Page 97 of Business Casual

I reached back and grabbed his head. Staring at our reflection in the mirror, there was no denying how good we looked together. I wasn’t just focused on the physical either. It was the ease, the intimacy, the vibe between us looked good. Tre Franklin made me feel good.

“What time tomorrow?” I asked.

He kissed my cheek and then turned me around to face him. “Come at ten. And don’t eat beforehand.”

Pushing up on my toes, I gave him a soft peck against his lips. “I can do that.”

With a grin, Tre texted me his address and then opened the door for me. I sauntered out first and he fell into step with me. As we made our way down the hallway, the back of our hands brushed. Without thinking, somehow our fingers laced and before I knew it, we were holding hands. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Just as we turned the corner, he looked down at me adoringly. “Imani, I—”

“What is this?” Avery’s voice startled us.

My head snapped in the direction of the voice, and we dropped each other’s hand.

Shit.

Our bubble burst and reality came rushing in as he looked between us. His jaw clenched and his hands slipped into his pockets. “No seriously, what the hell do we have here?”

Swallowing the panic I initially felt, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Nothing that concerns you,” I replied, putting my hands on my hips.

His dark eyes flashed. “Well, I think this does concern me.”

“It doesn’t. Nothing having to do with me and my life concerns you. So mind your business.”

“I want to talk to you,” Avery said gruffly.

“I thought I made myself clear when I told you not to speak to me again. There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Oh I think there’s a few things we should talk about,” he insisted, glancing at Tre. “Isn’t that your boss at Franklin Financial?”

Walking toward him, I curled my lip in disgust. “Isn’t this none of your business?”

“Who is this?” Tre asked as we got closer.

Avery, getting angry, puffed his chest out. “I think the better question is what are you doing with her?”

“Again, this is none of your business,” I reiterated to Avery before tugging on Tre’s arm.

Avery’s eyes shifted to Tre. “Speaking of business, fucking the employees isn’t a good look.”

Tre stopped in his tracks. “I don’t know who you are. But I do know that you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” He put his hand on the small of my back. “So, if you’ll excuse us.”

We started walking again. But Avery positioned himself in our way.

“When I saw Imani leading that meeting, I knew something was going on,” Avery started before shifting his hostile gaze my way. “I knew there was no way you got that job on your own merit. Ain’t no way. And I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe he’s fucking her and that’s how she got the job.” He let out a dry, humorless laugh. “I see I was right.”

I felt Tre’s hand tense on my back.

“And that’s how I know you don’t know shit,” Tre replied in a low, even tone. “Imani is talented and the way her mind works is incredible. She doesn’t need to fuck her way to the top. And if you knew anything about her, if you knew anything period, you wouldn’t have opened your fucking mouth to imply some shit like that.”

Oh shit.

The butterflies ripped through me so intensely that my hand came to my chest.

I looked up at him and then looked away quickly. There was no way Avery could’ve missed the adoration in my eyes if I stared at Tre for too long. Inhaling sharply, I reconsidered my decision to not stay the night with him. The next time it was possible, I planned on fucking him and snatching his soul.

Rolling my shoulders back, I smirked. “Now if you’ll excuse us,” I said as I started to walk again.

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