“I should be at SHN all day and on my cell.”
I look back and see Tiffany still at the door. “Someone is waiting for you,” I tell him.
“She’ll love this.” Landon bends down and our lips meet. His tongue sweeps deep in my mouth, staking its claim. He grabs my ass and squeezes.
My toes curl, and I’m light-headed when we break. “Wow. You know how to kiss.” Tiffany is now visibly angry. “Good luck getting by that without a scratch.”
“It would only make evicting her from the building that much easier.”
“I’ll see you later.” I get into the car with Yolanda.
As we drive away, I see Tiffany sashay up to Landon, ready to pounce. I do not envy him in this moment.
Chapter 17
Landon
As the Suburban drives off, Tiffany shimmies up to my side and pushes her ample breasts against my arm.
“Hey, handsome,” she coos.
I turn to walk back into the building. She’s practically running to keep up with me. “I understand you’ve been rude to my house guest.”
“She’s lying. I’ve been nothing but polite.”
I stop and turn to look at her. “Her bodyguard reported it to me, along with the security footage. Those are all lies?”
Tiffany steps back. “I’m just keeping with the rules of the building.”
“She’s registered with the HOA as a long-term guest, which is what she became two days ago. She’s also my business partner and has every right to work with me in my apartment. Leave her alone.”
I’m getting upset, and it’s obvious. I continue moving back toward the elevator, willing myself to calm down.
Tiffany catches up with me as I wait for the elevator to arrive. “When can I see you?” Her voice softens, and she runs her fingers up my arm.
“Tiffany, please don’t touch me. Don’t you have a job? Why are you always in the lobby waiting for me?”
She stands up tall. “I have a job, and I pay my rent. I’m not always in the lobby waiting for you.”
“Good. Keep your distance from my friend.” I enter the elevator angrier than I’ve been in a long time and leave her watching me as the elevator doors close in her face. She’s lucky she didn’t try to get in. I would have been brutally honest, and she’d probably sell the story to some tabloid. Ugh.
As the elevator rises to my floor, I text Mike Spencer again to follow up on Tiffany.
Me: Have you figured out who Tiffany Reynolds’ landlord is?
Mike: Yeah, I was messing with you, man. She’s my tenant.
How did I miss that?
Me: She needs to be evicted.
Mike: That’s not easy in San Francisco, particularly because she pays her rent.
Me: She’s stalking my business partner.
Mike: She can suck a golf ball through a garden hose. Tell him to give it a try.
Me: My business partner is a woman.
Mike: Nice! Some girl on girl action. Can we watch?
Me: Jesus, man. She’s a psycho. We need to get her out of the building. She’s always in the lobby. Where does she work? How does she make rent each month?
Mike: I don’t remember.
My mom comes around the corner just as I exit the elevator. “Oh good, you’re back.”
I tuck my phone in my pocket. I have more questions for Mike, but they’ll have to wait. “Where are you off to?”
“Claire should be here shortly. Your father is meeting with the sailboat dealer at one, and I’ll meet him and go with him to the marina. If I don’t, he’ll buy the boat without asking any questions.”
I nod, knowing exactly what she means. If he’s excited about something, my dad will ignore neon flashing signs that say it’s a bad idea.
“I’m going into the office. You both have fobs to come and go as you please.”
I grab my gear and let Greg know I’ll be ready in five.
I’ve been sitting across from Gage for three hours. We’re still struggling. Against my better judgment, I’ve asked everyone to work from home because we keep rebooting the system, and the router keeps reinstalling the spyware. Nothing we’ve tried seems to be working.
“I need a break,” I announce.
“Understand. We’ll be here until we get this figured out,” Gage says.
I have Stan pick me up and take me to SHN’s offices. I want to see how the coding is going for Tinsley and Cameron.
When I arrive and ask for Cameron, the receptionist is flustered.
Mason walks out. “Hey, man, what brings you by?”
“I’m looking for Cameron and Tinsley. They’re working on our software.”
“Come on back.” He motions for me to follow.
I trail Mason into his company’s workspace. SHN covers the entire floor, and everything is modern and bright. Easily over a hundred people work in this space, and almost all the walls are glass.
Mason takes me to his office, and we sit down.
“Do you want anything to drink?” he asks.
“Bourbon is my preference, but it’s far too early in the day for that. Coffee is fine.”
He alerts someone and looks at me. “Caffeine doesn’t have the same punch. A friend of mine talks about a jazz bar here in the city that has a bourbon tasting room. We should check it out sometime.”
I like that idea. “Sure.”
“How are you doing with the spyware?”
“I’m working with Jim’s team, and they’re struggling. But it did bring to light a challenge Tinsley’s been wrestling with in
