Chapter: Whispers of Failure~ Joan ~I glared at Aaron, who sat with his usual regal arrogance, an amused expression playing on his face. Plucking my earbuds out, I narrowed my eyes at him.“You scared me,” I snapped, pushing myself off the ground and brushing off imaginary dust.“Not my fault you decided to block out the world,” he said, his gaze flicking to the earbuds in my hand with thinly veiled disapproval. I cocked my head, annoyed.“Why were you sitting there watching me like some creep?” I asked, crossing my arms. He shrugged, his dark eyes dragging over me leisurely, setting my nerves alight.“I liked what I was seeing, so…” He let the words trail off.I huffed, turned away, and headed to the counter, pouring a glass of water. I could feel his eyes boring into my back, the weight of his attention impossible to ignore.My phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I glanced at the screen: a text from my editor.“Please tell me you’ve come up with something.”I sighed, dropping the phone fall on the coun
Last Updated: 2024-12-12
Chapter: Too Busy To CareToo Busy To Care ~Aaron~“We’re wrapping up the final project,” Lauren said, pointing at the screen as the slides transitioned. Her voice was crisp, professional. I tapped my fingers against my chin, considering the information.“I assume you’ve kept Mr. Hampton in the loop?” I asked, watching her expression. Lauren nodded and moved away from the screen, her focus shifting to gathering her files.The office was quiet, the others having left after the board meeting. My recent trip to Spain had paid off—I’d managed to secure a deal with a man whose investment I’d been pursuing for months.“Yes, I have. He seemed quite impressed,” Lauren replied. I nodded again and stood. She busied herself with packing her files, not sparing me a glance.This was precisely why I enjoyed working with Lauren. She wasn’t one of those women who threw coy smiles in my direction or pretended to be mesmerized by me. She didn’t care about my looks, let alone my personality—which, admittedly, was nothing to wri
Last Updated: 2024-12-12
Chapter: It Never Happened~ Joan~“It was fun, Jo. You should have seen,” Rhoda gushed over her mug of coffee. I gave an absent-minded nod as I lifted mine to my lips, the warmth doing little to ease my tangled thoughts.She'd returned last night. I'd pretended to be asleep to avoid facing her. Truthfully, I couldn't sleep at all.“He's really cute,” she muttered, her eyes lighting up with that glint they always had when she found someone or something particularly fascinating.“Saunter off again without letting me know, and he won't have a cute face anymore,” a deep baritone came from behind me, making every nerve in my body grow taut.The color drained from Rhoda's face as her gaze darted behind me. I was certain my face mirrored hers—though not for the same reason.“Aaron,” she said, her voice sharpening. I forced myself to remain composed, bracing for whatever he was about to say next.A small part of me dreaded that he might actually tell his sister we’d had sex. And that too, in the living room.The mere
Last Updated: 2024-12-12
Chapter: Crossing The Line ~Joan~Everything happened too fast. One moment, my gown brushed against my thighs, modest and safe. The next, it was bunched around my waist, leaving me exposed.A sharp tearing sound cut through the air, final and inevitable. My panties, torn and useless. A shiver ran down my spine as the cool air hit my bare skin, and despite myself, a twisted smile crept onto my lips.I can’t believe we’re doing this. His hardness pressed insistently against me, and I arched into him, a small gasp escaping despite my efforts to stay silent.“This is what you want, right?” he whispered, his voice rough and breath hot against my ear. A knot twisted tight in my stomach as I shook my head, fighting the storm rising inside.“Don’t bring your mouth near me,” I managed, keeping my voice steady, almost detached. I couldn’t let him see the heat coursing through me.I felt the hint of a smirk against my neck as he pulled back.“Oh, Joan.” His voice was gravelly, mocking. “I have no intention of touching you
Last Updated: 2024-11-21
Chapter: What Would You Do?~ Joan ~I rolled my eyes as soon as he left, placing my mug on the counter. Rhoda huffed out a laugh, as she leaned on the island, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.“He can be insufferable at times... But, he’s got a heart of gold,” Rhoda said, eyeing me from the corner of her eyes, as though daring me to disagree.I said nothing. Because I wasn’t going to agree with her that Aaron had a heart of gold. Nope. I was convinced he doesn’t even have one to begin with. All I ever saw was his coldness, his need for control. How she could see past that, I didn’t know.“You’re staying, right?” she asked, and I glanced at her as I rinsed the mug, the water slipping through my fingers as I tried to focus on something other than Aaron.She shifted on her feet uncomfortably, sensing the weight of my silence, as I stared at her from under my lashes.“I mean, he’ll be gone by the weekend... that’s just two days away,” she added, a little too quickly. “We could have the whole building to ourselve
Last Updated: 2024-11-21
Chapter: Before The Weekend ~Aaron~I was an early riser... Or maybe that was the wrong word to use. I had insomnia, so sleeping was a problem.Which explained why I was in the kitchen by 4 a.m., fully dressed in my usual outfit—a suit—brewing coffee. I walked into the sitting room, glancing at the windows. It was already dawn. The sky was glowing red, a warning of the day ahead.Soon enough, the girls would be awake. Speaking of "girls"... I took a sip of my coffee before walking toward the window, staring down at the quiet city, save for a few cars and early risers moving like ghosts through the streets. I’d had a business meeting in Barcelona, which explained why I was in Spain. I was supposed to be finishing up by the weekend and returning to New York on Monday. I should’ve been thinking about work, logistics, my schedule. But I wasn’t.No, I was thinking about what I’d come back to—my house invaded by my sister and her best friend. Rhoda always had a streak of stubbornness in her, but it never flared into
Last Updated: 2024-11-21