Making You My Business (A Lennox in Love)

by Tina Martin

  For a moment, she was too stunned to find words again, but when she quickly snapped out of it, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

  He frowned and said with a stern tone, “My time is valuable, Jojo.”

  “Joelle,” she shot back. “My freakin’ name is Jo-elle. What are you doing at my house?”

  Ignoring her, he continued, “I was by the deli today waiting to speak with you when Jerry informed me you weren’t there. You forgot to mention that you were off today when we spoke yesterday.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Jojo said, throwing a hand up on her hip. “Who the freak do you think you are? I don’t owe you any explanation as to my whereabouts.”

  “Then you could at least be courteous and respectful of other people’s time,” he erupted.

  “Courteous and respectful? You show up at my door unannounced with a nasty attitude preaching to me about respect?”

  You rich, self-absorbed, thorn in my flesh…

  “Yeah. I’m here…here to tell you I didn’t appreciate that stunt you pulled, Jo-jo.”

  Her frown deepened as pure anger pounded in her chest like a rumble of thunder. “Let’s get a few things straight, Mr. Lennox. One, I don’t like your tone and you will not raise your voice at me. Two, I don’t work for you anymore, which means I don’t report to you or Lennox Enterprises and therefore, I do not owe you any explanation regarding my whereabouts. Three, do not—I repeat—do not show up at my house unannounced. It’s rude and highly inconsiderate. And as for your foolish proposition, the answer is no. You can take you money and shove it.”

  His frown deepened. Women didn’t tell him no. This was a new concept for him – one that took him aback. A chick saying no to him? On what planet? He wanted to throw up deuces and leave her right where she stood but he knew her input regarding the lodge would prove to be invaluable. That’s why Remington had gone to see her personally.

  Giovanni blew an irritated breath and struggled to remove the frown from his forehead when he said, “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re frowning.”

  “So are you.”

  Her eyes burned with annoyance. “I’m not the one in the wrong here, so my frown is warranted.”

  Giovanni stared at her for a long moment noticing, for the first time since he’d been talking to her, that she had clear goggles on her head and dust particles on her face and clothing. In her hand was a wood shutter. “You’re right,” he admitted, feeling like he’d caved. He never caved to a woman. Today was a day of many firsts for him.

  “I know I’m right. Now, if you would excuse me, I’m going to get back to my evening,” Jojo said, pushing the door closed.

  “Jerk,” she hissed to herself, propping the shutter on the wall next to the door. In a monotone that only she could hear, she said, “How you just gon’ roll up to my house talking about your time is valuable? Like I owe you something. I don’t owe you or that company anything. Need to get a grip. That’s what you need to do instead of coming to my house like you own me.” She began to walk back to the back porch, but his voice startled her.

  “This is how you treat your guests?” he asked loud enough so she could hear him on the other side of the door.

  “What’s with this guy?” she asked herself.

  “And I’m the rude one…” he yelled even louder.

  Jojo walked back to the door, glanced out the small window built into the door and watched the smirk on his face. If he thought he had any reign to her house, he had another thought coming. Jojo snatched the door open unaffected by his handsome, boyish smile and said snippily, “Yeah. You’re the rude one. I would never show up at your house or your job and stalk you.”

  “I’m not stalking you.”

  “I can’t tell. You interrupt me at my job, and now you’re bothering me at my house. What? You think you got it like that? These women around here got your head blown…like you can roll up on any woman you want. Throw a few dollars and think I’m at your beck and call. I’m here to tell you, Mr. Lennox…that crap doesn’t work with me.”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers, he asked, “Why do you have those goggles on top of your head?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “It is if I make it my business, Jo-jo. As a matter of fact, I intend to. See you tomorrow,” he said, walking away from her with a self-satisfied grin on his face. He stopped abruptly, turned around and said, “Oh, and by the way, if I was stalking you, you’d like it.”

