Read Online The Billionaire and the Cleaner by Sam Crescent - Free Book Online Page B

Penny said. “Now, are you Kent ’s woman?”
    Lana opened her mouth to speak, but she was beaten to it by
another person.
    “Of course she’s his woman. Kent never brings a woman home
unless he’s serious about her. When’s the wedding?” Derek asked.
    “Guys, you’re terrifying her,” Kent said, stepping behind her.
“There’s no wedding. Lana and I are friends.”
    “Oh dear, I think we were scaring you, weren’t we?” Penny
said.
    “I’m not used to a large crowd,” Lana said.
    “You’ll get used to it,” Tonya said, bringing in her three
children and Seth. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger.
    Kent squeezed her
shoulders. She took the comfort.
    “Here you are, pet, a nice cup of tea. I buy the good
stuff.” Penny placed a cup in front of her. Dawn and Sophie then started to add
sugar and milk to her cup. “Girls! Leave the poor girl
alone.”
    “It’s fine,” Lana said.
    He kept stroking her arm, which made it hard for her to
concentrate on the conversation. His touch sent shivers up her spine. She
couldn’t do anything but think about what he was doing to her body.
    “I promise, Lana, you’ll get used to it, and before long,
you’re having a three way conversation and managing to keep up,” Tonya said.
    Lana smiled at the other woman.
    ****
    Kent tightened
his grip on Lana’s shoulders. He felt her shaking from the nerves. His family
were hard to deal with at first. Growing up with all of them made it easier for
him to keep up with each conversation. It was one of the reasons he believed he
was a good businessman.
    Tonya’s advice was nice to hear. The other woman had stopped
him from going inside the house along with his brother Seth. They were worried
about him because of his lack of visits to the family home. He saw the love Tonya
had for his brother, and after all this time he truly believed she loved Seth.
    He couldn’t force Tonya to stop loving his brother. They
were never meant to be. Kent understood that now. Running his fingers up and down Lana’s arm he felt at
peace. Lana was meant to be here with him. Her place was by his side even
though she kept trying to run away from him.
    Before coming home, he’d phoned his parents to warn them
about Lana’s insecurities. They were simply being themselves around her.
    Lana picked up the cup of tea. She took a sip and winced.
    “Oh no, too much sugar,” Sophie said. The cup was whisked
out of her hands and thrown in the sink. He watched as Sophie then started to
make another drink.
    “Where are your men?” he asked.
    “Football,” Dawn and Sophie said.
    He turned to Eric. “My woman’s shopping with the kids. They
need a new costume for some school play, and you know my woman. She needs to
make it herself.”
    Kent nodded. The
few times he’d come home for Sunday lunch he’d felt sorry for his siblings.
Their lives were constantly filled with the mundane crap that came with a
steady woman or man and a family.
    Now, as he stood behind Lana he saw something completely
different. Kent saw himself from their perspective. He saw a lonely older man with nothing but
work to keep him company.
    Turning around he saw Seth rubbing Tonya’s shoulders as she
helped their oldest son do homework. The connection among all of them made him
feel lonely.
    He watched as his dad moved to where his mom was peeling
potatoes for dinner. Derek put his hands on Penny’s hips and was whispering
against her ear. The love he witnessed startled him.
    Kent didn’t have
any of this. When they all went home, they had their partners, husbands and
wives to wrap up warm to. What did he have? A beeping phone where he could call
any woman and a black book filled with numbers of women he didn’t want.
    His life was meaningless.
    “ Kent , why don’t you show Lana your
old room?” Penny said.
    Nodding, Kent took Lana’s hand and escorted her to his room. He had slept on the top floor.
    “Wow, your family is huge,” Lana said.
    “They’re a great