Page 19 of Lennox Lane

Nova grinned and reminded Lane that she’d told them not to discuss him and his community dick around her after they’d gotten back. To which Lane reminded them he’d earned the name “Community Peen” in her phone, and she regretted nothing.

“I’m sure he did,” Cadence said, “But he’s very good at finding people who like to do cowardly shit behind the guise of anonymity.”

Lane’s stomach tightened, and for one unwelcome second, she thought about the look Lennox had given her earlier. It was like he knew more of her business than he should have and was taking it out on her. No, absolutely not, she thought to herself. Lennox wouldn’t be stupid enough to hack into her personal life and violate her boundaries like that, would he?

Nova watched her face go through a myriad of emotions before she asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” Lane said nonchalantly, trying to brush off the thought of Lennox stooping so low.

“You said nothing, but your demeanor is saying something else. Seriously, Lane. You need help with this and not because you can’t handle it, but because you shouldn’t have to,” Cadence reassured her.

Lane looked at her phone, wanting to chuck it into oncoming traffic. Another part of her wanted to call Jeanette and finally say everything seventeen-year-old Lane never got to say, but she knew it was a waste of time. Jeaneatte hadn’t changed; she only wanted leverage and access to all Lane had accomplished. Reiterating that she wasn’t getting Lennox involved with her personal life because he couldn’t be trusted with the fragile parts of her past, Cadence and Nova understood. Lane swallowed as Cadence reached for her hand.

“You don’t have to decide today, but promise me you won’t meet her alone. I can send someone from our security team that’s not Lennox. Desperate people are dangerous people,” Cadence said with concern.

“I’m not planning to meet with her,” Lane said unconvincingly.

Nova lifted a finger. “And if you change your mind, bring one of us or security like Cae said. Hell, I’d prefer a woman named Large Marge with a bat.”

“I don’t know a Large Marge,” Lane laughed.

“Stonebridge will provide,” Nova said.

The laugh eased some of the tension just as her phone buzzed again, knowing who it was. Cadence squeezed her hand, while Nova’s expression turned protective. Lane didn’t try to joke through the pain as she turned the phone over. The patio noise faded as Lane stared at the words until they stopped looking like a text message and started feeling like memories.

Unknown: You always thought you were better than me. Let’s see how much better you are when everybody knows how you paid for that motel.

“Lane,” Cadence whispered.

Lane locked the phone, trying to seem unbothered by her mother’s intrusion into her life. Lane smiled in a way that made people rethink their next move.

“My mother keeps forgetting something,” she said icily.

“What’s that?” Cadence asked.

“She didn’t raise a victim,” she said. “She raised a problem,” she said proudly as she sipped her drink.

“A beautiful problem, but please know you have backup problems willing to ride until the wheels fall off,” Nova reminded her.

Lane shook her head, acknowledging that Cadence and Nova would always have her back, even when her pride said she could handle her problems without help. The love she held for her sisters made her fear that much stronger when she thought about letting them help her get through this. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to them on account of her, but another voice whispered maybe she did need support.

She refused to let a deadbeat like Jeanette make her live her life in fear. She would deal with Jeanette, eventually, but tonight she’d show up for her date looking like money, because that was what Lane Sanders did—defy the odds. Maybe there would be chemistry, maybe there wouldn’t—either way, Lane planned to seize the moment and remind herself that the woman she’d become was not by accident but by her sheer determination to be THAT girl. Her mind drifted back to Lennox, because if he thought giving her the cold shoulder would make her let him back in her life, he had another thing coming.

Lane stood in the mirror as she got dressed for her date; she had to admit she looked incredible, and she was sure Devin would think so, too. She wasn't trying to prove she could find the same chemistry with Devin that she found with Lennox, because that would be unfair to her and Devin. Her lavender pixie was styled into absolute perfection. The short waves framed her face as if someone had sculpted them into art. Her makeup was flawless. She decided on a warm bronze on her lids with a sharp wing liner, and her lashes were soft enough to flirt but not dramatic enough to disrupt her overall look. Her cheeks were glowing, lips lined and glossed in a shade that made them look more decadent than normal.

She looked good.

Correction.

She looked like the best kind of trouble in the orange sequined wide-leg pants she had chosen from the back of her closet. The matching bra top sat perfectly against her skin, making her coffee-and-cream complexion look as if it had been kissed by firelight. The orange Louboutin mules completed her monochromatic look. The Boccinelli handbag was a statement piece, and Lane loved to make a statement without saying a word. The perfume she sprayed at her wrists, behind her ears, and lightly along her cleavage was sweet. Men loved when a woman smelled like dessert, at least Lennox did. She hadn’t meant to, but she remembered the way Lennox once buried his face at her neck and muttered something filthy about this exact scent.

Lane stared at her reflection, mumbling, “Not for him,” while her reflection had the nerve to look unconvinced. Her phone buzzed on the dresser. Lane glanced at it, expecting Cadence or Nova to be checking in before the date like the nosy emergency rescue committee they had appointed themselves to be. Instead, Lennox’s name lit up the screen.

Community Peen : Meet me at Sol & Smoke tonight for Reggae night.

Lane blinked at his lack of manners, especially after the way he was coming at her earlier. This nigga had been snapping at her all morning, then had the nerve to text her an invitation to the club with no greeting, no please, just a command, like she was on standby for him and his little boy bullshit. She typed back before she could overthink it.

Me: Can’t. I have plans.