7. Reed
It took everything in my power not to chase Faith down the hall and snatch her back into my office. As much as I wanted to keep applying major pressure, I knew she needed a second to breathe.
Giving her the air she requested didn’t mean I was letting up. Faith was mine. I just needed to remind her. Obviously, she didn’t have total amnesia. She kissed me back. Again. That was enough ammunition to last me a lifetime. I was getting my lady back.
Right on cue, the doors to my office crept open, and Paula pranced in carrying a black tray. I guessed I had been talking to myself when I told her not to worry about our standing lunch plans.
“Your little friend seems nice,” she sneered as she placed the tray on my desk.
“Why do you keep trying to antagonize her?”
“She’s here to try to hurt the business. Why did you even let her come up in here?”
“I don’t owe anyone an explanation about how I run this business.”
“But she’s literally here to question you about how you run this business. Make that make sense. I don’t like her, and I don’t want her here.”
“Fortunately, that’s not up to you,” I said, finally plopping down behind my desk.
“I’m sorry, baby.” She simpered, poking out her bottom lip for emphasis.
The pout on her full lips was so sexy, but I wasn’t on that type of time right now. We weren’t on the same page, because she lowered herself to her knees and reached for the button on my pants.
“Paula, chill. We already discussed this.”
“I thought you were just saying that for your little girlfriend.”
“Oh, so you haven’t forgot what we talked about.”
“I know that you want to be careful while she’s here. You act like I don’t know how to be discreet.”
“Taking shots at her isn’t exactly being discreet, Paula. Plus, damn near everybody around here knows that we were sleeping together.”
“What’s wrong with that? We are two consenting adults. I signed everything you asked me to sign.”
“There was nothing wrong with it, but it’s over now. I told you I love her. I said if I ever got the chance to get Faith back, I was going to take it.”
“Wow,” she said, shaking her head as she stood to her feet. “Do you know how you sound right now? You’re sitting here pining after her like a sick pup, while she’s downstairs on a freaking date with another man.”
What the fuck? I almost jumped out of my seat, but I knew that was the reaction Paula was looking for. I fought to hold my position as Paula looked at me with a ‘gotcha’ smile.
“I’m good for the day, P. I’ll call you if I need you.”
“You’re really dismissing me right now?”
“I asked you not to come,” I reminded her.
“You know what? I can’t wait for you to come crawling behind this ass when that bitch leaves you high and dry again.”
“If you like your job, refrain from speaking on things you know little to nothing about. You seemed to have forgotten how this works.”
“Whatever, Reed. I’m out for the rest of the day since you don’t seem to need me.”
“That’s Mr. Fuller in mixed company. Don’t forget it.”
She scoffed, marching toward the door. “Fuck you, Mr. Fuller,” she tossed over her shoulder right before the door closed behind her.
Once she was finally gone, I logged onto my computer and went to the surveillance icon. I had to check three of the restaurants before I spotted my sweet baby sitting at the table with some skinny-ass dude who was staring at her like a man in love. I wanted to kill him.
I let my own lunch get cold while I sat there like a psychopath watching Faith laugh at everything her companion said. I hadn’t thought to ask if she had a man because I didn’t give a fuck. Now I wanted him dead.
He might have thought he had her, but he was sadly mistaken.
I had half a mind to go down there and tell him just that, but I kept my composure.
My face was on fire as I snatched my phone off the receiver and called Nicholas.
He worked from home so much that I could barely catch him in the building.
That didn’t matter; I knew how to reach him.
“Yeah?” he answered after a couple of rings.
“Don’t yeah me. I feel like I’m about to do something crazy.”
“What’s going on? Your nail lady had to cancel?”
“Why would you try to be funny at a time like this? I’m literally in the middle of a crisis.”
“With Cashville? You need me to come through?” he asked.
“No, Cashville is good. I’m talking about my wife. I told you she came back to me.”
He chuckled. “Zenia?”
“Don’t play with me, man. I’m talking about Faith.”
“I thought you said she was coming to try to do an exposé on the casino?”
“There’s nothing to expose.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“She’s downstairs having lunch with some lanky-ass clown.”
“And?”
“And I’m thinking about shooting the restaurant up! What the fuck do you mean and?”
“I mean and what do you plan to do about it? You said you want your girl back. You have to prove it.”
“What do you think I’m doing by having her here?”
