Page 4 of In Good Company

I clench my jaw at his disrespectful tone. I knew he was an asshole, but before tonight, I didn’t know how much it bled into how he treated the people who work for him. The way he’s treated his staff during the party makes me want to never speak to the man again. It’d take one simple phone call and I could ruin the decades’ worth of work his family put into their commercial real estate business.

“Actually, stay a minute, Lucy.” I don’t bother trying to hide the blooming smirk on my lips.

“Mind your place,” Laurent hisses. He looks at me, red in the face, clearly not happy with the way I ignored his request.

Do I care?Not in the slightest.

The only reason I came tonight was because I thought it’d be great to speak with Thomas more. Hastings Inc. works hand in hand with the Boucher family. We handle all of their stocks, and I’ll admit, I even like Thomas. Next time, I’ll just invite him to my house and forgo having anything to do with Laurent.

“I’m talking to you, son,” Laurent spits.

Despite the numerous people seated around Laurent’s dining room table, the entire room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A rough laugh comes from deep in my chest. If Laurent actually thinks he can speak to me this way, he’s in for a big surprise.

“Laurent, Laurent, Laurent.” I click my tongue. What a disappointing man he is.

“It’s time you go,” he all but barks. I raise my eyebrows, thinking he’s speaking to me. He isn’t. His eyes are narrowed angrily but at Lucy, not me.

The nasty look he aims in her direction doesn’t sit well with me. Rage bubbles inside my chest as I adjust my position in the dining chair. “Don’t talk to her that way,” I growl. My jaw locks, and my teeth angrily grind against each other as I see nothing but red.

Thomas coughs nervously into his hand, clearly trying to ease the awkwardness in the room. I don’t pay him any attention. I can’t look anywhere but at the pathetic excuse of a man that is Laurent Hughes.

“Excuse me?” Laurent roars. His face is beet red, and spitflies from his mouth with every angry word he forces out. “What did you just say to me?”

I cock my head to the side, attempting to keep my temper at bay. He isn’t worth getting worked up over. “I thought I spoke pretty clearly. You’ve spent the entire night berating your own staff, and quite honestly, I’m sick of it. So let me say this nice and slow for you. Do. Not. Talk. To. Her. That. Way.” My words remain calm and composed, but they have the effect I want them to. There’s venom laced in every word, and the way Laurent’s eyes get wider with each one tells me they’re hitting home.

I pick up my bourbon to take a drink but decide against it at the last minute. I’ll wait and have the good shit when I make it back to my house. With a loud sigh, I push the glass in front of me and meet Laurent’s gaze.

“I don’t want to waste my breath arguing with you any longer. Don’t be a dick. Treat your staff with decency, and maybe, for once, you’ll be respected.” I laugh. “Although, after spending the evening here and seeing how you treat others, I don’t see you ever earning anyone’s respect. Butanyway…”

My eyes move from Laurent, and I focus once again on Lucy.

Meeting her tonight would’ve been something I didn’t think much about if I hadn’t been so impressed by the meal she cooked…and if she hadn’t pretended not to know me. But both of those factors combined make me want to know more about the woman I thought I’d never see again.

She watches me carefully, her lips slightly parted and her chest falling with her quick breathing. The look on her face gives nothing away about what’s going through her mind right now. It bothers me that I can’t figure her out. I normally have an excellent read on others, but she’s unreadable to me.

“Lucy, could we please have the dessert? I’mdyingto knowwhat you so kindly prepared for us this evening.” I keep my tone polite, not wanting to let my anger with Laurent bleed into how I speak to her.

She smiles, her shoulders seeming to sag with relief that she’s been given an out to get away from this interaction. “It’ll be my pleasure,” she hurriedly answers before spinning on her heel and retreating to the kitchen.

I don’t blame her for wanting to get far away from the awkward tension in the room. Laurent places his balled-up fists on the table. He scowls, opening his mouth to no doubt scold me for what’s transpired in the last few minutes.

I hold up my hand to stop him. “Save it. Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck what you’re about to say. Hold your tongue, or I’ll hold all the stock for Hughes Enterprise in my hands by Monday morning.”

His mouth snaps shut, and to my surprise, he actually listens.

I grin, letting my eyes travel over the people seated around the table.

I lift my eyebrows and coolly sit back in my chair, pretending nothing has happened after all. “The host is certainly lacking, but the meal has been fabulous. Anyone else agree?”

It’s quiet for a moment as everyone awkwardly looks around the table. Eventually, Thomas lets out a deep laugh. “Damn, I love summer in the Hamptons. There’s truly never a dull moment.”

I nod. My eyes wander to the doorway where Lucy disappeared. Thomas has a point. There’s never a dull moment when spending the summer here.

And it just got a whole lot more interesting with Lucy now here.

THREE

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