Dirty (13 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Simone was pleased with the progress she’d made her designs. It wouldn’t be long before she’d realize her dream of having a show at Fashion Week. It would be a great boost for the boutique. As she put the finishing touches on one of her favorite sketches, there was a knock on her door.

“Come in.”

Tanisha poked her head in. “I’m going to take off for that doctor’s appointment I told you about. Sofia seems to be handling the place pretty well right now.”

“No problem. Uh, Tanisha before you go, do you have a few minutes.”

Tanisha glanced at her watch. “If it can wait for another time, I’d appreciate it. I don’t want to be late.”

Tanisha still hadn’t forgiven her after
their
last argument. It was the longest the two of them had gone without talking. “Sure
,
it can wait.”

The other woman sighed. “I guess I can give you a few minutes.”

“No, I don’t want to keep you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for the things I said to you. I was way out of line. And I want you to know that I do value
you
as an employee but
most
of all as a friend. I hope you will eventually forgive me.”

Tanisha didn’t immediately respond. “I appreciate your apology. I guess I owe you one of my own. You were right. I had been taking advantage of your kindness because we’re friends. You know more than anyone how long I was looking for employment after getting laid off and you took a chance on me even though I don’t have a lot of experience in this field. But I did come in any time I felt like it and goofed up more than I should have knowing that if it were any other job, I would have been fired a long time ago. So, even if I didn’t like the way you delivered the message, it was a necessary one. And I promise
,
I’ll never do that to you again. I hated us not talking, it’s been driving me crazy.”

Simone smiled in relief, glad that they could finally shed the tension that cloaked them for the last several days. The other employees had been walking around the boutique on eggshells around them and that wasn’t the way Simone wanted to run a business. “I didn’t like us not talking
,
either. But we’re friends and friends should be able to work their problems out.”

“You’re right. I know I can be outspoken and step out of line and when that happens. You have to let a sista know.”

“Oh that won’t be a problem.”

Tanisha lingered by the door and seemed to internally debate whether to say anything else.

“Don’t you have an appointment to get to?”

“Uh, I guess I can be a few minutes late. I just wanted to say I’m sorry for giving your number to your mother. I was wrong for that. It’s just that, since we’ve known each other, you never talk about
any of
your family
except
Noelle and the few times I asked
about them,
you just say you’re not close.”

“Yeah, which probably should have been an indication that I want nothing to do with them but I forgive you. You couldn’t have known how contentious things are between my mother and me.”

“Well, it’s just that I lost my mother when I was seventeen and we didn’t have the best relationship either. I was a rude, entitled teenager and I thought she was trying to ruin my life. And one day she was sick and within weeks, she was gone and I never got
a
chance to tell her how much I love her. There are days when I’d give anything to have her back
.
Then
your mother called and told me how much she misses and loves you and wishes the last time you
talked
wasn’t
to argue
over some silly misunderstanding. So I figured I was doing you a solid by helping you along on the road to
bridging the
gap.”

“Tanisha, I get that your heart was in the right place, but my mother is a self-centered, manipulative monster who cares about no one but herself and my brothers. Trust me, if I never see or hear from that woman again it will be too soon.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,”
Simone
spoke with a finality that she hoped Tanisha would understand.

“Okay. I tried.”

“Thank you for caring but trust me, I’ll never be close to that woman.”

Tanisha shrugged. “Well I guess
,
you know best in this instance.”

“Believe me
,
I do.”

“Well, I’m off to my appointment, I should be back in a couple hours.”

“Okay, see you later.”

When Simone was alone again
, she
decided she needed a break. Her back ached from sitting in the same spot for the past few hours. She went out to the store front to check on how things were going. Sabrina, the assistant manager was helping a customer and the rest of the sales assistants were busy with people as well. It gave her a sense of pride to see how far her boutique had come along in the past couple years. After being told as a child how useless she was and how she’d never amount to anything
,
it felt good to know that she’d accomplished this.

