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“No.” I should’ve skipped the meeting with Evers and gone to breakfast. She can’t have time away from me because negative thoughts creep in.
“I’m serious.”
“That may be, but it’s still not happening.” I step into the elevator car and pull her next to me. She doesn’t push me away. That’s a good sign.
“You can’t keep me from breaking up with you. That’s not how it works.”
The elevator arrives on the first floor. I hold the door open and wait for her to exit. “Even if you wanted to break up with me, you wouldn’t be able to.”
She frowns. “You can’t stop me.”
“I don’t need to because you won’t leave me. The sex is too good and you love me.” I gently nudge her toward the Ducati.
“You don’t know I love you.” But her words don’t come with conviction.
I plop the helmet down over her head. “You had sex with me and you’ve never had sex with anyone else before. That’s how I know.”
She knocks my hand away. “Back at you. You’ve never had sex with anyone before either, so you must love me.”
“I do.”
Her jaw drops. I push it closed and buckle the strap. “We’re having seafood for lunch.” I pinch her cheek and then climb onto the bike.
“I thought seafood was a euphemism,” Lauren admits as we take our seats.
“That was originally my plan, but you work late and need a little fuel inside of you. While I know my loving is magical, it probably won’t sustain you like a good dish of lobster mac and cheese.”
“You’d be surprised what I can survive on,” she murmurs with her eyes downcast as she throws that bomb on the table.
It’s a good thing this place has tablecloths. “Now you’re taunting me and you’re going to pay for that later, but I have enough self-control to last until the end of your workday.”
She makes a disappointed face. I’m going to have to fuck her about ten times tonight for that.
I wait for her to finish the meal before bringing up Roberta Ware. “I didn’t want to spoil your appetite, but I need to tell you some about my friend Evers. He loves this woman named Vasey Hamlin. They met when they were young kids in the system. Evers wanted to marry her, but he had no money, so he joined the military so he could get a free education. That’s where we met. Anyway, we ended up serving several years together, andthen we got out, invested some money and made a little more. Evers bought this academy because Vasey dreamed of being a teacher.”
The waiter comes by asking if we want dessert, but Lauren waives him off. “Dreamed? Like past tense? Don’t tell me she died.”
“No, she’s alive, but she’s not a teacher. She’s a nanny. She was at a beach several years ago and ended up saving this girl named Jasmine Ware.”
“Jasmine Ware as in Thomas Ware’s daughter?”
The wheels are turning in her head. “Right. Thomas Ware, the billionaire industrialist.”
“Who recently remarred?—”
“And has a song, Gideon?—”
“Who she wants to get into Havard.” Lauren slaps her hand on the table.
“Exactly. He’s cruel, self-centered, and dumb. It’s a trifecta of terrible. Vasey can’t leave Jasmine alone with this kid, and until Jasmine is free, Vasey and Evers can’t be together.”
“What’s this have to do with Gideon?”
“All the Wares have gone to Harvard, but the key is that they’ve all gotten in on their own, no legacy buy-in. Roberta is trying to prove that her son, Gideon, is worthy of being a Ware, but that requires him to get accepted to Harvard. If he can get into the Academy, this problem is solved for Roberta.”
“But Gideon is dumb, and so he needs the tests to cheat. You want me to deliver some test results to her?”
“No. I told Evers that it’s not your problem. He needs to figure it out, otherwise you’re going to be a target. I don’t like that. I’m just sharing this information because it’s real important we keep Mick’s nose clean. We can’t give her any ammunition. I talked to a lawyer this morning, and we can get Mick’s record washed so that there’s only this theft charge.I’m going to offer him a job at the gym, so between work and working out, he’ll be busy. That okay with you?”
