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Lucy Shillerton.
He wondered what she was doing now—on a Friday night?
CHAPTER THREE
Lucy did not have a good weekend.
It had all gone to hell.
It was Monday morning and she was still worked up over the events of Friday afternoon. All she could do was think about Antonio and his threat to her and her business. What on earth was she going to do? She’d just finished up a general meeting with the rest of her team in the boardroom to prepare for the outstanding weddings they had upcoming. She was not happy about the report from Mr. Petri, their bookkeeper. Their company was a little behind in some of their payments with their contractors. Thankfully, the deposit Mr. Romero, senior, had given them for his Fun Birds themed wedding helped pay their lease or it would not have been renewed.
“Okay, so what’s going on, girlfriend?” Maxine probed as she crossed her legs in a chair across from Lucy.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on now. I can tell something’s on your mind.”
Yeah, I need to get a life. Heck, maybe she's right about me needing to get laid, too.
Lucy didn’t want to admit it but as much as Antonio Romero, III terrified her, she was deeply attracted to his charm and his seemingly sexual prowess. There was something present she just could not describe. Heck, she’d fantasized about him all weekend when she wasn’t lying awake wondering how she was going to pull off the next weddings without any more possible lawsuits from stunts gone wrong.
“It’s nothing.”
“Yeah, right. You’re talking to me. Maxine!”
“Okay, fine.” Lucy spilled it to Maxine as to what happened on Friday night after Maxine left for the dentist.
“Oh, that guy I saw coming out of his Beemer? I knew he looked familiar. He was Antonio Romero the third, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Lucy said evenly, trying to hide the shaking in her voice.
“Girl. He. Is. Hot!” Maxine gushed, fanning herself with her right hand. She then grinned leaning forward in her chair waiting to hear more.
“Girl. He. Is. A. Hot. Head!” Lucy shot back.
Maxine leaned back shaking her head and playfully rolling her eyes. “What is wrong with you? He only wants to do what’s best for his grandpa. Who can fault him?”
“I can. We have a business to run, remember? Wait a minute. Aren’t I supposed to be the one avoiding these unusual weddings and you’re supposed to be the one defending them?”
Maxine laughed. “Listen. You’re right. We have a business to run, but really, what’s the worst he can do?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out.”
“So what are you going to do? Dump the poor old guy and send him into shock and heartache?”
Lucy thought about that for a moment. It wasn’t going to be as easy as it sounded, was it?
“Look, we have until the end of this week, right?”
“I guess.” Maxine shrugged her shoulders.
“Get out your notepad or iPad. We’re going to go through what we need for this wedding first and consider all the options and start looking at the vendors.”
“Okay. It’s your funeral.”
“Maxine!”
“I’m only teasing, girl.”
Lucy really had to get used to Maxine’s wry sense of humor. It wasn’t always easy. But she did have a point. Lucy had to look at this thing from all angles. The last thing she wanted was for it to blow up in her face. Or worse, her client’s face. Heck, she really didn’t want to face Antonio III again. Then on second thought, maybe she did want to see him again. Maybe she secretly loved the way his presence revved up her temperature and made her heart pitter-patter in her chest and caused butterflies to explode in her belly. Maybe, Lucy really liked the way he gazed into her eyes making her tingle between her thighs. Oh, God!
They discussed the Fun Bird ten-tier wedding cake that the bride-to-be, Shelly, requested. And the human slingshot, the location of the trees involved, the plate holders, napkins, decorations, the dressing ensemble for the wedding party and so on. It was to take place on the 16,000-square foot Spanish-style winery and estate. It was a beautiful sprawling acreage with breathtaking views. The mansion had a massive flower garden, a park, a five-hole manicured golf-course, state-of-the-art gymnasium and tennis court. The main house consisted of a 22-bedroom luxury mansion and plenty of guesthouses and employee quarters. How convenient for the live-in staff at the estate.