Seeing that everything was running smoothly, she decided to take a walk to stretch her legs. Noelle’s bakery was only a few blocks away from her shop, so she headed in that direction. It had been a couple days since the robbery and she’d called her cousin every night to make sure she was okay. Today was the first day the bakery would be open since the incident.

When Noelle made it to Dot’s
,
the place was packed. Two girls manned the registers while two more got the orders together. Simone waved in their direction before heading in the back to search for Noelle. Her cousin was in the kitchen mixing ingredients for what would probably be a tasty confection. To her surprise, Paul stood beside her with an apron watching Noelle intently. She didn’t realize he was part of the baking process.

She was almost tempted to walk away before either of them noticed
her
. Simone still wasn’t sure whether to be angry at Paul for what he did to her or angry at herself for liking it so much. The decision was taken from her when Paul looked up from his deep concentration. His eyes widened briefly, but other than that, she couldn’t tell whether he was happy to see her or not.

Just them Noelle glanced in her direction as well. “Hey Simone. I was just showing Paul how to make a basic cake batter which is the basis for all the items in the store.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you baked, Paul,” Simone spoke to him but managed to avoid eye contact. He had no right to look so sexy in an apron. The bruise on the side of his face had faded slightly to a yellowish blue tone and his busted lip had scabbed over giving him a slightly dangerous appearance.

She tried hard not to remember how those lips had felt roaming every inch of her body or how he made her come over and over again. It was as if the man had cast a spell on her. Since that first time in the store, the only impulses she had was her desire to be with him again. It shouldn’t have been that way because it was clear he had no respect for her, but Simone had known a long time ago that she could never expect anything more. It was easier to have a one night stand with a stranger, but with Paul, it was a dangerous game she played.

The fact that he seemed to be looking everywhere but at her spoke volumes.

“Well, I figured it was time I learned.” He turned his attention to Noelle, “I’ll let you two catch up. “I’ll be in the office. I need to go through some paperwork.”

“You don’t have to leave on my account.”

“I have lot of stuff to take care of,” he answered vaguely, but Simone noticed he didn’t dispute that he was leaving because of her.

She tried not to let it bother her but it did. It hurt like hell.

“What’s the matter, Simone?” Noelle asked.

Simone didn’t realize she’d zoned out for a moment. “I’m sorry. What do you mean?”

“You had an expression on your face for a moment, like you were upset about something.”

“Oh it’s nothing, I was just thinking about how proud I am of you for coming back to work so soon after the robbery. And I was just hoping they apprehend that bastard who did it.”

“Well
,
we got a good description of him and the police are on the lookout. There is one positive thing though which I actually didn’t realize myself. They took my wedding band and engagement ring, but apparently, there’s a serial number lasered on the girdle of my diamond engagement ring. If they try to sell it, most reputable jewelers and pawn shops will look in the data base to make sure it
isn’t
stolen. The police seem to think they can find the thief that way. Hopefully
,
he decides to sell it instead of holding on to it and they can catch him. Detective Tennant says that they have some leads, so we’ll see how those pan out.”

“Good. I hope they catch him and he rots in prison. I’m surprised James allowed you out of his sight.”

Noelle rolled her eyes. “Trust me, it was a feat to convince him to let me come to the bakery at all today. He only agreed if I allowed him to drive and pick me up when the shop closes. You just missed him because he came by for lunch.”

“I can’t say I blame him for being a little overbearing right now. He loves you.”

“I know, I love him
,
too
,
but you know how James can be sometimes. He’s so used to barreling over people in his line of work that he sometimes forgets to leave that at the office.”

“Well, I expect he’ll be standing over your shoulder for the next seven months. You’re carrying precious cargo.”

“I’m not the first pregnant woman in existence. Women get pregnant all the time and still manage to keep grueling schedules.”

“I get that you want to keep busy, but take it easy okay.”

Noelle rolled her eyes. “Now
,
you’re starting to sound like James.”

“You know a couple years ago
,
I would have resented that comparison.”

“Yeah, but now you two are besties,” Noelle teased.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but he’s certainly grown on me. I notice the shop is packed today.”

