Chapter Seven
Iwas trying to finish my latest design for one of Alexis’s houses that needed staging when my phone rang. I grabbed it, my grip tightening when I saw Luther King’s name flash across the screen.Ugh. What now?
Ever since we’d made that stupid bet, he’d been calling, flirting, trying to charm me into going to dinner with him. He could wait.
I let it go to voice mail, returning my attention to the fabric swatches.
My phone rang again, and I huffed, expecting it to be Luther. And I was right. The man was relentless. Again, I returned to the fabric swatches, trying to keep my attention from wandering. I had a new client meeting in a few minutes, and I’d promised Alexis I’d send her the designs today. If only I could finish this…
Ring. Ring.
“What?” I barked into the phone.
There was silence on the other end, and I frowned. “Hello?” I pulled the screen away from my face—only then realizing the call was from an unknown number, though it was a local area code.
“Hello?” I asked again when the only reply was silence. “Is anyone there?”
“Lauren? It’s Shane.”
My stomach dropped at the sound of his voice, at the reminder of a past I’d rather forget.
“We need to—”
“No.” I shook my head. “Don’t call me again.” I disconnected the call, gripping the phone tighter, wanting to smash it.
Instead, I took a deep, calming breath and set the phone facedown on my desk. I picked up one of the swatches, glancing down to realize my hand was shaking. First Luther, now Shane. It was enough to send me over the edge.
There was a knock at the door, and Rita peeked her head in. When she saw me, her smile immediately fell. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” My voice sounded unnaturally high to my ears. “Everything’s fine. Did you need something?”
“Your new client is here for a consult. He’s waiting in the lobby.”
“Great. Give me a minute to glance over his file, and then I’ll be out.” I was familiar with his file; it was a pretense. I needed a minute to compose myself.
She stepped farther into the room. “Lauren, are you sure you’re okay? You look shaken—like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” I forced a smile, not wanting to discuss it.
I knew Rita would try to convince me to talk to Shane, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t ever want to hear from him again.
“Okay. Well, I hope you’re ready to bring your A game with this one.”
“Hmm?” I stared at my reflection in the mirror, checking my teeth for lettuce before applying a fresh coat of lipstick. My mind was elsewhere, thinking about the bet with Luther and the possible reasons for Shane’s call.
“Your potential client. He’s…” I glanced up to see her fanning herself. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she mouthed, “Oh my god.”
I laughed at my aunt, feeling a little lighter. She didn’t usually have quite this reaction to my male clients, a number of whom were hot as fuck. So, it definitely piqued my curiosity.
“Is that so?” After the morning I’d had, I could do with a distraction in the form of eye candy.
“Yes. And did you see his file?” She rubbed her thumb and index finger together, letting me know he was wealthy.
Not that many of my clients weren’t. Most owned multiple homes, each valued in the millions. Many with private boat slips or located near private airstrips to accommodate their yachts and jets. But when it came to my new client, the word wealthy didn’t come close to describing his net worth; the term filthy rich seemed more fitting.
“Come see for yourself. Maybe he’s your unicorn.” She winked at me before leaving the room, shutting the door softly behind her.
Psh. Right. As if I could be so lucky,I thought.
