Page 21 of Wrapped in Perfection

I can't stand not knowing. It's driving me nuts. I saw enough the day I met her about the type of person he is, and I'm sure I only saw a piece of his nastiness. And when he called her ass fat, she was embarrassed but not surprised, which meant it wasn't the first time he degraded her.

Any man who can't appreciate an ass like hers is a fool. If I could make a mold and set it on my coffee table to stare at, I would.

Time to change subjects so she doesn't get more upset.

"How long have you had your business?" I ask.

"Just a few years. I was starting to make a good name in New York."

And now she's moving here after working so hard to build her reputation. What did that fucker do to her?

"I can see why. You have good ideas."

"I haven't shown you anything yet."

"If the roof pans out to be profitable, I'm increasing your fee."

She tilts her head. "You don't even know my fee."

"Speaking of which, when we get to my place, we need to get your contract drawn up and signed."

She stays silent.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I've not had a client ever push me to sign my contract before."

"Is there something in it I need to be cautious about?" I'll read it before I sign it, but I'd be surprised if it isn't similar to other designer contracts.

"No, of course not."

I put my head next to hers. "From now on, when you get a new client, you have them sign your contract before you give them ideas."

"But you've not seen my work."

"You could have pulled it up online and shown me."

She bites her lip.

"I know a lot of these builders. They will take advantage of you. You give them ideas, they will use them and find the cheapest person to implement them, cutting you out of the picture."

"I'm not the best at the pricing side of things. I just want to do the design part. I can run the numbers to stay within the budget, but I'm bad at charging. My brother, Chase, he's the one in the family with the business brain."

I hold her face next to mine. "There's nothing wrong with your brain. I will teach you."

"Teach me?"

"Yeah. How to deal with these builders in this city and not get ripped off."

"Are they that bad?"

"Some of them, yes. If you want a list of who you can trust and who to handle with caution, I'll give that to you as well."

She glances at my lips with her blue doe eyes.

She hasn't confirmed he's her ex yet.

One thing I won't be is any woman's piece on the side. I force myself to move away from her face. The car stops, and I glance out.

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