“Yeah. Some of the crowd are our regulars and the other half of the bunch are here out of curiosity because they saw what happened to us on the news. I’m fine with that as long as they buy something. So, are you still coming to dinner tomorrow?”’

“Sure. Can I bring something?”

“Just yourself. I’ve got dinner covered. Be there
at
six. I invited Paul, his sister and her husband
,
by the way
,
so it’s going to be a real dinner party.”

“Paul’s coming?”

Noelle raised a brow. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, it’s your house, you can invite who you want.”

“Maybe this isn’t the right time to bring this up, but is there something going on with you two? I mean, it’s not like you guys interact that much anyway
,
but lately I’ve been getting some weird vibes where you and
he
are concerned.”

“I don’t know why you’d think that.”

Noelle placed her hands on her hips and looked Simone in the eye. “Is there something going on between you and Paul?”

“Didn’t you just ask me that?”

“I did but you didn’t answer.”

“You know
,
I don’t have time to get involved with anyone. I want to focus on my career.”

“All you had to say was a simple no, but the way you’re evading the question says it all. I’ve already said it to Paul and I’ll say it to you. I may not know exactly what’s going on between the two of you, but it can’t be healthy. You’re constantly walking around with a perpetual hurt look on your face and Paul’s face is literally hurt. And the only explanation he can give me is some bullshit story about a gym injury. You
had
better be careful before one of you gets hurt.”

Simone didn’t have an answer to her cousin’s speech because the fact was, one of them was already
hurt
. And that person was her.

Chapter Fourteen

Paul felt like a chicken shit for leaving the kitchen as soon as Simone arrived. The right thing to do, would have been to take her aside for a private chat and give her the apology that she deserved, but he’d seen the hurt when she looked at him and he’d run off like a coward. Now, he had no choice but to face her since he was invited to dinner and he knew she’d be there. He hovered at the door hesitating before announcing his presence. Taking a deep breath, he rang the buzzer.

After a few minutes, James answered. The other man raised a brow. “We were starting to think you wouldn’t show up. Everyone is already here.” He moved aside enough to allow Paul inside.

Paul handed him the bottle of wine he’d brought. “I know this is your favorite brand.”

“This wasn’t necessary but thank you. I’ll put this on ice. Everyone is out on the patio. Noelle wanted to dine outside and take advantage of the new lights we had installed back there."

As James turned to join the others, Paul gripped him by the shoulder to halt him. “Wait.”

James frowned, looking pointedly at the hand Paul had laid on him. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to talk to you for a minute,” he replied dropping his hand.

“What about?”

“I know you’re still angry with me for not being in the bakery more often. I’ve already apologized to Noelle and I feel I owe you one. When you’re not around, I feel like I’m responsible for looking out for her and I let her and you down.”

James didn’t answer right away but when he did, his body visibly relaxed from its stiffened state. “Look, I probably overreached. I know how much work you’ve put into Dot’s and that you work just as hard as Noelle. I know the intricacies of what it takes to run a business and you’ve impressed me even more than when you worked for me. It was unfair of me to accuse you of being a slacker when I know that’s not the case. Noelle actually chewed me a new one for even suggesting it and I apologize.”

Paul knew more than anyone that an apology from James didn’t come easy. Having worked as his Executive Assistant for years, Paul had witnessed firsthand what a hard-nosed bastard James Rothschild could be. “But I deserved it. Like I said, I’m the only man at the bakery so I feel like I have to look out for the ladies and the one time Noelle needed my protection, I let her down.”

“Well, Noelle informed me that I was being a misogynistic prick for thinking that she wasn’t incapable of taking care of herself. And I know she can, it’s just the thought of losing her sent me into Alpha mode and I was out of line for what I said.”

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to not bring up the protection thing in her presence. Although, I’ll make it a point when we do the next round of hiring to bring in more men.”

James nodded and smiled in seeming approval. “Good idea.”

“So are we cool?”

“Yeah.”

They shook hands and headed out to patio.

