“Why is there a security company in front of my house?”
“You need cameras and an alarm system. They’re the best. Expensive as shit but worth it.”
“Omiri, seriously? This is my house, not yours.”
“This isn’t your house. It belongs to Tristar Property Management.” He said it so smoothly and nonchalantly that I had that immediate urge to chop him in the throat again.
“My name is on the lease and you can’t just go installing shit without their permission or mine.”
“I reached out to them and they were cool with me installing a security system as long as the vendor was a credible source, and before you give me that shit about you not wanting it, my daughter is here. Y’all live alone and you need protection.”
“From who? Mrs. Wilson who bakes pies and casseroles for the people on the street she likes because she gets bored and loves to cook?” I frowned hard and Omiri shrugged.
“I don’t know who the hell that is, but if she’s a threat, then yeah. That’s exactly why you need a security system.”
“This neighborhood is safe.”
“I know you’re not that naïve. You’re a single woman who lives alone with a small child whose father is a public figure. That puts both of you at risk. Fans can get crazy; there’s always somebody looking to cash in and media outlets are forever looking for a story. They don’t give a damn about how they get to me to print a headline.”
“You realize you’re proving my point as to why it’s not a good idea for you to be in our lives.”
“I’m also proving that I understand who I am so I’m putting things in place to make sure none of my shit touches either one of you.”
He was, but this was a lot all at once.
“A simple conversation would have been nice.”
“I’m discussing it with you now.”
“They’re here pulling stuff out of the van to install. This is not a discussion, it’s you telling me what you’re doing.”
“This is me avoiding an argument with you that your ass wouldn’t win.”
“I don’t want cameras in my house.”
His eyes traveled the length of my body. “I do.”
I glared and he grinned. “If you really don’t want me to make this happen, that’s cool. I’ll just get you and Avi a place in my building. They already have security and I’ll have more access.”
Oh hell no…
“Hard ass pass on that.” He laughed and I bounced Avi, rubbing her back. “I don’t want cameras in my house.”
“They won’t be in the house but they will cover every entrance and they’re going to put sensors on all the windows.”
When I finally relented, he went to the door to greet three guys wearing black pants and matching gray polos with the SecureMe logo printed on them. Omiri walked them through my entire house, allowing them to do an analysis of where everything needed to go. I curled up on the sofa with Avi so I wasn’t in the way, and for the next two hours, I watched them bring in equipment and install motion sensors, glass shattering sensors, and cameras at the front door before they moved on to the back door and placed two more on the house, front and back.
They also switched out the smoke detectors with newer ones that could be monitored on their app along with carbon monoxide detectors. They were thorough and I was impressed. Omiri supervised them, being attentive to instructions on how everything worked while I did my best to try and hold on to some type of normalcy for what my life used to look like.
I was fighting a losing battle because there was nothing normal about this man taking over my space and adjusting my life to fit him into it. The worst part was that he looked damn good doing it. I watched him moving around my house and hated how he easily fell into the natural role of being mine and Avi’s protector. His sexy ass was handling shit in such a casual unbothered way that my pussy appreciated Omiri commingling in our space.
This was a problem, a very big problem.
Once everything was in place, one of the techs collected all the discarded packaging and took it out to the van while another remained behind, handing a tablet over to Omiri. I untucked my legs and crossed the room, placing Avi into her swing before I joined them. My body brushed the side of Omiri’s when I squeezed between the two men so I could see what they were doing.
How the hell is he explaining how to secure my house to someone who doesn’t live here?
“Oh good, I was just about to call you over. Here’s the app, Ms. Phoenix.” He pointed at the screen. “When you’re home, you can monitor everything from here. When you’re not, you can use the app on your phone.”
