Page 111 of Resist

I glance down at the check, at the names of the account holders in the upper left-hand corner, and know the answer regardless of how much of a disaster I’m creating by doing this.

For the first time in my professional life, I’m going to change my ways.

I’m going to make an exception to my rules.

I reach my hand out across the desk. “I look forward to doing business with you.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Vaughn

“Is something wrong?” I ask Lola the minute she picks up the phone.

“No, why?”

“I told you I was taking some downtime this week and to only call if it was an emergency,” I say, my heartbeat slowing down a bit after freaking out when I saw four missed calls from her. I check the shared calendar I have with each of my girls and see that she’s having a slow week. “What’s going on?”

“I have a situation, and I’m not sure how to handle it.”

“What’s that?” I ask, distracted when I shouldn’t be distracted, but I can’t focus on anything these past few days. That’s a lie; I can focus, but just on one person in particular.

The person who’s sending me flowers. The one I told myself I needed to keep my distance from to prove to myself I can.

“Remember that client I couldn’t meet with when that asshole bruised my face?”

“Which one?” I ask without thought because there were several asshole clients that week.

“The Lockhart guy.”

“What about him?” My voice is calm while inside I’m standing at attention.

“He contacted me today.”

My heart drops at the sound of his name and more so at the fact that he contacted Lola. The only purpose he would have to do that would be to retain her services.

“And?”

“Relax, Vee—I’m not trying to steal another girl’s client,” she says in reaction to the tension in my voice, and I can all but hear her eyes roll at me.

“What did he want?”

“It’s weird. He says he keeps calling his girl—Saxony was her name, I think. I guess she’s not returning his calls.”

“Okay . . .” I draw the word out as my pulse gets a little bump and my belly a tiny flutter.

“Is she still working for you?”

“Mm-hmm.” I don’t trust myself to speak.

“That’s no way to build a client list and reputation if she’s not returning calls.”

“Thank you for the lesson in business, Lola, but I assure you I can take care of my girls,” I snap at her.

“Look, he said he keeps calling her. She’s not responding. He said he needs her to call him back, or else he’s going to have to move on when he really doesn’t want to.”

Every part of me knows I need to tell her to relay to him to move on.

I try to convince myself it’s in my best interest.