Paul immediately zoned in on Simone who was in the middle of a conversation with Noelle and Alyssa. There was a slight smile on her face and she looked so beautiful in a white sundress that served as a perfect foil to her beautiful brown skin, skin that he
,
at this very moment
,
wanted to lay his hands on. But after their last encounter, he didn’t know if he had the right. As if sensing his gaze on her, she glanced in his direction.

The casual smile she wore faltered and she turned her head away. It felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. She must hate him. Alyssa, Noelle and Craig finally noticed him as well.

“Took you long enough.” Alyssa slid out of her chair and walked over
to
him but halted. “What the hell happened to your face?”

His quickly stole a glance at the Noelle who seemed
very
interested in hearing his answer. “Spar
r
ing accident at the gym.”

Alyssa closed the distance between him and cupped his face. “Are you sure? As long as you’ve been boxing, I’ve never seen you come home like this before. Is that why you didn’t want to stop our house earlier this week so you wouldn’t have to explain yourself?”

“There’s really nothing to explain
,
Lis. I’m getting old. My sparring partner was younger and quicker.”

“Really?”
His
sister asked, her voice heavy with disbelief.

“Yes. And yes, I didn’t come by you
r
place because I knew you’d give me the third degree.” Not to mention, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Orisa in his home for too long by herself. He was pissed
th
at Misha had gone back on his word. He’d received a call from the Russian earlier
in the
week to say his houseguest had to stay a few more days.

It wasn’t that Paul disliked having the young woman around, she kept to herself mostly, watching television and reading books from his library, but he preferred his life to have some semblance of order. It was chaotic enough as it is.

“Well
,
excuse me for being concerned for you. Just be careful okay?” Alyssa brushed the bruised the side of his face with a gentle caress.

“Come on and have a seat you two. I’m starving and these cheese and crackers aren’t cutting it anymore.” Noelle waved them over.

Paul took a seat beside his sister which put him directly across the table from Simone who was act
ively
avoiding his gaze.

Craig held out his hand to Paul which he took in a firm handshake. “Nice to see you, bro. Glad you’re here to finally even up the numbers.”

“I’m glad to be here as well.” Though he spoke to his brother-in-law, his attention was focused on Simone.

Noelle, pushed away from the table. “Now that everyone is here, I’ll go ahead and serve dinner. I hope
everyone likes Chicken Française
.”

“Mmm, yummy.” Alyssa rubbed her hands together with enthusiasm.

Simone moved to get up. “How about I help you
?”

Noelle gently pushed her cousin back down. “Nope. You’re a guest. James can help me.”

James stood with a smile. “Sounds like I’ve been summoned.”

It still amazed Paul to see James so happy to be so domesticated. He envied him in that moment,
because he, too,
wanted to be with the woman who’d captured his heart
,
waking up to her every single morning.

“How have you been Simone?” Paul asked as casually as he could muster.

“I’ve been good. Thank you.” She took a hurried sip from her wine glass before turning to his sister. “So Alyssa
,
you were telling me about the herb garden you’ve started. I was really interested in starting my own garden as well. Could you tell me more about it?”

And just like that, Paul was effective
ly
dismissed. Craig pulled him into a conversation about baseball which he half-heartedly participated in. He mentally made a note to leave shortly after he finished eating. James and Noelle returned shortly with the food, making two trips
to make sure
everyone was
served
.

The conversation was casual as they ate, with Alyssa monopolizing the conversation. His sister loved to talk which no one begrudged her because she knew when it was too much. Paul was sure the food was tasty, but he could have been eating cardboard for all it mattered. He couldn’t taste a thing
because
his gaze kept straying to Simone who kept her head focused on her plate.

The atmosphere seemed so tense for Paul that when he heard James’s phone ring
,
he nearly jumped out of his seat.

“I told you no cell phone tonight,” Noelle scolded her husband.

“I know but I’m expecting a call from Detective Burke. He said he said he’d be in touch tonight because he had some news.”

“You didn’t tell me this.”

