He holds out a hand, palm toward me. "You will do no such thing, Denielle." A soft smile tugs on the corner of his mouth. "I don't know whatconditionyou have, and I told you I wouldn't intrude if it doesn't impact your ability to perform your job."
"But I—" He shakes his head, halting me once more. I want to advise that threatening the person he has a lucrative contract with would fall undernot doing my job.
"Collin Liberman is a walking, talking sexual harassment lawsuit in the waiting. Not to mention his little recreational habit."
When he sees my stunned expression, he chuckles. "The fashion industry is worse than any high school clique or sorority house. Everyone talks about everyone."
"It seems I was the only one in the dark, then," I say, new humiliation clogging my throat.
"I've known you for as long as you've worked for Liberman, Denielle. You are very talented, which is why I hired you. Not for who you worked for before La Déesse or who you dated. My guess is, you never wanted to know because you didn't care enough for that little cretin to bother your pretty head."
Warmth spreads through my chest at his words, and I don't stop the moisture from spilling over this time.
He angles his head, folding one arm over his chest as his other palm touches the side of his neck. "Sweetheart, if your ex tries to kill my contract with his mother over this, I will inform Phyllis about why he missed yesterday's meeting. I know what's going on in this town. I may be an eccentric fashion designer, but I have my eyes and ears—especially when Little Man Liberman walks into one of my friend's clubs, asking for blow." Denis rolls his eyes, and I have no words.
I can't believe my luck with my boss. "I, um… Are you sure?"
He ignores my question and replies, "Show me what you have in mind for your client tomorrow."
After my appointmentwith Em on Thursday, Denisordersme to take the rest of the afternoon off. I met Em at nine, and we narrowed down the fabrics. She left the dress, and we scheduled a fitting for the first round of alterations.
As Denis dismissed me, he declared he'd handle Collin for the remainder of his stay. He was scheduled to leave at the end of the day Friday, which meant he'd be back at the other end of the country when I would return to work. Not that I couldn't have taken care of Collin, but the possibility of me getting reckless with another sharp object was highly likely to very probable.
I walk into Lilly's house around noon and find Ethan rummaging through the pantry. He turns at my approach and glances between the clock on the microwave and me. "You're early."
I lift a shoulder and wink. "My boss gave me the rest of the day off."
A grin spreads across his face. "Nice. You're more of a workaholic than Lilly."
A snorty laugh bursts out of me. "Yeah, right. Have you met the woman?" While Lilly and Rhys make sure to have a work-life balance and spend time together, as well as with Audrey and their families, both have their phones attached to them. Lilly is on call twenty-four seven.
"I heard you guys are hittingThe Clubtonight? I'm a little jealous." He wiggles his brows.
"Why's that?"
"B made me swap shifts, which means I'm pulling a double right now." As if on cue, he yawns and reaches for his energy drink on the counter.
I narrow my eyes. "I didn't think that was allowed. Don't you guys have to always be on high alert?"
He wiggles the can in response, and I purse my lips.
"Where is Ben or J?" Ben and J are the other two guys on rotation with Marcus and Ethan. While Marcus is their boss and the only one living on the property, two of the other three are always present.
"Ben got some stomach thing, called in sick last night. And J has a few days off. He headed home to visit a friend."
Lilly hasn't had any threats recently, but the guys are never careless with the security. Working a sixteen-hour shift is a lot.
Reading my mind, he elaborates, "Marcus called J back, but he won't be here until tomorrow. G ordered three guys from the Altman to the vineyard, and everyone else had their regular shifts at the hotels."
George brought more security up north? Does Lilly know about that?
"Well, I guess you stock up on those." I nod toward his liquid energy.
"Will do." He salutes me with the can as he passes me. "I'm gonna hit the cot downstairs once I'm off in an hour. See ya around, Den."
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
MARCUS