Luxe
The following day
“Tell Savion to get this man off me,” I said to Solei through the phone.
Ghost had been in my shadow ever since he showed up the day before.
He even slept in my house out in the hallway on the floor, because I told him that I wasn’t going to no safe house.
I felt the safest at home. I didn’t care if people were getting into my house and trying to kill me.
There were weapons all over the entire house in case I needed them.
He saw that for himself when I pulled that knife on him.
“You know he isn’t gonna do that ’til he finds out exactly what’s going on.”
It was gonna take me a while to track down that painting.
The guy that I’d sold it to had died, and his estate ended up selling it.
There was no telling how many hands that painting had gone through since then.
I thought about calling the number back in the phone and telling them that I was trying to get my hands on the painting, but I didn’t want them to know that I had one up on them just yet.
Savion was digging into the issue, and I was trying my best to leave it up to him, but he was making it hard for me. I liked to have control. My brain needed to know what was going on at all times, or else I was gon’ go mad.
“This really isn’t going to work for me.”
“Luxe, I went through what you’re going through. It may not have been the exact way, but I was against it at first, and look at me now. Savion turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Give it a chance. It just might work out in your favor.”
“Not happening,” I said and ended the call. Had I been right there in front of her face, I would’ve taken my hearing aids out.
Sighing, I tossed my phone against the bed and got up.
I saw Ghost’s shadow underneath my bedroom door, letting me know that he was still out there.
My eyes rolled heavenward. They really thought that I was about to pack up my life and move into this safe house until all this mess was over.
They didn’t even know who was really after me and how long it was gonna take to handle the situation.
Going over to my closet, I grabbed my Louis Vuitton sneakers and slipped them onto my feet. I would’ve put on some pumps, but my intention was to dodge Ghost’s ass. Don’t get me wrong; I could run extremely well in some pumps, but I was faster in sneakers.
Opening the door, I stepped out into the hallway where Ghost was standing with his phone up to his ear. “I hope that’s Savion’s ass telling you to mind your business,” I said and trod down the hallway toward the staircase. Ghost wasn’t too far behind me.
“I’m about to head to the mall. You can just stay here.”
I yanked the door open, and he reached over my shoulder and slammed it shut.
The wind slapped me in the face. Heat coursed my veins.
I turned and faced him. Ghost was fine as hell.
I couldn’t even deny him that. He stood about five ten.
His tattoos covered his entire chocolate frame from what I could tell.
My favorite was the piece peeking up his neck.
Ghost was a bit younger than me. I wasn’t certain his age, but if he was hanging around Savion, I just knew he was in his late twenties or early thirties.
Either way, he was much younger than me.
I’d never in my life thought about talking to a guy that was around my siblings’ ages.
I saw them as babies. They weren’t attractive.
Ghost had a fresh line up. His waves were cut into a taper with a line slicing through the side.
“The only way you’re leaving this house is if I come with you.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.
“You take your job seriously, don’t you?”
“I’m not playing with you, Luxe. You can take your ass back in there and sit down, or you can let me take you wherever you’re trying to go.”
I poked the inside of my jaw with the tip of my tongue. Clearly, he wasn’t budging, so I said, “Fine.”
Stepping out the way, I waited for him to open the door. There was a Tahoe parked in the driveway.
“I’m not riding in that thing. If you’re going to drive me, you’re going to drive my car,” I made known.
Ghost yanked the dangling keys from my clutches and went over and then opened the passenger door for me.
I slipped into the seat and grabbed my seat belt.
This was the first time that anyone outside of my family was about to drive my car.
When it came to my vehicles, I didn’t play like that.
People weren’t allowed behind the wheel.
In this instance, I didn’t really have much of a choice.
It didn’t seem like Ghost was going anywhere, so I was going to have to force him to.
Ghost stopped at a red light and looked over at me. I just knew he was about to be with the bullshit. “When we make it,” he started, and I removed my hearing aids so I wouldn’t have to hear whatever he was about to say.
