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“I actually love that idea, baby. That’ll give me space to still make everything look legit while I train Paris to take over. I can transfer the shit over to her by the end of the year. Why don’t we set up a meeting wit’ her today? Like you said, I need to send an email out, so I want to get this shit squared away and figured out.”

I beamed at him. “I’ll call her. She’s been bugging me to fill her in anyway.” Before he could open his mouth to speak, I read his mind and spoke first. “I won’t tell her everything, Gino. I know better. I at least need to tell her that you and Aniya are over and me and you are . . . here.” I gestured between us.

He snorted. “Together, Yara. We go together.”

My heart stuttered, as it had every time he spoke those words.

“Right.” I tried to fight a smile, knowing I loved how much badly he wanted to be with me. How intentional he was.

“Go ’head and call ya girl.”

I happily hopped up and went in search of my phone.

Chapter Thirteen

GINO

I looked around Aniya’s old office with a smile. I had completely stripped it bare. Yara and Paris had been sitting at Yara’s desk talking for the past two hours. Occasionally, I heard their shrieks of laughter and gasps. Who knew what the hell they were talking about, but I trusted Yara not to say too much. She knew everything I told her was in confidence and wasn’t for everyone.

It amazed me that I could even trust a woman after what Aniya did, but Yara was just a different breed. Simple as that.

Eventually, I felt like I had given them more than enough time to get caught up, so I walked out of the office. Like when I had moved things out of Aniya’s office, their chatter died down, and they eyed me. I chuckled.

“You good, fave?” I asked Yara. She sat in her chair behind her desk with a big smile on her face.

“I’m good,” she said as I walked up to her. She leaned into me when I stood beside her and rubbed her back.

Paris looked at us with the biggest grin on her face. “Y’all are just too cute. So, you finally kicked that devil bitch to the curb, huh?”

I snickered. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

“’Bout time too. That bitch really deserved her ass beat. I can’t believe she was into illegal shit. No good ass bitch.”

I squeezed Yara’s shoulder in thanks. It seemed like she ran with the narrative that the commissioner had been fed that led to her arrest.

“Yaya tell you how she beat her ass?” I asked with mirth dancing in my tone.

Paris’s eyes widened. Somehow, I knew Yara would leave that part of the story out.

“Ya, you did not! That’s why the bitch looked like she just went round for round with Floyd Mayweather?”

Yara covered her face in embarrassment. “I’m not exactly proud of that, Paris.”

“Why the absolute fuck not? You did what I wished I had done on many occasions. I’m so jealous. Tell me, please . . . tell me what it was like.” Paris clutched Yara’s arms and looked at her with stars in her eyes.

Yara giggled. “Get off me, girl. I don’t remember. I sort of just blacked out.”

“Well, shit. She deserved it. I’m so proud of you, but what’s up with this company? Do I still got a job?” Paris asked.

“You ain’t tell her?” I asked. All this damn time they spent yapping, I thought for sure she would have told Paris about the opportunity we came here to present her with.

“I was waiting for you,” Yara said.

“Tell me what?” Paris asked.

“How you feel about takin’ over the company?” I asked. I wanted to get this meeting over with so I could get back to my little cocoon with Yara. I knew she was sore, but I was fiending for a taste of her.

Paris’s jaw dropped. “Taking over like how?”