Page 1 of Best Laid Plans

Chapter 1

Anson

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I snarled when I saw her.

Nova King had been the first girl I'd fallen in love with. She'd also been the last.

The girl sitting at reception, a redhead with big tits, gasped. I ignored her. My prize was in front of me. I'd wondered over the years what happened to her, where she went after that night. Not too far, apparently, since she was just a two-and-a-half-hour drive away in Savannah. This city wasn't going to be big enough for the both of us.

"Good morning, Mr. Larue," she spoke calmly, like I was a stranger and not the man she'd given her virginity to. Damn, but I'd paid a high price for that tight pussy. "I'm Nova King, the Office Manager at Savannah Lace. Nina Davenport is waiting for you in her office."

She looked different. Confident. Guess she was done hiding behind that innocent girl façade. The one I'd bought hook, line, and fucking sinker.

But in some ways, she still looked the same. Her café latte skin was healthy and flush. Her hair was soft, curled around her shoulders like she was a pin-up girl from the fifties. She had lush curves, a sassy mouth, and gorgeous mocha-colored eyes you could drown in.

"Office Manager? Fuck, bitch, you stealin' from these people, too?"

I was crude on purpose, and it rankled that she showed no emotion. My Nova hadn't been able to hide a damn thing, but this woman carried a serene expression, making me want to push hard to see what it took to crack her.

A blonde woman who was walking by heard me and stopped. "Who is this man, and why does he think he can speak to you this way, Nova?"

Nova smiled at the woman. "Luna, this is Mr. Anson Larue of Larue Homes. Mr. Larue, this is our Head of Architecture, Luna Steele."

"Anson Larue. You know my brother." Luna narrowed her eyes.

"I do. How is Lev?"

"He'll rearrange your face for calling Nova a bitch. I know you're here on business, but you speak to any employee…hell, you speak to anyone like that in our place of business, we will not work with you."

I didn't like bossy women. Call me a goddamn old-fashioned asshole. I wanted my women soft. There was nothing soft about Lev's sister.

"Nova and I go way back. Don't we, Sugar."

She didn't flinch when I used the endearment.

"I love you, Sugar. Now, tell me you love me."

I wasn't going to back down. The first thing I would tell Nina Davenport was that if she wanted Larue Homes as a client, she had to fire her office manager, and then I'd run the little cunt out of town.

"I don't care, Anson. You don't speak with her that way." Luna smiled at Nova. "Why don't you let me take him to Nina's office?"

"You have a good day, Mr. Larue." Nova walked away like I didn't affect her. I probably didn't. I was just a mark for her, an easy one at that. But I should've known a whore's daughter would be no better, no matter the polish she put on.

I walked alongside Luna.

"If your problem with Nova is one that you can't get past," Luna told me when we stopped at the door with Nina's name on it, "you cannot do business with Savannah Lace."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Nina won't appreciate you making such decisions about her business."

She smiled. "If Nina heard how you talked to Nova, she'd rip you a new one. Now, Nova is sweet," she raised a hand to stop me from giving her my opinion about Nova's sweetness, "regardless of what you think. I'm not. And neither is Nina."

"Darlin', Nina, and I have known each other for years."

"Nina knows everyone, doesn't mean—"

"Valen was one of my closest friends," I calmly told her.

Valen and I had served together in Afghanistan. He died in front of me. I hadn't been able to save his life; I had barely saved mine. No way was I going to let my buddy's sister get taken advantage of by a viper like Nova.

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