didn’t have that weight of dread in the pit of my stomach.
Lourde slept soundly beside me. Light snores escaped her as she breathed against my arm. Laying in the clothes we wore yesterday, everything about last night came flooding in like a warm bath.
She hadn’t thought I was a monster, had thought nothing of the sort. Her teary response caused my breath to hitch in my throat. I’d expected her to flee, not stay.
For once, I couldn’t help but think about my happiness, and the possibilities were endless with her. I wanted her so much it hurt. I wanted to be with her night and day, day and night. I wanted to wake up with her every damn day and make love to her every night. If my dreams were any indication of what I wanted, we were already there.
After we’d eaten, showered, and made love, Lourde had suggested we go visit Connor—unannounced, of course. Connor had ignored her calls all week, and she'd had enough of the silent treatment. They were close. I got that. That was a common denominator we shared as I did with my sister, so I understood when she said she wanted to clear the air with her brother.
* * *
“So, have you considered what you want to do now you’ve finished up your two weeks?”
“Somewhat, I guess.”
“And? You know you can do whatever you want, Lourde. You can probably start your own design company.”
She laughed. Did she doubt her own abilities?
“I’m not kidding. I can see talent. That’s mainly my job. People think I’ve gotten to where I am by myself. It’s not the case. I recognize talent in people and employ them to work around me. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have this company valued at a billion dollars. So you could just say I’m a recruitment specialist,” I said, punching in the code to Connor’s private garage.
“You're a bit more than that. And anyway, Olivia is the one who’s super talented.”
“She is, and I recognized that. That's why I pay her very well.”
“Not well enough to buy a ten-K dress, apparently!”
I turned to Lourde, confused. “That’s untrue. Her last bonus was upwards of a few hundred grand.”
“Really? What does she do with her money then?”
I shrugged, pressing the accelerator, and we glided forward into the parking bay. “Who knows. Anyway, you're avoiding my question.”
“I am?” Her question came out on a purr.
“Lourde.”
“Okay. Look, I haven’t decided what I want to do. All I know is that I loved the last two weeks and want more of that.”
“Sounds like you have decided then.”
“But don’t you think it’s weird me working for you?”
“Why?”
“Well, for starters, the women give me dirty looks when I come to the office.”
“What women?”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Barrett?”
“I'll fire them.”
“You can’t do that!”
“I can do whatever I want.”
She rolled her eyes again.
“Tell me what you want, Lourde. Whatever it is, it’s yours.”
“Well, I want to work with Olivia, but I don’t want any special favors. I want to work my way up.”
I glanced over at her, and she gave me a steely glare back. “You're serious?”
“As a bullet.”
“No special favors.”
“And a normal salary for someone with my skill set.”
“Lourde, come on.”
She folded her arms. “Then, no deal.”