  Speechless, Jojo closed the door and headed back to the porch. What just happened? Was that a threat? A forewarned invasion of privacy? From Giovanni Lennox? And if it was, what was she going to do about it?

  “You okay, girl?” Kierra asked when Jojo returned to the porch. “What happened? She didn’t like it?”

  “It wasn’t my neighbor. It, uh—”

  “Who was it, then? You look like you just saw a ghost.” Kierra giggled.

  “It was something more frightening than a ghost. It was Giovanni.”

  “What!”

  “Kierra, I don’t think he’s going to stop bothering me until he gets what he wants.”

  “And you’re one hundred percent sure this is work-related.”

  “Yeah. I told you…he wants to bring me on as a consultant.”

  “Yeah…consultant,” Kierra drawled out. “Did it ever cross your mind that Giovanni could be interested in you?”

  “Only for the sake of the hotel, yes.”

  “No. Forget about the hotel. I’m talking about you. Maybe he’s interested in you and using this consultant nonsense as a cover-up.”

  “No, and even if he was, you know how I feel about that. What man would want a woman with burn scars all over her body like me?”

  “Jojo, you can’t let that hold you back from finding love. If a man loves you, he’ll accept you the way you are.”

  “That’s a crock of bull and you know it. Men aren’t checking for me, especially a man like Giovanni. They want supermodel chicks. Like you.”

  “Oh, please,” Kierra said. “I’m not a supermodel.”

  “Don’t try to downplay it, Ms. Prom Queen. You always have men chasing after you.”

  “And you would have them chasing after you if you gave them a chance. You shoot every man down.”

  “Not true.”

  “It is true. Remember Zachary?”

  Jojo grinned. “Who could forget Zack? He was the tallest guy in our graduating class with the jacked up haircut. Had a cool whip swoop in the front.”

  Kierra laughed. “He was pretty fly for a white guy, though. Admit it.”

  “He was, but not my type.”

  “That’s my point. No guy is your type.”

  “Oh, hush,” Jojo said. “There will be someone. Maybe when I’m like sixty, some old man would want to marry me just for companionship. That’s why old people get married right?”

  Kierra could hardly stop laughing when she responded, “No. How about for love?”

  “Love? What’s that nowadays? Men say they love you just to sleep with you.”

  “Some men do,” Kierra said, “But the good ones are looking for their soulmates.”

  “Ugh. Change the subject already.”

  Kierra laughed harder.

  “I should’ve introduced you to Giovanni,” Jojo said. “That way, it would’ve gotten him off of my back.”

  “No need. I think he likes being on your back.”

  “Stop it,” Jojo said grinning. “I’m getting visuals.”

  Kierra chuckled.

  “Maybe if I agree to do this stupid consulting he wants, he’ll leave me alone,” Jojo reasoned.

  “In that case, the sooner you get started, the better.”

  Chapter 6

  “You didn’t tell me how difficult this girl was, Rem. With an attitude like that, it’s a wonder she was able to work at the lodge as long as she did,�
� Giovanni said, speaking about Joelle.

  “She didn’t come across like that when I talked to her. She declined my offer, but she did it in a respectful way.”

  “Well, you must’ve caught her on a good day. The chick got a mouth on her. That’s for sure.”

  Remington raised a brow. “And you don’t?”

  Giovanni leaned back in his chair. “What are you saying, man?”

  “I think I said it. You’re not the easiest person to get along with, Giovanni. You ever think that maybe it’s you.”

  “Me? What did I do?”

  Remington shook his head. “I’m not going to get into your moods and mannerisms. Just try to talk to her rationally. You can’t game her like she’s some girl you met at a club.”

  “Game her? I’m doing what you told me to do. I’m not trying to holla at her. She’s not even my type.”

  “So you’ve noticed.”

  Giovanni frowned. “Your point?”

  “If you noticed she wasn’t your type, then that means you were checking her out.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Frustrated, Giovanni sat down, blew a breath and kicked his feet up on his brother’s cherry oak desk.

