The Way You Love Me (The Lawsons of Louisiana Book 5)

by Donna Hill

  When they arrived at First Impressions, Dominique showed Justin the jewelry case that was lined with what looked like very expensive jewelry. She picked a rope choker coated in cubic zirconia that sparkled like diamonds, a real pair of diamond studs and a matching cuff bracelet. “On the house,” she teased and put the items in a gift box.

  “Thanks so much.”

  “I hope she appreciates you,” Dominique said while she walked him to the door.

  Justin stopped at the door. He looked at his sister. “I truly believe she does.”

  Justin kissed his sister’s cheek. “Thanks for today, sis. Gotta go.” He climbed into his Navigator and pulled off.

  Chapter 20

  Bailey picked through her closet and her dresser drawers and put a few items into a small carryall. A couple of tops, a pair of shorts, jeans, undies and lotion. The rest of her things were generally in her purse. She’d pick up a toothbrush and her favorite deodorant from the drugstore on her way to work.

  She was still in a state of euphoria. She was in love, and the most incredible man was in love with her. Her sister, her flighty sister, finally admitted that she loved her. Bailey was in a good place in her soul. Better than she’d been in a long time—bills and no scholarship be damned. For now she was going to enjoy her time in the sun.

  “Going away?” Apryl asked, appearing in the doorway of Bailey’s room.

  “No. Just putting a few things together to leave at Justin’s place.”

  “Well, well. Sounds serious.” She came into the room and sat on the side of Bailey’s bed.

  “Getting there,” Bailey offered without saying more.

  “I’ve left more of my things around town to fill a small boutique,” she said in a self-deprecating way.

  Bailey took a quick glance at her sister and was surprised to see the unhappiness that hung around the downturn of her mouth.

  “One of these days I may get a drawer all my own.” She looked up at her sister. “You’re lucky. He really cares about you. I can tell. He’ll make space for you in his closet and in his life.” She snorted a laugh. “I know these things. My own love life may be shot to hell, but I can always predict someone else’s.”

  Bailey sat down next to Apryl. “When you stop looking and when the time is right, the perfect man is going to walk right into your life. Stop chasing after love, sis.”

  Apryl rested her head on Bailey’s shoulder the way she used to do when she was much younger. It still felt good. “I’ll try to follow your advice.”

  * * *

  Bailey arrived at the Mercury Lounge by six. The private party was scheduled to begin at eight. The third floor had been reserved, and the waitstaff was already setting up. They were expecting a party of seventy-five, some corporate bigwigs and their wives and guests. The party organizer had ordered top-shelf everything from the appetizers to the dessert.

  Vincent was on his way down when Bailey arrived on the third level.

  “Everything looks good,” he said without preamble. “You can take it from here.”

  “Thanks.”

  He breezed by her without saying anything further. Bailey breathed a relieved sigh and entered the dining room. She reviewed the inventory and checked all of the carts. The third floor had its own kitchen for events like this, so she went to meet with the chef to ensure that he had everything he needed. With that last item out of the way, she met with the waitstaff supervisor for the event to go over the guest list and the staff for each table.

  “I’ll check in shortly. And you can reach me on the bluetooth if anything comes up throughout the night.”

  “Yes, Ms. Sinclair.”

  Bailey gave one last look around then went to the main level. She’d be doing double-duty tonight, but that was fine. It made the night go by faster.

  On her first break of the evening, she called Justin to tell him to wait up for her, that she would come by when she got off work. He told her he was more than looking forward to it and would definitely make it worth the ride over.

  With so much to look forward to, the night seemed to glide by. She felt good, deep-down-in-her-soul good. She went up to the third level to check on the guests and the service.

  “Aren’t you the one from the party?”

  Bailey stopped short. She tilted her head in question. And then she recognized the woman in front of her. She was with Justin the night of the party, the one who made the catty remark about talking to the help.

  “Good to see you again. Welcome to Mercury.”

  “What does he see in you?”

  “You’d have to ask him.”

  “You’ll never measure up,” she said, stepping close. “He’s intrigued for now. Something new. But he’ll be back once he realizes that slumming isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

  “As long as you keep believing that. The real question is not what he sees in me but what did he ever see in you?”

  Jasmine’s eyes flared, and if looks could kill, someone would be preparing Bailey’s eulogy. She took a sip from her glass of champagne and spun away.

  Bailey was trembling inside. Fury spun in her gut like a tornado needing to let loose on someone or something. She conducted her work with professionalism even as she wanted to smack the smug look off Jasmine’s face each time she fell into her line of sight. And every time, Jasmine would lean close to her conversation companion, giggle behind her hand and look in Bailey’s direction.

  Bailey went about her duties and instructed the staff before returning to the main level.