Out of nowhere, Ghost used ASL on my ass. His hands were moving fluently. All I could do was stare at him in awe. A lot of men that I encountered didn’t even know how to say yes in sign language let alone form a complete sentence.
“Where did you learn that from?” I asked him.
He hit me with, “None of your fucking business.” I was flabbergasted.
Ghost gripped the steering wheel and pulled off. Now I understood why he was the one who was placed on me. Savion knew he’d be able to get through to me if I decided to turn the world off.
We arrived at Eastchase, and Ghost stopped in front of Bath & Body Works. I never said that was where I wanted to go, but I figured that he didn’t even want to attempt to ask me where I wanted to go after I removed my hearing aids. That man didn’t have time for my foolishness.
I reached for the handle, and he whacked my hand.
“Don’t ever touch a fucking door when in my presence,” he spoke and got out the car and rounded to my side.
The only men that ever opened the door for me were my siblings and my daddy.
All the other men that I dealt with acted as if they didn’t have any home training.
Honestly, that was another reason why I didn’t want to deal with a man right now.
I didn’t have any kids, and being with most men was like raising someone else’s kid.
He opened the door, and I got out. I observed him as he looked around before stepping up on the curb alongside me.
We walked toward Sephora. Ghost pulled the door open as a woman and who looked like her daughter exited the store.
I entered behind them and grabbed me a basket.
Some of my serums were running low, and since I was in here, I might as well pick up a few other items as well.
Ghost followed closely behind me. I peeked at him over my shoulder. He stood there in his all-black suit. He was very much giving security how he was eyeing everybody.
“Hey, Ms. Saint-Mercier. Are you here for your usual?” Katie asked when she approached me. I shopped in this store entirely so much that these people knew me by name.
“Yeah. Just grabbing a few things,” I told her.
She looked over at Ghost, and I knew the questions were roaming through her brain.
Out of all the times she’d ever seen me come in here, she’d never seen a man with me.
I felt like shopping was retail therapy.
A man didn’t deserve to be in my space when I was having my time.
If I had it my way, I would’ve left his ass back at the house.
“Let me know if you need anything.”
Katie flashed me a smile and then bounced away.
“You need something, mister security man?” I turned to Ghost and asked.
He just stared at me without even answering. Funky bitch.
“You got some good skin. Maybe you’re a moisturizer guy. What’s your favorite brand?”
Ghost stared over the top of my head as if he didn’t see me standing there. He was trying so hard to stay in character and ignore me.
“I’ll just grab you a few different ones,” I said and scooped some of the moisturizers off the shelf into my basket.
We walked around the store for a bit longer before I decided that I was ready to go.
Stepping to the counter, I stood there behind the people that were in front of us.
This woman approached me, and Ghost reached out and shoved her back.
She stumbled backward into the shelf behind her, knocking over the mini hand sanitizers and everything else that was up there.
“Ghost!” I gasped.
Some of the other people in the store helped the woman get up.
“Are you okay?” someone asked her.
“You didn’t have to be rude. I was just about to tell her that I like her necklace.” The woman dusted herself off. The employees picked the items up off the floor.
“Next!” the woman behind the counter yelled.
I stepped over the mess they made and went up to the counter. Removing all my things, I set them up there and waited as she rang everything up.
“Did you find everything you were looking for today?” the cashier asked with a warm smile.
“Yes,” I replied and removed my card from my wallet.
After I paid for my things, Ghost grabbed my bags, and we left out the store.
He walked over and placed them into the trunk.
As he was leaned over, I noticed a pair of cuffs dangling from his pants in the back.
Snatching them, I slapped one on his wrist and the other onto the truck’s door handle that was next to my car.
“Luxe.” Ghost grimaced and yanked his arm.
I slipped my hand down into his pocket and took his keys so he wouldn’t be able to get out of the cuffs.
“See you later, mister security man,” I taunted as I dangled his keys and ran over to the driver’s door and then hopped inside my car.