Page 9 of Best Laid Plans

Anson rose. "Nina, I think this is going to be a very fruitful partnership." He then looked at me. "May I have a word with you?"

I wanted to scream, no. "Yes. We can go to my office."

"Thank you, Nina." Anson hugged my boss and kissed her cheek. "Take care of yourself, and I'll see you soon."

I walked out with him, and when I felt his hand on the small of my back, a gesture so familiar that it was painful in its intensity, I deliberately and forcefully stepped away from his touch.

"Excuse me?" I faced him, anger in my eyes. Who the hell did he think touching me like that?

He cocked an eyebrow. "I was just being a gentleman."

"This is a workplace, Mr. Larue. Keep your hands to yourself."

He raised both his hands and winked at me. "Whatever you say, Sugar."

I realized he wasn't going to make this easy for me. In fact, I was sure he wanted me to work on this project so he could make my life miserable.

Chapter 5

Anson

She had a small, stark office. Not one personal thing was in it. Except for a backpack that hung on a hook behind the door, everything else screamed functional.

This wasn't the Nova I remembered.

Even that tiny, disgusting hovel of a studio apartment she lived in had color and personality. Maybe her home was different. Her fashion sense had also changed, or rather I think it was her finances that had, allowing her to purchase clothes that she liked instead of what she could afford.

She wore a black sheath dress with white piping, reminiscent of sixties' fashion. It was professional in a Mad Men sort of way, and it suited her.

She sat at her desk and gestured to one of her guest chairs.

I closed the door to her office and leaned against it, my stance as intimidating as I could make it. I realized she wasn't going to give me an inch when she smiled, waiting for me to speak.

"Are you single?" I asked.

She cocked an eyebrow. "How is that relevant to the Sentinel Heights project, Mr. Larue?"

"I thought I asked you to call me Anson."

"And I told you that we should maintain formalities so we can continue to remain professional."

She spoke so calmly that I wanted to break down that cool armor she had on. She was just as beautiful as she had been, in fact even more so now because of the confidence that radiated from her. She looked healthier. Then she'd been skinny, running ragged, working two jobs, going to school, and grieving the loss of her mother and grandma.

"I'd like to make a deal with you."

She set her hands on the desk. She was patient, I'd give her that. The vitality and curiosity that she had as a young woman was gone. She had none of that excitement in her demeanor. She was in her mid-twenties, and she behaved like she was twice her age. There was a seriousness about her that hadn't been there before.

"One of the pieces of jewelry you stole was my Nana's engagement ring. Give it back to me, and I'll let you off the hook for this project."

Her eyes became sad then, and something shifted within me in response. I felt like she could drown me in the sorrow I saw within her.

"I can't help you with that, Mr. Larue. But if you don't wish for me to work on Sentinel Heights, I'm certain that Nina can find a suitable replacement." Her hands were fists now, holding tight to the edge of her desk.

Not as unaffected as you'd like me to think, Sugar.

Oh, she was showing me her weakness, and I would go for the kill. That time still haunted her, and I would make it my life's work to remind her of it as often as I could—to remind her of who she was and what she'd done. There would be no escape for her from her actions.

"I'm fine with you keeping everything else. Just that ring. Return it. No harm, no foul."

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