  “What. Is. Wrong. With. You?” Mellie asked. “Who are you going to push out into traffic?”

  Bailey wouldn’t put the words together. To do so would give them more power than they were worth. Thinking about her brief run-in with Jasmine and her comments about Justin did leave her unsettled, though. How much truth was there in what Jasmine said? Hadn’t she said the very same things herself? “Nothing,” she finally said. “You know how the money folks can act.”

  “Hmm,” she groused. “I know that’s right. But at least they’re good tippers.”

  “Yeah,” Bailey said absently then walked down to the other end of the bar to serve a customer. Just slumming.

  * * *

  Bailey parked the car on the winding driveway of Justin’s home. The lights on the ground floor were on. She could hear the faint sound of music coming from the house. This was the life that Jasmine claimed as hers, the life that Bailey only read about. Would Justin grow tired of her once he realized that she didn’t fit in?

  The front door opened, and Justin stood in the archway. He trotted down the steps and crossed the driveway to where Bailey was parked. She let the window down.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

  Bailey smiled. “Fine. Was just taking a minute.”

  “Rough night?”

  “A little.” She pressed the button to raise the window, shut off the car and got out.

  Justin took her carryall, draped his arm around her shoulder then kissed the top of her head. “Let me see what I can do to make you feel better. I ran you a bath. Water’s hot, wine is cold, and I’ve been known to give a mean massage.”

  She glanced up at him, and her spirit began to rise. “I like the sound of all of that.”

  “Right this way.”

  * * *

  As promised, a hot bath was waiting, and the room held the aromatic scent of jasmine. The lights were dimmed, and candlelight flickered from the votives set strategically around the spa-size bath.

  “Oh, Justin...” She turned to him and was greeted by his smile. Her heart swelled. “This is...” She was at a loss for words.

  “This is all for you.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll bring yo
u some wine. Want to hear some music while you unwind?”

  “Sure,” she whispered. “That would be wonderful.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He crossed the heated mosaic tiles and pressed a button on a panel by the door. Soft, instrumental music floated through the air.

  “Perfect.”

  Justin winked. “Be right back.”

  While he was gone, Bailey got undressed and stepped into the steamy water. Every muscle in her body moaned with pleasure as she slowly descended into the fragrant water. She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes, allowing the water to loosen her limbs.

  “Here you go, babe.”

  Bailey’s eyes fluttered open. Justin was sitting on the edge of the tub with a flute of wine in his hand.

  She sighed with pleasure and took the glass. “Thank you.”

  “You can turn on the jets in the tub if you want.”

  “Thanks, I will.”

  He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “See you when you’re done.”

  She nodded with a closemouthed smile.

  Justin walked away and closed the door behind him. Bailey pressed the start button for the jets in the Jacuzzi, sipped her wine and experienced heaven.

  She’d actually drifted to sleep, long enough that the hot water was now warm. She turned on the faucets and added more hot water, finished bathing and got out. A thick aqua-blue towel was laid out across a table. She dried off and wrapped herself in the towel that reached beyond her knees then opened the adjoining door that led to Justin’s bedroom.

  “Hey, feeling better?”

  “Much.”

  “You can put whatever you want in the top two drawers and make whatever space you need in the closet if you have things you want to hang,” he said from his seat by the window.

  This was really happening. She was actually putting her clothing in Justin’s home. He’d made space for her. This was no simple act; this was taking their relationship to another level.

  “You’re sure about this?”

  He glanced up from what he was doing on his laptop. “Sure about what, babe?”

  She felt silly asking, but she needed to hear the words. “Sure about me...taking up space.”

  Justin closed the cover of his laptop, set it on the table next to him and got up. He crossed over to where she was standing. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gazed down into her eyes. “Listen, you can take up all the space you want with me, in my home and in my life. Okay?”

  Bailey blinked back the sudden burn in her eyes. “Okay.”

  “And don’t you think for one minute that you don’t belong here. You do. You belong here because I want you to be here.” He stepped closer and put his arms around her waist. “Now that we have that out of the way, you hungry or do you want to turn in?”

  “I’m really tired. I think I’ll turn in.”

  “Cool. I have a few cases to review. As soon as I’m done, I’ll give you that massage that I promised.”

  Bailey grinned. “Looking forward to experiencing your skills.”

  “Oh, baby, you have experienced my skills.” He winked and walked back to his seat by the window.

  While Justin worked, Bailey unpacked her carryall, putting undies and some tops in the drawer and her toiletries in the bathroom. She had brought two pairs of jeans and blouses for work that she hung in the deep walk-in closet. He had enough designer clothes and shoes to start a small boutique. She added her meager belongings.

  “There’s a box on the bottom shelf. It’s for you,” Justin called out.

