Arranged love

GRAVE

I KNOCK ON the hotel suite door at Kingdom.

“Coming.” I hear the woman’s voice. Seconds later it opens. “Grave, hi.”

“May I come in?” I ask her.

“Of course.” She steps to the side and I walk into the suite, looking around.

“Everything okay?” she asks from behind me.

I turn to face her. “Yeah, I just wanted to come and give you this.” I reach into my back pocket and pull out the envelope full of cash.

“Grave.” Natalie raises her hands, shaking her head. “I can’t take that …”

“I need you to hide here for a few more weeks.”

Her eyes widen. “Grave …”

“I’ve got it handled.” I promise her. “I just need you to promise me.”

She nods, biting her bottom lip.

“Has he tried to contact you?”

“Yeah.” She sighs. “I called my provider and had him blocked.”

“Good. That’s good.” I start to walk back toward the door. “I have to go, I just wanted to come by and let you know that everything is going to be okay.” I hand her the envelope again and this time she takes it.

Exiting her suite, I make my way down to the parking garage to get my car. Making my way to Roses.

_______________

“Thanks, man,” I tell Lance.

“No problem. Let me know if you need me again,” he says, exiting the front door of Roses.

I turn to a good friend of mine who owns Landing Construction. I sent him a message last night to meet me here first thing this morning. “How long do you think it’ll take?” I ask him.

He’s walking around, his cell in his hand, taking notes. “Honestly?” He sighs. “Maybe a week.” He shrugs. “But that’s once the parts come in.” He makes his way over to where the three glass doors once were. “I got the measurements for the glass and the shelves.” He looks over across the room where the vases sat. “Getting them installed won’t take much time, though. My crew could have it done within a couple of days.”

I nod. “Just let me know what I owe you.”

He locks his phone and places it in his back pocket. “I’ll have it ordered by lunch and will let you know.”

I look up when the bell rings and see April enter. She has a white baseball hat on with her hair up in a ponytail that’s popping out through the back. She wears a black T-shirt with cutoff denim shorts and a pair of black Superstars. A coffee in her right hand and sunglasses shielding her eyes.

I slap him on the back, dismissing him. “Sounds good.”

“Miss.” He nods to her as he exits Roses.

“Who was that?” she asks, coming over to me.

“That was the man who is going to make this place look like new,” I answer, letting my eyes run over her bare legs. My cock reminds me that I turned her down last night. My mind reminds me it was the right thing to do. “How do you feel?” I clear my throat and try to think of anything but me and her naked in her bed.

“Like run over dog shit.”

I frown. “Why aren’t you at home in bed?”

She removes her glasses and throws them down on the front counter and starts to walk toward the back. “Because my brother never came home last night so I figured he’d be here.”

I follow her to the back office. She shoves the door open, and it’s empty. “I’ve been here for an hour, and I haven’t seen him.”

She sighs, running a hand down her face before she looks up at me. She’s washed her face clean of the makeup from last night. Falling down into the chair behind the desk, she rips her hat off her head. “Who did this?” she asks.

“The Mason brothers,” I answer.

She hangs her head but doesn’t say anything to that. I highly doubt she knows who they are. “You need to go home,” I tell her.

Her eyes narrow up at me. “I need to be here.”

“There’s nothing you can do right now. I’ve had the place cleaned, and the contractor was just here. It could take a couple of weeks before it’s ready to re-open.”

She slams her fists down on the desk. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

“I’ve taken care of it.”

“I wouldn’t need your help if he hadn’t gone and fucked someone over!” she yells.

I change the subject. “How did you even get here?” Her car was at Kingdom last night when we left in mine.

“Jasmine took me to get a new phone since my screen was shattered. Then to Kingdom to get my car,” she growls. “And why did you have her stay with me?” She arches a dark brow. “I didn’t need a babysitter, Grave.”NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.

She did. But I’m not telling her that. I watched her deck her brother like he was nothing, so I don’t want her jumping over that desk and coming at me. One, she’d hurt herself, and two, I was raised that you don’t hit women, even if they punch you.

Thankfully, the sound of the bell ringing gets me out of having to lie to her. She gets up from the desk and runs out of the office.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I hear her demand before I even make it back to the front of the shop.

Ethan stands there with a black eye and busted lip. He looks around and sighs. “Did I tell you I was sorry?”

“Your words don’t mean shit!” she snaps at him.

I walk up behind her and place my hands on her shoulders. She shrugs me off and steps into him. “You will pay Grave back for every penny.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nods.

I cross my arms over my chest, expecting him to tell her that I already told him that, but he doesn’t.

“And you will be here at Roses working every day the moment we open back up,” she adds.

He nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Your ass will be home by nine o’clock every night, and you will always inform me where you’re at!” He opens his mouth, but she goes on. “And you’re no longer allowed at Kingdom. You’re too goddamn young to be there anyway!”

He nods once again. “Yes, ma’am.”

With that, she spins around and heads back to the office, slamming the door shut.