Page 13 of A Taste For Trouble
The bell dinged, and the elevator doors slid open silently, and Trevor stepped out first.
“Ta-daaaa,” he announced, throwing his hands wide open. “Welcome to Sparta!”
Rose walked into my apartment, and my eyes were riveted on her expressive face to see what she made of my space. The elevator opened right in my living room, a wide room with high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a killer view of the Maplewood skyline. The room was a mix of white and beige, and Rose studied it silently for a few moments until she turned to me with an odd expression.
“Did you decorate the house yourself?” she asked finally.
“I hired a designer,” I replied awkwardly.
She nodded and then stared in dismay at the cat carrier in her hand.
“I cannot bring my cat into your space, Dom,” she said softly. “He sheds a lot.”
I grimaced at the thought of his black fur all over my white couches and beige rugs. Not to mention the blood he’d draw, no doubt.
“I can stay in a hotel for tonight,” she said, moving to the door.
“No,” I said firmly. “I cannot protect you in a hotel if Joe tracks you down there.”
“What about Anthea’s apartment? Can’t I stay there while she’s in Florida? I’m sure she won’t mind,” said Rose desperately.
“Mom’s getting her apartment painted while she’s away. It’s only a matter of days, Rose. I’ll hire a daily cleaner to clean up the fur.”
I didn’t know what I’d do about the blood, though. I put the thought out of my mind and led her to the guest room.
“I’ll leave you to get settled. Trevor? A word,” I said, tilting my head towards the door.
He followed me out unwillingly because I was sure he wanted to stay and gossip about the miserable state of my apartment.
“I’m off the clock now, boss,” he said, heading straight for my bar. “And I have a bestie in there who needs a large bucket of margaritas.”
“What she needs is a complete overhaul of her security system, and no drinking until you’ve done what I need you to do,” I said sternly.
“Killjoy,” he muttered as he pulled out his tablet. “Tell me what you need, oh lord and master.”
“I need a burglar alarm and a ring camera installed immediately at Rose’s cottage. And by immediately, I mean yesterday. Chop, chop,” I ordered, with a snap of my fingers.
“Do you really think he’s coming back?” asked Trevor, looking serious for a change.
“Well, he clearly didn’t like getting dumped. I’m sure he wants to try and change her mind. And I will get a restraining order if I have to, but that asshole is getting nowhere near Rose,” I said firmly. “Hence the ring camera and burglar alarm.”
“On it,” replied Trevor, pulling out his phone to call the security agency we employed. “Logan will get it done in an hour, tops. Do you want me to order some dinner now that we can’t have any of Rosie’s lasagna?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs from Valencia,” I said. “She loves that.”
“And their tiramisu. What about you, boss?”
“I’ll have whatever she’s having. Make sure you tell them to top her tiramisu with roasted nuts. Will you stay for dinner?”
“I have a hot date tonight. But I’ll make sure Logan gets the job done ASAP,” promised Trevor, as he headed back to Rose’s room.
CHAPTER 7
ROSE
Trevor came into the room as I was trying to coax Sweetpea out of his carrier and almost did an about-turn in horror.
“Relax,” I said dryly. “He’s not coming out of there anytime soon because he hates this apartment as much as I do.”