Page 58 of For the Lover in You
Her tone took me aback. I was even more shocked when she referred to him as Trey. Usually, all his clients called him Mr. Houston. I looked back at Susanna, who looked beyond annoyed. She stood from her seat and walked over toward us.
"Do you have an appointment, Ari?"
I tried to contain my shock. This was the Ari. I took in her appearance more. She had the perfect BBL and breast job I had ever seen. It made sense that she was someone Tremaine dealt with. She was stunning and the ideal woman of what most men wanted.
Ari rolled her eyes and removed her shades. "Hey, to you, too, Susanna. Do you think I would be here if I didn't?"
"Um... yeah. That's why I asked."
Ari sucked her teeth. "Girl, where is Trey?"
"If you had an appointment with him, shouldn't he be with you?" Susanna spat.
I could tell things were getting intense, and I stepped in between the two.
"If you can have a seat, I'll let Mr. Houston know you're here."
"Thanks," she stated in a dry tone while rolling her eyes at Susanna.
I immediately walked to Trey's office, knocked, and waited for him to invite me in. Once he did, I slowly opened the door.
"Hey," I said. "Um, did you have an appointment with Ari? I didn't see it on your calendar, and she's in the lobby right now."
"Oh yeah! We're headed to lunch. Tell her to give me a second. I'll be out shortly."
"Lunch?" I asked. "You and she are going to lunch?"
He nodded. "Correct."
"Sure, it's just lunch? The way she looks, it's giving more than just a lunch date."
Tremaine stood up and grabbed his suit coat.
"Mila, we're just having a conversation."
Jealousy filled my body. If Tremaine wanted to have a conversation with Ari, it didn't require going out to lunch. It could have been a phone call or a Zoom meeting, not him spending an afternoon with each other, sharing an appetizer.
"Whatever, Trey. I'll let your lunch date know you're coming."
I spun on my heels before he could reply. Ari sat in the lobby scrolling on her phone when I returned.
"He's coming," was all I said when I walked over to my desk.
Susanna stood there still mugging Ari. "I can't stand her. What is she doing here?"
"Apparently, the two are going out to lunch."
"What? I thought he wasn't dealing with her anymore. I knew he was lying."
Seconds later, Tremaine walked into the lobby. Ari jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck, squealing. My skin crawled from the interaction. Memories and flashbacks of what Kyle put me through flooded through me.
"Ladies," Tremaine said, walking over to my desk.
I didn't bother to look up at him. I kept my focus on my computer screen.
"I'll be back shortly. Mila, can you forward all my calls?"
I didn't immediately answer him. I wasn't sure what would come out of my mouth because of the way I felt.