“I think you’re watching her have lunch with another man like a little bitty bitch.”
“I got your bitch!”
“Get out your feelings and get your wife. Mine is in the kitchen waiting for me to help make lunch for the kids.”
“Man, bye. I don’t know why I thought you would be any kind of help.
” I slammed my office phone on the receiver and picked up my cell off the desk.
A soft knock on the door grabbed my attention right as Faith waltzed back into the room like nothing had happened.
I jumped up from my seat and stalked over to her.
“You must be out of your god damn mind?” I snarled as got closer.
“What the hell are you talking about now, crazy?” she asked, looking confused as hell like she hadn’t just violated in a major way.
“You want me to kill that muthafucka, Faith?”
“What?”
“You heard me. Tell me that’s what you want, and I’ll go out there and show you how serious I am about you.”
“Again, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Why the fuck were you in my establishment on a date with another man?”
“First of all, what I do is none of your business. Second of all, I wasn’t on a date. Not that I owe you an explanation, but I was just having lunch with a friend. That friend happened to be a paying customer. So again, I’m not seeing the problem.”
“Friend my ass. That man is clearly in love with you. You fucking him? I told you how dangerous that pussy is. You about to get a man killed, and I haven’t even had it in seven years.”
“Don’t worry about my pussy. This is a business arrangement.”
“Is he supposed to be your boyfriend or something?” I asked her.
“I just told you he was a friend. He’s actually my neighbor.”
“Did you invite him here to make me jealous?”
“I didn’t invite him here at all.”
“Well, what the hell was he doing here?”
“He knew I was dealing with a difficult client and came to try to cheer me up.”
I didn’t know why that comment made me smile. “So, you been talking about me to your friends?”
“Go to hell, Reed. I don’t talk about you at all.”
“Lies.” I grinned.
“Anyway, I spoke to a few employees who are willing to talk to me while I was out there.”
“Nah, we’re not jumping straight to anyway. We’re having a conversation. Have you fucked him?”
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Mr. Fuller.”
“Calling me that isn’t doing what you meant for it to do, sunshine. Everything you do is my business. So answer the question.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
“I’m taking your refusal to answer as a yes. What’s his name so I can add him to the hit list?”
“Honey, I’m not worried about you and this so-called list you’re making. I am here to do a job.”
“You don’t have to worry about my list. It’ll be empty before you know it.”
“Are you on medication yet? It’s all coming back to me now. I remember you being delusional as hell back in the day. You seem to have gotten worse.”
“Can you say that in court just in case I go down for clearing your roster one by one?”
“See! Saying things like that isn’t funny, Reed. What if I were to take you seriously and report what you said to someone?”
“You wouldn’t do that, though.”
“You don’t know what I would do.”
“Yes, I do. You love me.”
“I do not love you anymore, and I wish you would get that through your big head,” she snapped, folding her arms across her chest like she was proving a point. She was so adorable when she tried to look super serious. I loved this woman.
“You might hate me, but you’re not a snitch.”
“What do you call what I’m doing here now?”
“Like you said, you’re doing a job. Snitching about me unaliving your exes is not part of your job description. I’ll probably be doing you a favor.”
“You know what? Where is Paula? I thought I couldn’t stand her, but I think I would much rather deal with her dry hating ass than to keep listening to your foolishness.”
“I fired her,” I lied.
“I don’t even know how I ended up here with you. I’m headed back downstairs,” she said, stretching as she stood from her seat. “One of the blackjack dealers said she was taking her break soon.”
“What’s wrong? Did you need me to eat your pussy or something before you go? You seem stressed.”
“You are the reason for my stress!”
“Your stress is coming from trying to resist me. Once you accept that your man is back in your life and he’s never letting you go again, you’ll feel better.”
“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head as she turned on her heels.
“I don’t like the idea of someone having had access to you when I couldn’t. I feel like he took something that belonged to me exclusively,” I confessed.
“You gave up that right when you fucked me over,” Faith spat.
“You have to understand that that was never my intention. I was working on making things right. I apologize for not being up-front with you. I think I’ve been punished enough for that. It’s time to come home, Faith.”
A rapid knock on my office door stole our attention as Paula entered the room. Her presence instantly shifted the energy.
“We have a problem, Mr. Fuller. Sawyer is working on it, but Mr. King asked if you would take care of things until he gets here. He’s about an hour out.”