  Bailey looked at the sleek black box with the gold embossed letters of Femme Boutique. Her heart pounded. She gingerly lifted the box and brought it out of the closet. She placed it on the bed.

  “Go ahead. Open it. I swear it won’t bite.”

  “Justin...”

  “Open it.”

  She lifted the cover, and her breath caught when she lifted back the scented tissue paper. Tucked in the box was a black dress that seemed to glisten from the hand-sewn insets across the bodice. She tenderly lifted the dress and held it up. It was a dress straight out of one of the top fashion magazines. The bodice was sleeveless and fitted, sprinkled with stones that looked like diamonds. The top was heart-shaped and tapered down to a flounced skirt of silk and tulle, that was both sexy and flirty.

  Bailey held the dress up to her body and imagined herself in it. “Oh, Justin...it’s beautiful.” She spun toward him and was rewarded with his devastating smile.

  “There’s more.”

  “More?” She whirled back to the box, and beneath the tissue paper was two boxes from First Impressions. She opened the long box that held the bracelet and choker. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Then she opened the smaller box and a pair of diamond earrings twinkled back at her. “Oh, my God. I don’t believe this.”

  “Can’t wait to see you in it.”

  “Justin...this is too much.”

  “Naw. I thought it would be a good incentive for you to get all dressed up and come with me to the foundation gala. And I wanted to do something special for you.”

  She clung to the dress as if she couldn’t believe it was real. “You’ve done so much already.”

  Justin crossed his right ankle over his left knee and leaned forward. “Babe, anything I do for you is because I want to.”

  “But I can’t do anything for you...nothing like this.”

  “This isn’t tit for tat. I’m not looking for anything. What you can do for me is be happy and let me be there for you.” He got up and came to her. He took the dress from her hands and put it on the bed. “Let me love you, Bailey.”

  Her body flooded with heat. That was the second time he’d uttered the word love. Was it simply an endearing phrase that he used, or did it have real meaning? Did he love her? Really love her?

  “Love me?” she murmured.

  “Yes, love you. And I don’t mean make love to you. I mean love you, the way a man loves a woman, the way I want to love you, totally and without reservation.” He paused and searched her open expression. “Let me.” He didn’t give her time or room to respond. He covered her mouth with his and reconfirmed his declaration.

  She melted against him, sank into the essence of him, absorbed him through her pores and when her towel fell away and tumbled at her feet, she loved him back with every ounce of her being.

  Chapter 21

  Justin pulled up in his driveway just as twilight was beginning to settle, that in-between time when it’s hard to determine fact from fiction. But whatever doubts and feelings of uncertainty he’d been having today about his career path were erased when he spotted the Benz already parked. His wavering spirits soared.

  Bailey was curled up on the couch intently watching the new Omari Hardwick series when Justin walked in. She hopped to her feet, and he pulled her into his arms. She’d never felt so good to him as she did now. He held her close, kissed her cheeks, her ears, her lips as if he had to assure himself that she was really here. That this was real.

  “You don’t know how much this means having you here now, today,” he breathed into her hair.

  She stepped back, looked up at him and cupped his face in her palms. Her eyes scored his taut expression. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  He looked away and released her then walked over to the bar and poured a quick glass of bourbon. “You want something?”

  “Do I need something?”

  He tossed the drink down his throat, savored the warmth then set the glass down. He leaned back against the bar, folded his arms. Bailey sensed that she needed to sit down and she did.

  “I had a conversation with my father today. He is tying himself in knots about me leaving the firm to launch The Justice Project. He went on and
on about how I was going to ruin my legal career, mess up my connections to some of the most influential people in Baton Rouge.” He shook his head with annoyance. “I told him in no uncertain terms that it was long past the time when he could dictate my life to me. He was either going to support me, or...walk away.” He took a swallow of his drink. “He then said he had an ‘important call coming in.’ and had to go.” He snorted a laugh then shrugged. “Branford Lawson isn’t used to his way not being ‘the’ way.”

  She pushed up from her seat and walked up to him. She took his hands. “I’m here. We’re in this together, whatever way it works out.”

  Relief softened the lines around his eyes. A smile of thanks lifted his mouth. “This is why I love you,” he whispered, before covering her lips with his.

  They spent the rest of the evening talking about what the future would hold for both of them—Justin’s pursuing his new venture and her returning to law school.

  “So have you heard anything yet from the schools that you applied to?”

  She shook her head. “I can pretty much go wherever I want if I had the money to pay for it.” She snorted a laugh. “I’ve gotten a couple of partial scholarships but nowhere near what I need. But I’m hopeful. I’m still waiting on the big one—Harvard. They’re really trying to elevate their diversity, and they have money.”

  “Harvard... You’d have to leave...”

  She stole a glance at him and nodded slowly. “But I still haven’t heard anything. The letters should be going out soon.”