us. You’re a great dad, always have been. But I think it’s time you reclaim your own life back, go and live, Dad.”
“Live?” I ask.
I don’t know why I ask, because as soon as the word leaves my lips all I can think about is my assistant, Tennessee and her big green eyes, her long black hair, and her perfect fucking body. The way she smiles, the way her cheeks tint pink.
Her.
Just her.
Laurent chuckles. “Yeah, Dad. Live. And I have a feeling you know what you want to do next, because the look on your face clearly says you have something in mind… or maybe someone?”
“Oh, he does.” Lucinda smirks. Flicking my gaze to hers, I arch a brow. “Until I know more about her, you have my support. You may not have it after I officially meet her, fair warning.”
“Live, Dad,” Lawrence rasps.
Without another word, all three of my children stand, turn, and walk out of my office. I watch them go and at the same time I get a new email alert and go to my inbox. It’s from my attorney. The subject line says that a mediation date has been set.
It seems as though the dominos are finally falling into place, they’re being set up and organized. They may fall, one by one, in an instant, but for the first time in my entire life they’re lined up in all aspects of my life. Every single one and I can’t deny that I’m a little more than interested to see if they’re going to stay put.
TENNESSEE
Landry’s children file out of his office one by one, all three of them, and I can do nothing but watch. They’re all tall, fit, handsome, and beautiful.
Laurent turns toward me and gives me a wink before he makes his way to the elevator. Lawrence doesn’t even glance my way and I’m kind of glad, he really intimidates me. Lucinda doesn’t continue walking, instead she makes a beeline for my desk and stops directly in front of me.
I blink, giving her a shaky smile as I tip my head back to look up into her eyes. She crosses her arms just beneath her chest and tilts her head to the side. Her gaze slides down my waist, then up to meet my own.
“You’re the assistant?” she asks.
The way she says the word assistant, it doesn’t sound like this is going to be a friendly encounter. It kind of sounds like the word tastes bad on her tongue. I don’t know if I should be holding my breath in fear, but I’m not.
Landry hasn’t as much as spoken more than a handful of sentences to me the entire week. Whatever was possibly building between us, whatever attraction that I thought was there, is most definitely not on his end.
She doesn’t need to worry at all, not even a little bit. I watch as she licks her bottom lip, then sinks her teeth into the flesh before she decides to grace me with whatever she’s intent on saying.
“I don’t know you, so I’m going to reserve my judgment. I just have to give you fair warning. My mother isn’t going to like this, not even a little bit. She will make your life hell. If you think that you’re going to sleep your way to being sole beneficiary anything, you’ve got another thing coming. I will not let some little girl take what’s mine. Not now, not ever. Just remember when my mother is meting out her version of bitch, I’m even better at it than she could dream of being.”
I’m not really sure what to say in response. I mean, I guess if I was dating Landry, I would be offended or upset. However, I’m not dating him. Hell, he isn’t even talking to me anymore other than for work things.
“Understood,” I mutter.
She jerks her chin up in the air and without another word, she spins on her toes and heads toward the elevator, an elevator that is being held by her brothers. Both men are watching me, too. Waiting to gauge my response, or perhaps to see if I’m going to give her a nasty look when she turns her back.
I don’t give them what they want, or maybe I do. Laurent’s lips twitch up into a small smile as I just look at them. My gaze flicks from one brother to the other, then to Lucinda’s retreating form until she reaches the held elevator door.