She woke up early again, but this time it was with a feeling of utter contentment and happiness. She looked at the man sleeping on the other side of the bed and couldn’t believe they were together. It was clear that they couldn’t stay away from each other, and Lauren was fine with that being the case.

She watched him sleep for a few minutes and thought about how she could get used to waking up like this every day.

Lauren rolled over quietly and picked up her phone, feeling the need to check in with work, just in case. She did have a text from Kayla, but all it said was: Everything’s still good. No more word from police. No media (yet). Hope the date went well!

Unable to stop grinning, Lauren thought, Oh yes, the date went very well.

She thought about waking Hakim up, but decided against it. If she did that, there was no telling how long they would be there and in spite of Kayla’s text, Lauren wanted to be visible in the office that morning. She hated to leave so early, but if she left now, she could make it home, shower and change, and still get into the office before everyone else.

She carefully climbed out of bed and quietly gathered her things while Hakim slept. She left a note on the kitchen counter telling him that she’d had a wonderful time and was headed into work (just in case), and said she’d call later. She put the note where he would be sure to find it and leaned down so that she could give Zeus a pat good morning.

On the drive home, Lauren still couldn’t stop grinning. It was a silly, sappy smile, she was sure, but it was a smile she was happy to be wearing. She briefly considered what their night of passion had meant for their deal of just one date, but Lauren was too blissful to dwell on such details. At that moment, it didn’t matter. They were good together, she was happy; those were the important things.

She was so distracted, she missed when the red light she was stopped at turned green. The driver behind her honked loudly and Lauren jerked her head up and realized the car was waiting on her. She stepped on the gas and gave the other driver a little wave to say sorry. The car turned right and Lauren was kind of glad she didn’t have to deal with the mortification of having that driver follow her all the way home. She glanced back again and noticed that while the car immediately behind her had turned, there was another car behind her as well and he didn’t appear to be going anywhere.

She sighed. Oh well, so everyone would know how distracted she was that morning.

It was totally worth it.

It didn’t take her long to shower and get ready for work, and she hummed a merry tune the whole time. Still ahead of schedule, she grabbed some coffee and filled a to-go mug then headed for her car. When she got there, Lauren realized she wasn’t sure if she had her phone, so she put the mug on top of the car while she fished in her large bag. It wasn’t in the side pocket, where it belonged, but then she found it in the bottom of her bag. She put it in the right place, unlocked the car, and reached for the mug.

If she hadn’t done that, she might not have looked over and seen a car parked across the street. A car that looked very much—no, exactly like—the car that had been behind her after the missed green light. That side of the street wasn’t legal parking, so it was possible the car had just pulled over for a moment.

Somehow, Lauren didn’t think so. She got into the car and checked her mirrors to see if she could get a better look at the driver without him noticing. She felt a sense of shock when she realized it was the same guy who she’d recognized but couldn’t place at the theater the night before.

She was being followed!

Lauren still couldn’t remember where she knew the guy from, but given the timing, it was possible it had something to do with the embezzlement. Maybe the cops were watching her to make sure she wasn’t in on it?

She thought about simply walking across the street to ask the guy what he was doing, perhaps surprising him into telling her who he was working for, but wrote that off as a dangerous thing to do. Instead, Lauren decided to do a little detective work of her own.

She pulled her phone out of her purse and held it up to her ear. She shut the car off and took her foot off the brake, so he would know she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And then she made a show out of glancing in her mirror so that he would see her. She needed him to drive off so she could follow him, and she wanted him to think she was calling someone about the car sitting across from her apartment.

It took a few minutes and a bigger show of “seeing” him, but finally, the guy started his car and drove off. Lauren made sure to memorize the license plate and waited a minute. There was only one way out of her neighborhood, so she knew what direction he was headed in.

She carefully followed the car, keeping far enough back that he wouldn’t notice her. Or he wasn’t paying attention, because a couple of times she was sure she’d gotten too close. She knew the part of town they were driving in, which helped.

Actually, she was very familiar with this part of town. She hadn’t been here that often in the last few years, but often enough before than that she still knew all the roads and turns. Lauren started to get a bad feeling about who was in that car.

And ten minutes later, her fear was confirmed. She knew this building well indeed. And just as she realized where she was, she remembered who the man in the car was: her mother’s driver.

