“He comes in all the time buying clothes for women who are far too good for him but he spends a shit-ton of money.”
“Why that dress?” This didn’t feel right to me.
“Because it’s stunning.”
“It isn’t a dress a man would buy for a casual fuck.”
“You would know.” She smirked.
“Camila, what did he want?” Bello should not have been lurking around the boutique.
“Clothes?” She inched closer to me. “What’s making you so crazy? Since when do you care who I sell to?”
“What did you tell him about the dress?” I pointed at her. “Why did he want it?”
“He admired it and I told him it wasn’t for sale.” She sat on the edge of my desk. “He said everyone has a price. He wasn’t wrong. I told him it belonged to you and you bought it for Sable, but since you two aren’t together, you wanted it to be put into storage.”
“Do you always share my business with every fucking scum that walks into the shop?”
“I told the truth. I didn’t think it was a secret.”
“I’m putting security on the shop.” I should have done that weeks ago. “I’ll have a guard at the door during business hours.”
“No!” She hopped off the desk. “I run the boutique without your interference. How do you think my clients will feel if they have to get past security to get inside?”
“He’ll be discreet.”
“Bello always comes in.” She paced in front of me. “I don’t understand what the problem is?”
“You don’t have to understand,” I shouted. “You just have to listen.”
“Fuck you!”
“Hey!” I grabbed her arm and yanked her toward me. “You need to listen to me. Bello is no longer a customer. Do you understand?”
She glared at me, but I wasn’t going to let her make me lose control.
“I’ll have security on the door in my fucking boutique. Got it?”
“Is everything okay?” Sable stood in the doorway, looking between me and Camila. “Things sound intense.”
“We’re fine.” I released Camila from my hold. “I’ll have a guy at the boutique in about thirty minutes.”
“Whatever you want,boss.” She smoothed out the sleeves on her silk blouse and smiled at Sable. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I guess not.” Sable came into the office. “After our last conversation, you were so sure I wouldn’t be returning.”
“As you can see, I don’t need the dress in storage,” I said to Camila. “I’ll bring Sable in and have it altered so she can wear it on Valentine's Day. I have something special planned for her.”
“Of course.” Camila nodded before grabbing her coat and heading for the door. “Have a great day, you two.”
Once she was out of the room, Sable closed the door behind her.
“Sorry.” I took a calming breath. “We had a misunderstanding.”
“She didn’t look happy,” Sable said.
“She’s not.” I rubbed my temple. “It might be time for me to reevaluate that partnership.”
