When Corden Nash took over as the crime lord of New Jersey, he swore he'd never fall in love. His one goal in mind has been to burn Rafino Rossi and everything he's ever built into the ground after murdering his father. But when Carmen Abdullahi sho...
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The Upper East Side is a whirlwind of chaos on the weekends. Tourists, bikers, dog walkers, and other people on a mission flood the streets as they pass to and from their destinations.
I've always been fond of people-watching. Trying to determine what someone does for a living, or why they storm past me angry on a call, it's fun to make up their lives in my head knowing my theories are probably incorrect. Sometimes, I wonder if others do it to me, and I wonder if they guess I moonlight as a stripper.
Likely not.
My life here in debatably the wealthiest section of the city is vastly different from the club that lures in the most dangerous types of people. My persona has to be amplified here as the co-owner of a business, my lives separate. The seductive, cunning version of myself has to be replaced by a lighter, sweeter version. When dealing with owners of country clubs and housewives hosting charity galas or auctions, I quickly learned to nod and smile, tapering down my true self. Maybe that's another reason I love dancing so much. It allows me to break that cocoon I envelop myself in.
"Is everything ready?" Riley, my best friend since high school, carries the last of the floral arrangements to load into the van. The local police station is hosting an event, and I'm in charge of delivering the arrangements.
I check off the last item on the clipboard, nodding enthusiastically. "That's everything."
"Thanks again for making the delivery. You know I'm not..." With a quick shake of her head, she releases a sigh. "I'm not good with crowds."
Sweet, innocent Riley would give the shirt off of her back for anyone. That's how we became friends, after all. She was shy and studious in our Physics class, quiet as a mouse, but when one of the jocks started to pick on her glasses, I told them where to shove it. We are complete opposites, but it's what draws us together. She's the calm to my wild.
Needless to say, delivering all of these arrangements to a room full of cops isn't the job for her. When she suggested we open Blooms, I had just graduated college with a business degree. Riley graduated from a prestigious art school, and with her being as talented as she is with an eye for design, it didn't take much convincing to go into business with her. With the help of our friend Sienna, the CEO of one of the largest marketing companies on the East Coast, our business has been booming ever since. Sometimes it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that our dreams came true.
"Don't worry about it," I reassure her, closing the back of the van. "Besides, if one of us has to be in a room full of hot, buff men, it should be me, right?"
Her nose wrinkles in disgust. "Yeah. Not my type. Maybe you'll find the love of your life so one of us isn't lonely anymore."
"Mmm. Not likely." I've been single for years, and that's been by choice. Not to say I haven't had a hookup here and there, but given my profession, I know there aren't too many men who would be comfortable with it.