“Because I wasn’t sure if I’d hear anything from him. He said if he had anything new to share, he’d contact me, if not he wouldn’t.”

“It could have waited until tomorrow, I’m sure, but go head and take the call.”

James excused himself from the table to speak on the phone, only to return “I’ll take the call inside.” James excused himself from the table and headed into the house.

He returned a few minutes later with one of the detectives Paul had met on the day of the robbery. “Detective Burke was actually outside. He has news. I’m sorry to do this, but Noelle, do you mind coming inside for a minute?”

“Uh, sure. Sorry everyone. This shouldn’t take long.”

“Is it usual for you guys to make house calls?” Alyssa asked.

“Well, this case is one of our priorities so we’re working around the clock to get it resolved.”

Paul wasn’t fooled. He was sure the only reason the case was so important
was
because James Rothschild was a very wealthy man who had a lot of connections in the city and could change the course of an election in the city with a hefty donation. Paul knew more about police work than he cared to know about. He didn’t begrudge the fact that the case was getting worked on with more scrutiny than others but he benefited
,
too
,
since it was his shop. But he couldn’t help but be slightly resentful of the many times his mother would call the police and they did nothing about it because his father was one of them. It got to the point where she stopped bothering. He’d been distrustful of law enforcement since.

He realized not all police officers were bad but for some reason this one gave off a vibe he didn’t quite like and from Simone’s expression, she wasn’t happy to see him here either.

Without warning, Simone pushed away from the table. “Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom.” She dashed away without giving anyone a chance to reply.

Paul looked over to Detective Burke who seemed a little too interested in Simone’s departure. Something was off about this situation and he couldn’t figure out why.

Simone splashed cool water on her face and patted it dry. She must have been in the bathroom for at least twenty minutes. When she saw Detective Burke
,
she went into a panic. When she’d seen him in the shop earlier that week, she’d pretended not to know who he was, when he’d come out on the patio, the look he’d given her made her realize he remembered exactly who he was.

She was sure she’d seen the last of him but he was like a ghost that had come back to haunt her. After sitting on the on the toilet with the seat down with her head in between her legs as she hyperventilated, she convinced
herself
that even though he recognized her, he wouldn’t say anything. Why should he? He’d gotten all that she was willing to give
.
She could simply be panicking for nothing.

After getting herself together, she cleaned her face. Her makeup was slightly smudged so she replaced it as best as she could without her case
,
which was in her purse that she left in the living room. The second she stepped out the door however, she collided with a warm body.

To her dismay, Detective Steve Burke stood in front of her with a smirk on his face. “How are you Mary? Or should I call you by your real name, Simone
?”

“What are you doing back here? You don’t belong in this part of the house.” She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was coming. It was times like this when she wished James and Noelle’s house wasn’t so damn big.

“I have Mr. Rothschild’s permission to use the bathroom
,
if that’s okay with you. And even if it isn’t
,
you’d have to take it up with him.” Again that weasely smile curved his thin lips. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t noticed how beady his eyes
were
before which gave him a mean look. Simone wasn’t sure what she had been thinking that night other than wanting to
fill the
void inside of her.

“No, I don’t have a problem with it. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting to long.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile before trying to walk around him but he caught her by the wrist.

“I’m not done talking to you.”

“What the hell? Let go of me.”

Instead of releasing her
,
he twisted Simone around until her back was against the wall. He pressed his body against hers. “It wasn’t very polite of you to run out on me the way you
did
.”

“What’s wrong with you? I said let me go.” She attempted to push him away but he was stronger than she thought he’d be.

“Maybe I’m not ready to let you go. Maybe I want to go another round. And I think you’ll give it to me.”

“You are insane if you think I’d want anything to do with you.”

“Oh, but you will, especially if you love your cousin.”

Her heart pounded uncontrollably. She wasn’t sure
that
he could harm Noelle but she wouldn’t take a chance because this man obviously had a screw loose. “What are you trying to imply?” Simone was proud of herself for not allowing the fear she felt holding its icy grip on her heart to enter into her voice.