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Bale
“What?” I snapped into the phone as I held it against my ear.
“Is that how you address a client who’s paying you three million dollars?”
Levi.
My current pain in the fucking ass.
I ground my teeth together, staring at the three monitors in front of me—all showing live feed that had absolutely nothing to do with Levi’s job.
In fact, I had zero patience for Levi or this conversation.
And I gave zero fucks about the three million he was paying me.
“You have about twenty seconds to address why you’re calling before we lose connection. I suggest you start speaking.”
The connection would be lost due to me hanging up, but I’d let him assume it was for a different reason, like I’d entered a dead zone.
“I’m calling to see how things are going. You’ve been on the job for, what, three weeks now, and I haven’t heard a peep from you. Are you getting everything I asked for?”
When a client signed my contract, it fully outlined the scope of my work and procedures that would take place, and my communication process was clearly stated.
I would be in touch when it was necessary, when information was found that needed to be shared.
But I wasn’t in the business of customer service. I didn’t email daily status updates. I didn’t rub my client’s back, fucking cooing at them. They heard from me when there was something to be said.
And I didn’t have a goddamn thing to say to Levi yet.
“I told you the job would take approximately six weeks to complete. We’re only halfway through.”
Movement on one of the screens dragged my attention even further away from this conversation.
“I just assumed you would know something by now,” he muttered.
But I ignored him.
Because the movement I saw was Pepper walking into her house after a run. She had on a pair of skintight bike shorts and a sports bra. Her long, dark hair was in a ponytail high on her head with sweat dripping down her skin. I watched her walk into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. She twisted off the cap, and her head leaned back while she drank.
A neck that I had kissed so many fucking times that night.
A neck that had tasted as good as her mouth.
“Bale?”
Just because I was no longer working the Lush job didn’t mean I’d removed the eyes I’d placed on the inside.
If it were any other job, those bugs would be long gone.
But not when it came to Pepper.
I wanted to see every move she made.
I wanted to touch her.
I wanted to be as close as I could to her.
Fuck.