  “Bottom line is, this shouldn’t be all that difficult,” Remington said.

  “So says the man who couldn’t get her to come back to the lodge with a twenty-dollar an hour offer. Now you think I’m capable. You have better people skills than I do, Rem, and you couldn’t get her back. Now, somewhere in your master plan, you think I’m capable of doing it?”

  “Why wouldn’t you be? You’re good with women.”

  “Women who I like, not the nose-in-the-air type.”

  “Didn’t get that vibe from Joelle.”

  “Yeah, well if you talked to her long enough, you would have.”

  Remington rubbed his hand across his head and said, “Look, if I had the time to invest in this, I would, but I don’t. As CEO of this business, I have to delegate certain tasks that I don’t have time for and this happens to be one of those. If you need to take some seminars on how to enhance your people skills, then by all means, go for it, because I need you in this role, man.”

  “But why not put someone in this role who has more experience? I’m not good at this, Rem. I’d be the first to admit it.”

  “Then who else is supposed to do it? Kenton is busy with sales. I’m swamped running the place and Drake is handling maintenance projects.”

  Giovanni stood up and said tersely, “All right. I’ll do it. But I’ma let you know right now. When I talk to Joelle today and she shoots me down again, that’s the last conversation I’m having with her. I’m not in the business of begging.”

  Irritated, Giovanni headed to his new office where he closed and locked the door behind him to prevent interruptions while he sat at his desk, trying to get his bearings. Jojo was giving him a run for his money and he didn’t like that. Dealing with women was easier than this. A lot easier. When had he ever had to go through so much trouble to convince a woman to do what he wanted her to do? Never. Fancy restaurants, a ride in his black Porsche and his charming good looks were usually enough to speak for him. But this Joelle girl had to be difficult. He even offered her a hundred bucks a day for one hour of her time and she looked at him like he was speaking gibberish.

  He rubbed the stiffness at the back of his neck. Enough with the stress of it. He couldn’t remember the last time he allowed something to get to him so much. Actually, he never did because he’d always have everything his way. Unfortunately, like this new district manager position, Jojo was proving to be quite the challenge.

  He glanced at his watch. He had three whole hours until noon – when he would see her at the deli. He wanted to be armed and ready with as much information about her as he could find. He already knew about the fire thanks to Emory, but that was a touchy subject. He couldn’t talk openly to her about that or ask her about her parents and her sister who had died in the fire. But he could talk to her about why she was wearing goggles when he saw her yesterday evening. Was it some hobby of hers? Curious, he did his own Internet search of her name, surprised when he couldn’t find any social networks that she was a part of – a woman after his own heart. He didn’t indulge in social media either. He was an in-your-face type of guy. Not the hide behind a computer type.

  He kept on browsing through the hundreds of search engine results until he got a hit: Bannon Restorations. He clicked on the link to be routed to the website and read in the About Us section:

  Founded by Gerard Bannon in 2001, Bannon Restoration takes old, wood furniture and restores it into a new piece to fit your home décor. Whether you found an old piece of furniture at a consignment shop, thrift store or just want to restore a family heirloom, Bannon Restoration is here to help.

  Giovanni leaned back in his chair. He knew her father’s name was Gerard, so Joelle must have restarted the company after her father passed. Not something he’d expected a woman to do, but it intrigued him. Honestly, she intrigued him but irritated him more. Armed with this information, he hoped that he’d finally be able to find some common ground with her when he interrupted her at work today.

  Chapter 7

  “He’s baaack,” Vanesha sung.

  Joelle looked up and saw Giovanni sitting at his usual table. He even had the nerve to smile and throw up his hand at her. She felt her stomach tighten again.

  “Seems like he gets more and more and handsome every time I see him,” Vanesha said.

  “Then go talk to him, Vanesha.”

  “I would, but looks like he only has eyes for you,” she said walking away with a tray.

