Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
Blue got on my right. “No problem.”
Silent, Giorgio began walking on my left.
Usually, he had a pleasant morning greeting for me. Additionally, he had showed up late. This told me that something must have gone down last night between Blue and him, or even worse, K.D. and him.
I would have asked, but it didn’t matter right now.
I had my own shit to figure out today.
I glanced at my watch. “Blue, I’ve got about an hour before Emilio will be hungry again. And maybe thirty minutes before Kaz will start searching for me and wondering why I didn’t show up at breakfast.”
Blue nodded. “Paolo will also be looking for you too.”
I sighed. “The males in my life.”
Blue smirked. “We’ll get answers and then have you back with them in no time.”
The garden, Lunita? Who were you fucking in there?
Chapter 2
The Garden
Emily
Knowing I didn’t have much time, I hurried to the garden. With each step, I replayed that footage of Lunita in my mind.
How did you know that you could go to the garden by yourself and get fucked?
That was too much of a coincidence to stroll through an indoor garden and have dick in our ass minutes later.
You had been planning this for a while?
A shudder of terror went through me.
If Lunita had time to plan an evening sexual rendezvous, then that meant she had been out a few times courting some guy around the mansion.
Was he a staff member or the Brotherhood? No way.
My fingers shook.
Someone from Harlem Crew? Who could be so stupid to fuck me while the Lion slept?
I headed toward the double glass doors leading to the indoor garden.
When we purchased this massive property, the first thing that I wanted was an indoor garden placed inside. I thought nature would be a great space for Paolo and me to heal. Although it snowed on the outside, we could plant flowers and pretend it was spring.
K.D. had gone through great feats to rush with the huge project. Construction on the massive place started days after we moved in. Five hundred square feet was cleared away. It was the size of a small apartment. Also, the ceiling had been replaced with glass.
A week later, the space was ready for ten gardeners to do their magic.
Baba, Paolo, and I would show up with them during the day, trying to help. We did little things, but mostly got in the professionals’ way.
So much needed to be executed—laying down soil, putting in plants, trees, bushes, and flowers. Once they created the miracle space, K.D. kept one gardener on for full-time to maintain the space—pruning, watering, and fertilizing.
The gardener had a small studio apartment with his door being within one of the garden’s walls.
Wait.
I stopped in front of the glass doors.
Lunita. . .did you fuck the gardener?
I’d never given the man much thought. Every now and then, I caught the maids whispering about how sexy he was. Even Valentina had made a remark about possibly trying to fuck him one day.
Meanwhile, I had focused on getting the mansion ready for Emilio and making sure that Lunita didn’t come out. Any other remaining time was given to Paolo and Kaz.
Please, don’t say it’s the gardener.
Blue reached out to touch the knobs.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m going in by myself.”
Blue frowned. “Emily, I should be by your side—”
“I’m no longer pregnant. Men are guarding the house’s outside perimeter. Plus, there’s only a gardener inside. If he bothers me, I’m fucking him up.”
Blue glanced Giorgio’s way.
He nodded. “The Mouse can definitely handle herself against a gardener.”
Blue frowned.
“Thank you, Butler.” I grabbed the knob, opened it, and headed inside.
Walking in was like entering a lush paradise of greenery, exotic flowers, and ornate water features. The garden was carefully manicured and pruned, with stone pathways winding through the plants and bushes that were carefully trimmed, with vibrant green leaves.
Soft grass covered the ground, feeling like carpet on the fingertips. Water trickled along elaborate lion and mouse statues scattered around the space.
Baba had a large bench in the far back where she enjoyed reading stories to Paolo in the afternoon. Further away, there was a small white table with chairs near the lilacs for Baba and Olga’s Sunday card game.
Some mornings, I brought Emilio out here to feed, enjoying the bright colorful view.
At night, the space was well-lit, with moonlight streaming in through large windows and skylights. Anytime Max was visiting, he chose to smoke in here rather than go outside into the snowy cold.
Today, bright sunlight flooded through the glass ceiling.
Off on the side, the gardener watered bushes of pink roses with no shirt on. He had his back to me as he whistled.
I slowly strolled down the path, keeping space between us.
Was it him?
I headed over to Kaz’s favorite part of the garden and put my attention there.