Page 98 of Lavish
“This isn’t about?—”
“Yes, it is.” Her voice crackled with anger. “Y’all respect Laurene because she was the graceful, elegant one. Y’all respect Erik because he’s the leader, and you, Miss Perfect Serena, are the businesswoman. Me? I’m the joke, huh? The mistake ’cause Daddy forgot to wear a condom?”
“You are doing too much. It’s not that serious,” I told her.
“Keep your negativity. I’m gonna do this, whether y’all support me or not. I’m gonna open my boutique, and when I do, don’t even bother stepping your uptight ass through my doors.”
“Gigi—”
“Oh, by the way, Mama is summoning you and Miles to dinner tomorrow.”
“Wait—”
She hung up on me. I stared at my phone, then I closed my eyes. I’d deal with Gigi and her drama later. I had to focus on work.
Stepping out of my truck, I was happy to see some progress was starting to be made. Several of the workers turned to look at me as I approached.
An older man stepped in front of me. “So this is the wife?” he said in a Haitian accent.
“Excuse me, who are you and why are you on my property?” I asked, my voice clipped and cool. I didn’t recognize him. And I didn’t like not recognizing him. Not here. Not on my site.
The front door opened, and Miles stepped out.
And just for a second, I forgot how to breathe.
He wasn’t in a suit. No pressed collar. No shiny cuff links catching the light.
Just a worn black T-shirt clinging to his chest, the fabric damp at the collar and stretching over muscle like it belonged there. His jeans hung low on his hips, faded in all the right places, and his boots were scuffed and dirty like he’d just stepped out of trouble.
His forearms flexed as he wiped his hands on a grease-stained rag—slow and deliberate.
He looked like sin.
Like sweat and sex and the kind of mistake you don’t regret until your legs are shaking and your heart’s in your throat.
The heat between us curled low in my stomach, and I hated how easily he still did this to me—just by standing there, all golden skin and grit and that mouth that drove me up the fucking wall.
“This man was not approved in hiring,” I told Miles as I glared at the man.
“Carlus has been withmycompany for almost ten years. He ain’t going nowhere, and I trust him more than anyone here. Do I need to remind you we’re both the bosses here?”
“Renovations are supposed to have afullcrew.Where is everyone?”
Miles looked annoyed, and didn’t bother hiding it.
“We’re still in a middle of scandal, remember? We gotta work with what we got.”
I had to count back from five. I was used to people doing what I wanted when I demanded. This partnership… It was gonna take some getting used to.
“Besides, I think we have more important things to worry about,” he continued. Miles and Carlus looked at one another before Miles swept his hands toward the house. “After you.”
I stepped inside. The place looked exactly how it did when we walked through with Mrs. Fontaine.
“Looks okay.”
“Walk with me.” Miles motioned for me to follow.
I trailed behind him through a set of wide French doors into the formal living room. The moment I crossed the threshold, I was hit with a smell. Damp. Musty. Almost metallic. I wrinkled my nose.
