my city.
Thought I’d say thank you for the other night. We could be really good together if we gave ‘us’ a second go.
Think about it…
Love you always,
Zane
Trying not to scoff at the words I used to long for Zane to say to me, I pulled the flat red case from the bag and opened it. It held a white-gold necklace which had two connecting hearts studded with tiny diamonds. Shaking my head, I snapped the case shut and shoved it back into the bag. Zane knew I didn’t wear fancy jewelry, so I wasn’t sure why he would send me a necklace. A sexy lingerie or a six-inch heel thigh-high or even some sex toys would’ve done the trick.
Glancing up, I realized Lovello was no longer there. Hard to believe he’d leave without giving some annoying goodbye. Oh well, I shrugged, at least he’s gone. Don’t know why he was here anyway, or why he continued digging up information about me. He needed to stop.
Zane was one of the few people to whom Tish was allowed to reveal information about me, so I understood how he would know where I was. But Lovello? He needed to give it up.
Do you really mean that, Axia? Stop sending your brain in a tizzy, child. You know you don’t want that.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see Tish vibrating with irritation. “Mr. Nelson is asking to see you.”
“What?”
“He’s in the hall. He says it’s urgent.”
“Tell ‘Mr. Nelson’ that I’m busy, Tish. My hair is being straightened, as you can see, and I have no time for him and his games. If it’s a medical urgency, tell him to call the paramedics; otherwise call the police. I can’t help him either way.”
Tish nodded and left, but in a few short minutes she was back. “He’s insisting that he wants to speak with you, Axia.”
By the look on Tish’s face, I could tell that she was irritated to the highest degree. I know, because he does that to me, too. Knowing he would only continue harassing my assistant if I continued to ignore him, or worse yet, come back here and cause me more embarrassment, I excused myself from the stylist’s chair and went in search of the plague.
As I stomped down the hall, a squeal escaped my lips when I was suddenly yanked off into a room and pushed up against a wall. The door slammed, the lock turned, and I was looking up into the exasperated face of Lovello Nelson. His hands were pressed flat against the wall on either side of my head, while the lower half of his body pinned me to the wall. The room was dimly lit, but enough to tell that it was a storage room, as it was packed to the ceiling with lighting fixtures, power fans and background sheets.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I raged at him.
Lovello’s face was implacable, no humor, no flirt. “Shut. Up. Axia.”
“Don’t you dare —”
“I’m going to tell you this just once: I don’t play the sharing game. I share nothing at all. Therefore, you’re going to cut it off with whatever clown you’re running around with or leading on. Because I’m interested in you now. And I won’t tolerate any other man touching you, calling you or sending you gifts. Do you understand?”
Was this man serious? Maybe he was deluded. He must be. Who the hell did he think he was? “No. I don’t understand. I think you need to see a psychiatrist. You’re giving orders to the wrong woman, Pretty Boy. It seems whoever is giving you a daily report on me forgot to tell you that.”
Lovello revealed a sly grin. “Oh, they did. And I’ve heeded, stood back, and studied you.” He brought his hand down to my cheek, brushing his knuckles against it, and I automatically leaned into his touch, like magnet to steel. “What do you think I’ve been doing all week, Axia? Staying away because you asked me to?”
His thumb passed over my lower lip, and I parted them, exhaling hitched breath on his fingers. Though I wanted him to stop, I couldn’t help myself when he touched me. “No, sweet girl. I wasn’t.