Page 23 of Lemon Drop

“Get some sleep,” he said quietly, backing away from the door. “Lock it behind me.”

“Okay.”

His gaze lingered on me a minute longer. “Good night, Apple.”

“Good night, Saadiq.”

He turned and walked toward his truck. I waited until he climbed inside before closing the door and locking it. Sighing, I leaned my forehead against the wood. Shit was confusing enough. The last thing I needed was to have to figure out why watching Saadiq Masters walk away reluctantly hurt worse than watching Adam get caught.

(The next morning)

Sunday morning. It was a day of rest for many, but not for me. Never for me. When I was younger, my pops used to have my sister Deja and me up at Sunday School, then in eleven AM service. I hadn’t done that in a few months. I needed to get back to it.

And now that I was grown, Sunday was usually just another workday, time to review the past week and preview the coming one. I was always up as the sun won its battle over the night sky, had been an early bird for as long as I could remember. This morning was no different. I sat in my office, sunlight pouring through its huge windows, parked in front of my desktop. It was barely seven AM. I tried to hide my frown as I took another sip of the coffee my housekeeper Roxana had made. She was a sweetheart, skilled at so many things, but her coffee just didn’t measure up… not when I was used to whatever it was that Topaz handed me every morning.

Topaz. Seeing my always together executive assistant shook last night bothered me more than it should. Already, I was planning all the ways Adam Milhouse would pay for that devastated look I’d seen on her face before she could hide it. Her pain didn’t sit right with me, and if I were honest, the fact that she was hurt by his trifling ass bothered me just as much. I didn’t want Topaz to care that much about him, about any man… except me. And I was about to show her all the reasons why I was worth it. I knew she’d say she needed time, and she could have that. But there’d be no other man as she healed. I was going to dismantle all the protests and boundaries that had kept me from openly claiming the woman that I had not-so-secretly wanted for a while now. She didn’t really take me seriously before.

She would now.

“Mr. Saadiq? Is it okay?” Roxana’s voice broke through my thoughts.

She stood there, looking anxious, her posture stiff, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. No way could I shoot her down by telling her that the coffee was minimally acceptable, because it wasn’t my Apple’s, not when I knew that Topaz had patiently explained to her exactly how to make it. My approval meant a lot to her. So, I allowed a small smile to curve my mouth and looked her right in the eye.

“It’s fine,” I lied.

I saw her body relax, a soft sigh escaping her. Damn, was I that much of a monster? I expected a lot of my employees, but I gave a lot as a boss, including generous pay and benefits.

“Do you need anything else?”

“I’m good, Rox. Go on and handle whatever else you need to,” I instructed.

She nodded once before giving me a sweet smile and disappearing, the door closing with a soft click behind her. I sipped the coffee again. It wasn’t horrible; it just wasn’t Topaz’s. But I needed the caffeine, so I was about to drink it down. I was halfway through the large mug when Damien Montana called me.

I stared at his name on my phone for a few seconds before answering. Demon and I weren’t close. We didn’t call to shoot the shit, and we damn sure didn’t check in on each other’s weekends. Four years ago, we’d had our first real conversation because his sister and Topaz needed somebody he trusted to keep them safe. Protecting Topaz was a job I was made for. Since then, we’d talked when circumstances required it, crossed paths a few times, and developed the kind of relationship where we respected each other. So, him calling at seven on a Sunday morning? I already knew what this was about.

“Montana.” I answered.

“Masters,” he returned coolly.

I waited. He was the one who’d called, and neither of us was the type for small talk.

“You busy?”

“Yes,” I said truthfully.

There was a moment of silence, then… “Okay. I don’t give a fuck.”

I smiled despite myself and leaned back in the soft leather of my chair. “What you want?”

“Four years ago, you told me I could trust you with them.”

The smile disappeared. “I ain’t done shit to make you think you couldn’t,” I said tightly.

“Really? Cuz you looking like you slipping up, nigga, and I don’t like slip ups,” he said.

I set my mug down. “I know you used to everybody quaking and quivering around you, but that ain’t me. Watch how you move around me, Montana.”

He laughed softly. “You definitely got me fucked up. But I ain’t call for a pissing contest. I also didn’t call to blame you for another grown man’s fuck ups.”