“You need to move. You’re not authorized to be here.”
“Oh well, I’m here now. You’re supposed to be a leader in this school and so far, your attitude has shown that you’re in the wrong profession.”
“I don’t have an attitude problem but I do have a problem with you standing here when you’re not supposed to.”
“Good. I’m glad you have a problem with it. I’m glad there’s nothing you can do about it. Remember when I was parked here waiting to pick up Frankie and you wouldn’t help with the problem I was having? That’s how it felt. Being annoyed as fuck with no way around it.”
“Excuse me. Your language…”
“Is foul as hell. I know. Perks of being a grown-up. I’ll make sure to speak to the principal about your behavior, sister.” I flashed her an icy smile then walked over to the front of the school just in time to see Mr. Freeman’s car pull up.
“What were you over there doing?” He asked the moment he got out of the car. His eyes jumped from me to Sister Agnes in the car line.
“I was voicing my displeasure with Sister Pain in the Ass over there.” I jabbed my thumb in her direction and Mr. Freeman glared at me.
“Please tell me you watched your mouth.”
“I’m going to assume you know enough about me to know the answer to that question.”
“Unfortunately.” He took long-legged strides into the school while Frankie and I followed behind him. When I felt another person walk through the door behind me, I turned to see Apollo. My face lit up.
“Apollo!” I poked him with my finger and he groaned under his breath. I still heard it. “How was lunch?”
“I’m on duty.”
“Me too. How was lunch?” I grinned at him even harder and he flicked his gaze to Mr. Freeman who pretended not to see his plea for help. “Come on, Apollo. Don’t be a dick. I just want a simple answer. Was it good or was it horrible?”
“It was horrible,” he muttered.
“Oh. So, we’re lying now? Cool. Let me know what the theme for you guys’ wedding is going to be. I want to dress accordingly.” He didn’t respond with words. I did notice his jaw muscle tick though. My knack for getting under the skin of the most unmovable men was still intact.
“You’ll have all the appropriate signatures by tomorrow,” Mr. Freeman said to the nun at the front desk. She was all smiles for him but only had narrow eyes and huffs for me. It figures. A man as fine as Mr. Freeman made women behave like angels. When they were around me though? The claws came out. I was a lot to handle sometimes but still…were claws always warranted?
“Thank you so much, Senator Freeman. I’m sorry for any misunderstanding. You know how strongly we feel about Francesca. She’s family and we can’t let anyone walk off with her. Especially not when they pop up out of the blue looking like…that.” She turned a scornful eye toward me and I tipped my head back and laughed. I came equipped with claws. I had to use them all the time when I was younger. Now was no different.
Mr. Freeman held his hand up and lowered his brows at the nun. “What’s wrong with how she looks, Sister Mary Ann?” I had my mouth open and ready for a response but I closed it once he started talking. I wanted to hear what he had to say. I was so used to taking up for myself that I never let anyone else do it. Well, Navy took up for me sometimes but she was my big sister.
“I mean she’s dressed like…” She swallowed trying to find words that wouldn’t piss me off. “She’s at a photoshoot. It’s unnecessary for picking up a child.”
“And what exactly should I wear, sister?” I asked, clipping my words into short blades. Mr. Freeman looked at me over his shoulder and held his hand up, signaling for me to shut up. I blinked at the stern gesture, unsure of what else to do. I wasn’t used to anyone telling me what to do.
“Quiet.”
And one-word commands too? Who the hell did he think he was talking to? And why was it making me tingle all over?
“What she chooses to wear has no bearing on her ability to do her job. I hired her based on sound judgment and her amazing ability to connect with Frankie. I hope you haven’t been subjecting Miss Lucas to snap judgments before you even got a chance to properly meet her. That would be unfortunate, sister.”
“Yes, you’re right. I apologize, Senator. I also apologize to you, Miss Lucas. As long as we have the correct signatures going forward, you won’t have any more issues with car line.” I pursed my lips together and grunted at her. She was only apologizing because Mr. Freeman came down on her.
“Dad, can I ride home with Xari?” Frankie tugged on her father’s arm as we left the school.
“Sure. I’m going back to the office and I’ll see you both when I get home.” He dropped a kiss to Frankie’s hair then waved at me before getting in the car. Apollo got in after him.
“Are we still budgeting tonight?” I asked him before he rolled up the window.
“We’re still on. Come to the den after Frankie is in bed.” Bursts of excitement popped all around me like carbonated bubbles dotting the air. I couldn’t wait for Frankie to go to bed tonight.
…
EIGHT
My decanter of Jameson was half empty and sitting on the bar ten feet away from my desk in the den. I rubbed my face and stared at the words on my laptop. I was already on to my next book. After I finished the previous one, which I titled Freebird, I sent it to Apollo to read. Right after that, another plot blinked into my head. I had to write it.
The characters leaped off the pages in my mind. I saw the beginning scene as clearly as any movie I’d ever seen. How could I ignore such a magnetic pull?
When I first got home, I spent time with Frankie, changed out of my suit, put on a Method Man playlist, poured a glass of whiskey then got to work. As usual, when I dove headfirst into my words, everything else disappeared. The only things that existed were the worlds I spun from my fingertips.
“Oh, shit. Look at you.” Miss Lucas sauntered into the den wearing a metallic gray silk pajama set. The shirt was only partially buttoned down the middle giving me a glimpse of her perfect honey brown stomach. Wide-leg silk pants only left the painted white tips of her toes exposed. Other than that, she was barefaced with her wild mane of curls falling in thick clouds around her shoulders.
Something so simple, made me forget what words were. She was dressed down to the bare minimum and I was rendered speechless. It was distracting how fucking beautiful she was.
Those wide cognac brown eyes, plush pink lips, and queenly slashes of cheekbone.
And of course, those goddamn dimples.
“Ah, Miss Lucas.” I tried to sound professional and not like I’d been sucking down whiskey since I secluded myself in the den. “Can I help you? Also, why the fuck are you wearing pajamas?” I’d hired her for one month and she would be living under my roof but she wasn’t scheduled to move in yet.
“Ooh, an f-bomb. I like you a little bit more every day,” she laughed. Why did she refuse to sit the hell down? She insisted on standing right in front of me, giving me a perfect view of her tight healthy curves beneath the sheath of gray silk.