  Ignoring her and him, Joelle headed to a table occupied by a couple who was dressed in workout gear. Looked like they went for a jog then came straight to lunch. She pretended not to notice Giovanni staring at her, but his eyes were like rays of sun warming her skin. Why did she let him get to her this way? Probably because this was the first time she’d ever had a man of his caliber – a man who was downright scrumptious – give her his undivided attention. She was too plain to be noticed by a man like him, not that she wanted the attention. She didn’t. She’d decided that she would never fall in love and get married. No one, besides her doctors, would see the hideous burn scars on her stomach, upper arms and left thigh. No one else.

  “Joelle,” Jerry said as Joelle walked back into the kitchen.

  “Yes, Jerry.”

  “Mr. Lennox asked for you personally. Can you take this to him, please?”

  Exasperation flooded her features. “He slows me down, Jerry. He wants to talk, and it’s putting me behind on my tables.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll get Vanesha and Kate to cover for you.”

  “Okay,” she said. She could just crawl underneath the table and die. She couldn’t defy her boss, so she picked up the tray, noticing he’d ordered the exact same meal he had the last two times she’d served him. Walking over to his table, she said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Lennox.”

  “Being polite today, are we?” he asked with a bemused smile on his face.

  “Yes, in hopes that it’ll rub off on you.”

  “Okay. I’ll admit…I shouldn’t have shown up at your house uninvited, but you left me no choice.”

  She started to glare but didn’t want him to know he was getting under her skin. He probably fed off of stuff like that. “Can I get your placard, please?”

  “No. Sit down with me for a minute. I’m sure Jerry told you it was okay.”

  Why me? She slid into the booth and sat down. “What is it, Mr. Lennox?”

  “That’s Giovanni to you, Jojo. Not Mr. Lennox. Giovanni. Got it?”

  “What do you want?” she asked, her right leg bouncing up and down under the table.

  “You know what I want,” he said. “I made you a proposition and you have yet to respond to it.” He picked up his plate and said, “Here…have half of my sandwich.”

  “No, thanks.”

  “All right. S
uit yourself.”

  He lowered his plate to the table, picked up half the sandwich and took a massive bite, almost swallowing the thing whole.

  Joelle frowned. “Don’t you get tired of eating the same lunch every day?”

  “I don’t eat the same lunch every day. I didn’t eat here yesterday. You weren’t here, so I didn’t bother.”

  “I don’t need to be here for you to eat your lunch.”

  “You kinda do. Besides, you’re the only reason I started eating here. I never stepped a foot in Island Street Deli before you. It’s all your fault, Joelle Bannon.” He took another bite.

  Whatever. “Anyway, I did respond to your proposition. You were being so mean, you probably forgot, but to refresh your memory, my answer was a firm, no.”

  “Yeah, I dismissed that. You were upset when you said no. You seem to be in a much better, calmer, more rational mood today. So, I figured I’d give it another shot.”

  “Okay, look…if I do this crap you’re requesting, will you leave me alone?”

  His chewing slowed as he looked at her. Who did she think she was talking to like that? Her attitude was messing with his head. “Crap, you say?”

  Flustered, she responded, “Forget it. I’ll do it. Write up a contract. One hour a day for thirty days. At the end of the thirty days, we’re done. No more contact. No more harassment. No more showing up at my job and no more interfering in my life.”

  “We don’t need a contract for this. I agree to your terms. Trust me, I don’t want to do this anymore than you do if that makes you feel any better.”

  “Good. Glad we agree. Now, if you would excuse me,” Jojo said, snatching the placard and scooting to the left to get out of the booth.

  “Actually, I didn’t excuse you,” he said firmly.

  Her eyebrows rose. Head snapped back. “You don’t have to excuse me. I excused myself.”

  After he took a sip of tea, he said mildly, “Okay. Go ahead and run off. I’ll just have Jerry send you back over here.”

  Jojo sighed deeply, feeling defeated. She hated that feeling more than witnessing the wide grin on Giovanni’s face. “Okay,” she said, remaining in the booth. “You win. What else is there to talk about?”