Page 7

“Good evening, Mr. Gourneau. Thank you for joining us. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please don’t hesitate to find me.”

With my arm looped around Chandler’s and a champagne flute to my lips, I rolled my eyes as the hostess batted her thin lashes at him.

He tried his hardest to seem as if the notion didn’t faze him, but I knew the real.

He was mentally figuring out what he could move around within his schedule to meet up with her.

“I appreciate your kindness.” He nodded at her curtly before looking around the room for our table. “If you’ll excuse us, I need to feed my lady.”

With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Angelina finally acknowledged that he wasn’t alone.

If it was left up to me, he would be. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my Friday night faking smiles and having pointless conversations with some of the most arrogant men I’ve ever met in my life.

As it wouldn’t be a good look for the Chief Director of Gourneau Land it would be me.

“You two are so damn cute!” I snapped my eyes over to the couple across from us. Then, I noticed it was one of his business partners, Albert Morton, and his wife, Cecilia. “Have you two set a date?”

“Not yet…” Chandler smiled as he draped his arm around me. I wanted nothing more than to push him away from me, but as much as I hated this man, I wouldn’t embarrass us. “My girl wants the works for our big day, and I’m giving her time to get things done.”

“Not too much time, though.” Cecilia wagged her fork at me and smiled. “You want to get things moving quickly. There’s no need for the theatrics. Marry the man and have his babies. There’s no better life than that.”

“Cecilia, leave that girl alone.” Albert frowned as he took a sip of his cognac.

I opted out of responding because, if I did, I was going to hurt her feelings.

It’s been well over six months, and if I had it my way, this man would never touch me.

“They have plenty of time for that. We’re here tonight to network and not give these people unsolicited advice on procreating. ”

“It’s fine, Al.” Chandler chuckled and kissed my cheek as Angelina approached the table. “We’ll be working on that family soon enough.”

You want to bet, nigga?

“Excuse me for interrupting,” Angelina spoke, fighting not to make eye contact with me. “A few of our guests would like to meet you… if you’re free.”

“Of course.” He nodded and smiled before giving me his attention. “You don’t mind, do you, baby? I won’t take long.”

“I don’t mind at all, love. Please… take all the time you need.”

His eyes flashed with something dark, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. With his smile never wavering, he leaned into me and placed a kiss on my lips. It was gentle but assertive, and I fought to keep my food from rising and spewing onto his face.

Standing from his seat, I watched as he gestured for Angelina to lead the way.

I giggled internally at her nonexistent hips swaying as he followed behind her.

If she wanted to entice him, she had my blessing because he wasn’t getting any from me.

Once they were near the bar, I looked on and watched as he placed his hand on her lower back, telling her something briefly before he began speaking to the other men.

“Excuse me for a second; I need to go to the restroom.”

I didn’t wait for either of them to respond before I was on my way.

Nodding and speaking to those in my passing, I ignored the stares from the various men who seemed to be in a trance.

Tonight, I was decked out in a form-fitting black gown from a local designer, so I knew I was turning heads.

Even Chandler knew I was the prize in this situation, but he still wanted to act as if he was king of the castle.

In a way, he was.

Stepping into the restroom, I breathed a sigh of relief to find it empty.

Tonight’s event was mainly for entrepreneurs to network, and I was exhausted.

Chandler, a Haitian native, was doing well with his land and harvesting company and always had people in his ear about investments or advice.

He soaked up the attention each and every time.

With that came many women who vied for his affection. Often, he’d give them what they sought.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I became saddened by the position I was in.

At twenty-seven years old, you’d think I had it all.

I was beautiful, educated, and wealthy. The things I craved most in this world were things that money couldn’t buy.

I wanted to love and be loved. I thought that maybe I would eventually have that, but now that I’m with Chandler, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Mimi,” I murmured as I fixed my locs. “This is your life now.”

As I refreshed my makeup, I felt my cell phone buzz in my clutch. After washing and drying my hands, I found my phone and rolled my eyes at the numerous amounts of missed texts.

Rosier:

Get out of your feelings and call me.

Jules:

Be mad at that nigga Zoo, sis. Say the word and I’ll turn that nigga into a pillar of salt tonight.