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“Kace says he’s with someone. I should’ve known sooner. I saw the way you fawn over him. I’m guessing Derrick dumped your sorry ass, and you came over here to find yourself a sugar daddy to take care of you and your kid,” Ramada says with venom in her tone. “I know your type too well. Now, piss off and don’t interrupt my business meetings ever again.”
I nod once and walk away. She goes back to her table, and I hear her laughing it up with Derrick and Leon as I head back over to Tanya. I don’t care what it is that they have to say about me, I have my peace. I tried to warn her, and she decided to be a bitter bitch. Let her get burned like the rest of them, I certainly won’t get in her way.
“Judging by the look on your face, it did not go well,” Tanya says.
“No, it did not,” I reply, taking my seat just as the waiter brings my steak over. Good. I need some food to take some of the edge off. I’m close to hangry at this point.
“What are you going to do?”
I offer a mild shrug. “Nothing else I can do. I warned her.”
Tanya shakes her head. “Listen, those kind of people were raised in a different environment. Everything has been handed to them and money has no value. They throw it around like cheap confetti. They don’t really care, Amaya, they just like to pretend they’re savvy businesspeople for the clout.”
“It’s silly.”
“It is. But you said it yourself, you warned her. If she wants to get burned, let her.”
I should tell Kace and the guys about it. Derrick wasn’t banned from the premises since he wasn’t aggressive with me in any way, nor did he pursue me in a stalker-like manner that might’ve deemed such extreme measures necessary.
The estate is very careful with its policies because it has gotten way too easy for people to sue businesses for the most ridiculous reasons. The case itself may never see its day in court, but weasels like Derrick would perform a circus big enough in the media and on the internet just to hurt the estate’s reputation. I don’t want to risk that, and neither do the guys.
I just didn’t expect to see him trying to snake his way back onto the premises—certainly not under the pretense of a business development.
What is his endgame?
16
Amaya
It’s late at night, and I’m slowly drifting into the sweetest slumber as I lay in bed between my men. I’m exhausted but more than sated after everything we just did. I can still taste them, I can still feel them pulsating inside me. Every muscle in my body has turned into melted butter, my skin glazed in a sweet afterglow. Our breaths are even, our hearts beating in unison as the night unravels over the estate.
I can see the full moon through one of the bedroom windows. The wind blows gently through and makes the white linen curtains sway ever so softly. Kace’s hand rests on my belly. Finn has one hand cupping my breast. Elias sits at my feet, lovingly massaging them as we talk about all sorts of things. I lose track of the conversation more than once, too happy, too at peace to even care about anything else that goes on in the world beyond the walls of Kace’s house.
“We should’ve banned Derrick,” I hear Finn say, my mind quick to snap back into the present.
“You know as well as I do that it would’ve stirred more trouble,” Kace replies. “Let him try whatever it is that he wants to try.”
I give Kace a worried look. “Aren’t you concerned about what he’ll do with Ramada and Leon?”
“It’s not our problem,” he says. “You’re a good person, Amaya. A kind-hearted woman, even with those who treat you the way she consistently treats you. It says more about her that she chose to completely disregard your warnings. It’s her money, baby. Let her burn it.”
“It won’t blow back on us in any way,” Elias assures me. “It’s a separate business venture that they are trying to bring to us, but we will obviously turn them down. Had I known that Derrick was the entrepreneur in question, I would’ve told Ramada to get lost right then and there.”
“She’s a high-paying customer,” Kace reminds us. “I don’t like her, I don’t like the way she behaved towards Amaya, and I certainly don’t like whatever projects she’s trying to draw us into. But her network and her connections are useful. And the Golden Sequoia Estate is still too young to stand on its own. We need her brand ambassadorship, as much as I am likely to end up loathing her by the end of the year.”
“Besides, you said it yourselves. Prematurely banning Derrick could’ve caused legal troubles,” I chime in. “It’s okay. He’s not coming after me, anyway. He’s got nothing to come after me with, and besides, he knows he’s got the three of you to deal with if he tries something.”
“Rest assured, that prick isn’t getting anywhere near you, ever again,” Kace says, his brow slightly furrowed. “I might feel a little bit sorry for Ramada when she realizes what she’s gotten herself into, but it’s her loss. Her money. Her reputation at stake. The estate will keep its distance. Once she sends over the intel we requested, I’ll politely turn her down and advise her to seek additional support elsewhere.”
I giggle as I wrap my leg over his, letting Elias’s hands lazily roam up my thighs. “I love it when you flip that business jargon full on.”
“Yeah, I sound super smart, don’t I?” Kace jokes.
Finn gives me a hard look. “You will tell us if Ramada comes at you again, right?”
“I’m sure she was just bitter,” I say, trying to find excuses for her abrasiveness the other day. “It’ll pass.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Finn insists. “There are things we do not tolerate. Ever.”
