Free An Arrangement of Love by Kenya Wright Page B

then he’d failed the V.I.B. test.
    Could Chase pass the V.I.B. test?
    I glanced at him as he sat in his seat, waiting on my answer and drumming his fingers on the table. Of course, he would pass, if he was single. He was the type of guy I didn’t think I could get. Every part of him symbolized male perfection. He had the face and body women visualized when they touched themselves on the darkest and loneliest nights of their lives, the nights when they yearned for a dark gorgeous hero to soar down and save them. He was a billionaire, and by god, that was sexy in itself. I’d known poverty all my life. I’d been hustling, begging, and hoping for money since the first time the electricity shut off in our housedue to my mom not paying the light bill.
    He was also fun. In this week, I loved being around him. He’d taught me so much about business and just watching him work made me feel like I was learning valuable lessons. I got the feeling that whether he was rich or not, if I’d been with him, my life would improve just from his advice and support. He fascinated me. Even the arrangement was interesting.
    But interesting from afar. I would’ve loved to read about this relationship or watch it on TV while snacking on a bowl of spicy buttered popcorn. But participate? No way!
    “I’m sorry, but no, Chase. I can’t do it.”
    He returned to finger tapping. The muscles in his jaw twitched.
    “Is it because of the three girls who died?”
    I tensed. “Were those girls a part of this arrangement?”
    He averted his eyes and stuffed his mouth with food.
    “Chase?”
    He finished chewing. “Yes. All three had been involved with us.”
    And now they are dead.
    “Am I in some sort of danger?” I pushed my plate away, no longer hungry.
    “No. The last woman died two years ago. Since then I’ve doubled up on security. Those deaths emotionally broke me and everyone else in the arrangement.” He frowned. “I’d been determined to never add another woman again.”
    “Then why me?”
    “I saw you at that party and everything shifted inside of me. After two years of mourning, depression, and regret, I heard your laugh and wanted to be able to laugh like that with you, to experience happiness again.”
    “You have three women to make you laugh.”
    “And still I want you.”
    I sighed. “Back to these deaths. Do you think the women were killed by someone who—”
    “Oh no. I don’t think they were killed. It’s just discovering that a man’s three ex-girlfriends died back to back would scare most, so I figured that was why you were hesitant.” His eyes widened as he shook his head, but for some reason I didn’t believe him.
    Fear plopped to the pit of my stomach and then unfurled into a full blown anxiety attack. I hadn’t had an anxiety attack like this in a year. My throat tightened. Sweat appeared and dripped down my face. My heart banged in my ears. I scanned my eyes around the restaurant as if any of these customers sitting at the tables could be there to harm me. My body trembled. The waiter approached from behind me with a pitcher of water. I shrieked and jumped in my seat.
    “Jasmine? Are you okay?” Chase reached for my hand. I shoved it away and rose.
    “I have to go to the lady’s room.” I wiped some of the sweat away. My stomach twisted into an unsettling knot. Focus on breathing. Count your breaths. You know what to do. I sucked in a lot of air through my nose.
    “Let me walk you.” Chase rose.
    “No.” I hurried away, bumping into a woman as she left the bathroom.
    They all died. A cold dread expanded across my skin. My fingers turned ice cold. I rubbed them together. But who did it? Do they want to hurt me? Am I safe? Stay in the moment. Don’t think about it. Breathe.

Chapter 9
    I stood in the bathroom for fifteen minutes, meditating and calming myself down. When I walked out, Chase stood by the door. It took another five minutes to reassure him that I was okay and it was just one of