Oh, Patricia had gone too far this time.

Parking haphazardly in front of the building, Lauren stormed out of the car, slamming the door. She stopped by the other car, tapping on the window. When the window rolled down, she saw concern in the man’s eyes.

“I don’t care what my mother told you to do. Follow me again, and I’m calling the cops,” Lauren said furiously and then continued into her mother’s office building.

Not stopping at the reception desk, she hit the penthouse button in the elevator, ignoring the receptionist who was calling after her. When she got off the elevator at the top floor, she blew past her mother’s secretary and went directly into her mother’s office.

Patricia was on the phone, but the moment she saw Lauren, she hung up. She opened her mouth to speak but Lauren held a hand up, palm out.

“Are you having me followed?” Lauren spit out the question.

“No. I’m having someone keep an eye out for you, so that you don’t get into trouble.” Patricia made her voice calm, like she was talking to a small child.

“Mother, that’s the definition of being followed. I want you to stop it.”

“I don’t think so, sweetheart. You obviously need someone keeping watch over you.”

Lauren’s eyes got wide with fury. “I’m sorry, but what? I’m a grown woman, I can look out for myself.”

“Not where Hakim Khalif is concerned. Which you know, otherwise you would have told me before about what happened last week.”

“What happened is none of your concern.”

“Oh, but it is. He is using you, either to hurt me or to hurt you, and I won’t stand for it.”

“You know, if you’d been at my party, you would’ve known long before this. How did you even find out?”

“You never ask about any of my competitors, even when we talk about work. You asked very pointed questions about him, and then you admitted he had been at your party, so I did a little digging. How dare you not tell me that he bid that much money to buy you at your auction!”

“Really, Mother? Would it have been better if it had been less money?” Lauren couldn’t hide the sarcasm in her voice.

“My point exactly. He bought you! Why aren’t you mad at him? I’m doing what I need to do to keep you safe.”

“One, whatever I feel about Hakim winning the auction to buy me is my business, not yours. If I chose to forgive him for that, that’s my decision. I was the one who chose to do the auction in the first place, so I can’t complain about being bought.”

“Yes, well, that might not have been your best idea.” Patricia’s tone made it clear what she thought.

“Also none of your business. I don’t try to run your company; you stay out of mine. And two, the week is over, so it’s not an issue anymore.”

Patricia looked thoughtful, like she was considering what Lauren had to say, but her response was, “That’s not how it looked to my driver last night.”

“Oh, for the love of… Mom, who I see is none of your business.”

Patricia stood up and for the first time, Lauren heard real emotion in her mother’s voice. “But it is, Lauren. Hakim Khalif has been after my business since he expanded to California. He will do anything to hurt Sanders & Company, and that includes using you to get to me. He only bought you for that reason.”

Lauren dropped heavily into a chair, suddenly tired. “Well, of course, he was using the auction to get back at you. It was stupid and petty and he knows that.” At the incredulity on Patricia’s face, Lauren added, “Yes, he told me all about it.”

“And you believed him?” Patricia sounded like she couldn’t believe what her daughter was saying.

“Yeah, I did. He didn’t lie to me, even from the beginning. Told me exactly why he showed up at the party and bid on me at the auction. It didn’t work out the way he’d planned—once we got to know each other better, he realized this whole rivalry has been counterproductive for both of you.”

“Oh, Lauren. I know he’s charming, but you didn’t actually trust him when he said that, did you?”

“Actually, yes. He’s a good man. He’s got a definite business persona, but under all that, he’s a good person.”

“No, he’s really not. I’ve known him longer than you have, and I know for a fact that he’s only out for himself.”

“What about what you’ve done, Mother? Why didn’t you tell me about your side of this little war, hmm?”

Patricia lifted her chin. “I’ve only done what I had to in order to protect my company. And now I’m doing the same in order to protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection. I want you to promise that you will stop following me around.”

“I can’t do that, Lauren. I only have your best interests at heart, and unless you agree to cut this man out of your life, I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe.”

Lauren couldn’t do anything but stare at her mother. Lauren knew Patricia could be cold when it came to business, but this insistence on protecting her by having her followed was unnerving. Lauren wasn’t sure what to do. She’d insisted, her mother disagreed, and they were at an impasse.

All Lauren could do was leave, so that’s what she did.