That same night, as Regina paced around her bedroom, she heard the intercom ring from the lobby. ‘It must be them. Shit! Should I ignore them? They’re probably here to scold me.’ “Ms. Regina,” Jeffrey, the doorman, phoned to tell her she had a guest. “Yes, Jeffrey?” “There’s a Mr. Owen Bennet here to see you.” ‘Of course, it’s not Raffy. They wouldn’t have announced their arrival. They’d just come up.’ “Ms. Regina? Should I send him away?” He asked when she failed to acknowledge him. “Send him up.” “Are you sure? It’s kind of late, and you’ve never invited anyone upstairs before.” He whispered into the phone. “Thank you for your concern, Jeffrey. I’m too tired today, and I have to talk to this guy privately.” “But Ms. Regina—” “It’s okay, Jeffrey. He hates me like the plague, so I doubt he’ll do anything,” she argued. Jeffrey looked at Owen with scrutiny. He doubted the gentleman hated Ms. Regina, as he carried the most beautiful flowers Jeffrey had ever seen. It looked

A few weeks ago, Mrs. Bailey woke up with enough energy and motivation to do the usual things she did around the house, so she requested Regina to accompany her shopping. During her heyday, she was a fashion icon. Paparazzi would follow her around to find out her latest attire, what she loved to eat, and who among the designers she favored. She had an expert eye for spotting potential newcomers, so designers always sent her stuff to try, but Hailey always loved being out in the mall. It excited her to see clothes on mannequins and bags displayed on the shelves, calling for her to take them home. Like Regina, she had an obsession with purses, and because she had a disposable income, she just bought everything she fancied. “Regina, do you have the latest Dior purse?” Regina was checking out the fragrances to distract herself from looking at the purses. It was not in her budget to buy one right now when she just splurged on the Gucci purse she had on her arm. “It’s painful to l

“Thank you for bringing me breakfast. You want to take some of it home. I can’t finish all of this.” Regina was trying to dismiss him, so she could get back to relaxing, but he couldn’t take the hint. “Sure,” he nodded. “I heard you ran in the mornings, so I wanted to go with you.” “Are you implying I’m fat?” Regina was on her 2nd pastry and wondered when he was leaving. “It’s the weekend, and I try to rest for the next two days.” “That’s fine with me. We can stay in all day. I bet we have a lot to explore about each other.” He grinned mischievously, like a man with ideas in his head, and all of them required getting naked. “Your idea of a date is not fun,” she mumbled while chewing her food to avoid replying to his sexual innuendo. “It’s okay if you’re not up to it. We can take a walk so you don’t get left behind.” “I see what’s happening. You fed me pastries so you can outrun me.” Owen laughed. “No. I got those because I didn’t know what you ate for breakfast. There’s ham and

“My sister is a character, isn’t she?” Owen nodded and waited for Ronnie to say more, anticipating the lecture he knew was coming. “Regina is the youngest member of my family, and my parents gave up hope of ever having a daughter until she came. I was a teenager when she arrived, and she was the most precious thing I’ve ever held in my arms, so you understand why we love her a lot. It is also the reason we get protective.” Ronnie poured himself a mug of coffee and offered Owen one when they walked to the kitchen to sit at the counter. Owen never thought of Regina other than as a blonde bimbo who was out to get him and his brothers, but getting some input from her brother changed his perspective. Now he could see her as a sister with very caring brothers. There were three of them in the pictures, and now he could see how she got her spunk to speak up to him. “I understand,” he answered. “I trust Regina, and if she said nothing happened here today or last night, then I will believe

Regina closed the door and said, “I’m sorry about my brother. He rarely comes by, so I was surprised as you were when he barged in here today.” “It’s okay. I understand why it pissed Ronnie off. I would too if I found my sister with a naked man walking around our apartment.” “After that ordeal, I think I lost a ton of pounds. I feel hungry again. Do you want to stay and have lunch? I’m whipping up this new recipe. Care to be my guinea pig.” Owen never tasted her cooking before, so he was a bit afraid it wouldn’t be good, and he would end up insulting her. He wanted them to date, so everything had to be smooth. “Are you sure you don’t want to order in? I think you’d be tired after the morning we had.” Regina’s heartbeat felt like it was coming from her ears, as Owen came closer and leaned over her on the sofa. She did not know why she felt a tingling feeling now when she’d been trying to avoid him all day. The conversation with her brother made her look at things differently. It