Page 36 of The Mastermind

“Are you always this protective of women around you?”

“No.” He released my chin, and his eyes gleamed. “Contrary to what you might believe, I can only handle one at a time.”

That wasn’t a direct answer to my question, but he offered me a glimpse of the possibility that I could be that “one” woman.

“I assumed all billionaires can multitask.”

“I can,” he said, his eyes darkening. “Ichoosenot to.”

The temperature in the room spiked a hundred degrees.

His phone rang, and he glanced at it. His face hardened as he picked up the call.

“I’ll call you right back.” He rose from the floor. “I have to go. Thank you for the best dinner I’ve ever had. I’ll see you soon.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

REMINGTON

I gotinto my car and called my PI.

“What do you have for me?”

“Lawrence Lafayette. I’ll text you the address.”

The fucker won’t have anything left when I’m done with him.

After a quick chat, I ended the call. My PI had prioritized this investigation as I had requested hours earlier.

I received the address where Lawrence would be tonight with his girlfriend, Teresa. It should surprise me to hear her name associated with him, but it didn’t. They suited each other. One was a sexual predator; the other, a willing prey.

The news soured my mood. Lawrence had wrecked my evening with Audri, which had been the most interesting dinner I’d ever had.

I drove to the restaurant with outdoor seating and found off-street parking. Getting out, I entered an upscale Italian restaurant I’d visited once before.

“Good evening.” The hostess with the name tag, Julie, smiled. “Do you have a reservation?”

“I’m meeting my friend Lawrence Lafayette. Can you please point me in his direction?”

“Yes, of course.” Julie glanced down at her book and escorted me to the courtyard. “Right this way. They have a private table around the corner.”

Lights dangled from the trees as Istrode through the small courtyard, passing a couple at the far end. I made a turn into a nook and spotted them. Grabbing a chair from an empty table, I sat down, invading their space. Their conversation stopped, and Lawrence glared at me while Teresa’s mouth dropped open.

Fury pumped from me, but I contained it as best I could. “You send her one more text, and I’ll ruin you. Your life will crumble quicker than you can blink. Do you understand me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lawrence placed his fork on his plate of chicken parmesan.

Teresa shifted in her chair, looking nervous. At the moment, I still employed her, but not after tonight. She probably gave Audri’s number to Lawrence. As secretary to the former CEO, she had access to everyone’s contact information.

I fished out my cell phone and opened the file with all his texts.

“Do these ring a bell?” I read them out loud. “You were obsessed with Audri. She complained about you, but your parents shoved everything under the rug.”

“The bitch worked for my parents andunderme, where she belongs,” he emphasized with a smirk.

I threw a fist into his face, then another, and another, until he crashed to the floor. “You talk about her that way again, and I will break every bone in your body.”

“Fuck!” he shrieked and scooted away to stand on the other side of the table, which wouldn’t keep him safe from me if I wanted to hurt him.

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