Page 37 of His Lair

“Then why the fuck are you hiding out in a hotel room?”

“Because I like my peace.”

“Right, well, I’m gonna need you to find him and make sure he’s not falling apart,” Emmanuel says.

“Why?” I shake my head. “I mean, why would he be falling apart?”

“He has a… difficult relationship with that woman,” Emmanuel explains.

“I’m not going to bother him when he’s spending time withhis mother,” I grunt.

“He’s not spending time withhis mother,” E mocks me. “She’s here. For tonight anyway.”

“Why is she here?”

“Like I said, he has a difficult relationship with her and it stresses him out. A distraction, such as yourself, is exactly what he needs right now.”

“Yeah. I’m not a whore, E,” I snap. “I’m not going to go and find your friend to distract him from his mommy issues.”

“No, you’re going to findyour boyfriendand distract him from his mommy issues, because that’s what good girlfriends do,” Emmanuel is quick to correct.

“I’m not. He’s not.” I shake my head.

Emmanuel doesn’t say anything. He just gives me thatdon’t even try to bullshit mestare. The one that would have many men shaking in their boots.

Me? I huff out an irritated breath. “Fine. I’ll find him.”

“Great. Now, pretend you’ve never been here,” he says, ushering me out the door with a wave of a hand.

“Gladly.” I stand and straighten my skirt.

“Oh, and Lailani, when Sammie asks you to babysit Carlo’s kid, accept the offer.”

“What? I am not babysitter material,” I choke out.

“You are the only person I want protecting my niece when her own father can’t be there,” E says. “Her safety comes before any of them.” He eyes me for a moment before adding, “Hers and Evie’s.”

“How long are you staying in town?” I ask him, instead of unpacking…all that.

“Until I don’t need to be here,” he states.

“Right. Okay, and how long am I staying in town?”

“Until you don’t need to be here,” he replies just as matter-of-factly.

“Helpful,” I groan.

“If you want to quit the job, Lailani, you can. I’m not forcing you to be here,” he says.

“I know. I happen to like this job. It comes with benefits.” I smile. “You should see how good Sammie is with his tongue.”

“We’re friends, but we are not those kinds of friends. You really need to find some women to gossip with.” Emmanuel shakes his head. “Paz will drive you back to the city. I believe Sammie is waiting for you in your apartment.”

I nod, then open and close his office door behind me.

A few minutes later, I’m in the car with Paz on my way back to my apartment. I pull out my phone and send Sammie a message.

Me: