All Things Pretty by M. Leighton Read Free Book Online

the
marble foyer, with its light gray walls and muted lighting. To me,
everything has this cold, dark look, like there’s perpetual shade
in here. Or maybe it just looks shady. Like the owner of the place.
Goon number three drops me off in the equally drab living room.
It’s a sea of whites, blacks and grays and the only color besides
Tonin’s ruddy, pock-marked face is in Tommi’s flushed cheeks and
her jewel green shirt.
    “I assume you’re doing precisely what you
tell me you’re doing. I know you know what would happen if I
found out you were lying to me.”
    “Yes, I do know. So then why have me
followed?”
    “You’re not being followed. You’re being
protected. There’s a difference.”
    “It doesn’t feel different. It feels like an
invasion of my privacy.”
    “You shouldn’t need privacy from me. I love
you. I have only your best interests at heart.” Hearing the word
love come from an asshole like Tonin’s lips is about as incongruous
as Mike Tyson in a Gandhi costume. A guy like Lance Tonin doesn’t
love anything but money. Possessions. Power. And his facial
expression tells me I’m right. There’s no love there. No real
concern. Obsession maybe, but no love.
    “It’s not my privacy, per se. It’s
Travis’s. Do you know what this will do to his routine?”
    “Fine then Sig will keep a safe distance
when you’re with Travis, but he will be going with you. This
is non-negotiable.”
    Tommi’s spine is so straight it looks like
she might split in two if she tries to bend. I can tell she wants
to say something else, but she’s keeping it to herself. Fear?
Maybe. But I don’t think so. She doesn’t look afraid. She just
looks…pissed. But then why not speak up? There seem to be some
subtleties about their dynamic that I need to learn. I probably
shouldn’t care. After all, I’m here to take down Tonin by whatever
means necessary. I tell myself that Tommi might be “whatever means”
and knowing all I can know about her will only help me.
    At least that’s what I tell myself.
    I ignore the fact that I’m anxious to know
her, to learn her, to get a feel for her. She damn near fascinates
me, but luckily I’m not the type to let a woman get to me. The
fairer sex is a helluva lot of fun and I love everything about
their bodies and the way their minds work, but when it comes to
matters of the heart, I keep my distance. Not much good comes from
love and that knowledge will serve me well in situations like this.
There’s zero danger of me getting too close.
    Angrily, Tommi slings her purse strap over
her shoulder and stalks toward me, barking a short, “Let’s go,” as
she passes.
    I glance at Tonin and he bobs his head once,
his already-thin lips thinning further as his jaw flexes
rhythmically. “Don’t lose her.”
    I return his sharp nod. “No problem.”
    With my long legs, I catch up to Tommi
before the elevator doors close. I stick my hand in to stop it,
grinning at the way her eyes flash at me.
    “I don’t see anything funny about this
situation.”
    “Funny? Not funny, but your eyes are like
green fire and your cheeks are all pink and flushed, like you’ve
just been fuc– errr, like you’ve just been kissed. It’s sexy as
hell. And I always grin at sexy-as-hell women.”
    If anything, I think she actually gets
madder. Which makes me wanna smile all the more. I edge up close to
her and stick out my bent arm. “Wanna punch me? Would that make you
feel better?”
    She turns furious eyes up to mine and, for a
second, I think she’s gonna cuss me out, the way her mouth drops
open. But she doesn’t. Instead, she balls up her fist and pulls
back to land a decent punch to my deltoid.
    I nod at her. “Not bad for a girl.”
    “Want me to try again? Below the waist? With
my knee?” She says the words through gritted teeth, like she
relishes the thought of nailing me in the balls.
    “As much as I like the thought of my ‘below
the waist’ being on your mind, that’s not